A minute or two of meaningless flirting with the Pets for Vets volunteer as they did the potential new service-dog pass off was just…a welcome bonus.

“You party too hard last night, Martin?” she called out to him, the leashed Lab mix at her side keeping perfect pace with her, both of them making up for his slower pace that morning.

“You know it,” he called back. He’d curse his stiff lower-left limb, but all the swearing in the world wouldn’t get it back to what it once was. A surprise attack in Afghanistan had seen to that.

But he was alive. Doing what he loved most—flying.

“I get that that sexy butt of yours has the women chasing after you 24-7, but you could learn how to politely turn one or two of them down to keep them from running you quite so ragged, you know.” She was grinning, her light green eyes sparkling with sass as her long legs caught up to him.

He hadn’t had a date or been to any kind of real party in months. Just wasn’t feeling it. But there was no harm in pretending. Flirting with Wendy made him feel like the man he used to be, at least for a little while.