But he always enjoyed her company. She was so shy and serious most of the time that it was a real pleasure to make her laugh, and he did it as often as he could. The biggest surprise of all was finding out that underneath her quiet exterior lurked a sense of humor…and that she could give as good as she got.
He smiled suddenly, remembering the day he’d taught her and Allison to play pool. Erin had approached the game with her usual determination and some pretty inventive trash talking, making Allison laugh so hard at one point she’d snorted milk through her nose.
He’d seen less of Erin as the end of high school approached. He was getting ready to enlist in the Army, something he’d wanted to do from the time he was twelve. In seventh grade he’d done a school report about his grandfather, a World War II veteran, and the idea of military service had gotten under his skin.
Six years later, his goal hadn’t changed. He enlisted after graduation and went to basic training, and forgot all about his sister’s friend until he was home on leave the next summer.
That was the summer Allison and Erin turned sixteen. Their birthdays were just ten days apart, and his parents had decided to throw the girls a joint party.
The memory of that night brought an unexpected rush of feeling.
His hand tightened around his glass as he remembered the kiss in his parents’ kitchen. The kiss that shouldn’t have happened. He’d stayed up half the night thinking about it, and then stayed away from Erin for the rest of his leave, to make sure it didn’t happen again.
Jake shook his head slowly. It had been a long time since he’d thought about that kiss. God knows enough had happened in the months afterward to drive anything else out of his head. His youngest sister, Megan, had been diagnosed with cancer that summer. Then came 9/11, and his first tour of duty to Afghanistan. Other deployments had followed—three to Iraq and one more to Afghanistan.
So, yeah, it had been a while since he’d thought about Erin. His job had always kept him focused on the here and now, on the mission in front of him…and she’d been Allison’s friend, not his.
But now, for some reason, he found himself looking for her.
She’d be twenty-seven now. Would he even recognize her if he saw her again? Would she recognize him?
He only scanned the dance floor a few seconds before he spotted her.
He knew immediately that it was Erin, even though she looked very different from the girl he remembered.
She was still small, although her high heels gave her a few extra inches. Her pale gold hair was twisted up into a knot. She was wearing a strapless dress that started just above her breasts and ended just below her knees, and hugged every curve in between.
She was stunning.
Her transformation wasn’t a total surprise. He’d seen a hint of what was to come the night of her sixteenth birthday. But he’d been remembering Erin as a teenager, and the woman he was looking at now was all grown up.
He didn’t make a conscious decision to move. He was out of his chair and making his way towards her before he had time to think about it.
The song ended with a flourish and everyone paused to clap for the band, including Erin and the guy she was dancing with.
He reached out and put a hand on her bare shoulder.
He must have startled her, because she spun around to face him. Her gray eyes widened and her cheeks turned pink, and she looked so damn pretty it was hard not to stare.
“Jake,” she said blankly, as if she couldn’t believe he was there.
“Hi, Erin. It’s nice to see you again.” He glanced at her partner, wondering if this was her husband or boyfriend. “I’m Jake Landry,” he said, holding out his hand.
The guy nodded. “I remember you from high school,” he said, shaking hands. “I’m Seth Irving. I was in Allison’s class, so you were a couple of years ahead of me.” He turned to Erin with a smile. “Thanks for the dance,” he said. “Are you going to the reunion this year?”
She nodded. “I’ll be there. I’m trying to talk Beth into coming, too.”
“I’ll see you in a few months, then. Have a good night, Erin.”
“You, too.” Seth disappeared into the crowd as couples parted and regrouped, getting ready for the next dance.
Not her husband or boyfriend, then.
Erin looked back at him, her cheeks still pink. Jake was concentrating on keeping his eyes on her face and not letting his gaze dip down to all the bare, creamy skin revealed by her dress. It was silver gray, the color of moonlight, and matched her eyes exactly.
Erin was the first to speak. “It’s good to see you, Jake. I’m sure you hear this a lot, but…I’m glad you’re home safe. Everyone is.”