The dress blues gave Alex a stately appearance. He seemed to catch his breath as he spotted Jorden and reached for her. “You’re lovely.” Caressing her face, he kissed her. Her knees weakened.

“Hey you two, save the fireworks for later.” Madison laughed.

The evening began smoothly but soon became long and tedious. Alex was in charge. He had to make sure the evening ran well. During their single dance, he remembered he needed to check on the drink set-up.

“I’m sorry Hon. I’ll be right back.”

Minutes stretched well beyond an hour. Jorden made polite conversation with anyone who came her way. Her feet hurt; she wasn’t used to standing in three inch high heels for such a long time. No one asked her to dance. She guessed the officer candidates wouldn’t dare since she had come with Alex and the others had dates.

But one officer, a striking young man, walked toward her. His prominent cheek bones, dark brown eyes, and angular nose made him look distinctive. “I’ve been noticing you. I figured you must be here with Alex. I’m Noel Jackson, a friend of his.”

“Yes, I’m with Alex. I’m Jorden Marshall.”

“We were in the same OCS class. Alex is a good man. Looks like he is awfully busy,” Noel replied.

“It certainly does.”

“Would you like something to drink?”

“I’d love something. A 7UP would be great.”

“You’ve got it.”

Noel returned with a Coke. “I hope this is all right? They ran out of 7UP.”

“It’s great. Thank you,” Jorden replied.

Noel drank a beer while they chatted with a group of officers. He introduced Jorden as Alex’s date. After a break in the conversation, Jorden thanked him again. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to find a place to sit down.”

“Look, there’s a small table. Let’s claim it. I could use a break myself . . . if you don’t mind my company?”

“Please do.” Jorden sighed with relief. The small round table had a white covering which fell close to the floor. She couldn’t pass up the opportunity to slip off her shoes. She and Noel entertained each other the next half hour, making it nearly two hours since she’d last seen Alex.

Fifteen minutes later, Alex spotted them. He waved. Jorden was laughing and didn’t notice him.

“Here you are. I thought you’d deserted me,” Alex teased.

“I believe you’re the deserter,” Jorden replied.

Alex seemed to ignore her comment as he spoke to Noel. “I see you’ve met my fiancée.”

“Yes. You’re a lucky man.” Noel smiled at Jorden.