First Class Hero (First Class Novels) by AJ Harmon Read Free Book Online Page B

Paul had been in the water with her when she swam with the
“weal dawphwins”. He loved his sweet little niece and enjoyed her conversation.
    As Janie cleaned up the dishes after dessert, Matt got Paul
alone out on the back patio and asked him about his career decision.
    “I submitted my letter a couple of weeks ago, before I left
for Kandahar. As soon as my tour is up, I’m done. I’m going to be a civilian.”
    “And how do you feel about it now that it’s done?” Matt
asked.
    “Good,” Paul nodded. “I’m ready to move on. No second
guessing. But once I’m out I’ve gotta figure out what I’m going to do with my
life.”
    “Anything you need,” Matt patted his brother on the back.
    “I know,” Paul smiled. “Thanks.”
    Matt took his family home and Maureen headed off to bed.
Peter sat in his favorite chair to watch Sports Center on ESPN and Paul flipped
open his laptop and sent an email to Ed. He wanted to make sure his friend was
home and see how he was dealing with the loss of one of his men. Paul couldn’t
imagine how hard that was and wanted to make sure that Ed knew he was there for
him, in any capacity he needed.
    He shut his laptop after the email had been sent and went to
his old room. His mom had kept it exactly the way he’d left it. She hadn’t
changed a single thing. He wondered if he might stay there for a while after he
left the Navy while he decided what he would do. He had enough money in savings
that he had the luxury of taking his time and not rushing into anything he
wasn’t certain about. He was sure his parents wouldn’t mind.
    *****
    Nic had sat on a train all day and when she arrived at Penn
Station she was exhausted. She pulled her suitcase through the maze of
commuters and found a taxi to take her to the hotel. She sat back and watched
as the cab drove her through the city. She had been to New York once before.
She was in college and a group of her friends had wanted to come for a couple
of days over spring break. They’d had a great time but she hadn’t been back
since. Lack of time or money had been her obstacle for traveling anywhere ,
not just back to New York.
    The cab pulled in front of her hotel and she paid the driver.
She grabbed her suitcase and walked into the budget-friendly establishment. It
looked clean and the front desk employee was friendly. She produced her credit
card and in return received her room key and an area map of local attractions
and restaurants within walking distance. She rode the elevator up to the
eleventh floor and found her room. It was small but clean, small but adequate.
There were clean towels and fluffy pillows. She hoped to get a good night’s
sleep so she could be at her best for tomorrow’s interview.
    *****
    When Paul returned from his morning run on Thursday, his dad
was heading off to play golf with a buddy and his mom was going to play her
weekly bridge game. She offered to stay home with him, but Paul insisted she go
see her friends – he would be just fine. After he showered, he wandered around
the house. He checked his email and then picked up his phone. Before analyzing
it too much, he called Nic. She answered on the first ring.
    “Paul? Are you alright?”
    “Hi Nic. Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”
    “I saw the news and…” She couldn’t finish her sentence. Why
she was choking up she didn’t have a clue.
    “No, I’m fine.”
    “I’m glad,” she managed to say.
    “I was calling cuz I feel like we didn’t have much time
before I had to leave. I don’t have time to come back to Norfolk. Sorry.”
    “Oh, that’s fine. I’m not there anyway.”
    “Oh? Where are you?”
    “I actually have a job interview so I’m in New York for just
today.”
    “You’re in New York? Right now?”
    “Uh-huh. My interview is in an hour, so I actually need to
get going. But I’m really glad you called. And I’m really glad that
you’re okay.”
    “So you’ll be done with your interview and then what are you
going to do?