One in a Million (Book 3 in the Four of Us Trilogy)

6 | Travelin' Soldier

"Yes, he made it back... but he passed away just last year - heart attack. So, I have to say, the worst feeling was watching him die," she said, her voice choking a little.

I nodded. "Absolutely. I can't even imagine it," I said, shaking my head.

"Don't even try." She reached across the table and put her hand on mine. "Miles is going to be fine, Rachel. You have to believe that."

I swallowed and nodded. "I do. I'm just going to miss him so much. How long was Edgar gone?"

"He was over there for almost two years," she said, and I gasped.

"Two years? My God, how did you make it through?" I asked.

"It wasn't easy, darling. We wrote letters, sent photos, but it was a lonely two years. Every time there was a knock at the door, I assumed it was going to be uniformed soldiers delivering the message that my precious Edgar had been killed in the line of duty. But finally, finally he was sent home," she said, and I could hear the relief in her voice, even after all these years.

"I'm so glad he made it back," I said, feeling a surge of emotion for this precious woman who had taken time out of her day to speak to me.

"I was too," she said, smiling warmly. "Now think of this: if I made it through with only snail mail, you're going to be fine with text messages and the FaceTimes," she said, and I giggled. "There we go. You have a beautiful smile, dearie. Don't lose that in his absence."

I smiled and a tear slid down my cheek. "I won't. I promise."

She checked her watch. "I better go. I'm going to visit my daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren in North Carolina." She stood up and put her purse over her shoulder. "I just had to stop and tell you that everything was going to be okay."

I stood up too and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you, Mrs. Polly. You'll never know what this means to me," I told her.

"Oh, I think I do," she said, her eyes sparkling. "Now you take care, precious."

"I will. Fly safe," I said as she walked away, glancing back only to wave at me one more time.

I threw my trash away and walked outside, finally ready to face the drive home.

Panama City Beach, Florida

Brooke

"I hope Rachel is okay," I mused as Luke and I unloaded boxes from the U-Haul into the beach condo we were staying in for the time being. Thankfully, Adam had been kind enough to let us crash in one of the penthouses in the Majestic Beach Tower, the first building I'd be redesigning. The rest of our boxes had gone into storage, so we were just dealing with the necessities for now.

"Me too," Luke grunted as he pulled the last box from the U-Haul and piled it on the huge platform cart we'd swiped from the basement.

"I'll wait a bit and give her a call. She probably just wants to be left alone right now," I said, pushing the cart forward.

"Let me push that, dingus," Luke said, bumping me away from the handle.

"Fine," I said. "Jessica is moving in with her soon, right?" I asked. I just couldn't stop worrying about Rachel.

"Yes, Brooke. Now stop worrying. We've got enough to deal with here," he said, wiping sweat from his brow.

"You're right," I said. "Let me move the U-Haul and then I'll meet you upstairs."

"All right. We'll get changed then take it back when we get some dinner. Sound good?" he asked, kissing my cheek.

"Sounds perfect," I responded, slapping his butt lightly as he walked away.

I climbed in the U-Haul and before I put it in drive, I sent Rachel a text.

Hey Rachie baby, you okay? Just wanted to check on you.

It was a few seconds before she answered.

I'm actually okay. I got some good advice from an old lady at the airport. It was actually like something out of one of those Hallmark movies, lol.

I smiled.

Good. Call me later if you need to talk.

I will. Love you, B.

Love you too, honey. xoxo

I took a deep breath and moved the U-Haul to a parking spot, feeling much better now that I knew Rachel was okay.