CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
"What are you doing?" The question was barked into Ash's ear.
Startled, his fingers fumbled over his phone, and it clattered onto his plate, landing in his huevos rancheros. "Damn it." Shooting an annoyed look at Bobby, he picked his phone up and wiped it with his napkin. "Thank God it fell in the rice."
Bobby sat down across from him with a smile on his face. "I was calling your name for, what, the last three minutes?" He nodded his head at Ash's phone. "But you were too busy texting to hear me."
"Sorry," Ash muttered, pushing his plate aside. He placed his elbow on the table and grabbed his coffee mug. "I was texting Phoebe."
Bobby fell against the back of the chair with his hand clutching his chest. "Phoebe?" He rolled his eyes, then motioned at a passing waitress. "Can I get a plate of what he's having?"
She nodded. "I'll put an order in."
"Thanks, doll." Bobby smiled and when the waitress walked away, he followed her movements with his eyes. "You didn't even notice, did you?"
Ash poured more cream into his coffee, then stirred it with his spoon. Lifting the mug to his mouth, he tried to anticipate Bobby's train of thought. "You mean the waitress?"
"Oh." Bobby's head jerked back. "What about her did you notice?"
Ash dropped his mug onto the table, then shifted in his chair to look at the waitress. She was likely in her early forties with a petite figure, honey brown hair, and light green eyes. She'd been extra friendly towards him when he first sat down, but when he hadn't responded to her light flirtation, she'd quickly placed a little more distance between them and a bit more chill in her voice.
"I don't see a ring on her finger," said Ash.
Bobby snapped his fingers and dropped his hand onto the table. "There he is. That's the Coop I know." The waitress returned with a plate in her hand. Bobby pulled back, allowing her to place his breakfast in front of him. He waited for her to walk away before he grabbed the pepper shaker and seasoned his meal. "I've been looking for good ol' Coop. I thought he was lost forever."
"What are you talking about?"
Bobby pointed his fork at Ash. "You've changed, man. Everyone's noticed it. At first, I just assumed that caring for your elderly aunt--"
"Whatever you do, don't call Reggie elderly." Ash's phone buzzed. He knew he'd received another text from Phoebe, but he didn't want to be rude by reading it in front of Bobbie. Instead, he plucked his phone from the table and slid it into his pocket. "I love her, but things have been stressful since she arrived."
"Are we talking about your aunt?" Bobby took a moment to chew his food, then he gulped it down. "Or, are we talking about your wife?"
Ash rolled his eyes. "I'm talking about my aunt. Her recovery has been slower than we all expected, and I can see that she's getting really frustrated about it." He ran his fingers through his hair, then leaned against the back of the chair. "She nearly burnt the house down right before I left. I can't imagine how bad things would be if it weren't for Phoebe."
"How are things with your wife?" Bobby wiped his mouth with his napkin, then tossed it onto his plate. "Things been working out between you?"
Judging from the look in his friend's eye, Ash assumed Bobby had already developed his own opinion on the matter. Ash motioned towards the waitress, letting her know he was ready for the check. Then he turned back to Bobby.
"Things are going good. It was a little rough between her and Reggie in the beginning, but they seem to get along." He took the checks from the waitress, removed his wallet, and counted the bills to cover them. "I don't think I would have managed to keep Reggie at home, if it wasn't for her."
"Which brings me to my original point," Bobby said. "I thought your aunt was the source of the change, but I'm now thinking it's your pretty little wife."
Ash pushed his chair back and got to his feet. "Are you ready to go?"
"Are you dodging my question?" Bobby grinned and stood. "I take it the marriage has evolved from a purely beneficial arrangement to something a bit more"--he screwed up his lips--"carnal."
"I don't want to talk about this," Ash said, walking out of the restaurant. He'd always been open about his previous relationships, but what he had with Phoebe was different. Not something he wanted his friend to joke about. He waited for Bobby, and when he saw his friend reach for his cigarettes, Ash shook his head. "I thought you were quitting."
"That was the plan." Bobby placed a cigarette between his lips, then shrugged. "But it's not worked out the way I planned. Are you going back to the lodge?"
Ash glanced down the block. He was probably a half-mile away from where he was staying. Usually, when he was on TDY, he'd spend his weekends exploring the region. But today, all he could think about was calling Phoebe and checking in on things.
"This is how it starts," Bobby murmured between puffs.
"How what starts?"
Bobby gripped the cigarette between his fingers. "How the end begins." He waved his hand in the air, motioning at Ash. "I gotta admit, I was all lovey-dovey in the beginning, too. I'd wake up holding in her arms. I'd be calling her any chance I got. Hell, she couldn't even take a shit without me pestering her in one way or another." He stuck his cigarette back into his mouth. "Then the honeymoon period was over." He stopped abruptly. "Like, quite literally, soon after the honeymoon things began going south."
Ash stopped walking and pinned Bobby with a dark look. He was annoyed because he'd known Bobby and his wife back then. They'd been happy together. Things likely would have worked out for them if it wasn't for the multiple deployments.
"Things between me and Phoebe are not so complicated. We both entered this marriage with our eyes wide open. She's helping me take care of Reggie, and I'm helping her get the education she wants." He started walking again, kicking his foot out to send a rock flying into the road. "I'm sorry things didn't work out the way you planned, but your situation isn't my situation."
Bobby threw his hands up in defeat. "I'm just trying to save you from getting your heart broken."
Ash nearly tripped over his own feet. He settled his legs beneath him, then he grabbed onto his friend's arm. "Okay. I hear you loud and clear, but you don't need to warn me about protecting my heart."
Bobby searched Ash's eyes; however, Ash couldn't tell if his friend was pleased or concerned about what he saw there. Bobby dropped his cigarette to the sidewalk, then ground it beneath his foot.
"As long as you know what you're doing," Bobby said.
Ash removed his hand and started walking again. "Yeah. I know what I'm doing." At least, he hoped he did.
"Good."
Silence descended between them as they walked back to the lodge. Bobby waved goodbye before turning away to go to his room. Ash approached his door, unlocked it, then stepped inside. As he fell onto the bed, he pulled his phone from his pocket.
He heard Bobby's warning replay itself in his mind. He knew Bobby was concerned about him and didn't want him to experience the pain he'd dealt with. But Ash didn't want to tell Bobby that his warnings were already too late, as he knew he was a goner. After years and years of avoiding commitment, Ash had done the stupidest thing ever.
He'd fallen in love with his own wife.