A Secret Service [NOW PUBLISHED]

Chapter 47 - "Then I can kiss you again."

Carter avoided passing students as she followed her father to the parking lot. When they reached the black SUV, he turned and looked at her. She gave him a small smile, despite the conflicting emotions that suddenly filled her chest.

"Maggie says Friday works for going out to dinner," he said.

Carter crossed her arms and leaned against the car.

"You know it kills the mood on a date if you bring your daughter," she said.

Her father's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I'm not leaving you in an empty apartment. Not now that you have a Marine boyfriend."

"We haven't officially put labels on it."

"He was kissing you. I'm putting a label on it. Since it can't be deceased, boyfriend will have to do."

Carter's smile widened. Her father's expression didn't lighten.

"That also reminds me," he said. "I need to install security cameras."

She let out a bright laugh. "Like I don't know how to disable those."

Her father's frown deepened but the look held no anger. When he dug into his pocket and pulled out his keys, the laughter slipped from Carter's face in small pieces.

"You're still at a desk today."

"Still at a desk."

"I know many of those paper pushers are gung-ho but there's no need to get shot. Again."

The joke didn't land, the look in her eyes taking the joviality out of it. Her father pulled her into a hug. Carter held onto him, gripping his black suit jacket with a silent intensity.

"I love you, Sarge."

Her hold on him tightened. "I love you too, Captain."

The words seemed to hurt as they came out. When he pulled away, she fixed her expression into something resembling calm. Her father smiled, seeing through it. Kissing the top of her head, he then climbed into the car. Carter approached the window.

"You know you'll have to take Maggie on a date that's just the two of you eventually," she said.

"I'll do that once I know I can really trust this Marine boyfriend of yours. Till then it's the three of us."

"You're just using me to avoid commitment."

His lips curled. "I'll see you at home."

A joke rose to Carter's mind but her mouth couldn't manage it. Instead, she said a single word. "Promise?"

He nodded. "Promise."

***********************

The volume of voices had risen considerably when Carter reentered the school. Gossip tripped off people's lips and buzzed from phone to phone. Students swapped stories, none of them true and always growing further from the truth with each telling.

Carter made her way through the excited throng, heading towards her first period. No one looked her way. No one knew what part she had played a week ago. She was approaching her classroom when she spotted Link and Maddie huddled close together. Their heads were touching and their words were barely audible. Carter shifted her gaze across the way. A familiar sight made her stop.

A sight that lessened some of the tightness in her chest, and calmed her storming thoughts.

Donovan leaned against a set of lockers, his hands were tucked away in the pocket of his slacks, his ankles crossed. A collection of girls had formed a semi circle around him. He wore a blank look, though his eyes never settled on anything for longer than a second.