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“The place is filling up fast, and at least half are in uniform,” Courtney reported to Jen and Alice, cheeks flushed and eyes bright. “I knew the new army base would have to pay off soon. This is my ticket out of here!”

“If you want to leave Tidewater Bay, there’s a bus to Brisbane twice a day,” Jen told her, not totally teasing. If she ever left Tidewater herself, she intended to earn her own ticket, not rely on someone else.

“No, I’m serious.” Courtney was all fired up. “Look at them. Americans, Australians, air force, marines. The newspaper says they’re here on joint training exercises for a month, and since this is the best bar and grill in town, right on the waterfront, that means they’ll be coming in here for a month, which means...”

She left her sentence trailing. Then she grinned, hiked up her bra, pulled her tight little top down and fluffed her fingers in her blond hair. Jen and Alice looked at each other and smiled. Courtney described herself as “slightly slutty, but in a good way,” and it was a pretty accurate assessment.

“You watch me! I’m going to be married to a hunky, high-ranking military officer in a month, and I’m going to leave this town!”

You couldn’t dislike her, even when she came up with crazy ideas like this one.

She disappeared to take an order, while Jen and Alice each began to load trays of drinks. The bar staff already looked pumped. Everyone could see it would be a busy night. Jen took a covert look at Alice. Would she handle it?

As usual, Alice looked content but a little tired around the eyes, and she’d already put in a full day. Alice’s twins, Jen’s much loved niece and nephew, were fifteen years old, and Jen’s older brother Bruce, the fiancé Alice had never been able to marry, required a huge amount of care.

“You’re the one who needs to be swept off her feet in thirty days by a hunky American officer, Alice,” Jen told her.

“Me?” Alice looked startled. “What, I don’t already have enough to do?”

“You don’t have enough...” Jen searched for the right word. Fun? Excitement? “You just don’t have enough.”

Alice shrugged, as if in apology. “A few people might not agree with you on that, Jen.”

“No, it’s true. What do you have that’s for you?”

How many women would have done what Alice had, Jen wondered. Sixteen years ago, Alice had been just two months pregnant and her long-planned wedding to Bruce less than six weeks away when he’d had the motorcycle accident. He was still in a wheelchair, couldn’t speak or take care of himself. He smiled a lot. He watched TV, and the ocean. That was about it. And Alice had never turned her back on him.

Now she was watching the men.

Thoughtfully.

Appreciatively.

Because there was a lot to appreciate. They were tall and lean, or stocky and muscular, dark-haired and brown-eyed, or blue-eyed and fair. Their uniforms were laden with insignia. An aura of energy and strength and purpose filled the big waterfront bar, along with voices speaking in different accents, and bursts of male and female laughter.

Alice looked at Jen and lifted one eyebrow. “You think so?”

“I do! Alice, I seriously do! You’ve given so much of your life to my brother. You’re only thirty-six years old. None of us would blame you if you left.”

“No. Honestly, Jen. I don’t want a ticket out of here, the way Courtney does. You, on the other hand...”

“Me? Oh, please! Courtney’s crazy if she thinks she can get one of them to marry her in a month. Take her to bed in two hours, sure, I’d bet on it. But I am not looking to be any man’s one-night stand!”

“Famous last words, Jen,” Courtney sang as she skimmed back to the bar.

To be continued…



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