"Eh, it's all right," Lynne replied with a small smile. When Noah's smile faded, however, so had hers. She hadn't meant to upset him...she just thought it'd be polite to reciprocate the question when he'd asked her what she did.
But, then he answered and Lynne nodded, understanding. Her ex-fiance had been in the army. He probably still was, actually, for all she knew, but she'd met a few of his friends and had joined a support group for military girlfriends and wives, so having heard other women's stories, she sort of knew what the look on Noah's face meant. He didn't know what to do with himself, now.
"My ex was in the army," she offered a little awkwardly. She paused, unsure whether she should ask if he'd been sent into combat. She'd known a few people who had gone and they didn't much like to talk about it. She decided against prodding and took a bite of her salad to mull over what to say next. She had to resist the urge to reach across the table and put her hand on his. While the gesture would've meant to be consoling or calming, it might very well have been hideously unwelcome and she didn't know Noah well enough to know which it would be.
She decided, as she took another sip of her drink after having swallowed her food, to change the subject in case it was a sensitive one for him. She got the feeling it was. "What'd you do before? School? Work force?" she tried.