Free Faithful to a Fault by K. J. Reed Page A

soon, I am going to rip this machine from the ground and throw it out a window. Do you want to be responsible for that?”
    Tony shook his head, eyes wide.
    “Then don’t say another word until I have my ticket in my hand and we are standing in the security line.”
    After giving the check-in process the same concentration he used to pass his Military Police quals, he finally had a ticket to show for his effort. They walked back to the Millers, who had been waiting for them to make sure their flight was still on time and everything worked out.
    A tearful goodbye followed, where Laura blubbered over both of their shirts and Colin gave a gruff handshake before turning suspiciously bright eyes away. One more hug from a near-hysterical Maria left them with completely soggy collars by the time they were headed to the security checkpoint.
    Tony waited until they were seated at the gate and groaning over an hour delay on their flight.
    “If you like her this much, why are you giving up?”
    “I’m not giving up,” Pete bit out. “But this reunion isn’t my business. And right now, she’d rather shoot me than look at me. So I’m giving her some space. If she wants to talk to me, she knows my number.”
    “Seems kind of like the pussy way out,” Tony said.
    “It’s the respectful way,” Pete corrected. Wasn’t it?
    For sure it wasn’t his place to interfere with the family reunion. Sarah and Trav had issues layered in problems wrapped in miscommunication to work through. But after, when the dust settled, would he regret not being there? Whether it was for support—on either side—or to be a punching bag, or whatever they needed…
    Yeah. He would. This wasn’t the time to play noble jackass, never to see the possible girl of his dreams again.
    As the plane that they would eventually board landed with the previous flight, and old passengers deplaned, Pete formed his plan. Wait it out. Get the update from Trav. Give her some space. Then rally the troops and storm Thanksgiving with everything he had.
    Retreat wasn’t a part of his vocabulary. He sure as hell wasn’t giving Sarah up without a fight.
    * * * * *
     
    Sarah would not wait for him. She would not sit at home, pining, wondering, worrying.
    The him was twofold. Her brother Trav or her…whatever. Pete.
    So she went along with her life as if nothing had happened. Eat, sleep, work. Work, where she was right now, ready to earn a few more bucks to put into her adventure jar. Save up for that trip around the world.
    Only it was dead. Which meant she had more time to think than she wanted.
    She reviewed the conversation with Pete once more in her mind and came to the same conclusion she had the other twelve hundred times she’d replayed it. He truly had no right going behind her back like that. The whole time she had been building castles on clouds, thinking that maybe her week-long fling would turn into something more. Something better than she’d ever had before.
    If she were being honest with herself, some tiny portion of her heart still hoped for the chance. But he’d closed that door when he went behind her back instead of talking to her first. And she’d locked the door behind him with her dismissal.
    So really, when had being honest with oneself ever been a good thing?
    Maria wandered through the bar and picked up a glass to polish. She said nothing, just set the clean glass aside and grabbed another, working with Sarah in companionable silence.
    Sarah knew better. Maria was biding her time until an opening showed itself. Then her friend would pounce. When Maria caught a whiff of a tale she didn’t know, got hold of information, she was a pit bull. She’d lock her jaws around the story and shake until the truth came out. Sarah refilled two beers and took a to-go order by phone before frustration won out.
    “What?”
    “Hmm?” Maria looked up from the second crate of glasses.
    Sarah rolled her eyes. “You don’t seriously think I’m buying this,