Soft Place to Fall (Navy Book 4)

Chapter 31

Carmen sat in a chair in the traveling trailer that was used for hair and makeup. Kelly and Laura were to either side of her, having their hair and faces made up too.

"I don't see what this has to do with this year's theme," Laura insisted to Davis once more.

The truth of it was that it had nothing to do with the theme of this year's Landau campaign, which was supposed to be about women working at jobs that were traditionally held by men. Davis had done a spectacular job, as always, managing to make them look beautiful and strong, and capable of doing any job set before them, but this had nothing to do with that theme. This was completely different, and if it wasn't for the fact that Davis had mentioned he had been planning it since the previous year's campaign, she would have thought it was another setup.

"It doesn't, Landau is humoring me, giving into my creative genius. It's something that I have wanted to do with the three of you since we took all of those photos on our first photoshoot, but I didn't have any men in uniform to use then."

"And now you do, thanks to Laura's father." Kelly chimed in as she turned her head from side to side to look at herself in the mirror.

Carmen watched a look pass between Davis and Laura that she didn't understand, but neither one of them commented on Kelly's statement.

"I'll go see if the men are here so that you ladies can change." Davis stood and placed a kiss on Laura's forehead before leaving.

"I'll change first," Kelly said as she jumped out of her chair taking one of the women who were handling their makeup with her. The other two decided they were going to take a smoke break and left Laura and Carmen alone.

"Why are you objecting so much? You enjoyed this era last time we did it." Carmen looked at her curiously.

Laura gave a tense smile. "It doesn't matter, I'm sure the photos will be some of Davis's best and the Navy will have some good propaganda shots."

"Propaganda?" Carmen questioned. "Don't you mean recruitment?"

"Sure, recruitment. I'm sure that was how Davis managed to swing this."

"Don't let your personal feelings, whatever they might be, take the joy out of this for Davis. He's already regretting it, I can see it when he looks at you, and it's something he's worked hard on, probably as much for you as for him."

Laura sat heavily in her chair and rested her forehead in the heels of her hands. "I know, I keep telling myself the same thing."

"Whatever it is that has upset you enough to make you resent this is done, and there is no undoing it, so let it go."

Laura nodded leaning back in her chair and looking at Carmen. "That's the story of our lives, isn't it?"

Carmen gave a sad smile. "A life full of regrets. But at least for you, Davis isn't one of them."

Laura gave a rare tender smile. "No, that was one good decision I made among a wealth of bad ones."

"What about you and Will?" Laura turned the conversation.

Carmen shrugged. "I tried and I failed."

"No, you didn't fail.

"I had him and he left." She whispered, more to herself than to Laura.

"I left too, I left because I loved Davis too much to stay. It scared me. The fact that I would hurt him scared me because I loved him so much I didn't want to hurt him. It's the same for Will. The way he looked at you today, it was the way Davis looks at me."