“Hey, babe,” Jackson said, as I set my burrito down before the first bite. “Do I want to know what’s in that?”
“Probably not. I’m not even sureIwant to know what’s in it, and I made it.” I stood up so I could give him a kiss. “You’re home earlier than I thought you would be, or I would have made something for us both.”
“Tempers got heated while we talked about angles of attack. Everyone’s on edge.” He didn’t have to say that many were tired and still frazzled from their last deployment, but it hung there anyway. “CO of our battle armor backup told us all to go the fuck home and have a good night, damn it. Smart woman.”
“I agree. You could all use a night to have a little enforced merriment.”
“More than a night, but… Yeah.” He nodded toward the television. “Can we not watch that tonight? I know you like it for your class, but-”
I snagged the remote and switched the broadcast off. “It’s the end of the year. My class will be fine. In fact, why don’t we go out? Leave the TV to sit here and think about its life choices. Take your mind off it and go do something different.”
“Sure. Why not.” Jackson dropped his bag by the door. “Got something in mind?”
“A few of the teachers were talking about hitting up one of the breweries tonight. Grabbing a few local beers, playing some pub trivia, having a bite.” I spread my hands. “It’s not really our thing, but it would get us out of the house. We could stop in for a round or two of trivia, then go find something else to do since we’ll have beaten the ‘get out of the house’ inertia.”
When Tracey had told me about the gathering earlier, I’d asked her straight out if Dana planned to come. She’d said she didn’t think so, since no one had invited Dana and also, Dana was bad at pub trivia so they avoided telling her when these get-togethers happened. No one wanted to have to carry her slow-answering ass through a whole night of games.
“Sounds good. Lemme go change.” He started for the bedroom, but paused to look over his shoulder. “No following me. Otherwise, we won’t make it out of the bed.”
“Is this supposed to discourage me? Because this doesn’t sound like discouraging me.”
He laughed and disappeared into the hall to find clothes that came in non-camouflage patterns.
* * *
“This could be fun. I haven’t met any of your friends yet,” Jackson said as we drove downtown.
“That’s because they’re not really my friends,” I admitted. “They’re more, I dunno, acquaintances. People I work with and don’t dislike. We’re friendly, and if I’m bored I go play pub trivia with them because we’re all educators, so we kick ass at trivia.”
“You’re all nerds.”
“That’s what I said. Do keep up.” I smirked at him. “I’m actually closer to Jiaying and your fireteam than I am to them.”
That had been another advantage of marrying Jackson. Not only had I inherited a family, but I’d picked up a friend group, too. The other teachers from my school were fine, but they lived lives that looked nothing like mine. We had mismatches in crucial experiences that left us cordial without real closeness or understanding.
“You’re gonna stay in touch with Jiaying while I’m gone, right?” Jackson asked, eyeing me sideways. “It’s your first time with a spouse deployed. She’ll help you.”
“I’ll keep in touch with Jiaying, I promise. Speaking of, did you get the appointment for provisioning my phone?”
“Oh. Yeah, I did.” He seemed pleased. “Day after tomorrow. Sorry it took so long.”
I shook my head. “Not like thewhole freaking basedoesn’t have something else going on. I’m just glad they can get me in before you deploy.”
“Might have gone in and had a few sharp words with someone about it.”
“Might have?”
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “Who can say?”
I just laughed.
Big Hill Brewery had opened its doors a few years prior. It took its name from Pikes Peak, like a lot of places did around here, because the local Fourteener was, in fact, a very big hill. Fourteen-thousand feet of hill. One might call it an excessive amount of hill. The brewery served smooth, hoppy concoctions that had made a quiet but persistent splash in the local beer scene.
I enjoyed the warm wooden walls and bright fixtures, as well as the clean-but-homey atmosphere. Jackson took a deep breath as we stepped inside. “Food smells great.”
“Let’s grab some and a couple beers. Oh. There’s Tracey.” I pointed to a middle-aged woman with cats-eye glasses and a blue streak in her hair.
Tracey Willis taught Social Studies and would fight you if you suggested the Electoral College should be preserved. She caught sight of me and waved. “Sebastian! We have potato skins!”