Excerpt
“Excuse me?”

The voice was sweet but did not waver, and he rose from his seat. “Can I help you?”

She stepped fully into the room, holding out her hand. “My name is Quinn Lawson. I am looking for Sergeant McCaluson?”

Her deep eyes swirled in a pool of color and a touch of sadness. “What is this in regards to?”

“It’s private matter.” Her expression tightened, her voice sharpening in tone.

He really wasn’t in the mood for this. “Well you can leave him a message if you like, concerning your private matter.” He hoped that the excuse would shut her down until he was better prepared to deal with her private matter.

“Do you have a copier?”

The question threw him off. “Pardon me?”

“Do you have a copy machine?”

She is certainly tenacious. “Yes.”

“May I use it?”

“Of course, follow me.” He led her to an adjoining mailroom. He held the door open for her and she moved past him. The soft scent of cotton candy filled the air surrounding where she passed. He watched her pull a letter out of her purse. She made a copy, wrote on it and folded it neatly. She silently handed it to him before moving past him and out of the office. He tossed the letter on the desk, his mind lingering on the woman who decided to invite herself into his office. Absently looking back, he became curious about the copy she so carefully folded and laid in his hand.

“Gunney!”

He groaned, knowing his best friends voice anywhere. “Clarkson.”

“So where are we going to celebrate?”

“What are we celebrating?”

“It is not every day my best friend becomes a Master Sergeant.”

“Yeah well, hasn’t happened yet.”

Turning the chair across from his desk and sitting down. “Oh please it is as good as done.”

“Not sure I want it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Exactly what I said, I don’t know if I want the promotion.”

“It’s a career. It’s what you’ve been working for.”

“Yeah I know, it is just a big decision.”

“What’s so big about it? It is a steady job for the rest of your life.”

“Exactly, what if I don’t want all this for the rest of my life?”

“What else would you do, if not this?”

“I don’t know, travel, work TSA or the Fed, buy a house, have a few kids and a dog. Not live on a military base for once in my life.”

“Sounds great in theory. Do you have any idea what it is like out there?”

“No, that is part of the problem.”

“Seems like a good problem to have I guess.” Clarkson snagged the folded copy off his desk. “What’s this?”

“Some woman barged in looking for Sergeant McCaluson. I informed her he was not currently available so she left a note.”

Clarkson opened the note, a grin spreading across his face.

“What?”

“Oh man, you’re dead in the water. She is on to you, dude.”

McCaluson took the note from his hands. “What are you talking about?”



Gunnery Sergeant McCaluson,

Call me when you give a damn.

Quinn Lawson

555-8136



He couldn’t help but chuckle at the directness of the note, “Crap.”