Page 3 of Fools Rush Flynn

Awesome.

Hopefully the guys wouldn’t notice.

“Of course I’ll wear it.” I grab my keys and glasses off the small coffee table. “I meant what I said, Temple, stay put.”

She gives me a nod, then I turn and leave before I do something really stupid. Like kiss her again.

Maybe I shouldn’t be leaving her alone when she just showed up, but I need some time to wrap my brain around everything that happened in the past ten minutes. Besides, I really do have a meeting I have to attend for work.

Ten minutes later, I pull up outside the new VFW hall out on the loop. I never saw the old hall, since this new one was already up and running by the time I moved here two months ago. I have no idea if this post is nicer than most—though I suspect it is—because I never joined a VFW while I was still serving.

I know from what Dane has told me that the rebuild of this post was funded by donations collected during the annual Bluebonnet Festival. Which might seem silly, but based on the number of tourists I’ve seen in town since bluebonnets started popping up along the highway, I’m guessing it’s a pretty big tourist draw.

The hall is a nice mix of functional and clean. It’s not fancy, but it’s well-lit and smoke-free. I wave at a table of old-timers playing poker and at the cluster of guys playing darts towards the back before making my way to the canteen to order a beer.

Yeah, I know it sounds suspicious. A “work meeting” at the VFW hall over beers at six-thirty on a weeknight? If I was married (to a wife I lived with), it would sound like nothing more than an excuse to get out of the house.

But when I left active service, I took a job working for Great Dane’s Dog Sanctuary, a non-profit focused on rescuing shelter dogs from around Texas. Everyone who works for Great Dane’s is former military.

When my buddy Dane Whitmore first started it about a year ago, he never imagined how quickly it would grow. He just wanted a place for dogs no one wanted and retired soldiers who didn’t know what to do next. It started with a couple hundred acres and thirty-five dogs. Then Dane fell in love with his wife Shelby. She started doing social media for the sanctuary in her spare time. Some videos went viral, and donations and grants started rolling in.

Now, Great Danes employs seven of us. I was brought on to help with construction of the new buildings, since I served in the Army Corps of Engineers. All the guys at tonight’s meeting help with some aspect of running the sanctuary.

We started holding “board meetings” here for two reasons: first off, we all like supporting the local post and, secondly, now that Dane is a bit of an internet celebrity, it’s nice to meet some place out of the way where he won’t be recognized by “fans.”

By the time I get there, the guys are already there and shooting the shit. These meetings are partly for work, since during the workday, we’re all scattered all over the sanctuary getting shit done, and partly social. I’ve only just settled into my chair at the table when I catch Beau, our class clown, giving me the side-eye.

“Seriously, is no one else going to ask?” Beau asks.

No one responds, which frankly isn’t all that unusual when it comes to Beau’s outbursts. We can never guess what he’s thinking; his ADHD makes it nearly impossible to follow his train of thought.

“Fine,” Beau says. “I’ll do it. Hey Flynn.”

Oh shit.

“What’s with the big diamond ring on your finger?”

The rest of the guys’ eyes lock on me.

Liam’s brows raise. “Care to share with the class?”

I rub at the back of my neck. “So, I’m married,” I say. As if those three words explain everything.

“What?” Dane asks. “Since when?”

“Almost two years, actually.”

“Paperwork, exchanging of vows, all of that?” Beau asks.

Evan stares at me. “Did you forget to mention it or were you just not planning to tell us?”

“Yes, it’s legal. No, I didn’t forget to tell you. I just didn’t think it would matter once I got stateside,” I say.

“Two fucking years,” Cruz says. “You’re going to have to back up and explain this.”

“Did she leave you or something? Hook up with another guy while you were gone?” Jack asks.

Everyone knows how his ex did him dirty while he was on duty. Thankfully he found Lucy when he moved here and now he’s engaged. I’ve never seen the guy happier.