The early morning sun streamed through the windshield as Ella drove the last few miles to Wichita Airport to meet Joey. Their meeting had been set up very quickly. When she’d received a reply to her text message within half an hour, they’d decided to meet up the very next day. Joey would be returning to active duty in Afghanistan the following evening, so it would be the only window of opportunity available for them both. She really appreciated the effort Joey was making to see her.
Ella felt a little guilty. She hadn’t told Max what she was doing. Instead she’d made him believe she was visiting her attorney, in order to finalize the paperwork on the sale of her house. This was something she had to do on her own. When she finally knew the reason for Kirk’s suicide, she’d tell Max everything. She knew she was deceiving the man she loved, and it went against everything he’d taught her. But she had to do it her way.
She glanced at her watch as she arrived at the airport. Joey’s plane was due to land in ten minutes’ time. Perfect.
With no time to lose she locked the car and quickly walked to arrivals. She felt agitated and nervous, but she needed to know everything. She tried not to read too much into her emotions. But she couldn’t stop her hand from shaking as she pushed open the large glass door and entered the terminal building. She took a seat and waited.
Within twenty minutes a familiar face appeared. Dark, crew-cut hair, blue eyes, and a muscular physique made most people stop and stare. When Kirk had first started training with the Marines, she’d seen a lot of Joey and his girlfriend, Amanda, while stationed in San Diego.
“Thanks for coming, Joey,” she greeted him, and she kissed his cheek. Was it her, or did he look a little pensive?
“Good to see you too, Ella. It’s been a long time.”
“Shall we go for a coffee? How long have you got before your return flight?”
Joey checked his watch. “We’ve got a couple of hours, and a proper coffee sounds great. Never could stand the in-flight stuff.”
“Fresh-ground coffee it is then. My treat. I really appreciate the time you’ve taken to come and see me.” Ella led the way to Sarah’s café. “Take a seat. I’ll be right back.”
When she returned, she handed him the steaming hot beverage and placed a plate of delicious-looking donuts between them. “Just in case you’re hungry.”
Joey pointed at the sugarcoated confectionery. “I hope you’re gonna help me out with these, Ella? I can’t eat them all myself.”
She laughed. “You’ll have to. Donuts are definitely off-limits for me.” The unease of the meeting was slowly dissipating. “But you Marines need all the calories you can get. What with all those twenty-mile marches you’re ordered to do.”
Joey smiled. “Not so much training these days, Ella. It’s all front line action now.”
Ella sensed their conversation was getting closer to the reason she’d requested the meeting. What had Kirk seen and experienced that depressed him enough to take his own life? For just a little while longer she didn’t want to know. Instead, she asked, “How’s Amanda and the kids?”
Joey puffed up with pride as he spoke about his children. “Oh, they’re doing just fine, Ella. Little Luke is four now, and Tammy is almost two.” He removed a wallet from his jacket pocket, and produced two photographs. “Look, aren’t they adorable?”
“They’re just beautiful, Joey. You must be so proud.” For a brief moment she wished she and Kirk had had children. Then reality struck home. Kids never stopped a man having an affair with another woman.
Joey cleared his throat. “You’re looking a lot better than the last time I saw you.”
“I feel a lot better. I’ve met a new man, who’s very sweet.” Had she just described Maximiliano D’Alesandro as sweet? She couldn’t help smiling. He’d hate that description. Max was everything she wanted in a man, and more.
“I’m glad. You deserve to be happy, Ella. Is it serious?”
“I honestly and truly believe it is, Joey. Max has turned my life around in the last few months. He’s made me realize that life is for the living.”
Joey nodded affirmatively. “That’s real good, Ella. I’m so happy for you.” He glanced nervously around the airport terminal. She figured he was ready to talk about Kirk. Ella decided to put him out of his misery. “I know all about Kathy.”
For a moment he looked directly at her, and then said. “I wanted to explain everything at Kirk’s funeral.” He shrugged his shoulders and breathed out. “But I figured it wasn’t the right time. You looked so shell-shocked and out of it. I just didn’t have the heart to give you any more bad news.”
Ella clasped his hand in hers, and squeezed tightly. “That’s okay, Joey. I probably wouldn’t have appreciated it at the time. I found out about Kirk’s affair six weeks ago, when I accessed his computer. That was when I first e-mailed you.”