No Man Left Behind: A Veteran Inspired Charity Anthology by Elizabeth Knox (black authors fiction TXT) 📕

eased out of his mouth as he freed her for the night. “No, you have fun . . . with Phil.”

Her smile shined brightly. “I love you, you know.”

He knew. Unfortunately her love for him didn’t extend beyond friendship.

“Love you too.”

He stayed on the call until she ended it. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.

Chapter Two

Abby yawned and stretched her arms in the air, careful not to bump Gunner in the process. Yet, a quick glance at her right side and at the foot of the bed alerted her that Gunner was nowhere in sight.

Her voice croaked as she called out to him, “Gunner, where are you?” Abby swung her legs over the bed and gently lifted off the mattress. Slipping her feet into plush bedroom slippers, she padded out the door and toward the kitchen, her brain juggling between concentrating on moving her legs in a straight pattern and desperately screaming for Abby to feed her body the proper amount of caffeine in order to function.

“There you are,” she called out as she spotted him by the edge of the sofa. She swiveled toward her coffeemaker and pushed the button to start the process that would gain her clarity and a more functional library of words to choose from for future conversations that wouldn’t include her dog. Gunner never cared if she slurred over her words but Sterling might. She chuckled at the thought as she fingered the red bow on the package of ground coffee she purchased for him.

She had waited too long for Sterling’s return. During their last conversation she urged him to think of the future despite her silent desire to have him home. His returning after only four years was selfish of her to request. Sterling needed to do what was best for him. Still, when the Army gave him an opportunity to exit upon completion of his contract, a small part of her heart jumped with joy at the prospect of greeting him, with open arms, at the airport.

Sterling was a major part of her life. If he renewed his contract and then, later, passed away while in service . . . The graphic images invading her mind, brought immediate tears to her eyes. She didn’t know what she’d do without him. She didn’t know how she’d handle his funeral. She’d likely collapse on the dirt, unable to bear the idea of never seeing her best friend’s smile again. Every day without him would be painful, like a knife endlessly stabbing tender , raw sections of her heart, running it through till there was no more life force left in her. Visiting their old haunts would never be the same. She placed a hand over her mouth as an inhuman noise screeched from her lips. Swiping at the tears streaming down her face, she batted her eyelashes to clear her view as she bent down to pet Gunner’s head. The poor dog ran over to her as soon as she cried out.

“It’s okay, sweetie. Thank you for worrying about me.” She bent lower to kiss him on the top of his head before he slumped at her feet with a long, drawn-out groan. She laughed at the comical pup’s antics, poured the coffee into a to go container, grabbed the gift for Sterling, and headed toward her bedroom with the dog at her heels.

She was going to see Sterling today. It was going to be a great day.

Hours later, she rang the doorbell while shifting Gunner’s leash in her hand, at the same time. The door swung open, startling her for a second, when she found a familiar face staring back at her. Sterling opened his long, corded arms. She sighed into his embrace. Shortly afterward, he stooped down and, enthusiastically, greeted his fluffball son.

Abby presented the wrapped package of ground coffee to Sterling. “This is for you. A happy homecoming present.”

He snorted and then shook his head. “You never cease to amaze me. Another gift? And my favorite. Kona coffee. Abs, you are too much, you know that? I think I won the jackpot with you.”

Abby, playfully, pretended to pinch his arm. “Yeah you did. Don’t forget that.”

He laughed. “Come on in. My dad’s out right now grocery shopping but he’ll be back soon. Let me put this away.” Abby led Gunner through the doorway and closed the door behind her.

Sterling pointed to the sofa to their left as he walked past them. “Please, have a seat.”

Abby unclipped the leash from Gunner’s collar. The dog trotted over to Sterling, already in the kitchen.

“Sit,” he commanded. “Good boy.” He rubbed the fur on the top of Gunner’s head with a smile plastered across his face and then he returned to Abby. Sitting beside her, he grabbed ahold of her hand and asked, “So, what should we do today?”

“I thought we’d go to the dog park, watch some movies, and pop some popcorn later on and then, maybe tomorrow night, we can go out with Phil. Beyond that, the rest is up to you.”

Sterling’s hand slipped out of hers. She caught his frown. “What’s wrong?”

“Why are you back with Phil?”

“I wanted to give him a second chance.”

“Why?”

“Are we going to talk about Phil this entire time?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “You’re the one who brought him up.”

“Why don’t you like him?”

“He’s not right for you.”

“And you know this, how? From my conversations with you? You don’t know him, Sterling. Only what I told you about him.”

“That’s all I need to know about him.”

Gunner pawed at her leg in an attempt to assuage her distress. She glanced over at him and ran her fingers through his fur. “Please, just give Phil a chance.”

Abby waited for a response but none came. In the extended silence, she reviewed snippets of their conversation in her mind, monitoring her intensifying heartbeats as she stared into Sterling’s gorgeous irises. Sterling was stellar. He could have anyone…

After what seemed a mini-eternity, Sterling finally spoke. “Okay, I