Page 31 of Keeping Amanda
“No, it doesn’t,” he said firmly. “It sounds human. For what it’s worth, I’m truly sorry.”
“Thanks.”
“You mentioned something before about a fundraiser…”
“Yes. Along with the lawsuit against the guy’s estate—which my pro-bono lawyer won on my behalf—the community was awesome. Raised a ton of money to help me with college expenses and just in general, because they felt sorry for me. I saved a lot of it, and when the opportunity in Guyana came across my social media feed, I had enough to quit my job, pay my rent for six months, and come down here. I needed to figure out if I wanted to continue in the education field. I’m happy to say it worked, I have my passion back again, but for younger kids. I’ll have to update my teaching license, but that won’t be too hard, I don’t think. I’ll always be grateful for my experiences here…except for the whole kidnapping thing, of course.”
“Of course,” Buck said with a small chuckle.
He was so impressed with this woman. She had such a refreshing take on the world. When things didn’t go her way, she didn’t wallow in self-pity. She changed direction and kept moving forward. He liked that. A hell of a lot.
“What about you? Tell me more about your family,” she urged.
Buck had no problem with her request. “My sister’s a brat,” he said with a grin, making Mandy laugh. “She’s older than me and loved bossing me around, tormenting me when we were growing up in Kansas. We had one of those underground tornado shelters in the backyard. You know, the kind that was inThe Wizard of Oz? Where you lift up a door and go down somesteps? Except ours was dark and dank and smelled funky, like mold and dead animals. Once, Natalie told me she had something cool to show me, and when I went down the stairs ahead of her, she shut the door, latching it from the outside. I heard her laughing hysterically as she ran away. I cried and pounded on that door, but she left me down there for what seemed liked hours, though she claims was only about twenty minutes.”
“Why’d she let you out?”
“Because Mom said she wanted to take us out for ice cream, but she couldn’t find me.”
Mandy giggled. Buck loved the sound. It was carefree and open, and he wished, not for the first time, that he was hearing it while they were home safe and sound on his couch, watching TV, or over a table sharing a delicious meal.
“Sounds like a typical older sister. Was she protective too? Or just annoying?”
“Protective,” Buck said quickly. “When I was in the fifth grade, there was this girl who delighted in tormenting me. I don’t know why. My sister attended the middle school right next to the elementary school, and she’d come over and get me at the end of each day and we’d walk home together. Eventually, she arrived while this other girl, Lena, was picking on me, and Natalie walked right up to her and shoved her.Hard. In today’s day and age, she would’ve gotten in big trouble for that, rightly so, but back then there weren’t as many teachers keeping an eye on the kids after school.
“She told Lena that if she caught her within ten feet of me ever again, she’d regret it. And of course, Natalie shook her fist as she said it. It was overly dramatic, and I don’t think my sister would’ve ever actually punched anyone, but the threat worked and Lena left me alone after that.”
“That’s awesome.”
“Yeah. My parents were extremely proud when I became a Night Stalker, but Natalie refused to come to my graduation, andshe gave me the cold shoulder for over a year. When I’d finally had enough, and flew out to Washington to confront her and find out what her problem was, she admitted that she was scared for me. She’d researched what Night Stalkers did, and she hated that I’d be putting myself in danger. She told me that she didn’t want her little brother to die, and that’s why she’d put distance between us. Because she was afraid for me and couldn’t deal with knowing what might happen to me.”
“Awww, that’s kind of sweet.”
“Maybe. But I told her she was being a bitch.”
“Nash! You did not!” Mandy scolded.
“I did. Told her to get over herself. That I could die tomorrow walking across the street. Orshecould. There’s no guarantee in life. You have to live each day as if it’s your last. And I was done with her shutting me out of her life. I wanted to talk to my niece and nephew, and wanted to be involved in all their lives, even if I didn’t live in the same city or state as her and her family.”
“Did it work?”
“Yup. But only after we had a five-hour conversation about how careful I am, how I know what I’m doing, the hours of training I’ve had, and will continue to have, and the credentials of my copilots and teammates. I answered every question she had—that I was allowed to—and by the end we were both exhausted, but she was satisfied that I was doing what I loved, even if it was dangerous, and she admitted she was proud of her little brother.”
“I like that for you both.”
“Yeah.”
“Your parents are still in Kansas?”
“Yup. No clue why. It’s cold, and flat, and windy.”
“I could go with some cold right about now,” Mandy said with a small laugh.
“Yeah, me too,” Buck agreed.
She’d been walking beside him while they talked about family, and he’d taken her hand in his…which felt good. Sweaty, but good. Besides, at this point, sweat was the last thing he was worried about. Neither of them was currently at their best, but their experience had let them cut through the superficial shit couples dealt with at the beginning of a relationship. What was a little sweat between friends?
They hadn’t repeated the amazing kiss they’d shared in the pool, but it was never far from Buck’s mind. He’d never felt as connected to another woman as he did Mandy. It was the same feeling he had about his teammates, with Obi-Wan…without the physical part, of course. They’d shared an intense experience together, and were working together to get through it, much as he and his fellow pilots did. It hadn’t been a life-or-death situation, at least not since they’d evaded detection back at the LZ and when they’d first fled the area around the rebel camp, but no less intense.
