“Once a Marine always a Marine,” he said, sounding like a commercial for the armed forces. “But I officially served for four years, which is certainly not the tradition in my family. Everyone else is career military, from my great-great-grandfather all the way down to my mom and dad.”

“Your mom?” Samiah slammed both her palms on the table and gasped. “I can’t believe I just asked that. See how deep this patriarchal bullshit runs? Of course your mom was military. Why the hell wouldn’t she be?”

“Not only is she military, but she has a higher rank than my dad. They met when they were both stationed at a base in South Korea, which is exactly where her grandparents met when my great-grandfather was there fighting in the Korean War.”

“They met at the same place your mom’s grandparents met? That is too amazing not to be made into a Netflix movie.”

“That’s nothing. The really crazy part is that my mom grew up two towns away from my dad, but they didn’t start dating until years later, when they were halfway around the world. Even crazier? For three years in a row, while they were both in high school, they competed against each other in the statewide science fair.”

“Stop it. I can’t stand the cuteness of this story.” She put her hands up. “The important question is, who won in the science fair?”

“My mom. All three times they competed.”

“Yes,” she said with a fist pump.

His dimple reappeared, and just like that, she was toast. She shouldn’t even try fighting this attraction. What was the point?

“When they met again at the base in Korea, my mom had no idea who Dad was, but he remembered her the moment he heard her name. She’d been his nemesis throughout high school, but he’d also had the biggest crush on her.”

“Oh, my God.” Samiah flattened her palm against her chest. “I love this story so much. The only thing that can make it more perfect is if she still has her science fair trophies and makes him polish them once a month.”

“No.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “The trophies are long gone, but she loves to tell that story.” He sobered, his amusement mellowing into a reflective wistfulness. “It’s been a while since I saw them. I’m way overdue for a trip back home.”

“Or maybe you should invite them to come down to Austin?”

“That’s not a bad idea. It would be a great escape from those Philly winters.”

She drew curlicues in the condensation that had collected on her cup. “Were they upset when you left the Marines?”

“Not necessarily because I left.” He looked over at her, a hint of embarrassment in his tone. “My mom didn’t approve of why I left.”

“Let me guess.” Samiah rolled her eyes. “A girl.”