Chapter Fourteen
The month after Isaac left was misery. March came without any hope of their situation changing. Cosette kept herself very busy in her lab, and in her free time she talked to Isaac through FaceTime every chance they had. Sometimes it was fun to talk to him, but sometimes he was withdrawn or distracted, and she feared they were just drawing further apart.
The rest of the time, she ran, cooked, baked, and spent time with Mar and her dad. She was sadly grounded in reality. Her imagination barely worked well enough to create new scents. Last weekend, she’d been able to fly to Isaac and spend a blissful day with him on Destin Beach near his base, but then she’d had to walk away from him again, and it was worse than the last time. Unless one of them was willing to budge on their careers, she didn’t see an end in sight.
Isaac had leave coming up in five weeks, so they were trying to decide where to spend the week together. She wouldn’t mind going back to their little house on that little island off of Puerto Rico, but unless they impulsively got married, it probably wasn’t too smart to be alone like that for a week. Not with how heated and intense their kissing sessions were when they were together.
Her lab door burst open, and she looked up in surprise. She worked pretty much in seclusion, sending off her final products for testing and then production to the facility attached to the lab that she and Mar owned. She knew people were right there, but they rarely bugged her.
Mar stormed in, looking perfect as ever in a fitted pale blue blouse and a multi-patterned pencil skirt, her five-inch heels making her almost five-four. No matter how small Mar was, she was in charge of the world. She flipped her long, dark hair and narrowed her eyes at Cosette. “I’m your best friend, right?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Since how long?” She arched a perfectly plucked eyebrow. She plucked Cosette’s eyebrows too, when Cosette let her.
“Since middle school when you beat up Melissa Oliver for making fun of me. Why?” Cosette set down her test tube and stood and stretched.
“I’m done with you mooning over Isaac Jewel.”
Cosette’s eyes widened and she felt fire rise up in her. “Well, sorry about that.” She drew out the phrase sarcastically. “But I will never be done with Isaac Jewel.”
Mar folded her arms over her perfect bosom and rolled her eyes. “Lord give me strength. I didn’t say you were done with Isaac; I said you were done with mooning over him.”
“Hallelujah. I’d love to figure out how to be together. What’s the solution, my genie?”
Mar smiled and beckoned to someone who must have been just outside the door. Her dad walked in with … Rachel Jewel?
Cosette stepped back. “Rachel?”
“Hi, Cosette.” She grinned brightly and pressed her hands together. Her bright blue Jewel eyes made Cosette miss Isaac all the more. “Mar called me, and I think the plan is brilliant.”
“What plan?” Cosette looked from Rachel to Mar to her dad. She wasn’t even aware that Mar knew Rachel. “You’re in on this?” she asked her dad. He’d recovered from the drugs Vance’s men had pumped into him, and Vance was still in prison awaiting trial for a variety of crimes. Her relationship with her dad was better than ever. They enjoyed being together, and he hardly ever treated her like a child.
Her dad gave her two thumbs-up. “I just helped orchestrate a few things. So, we flying to Florida?”
Cosette gripped the back of a chair. “Florida? But Isaac only has one day off this weekend. His next leave isn’t for five weeks.”
“‘O ye of little faith,’” her dad quoted, reminding her of her mom.
Cosette felt the spark of excitement. “You’re all going to help me be with Isaac?”
Rachel nodded. “And for longer than just a day, or a week. It just requires you being a little brave. Are you brave, Cosette?”
Cosette pulled a face. No, she wasn’t anything like Isaac as far as bravery went. She wanted to ask for details, but she said a quick prayer and then pumped both of her fists in the air, yelling, “Let’s do this!”
They all laughed and nodded at each other. “It’s time,” her dad said.
“It’s time,” Mar repeated.
Cosette wondered what it was time for.
* * *
Isaac walked into his house on Hurlburt Field Air Force base and slid out of his shoes. His small two-story home was nice and only a few years old. It was definitely an upgrade from when he was deployed or on an assignment and living in barracks or worse. Yet his house now felt empty, lonely, too big. Maybe he should move back to the barracks so he wasn’t alone.
He walked into the kitchen in the dark. It kind of fit his mood. He tried to stay upbeat, but he was dark and lonely without Cosette. He pulled out a water bottle.
“You gonna offer me one?” a voice said from behind him.