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Chapter One

Dear Soldier:

Our English composition class project this year is to write to soldiers who are serving in Afghanistan and Iraq We were given a list of topics to write about, like the weather and our classes I have to talk about the weather every Sunday at brunch withconversation ever Evento write to you about the weather or Differential Algebra because I don’t want to bore you to death

I’d like to send a care package, but I’arettes, as I ah to buy them

Very truly yours,

Grace Sullivan

Dear Grace,

Thank you for your letter We are always glad to have , too It seeht see around and doing nothing It’s incredibly hot and dry so the idea of sitting and talking about the weather indoors during brunch seearettes I’nment isn’t supposed to turn you into a felon You don’t need to send reat Look forward to hearing froain

Yours,

Pfc Noah Jackson

FYI: Marines aren’t soldiers; we are Marines Only the Army has soldiers

Grace

"How ‘bout you, Grace? Who’s your perfect man?" Amy Swanson, my cousin Lana’s sorority sister, stood with Lana and a couple of other Alpha Phis exchanging tidbits on who did what to who married I plan to live a life of bachelorette-hood I’ll be eccentric, have nine cats, and wear blue eye shadow and fur in the suht of Lana’s disapproving glare, I think I slid too far into snarky territory

Whenever I was asked about why I hadn’t had a boyfriend, ever, I always responded in this manner I kneas unreasonably sensitive aboutlife, but the truth wasthan any story I could make up

Other than a few drunken hookups, the closest I had ever co next toLana harped on the unhealthy attachh school to a Marine ho" and "self-destructive behavior" were a out At first, these were terms she learned in her own therapy sessions Now they’re from classes she takes as a psych ive people so else faded away It was all in the perspective

Swiveling in my chair, I turned to view my favorite expanse in the library The reference and circulation desks sat on a balcony above the library’s entrance The distance was just enough to provide the perfect perspective I stood up and tilted h the viewfinder of my camera I always set up ossiped I took ti out the peripheral noise, highlighting theseee ata silent olive branch She kneas still s stare, but I knew I should be the one apologizing I h the lens, careful not to touch anything Lana kne particular I was about the setup of et to see what you do" It was a coood for everything Too bad I was straight And then there was the whole "cousin" thing

Shrugging, I looked down again Two guys had entered the lobby and paused at the ested diametric appearances Great contrast One was blond, the other dark-haired Both were tall I quickly moved the camera up the rails and retilted the lens I took one photo and then looked again The dark one had knelt down to tie his shoe--make that his boot--while the other waited patiently The composition made them look like toy soldiers, particularly with the uniformity of their jeans, the dark, plain T-shirts, and the heavy-soled boots I took three more pictures in rapid succession

"So Grace," A over toraphs?" Her voice h uy’s head jerk up My heartbeat stuttered, and I moved my hand up to spin the focus on the zoouy bent down and obscured lued to the scene in the library entrance below

I felt soht of theainst the upper curve of my left breast, as if I could physically press the pain away I thought I had finally stopped envisioning every brown-haired soldier as my Marine This wasn’t Noah Jackson, my pen pal of four years, and his blond-haired best friend Bo These were just two randouys Probably on the lacrosse team, by the looks of the muscles on their ar the short distance between the desk and the railing Between reality and make-believe

I cleared my throat and deliberately focused on Amy "Yes, I’ll come over tomorrow"

"What tiraph of the Alpha Phi house to put on the rush invitations I pulled out my phone to check the weather app I preferred cloudy days, because sometimes sunny days ht The weather app suggested 10 a over ested, "What about after lunch?" Then she added under her breath, "It’s just for the sorority"