by Susan Stoker
“Thanks,” Gumby told him. It was good to know he wasn’t crazy. That the feelings he had for Sidney, even after knowing her such a short time, weren’t absolutely off-the-wall insane.
Rocco slapped him on the back and grabbed his water bottle. He downed the rest and crumbled the plastic. “Now I need to go and make sure my team crosses the finish line,” he said, throwing the empty water bottle into a recycle bin sitting next to the unfinished cabinets.
Gumby followed Rocco back to the other room and settled into his chair to watch his best friends conquer the video game world…all while following Sidney’s every order.
Two hours later, Gumby stood on his front stoop with Sidney. The guys had left, after making Sidney promise to play with them again sometime soon. It was more than obvious they all liked her, and that the feeling was mutual.
He was feeling mellow and happy. His discussion with Rocco helped him not feel so stressed out about how much he liked the woman. He wanted to follow her home, make sure she got there safely, but even Gumby knew that would be a bit too much too soon. Though he couldn’t help but think about a time in the future when she wouldn’t leave. When they’d watch the sunset from his deck and walk hand-in-hand back into the house and to his bedroom. When he could fall asleep with her against his side and wake up to the same thing.
“I had a good time tonight,” she told him, shoving her hands in her jean pockets.
“Me too.”
“Sorry about taking over your game.”
“Don’t be,” Gumby told her. “I loved watching you.”
“I hate losing,” she said sheepishly.
“You fit right in,” he reassured her.
Sidney bit her lips. “I didn’t do a whole lot of dog-proofing your house for you.”
“It’s okay.”
“For what it’s worth, I think you’re mostly fine. You just need to make sure there aren’t any boards with nails sticking up and that there’s nothing Hannah can eat or drink that’ll harm her. Having a dog isn’t exactly like having a baby. You don’t have to put protectors over all the plugs or anything. But with that said, you’ll have to see if Hannah is the kind of dog who can open cabinet doors and if she’s a counter-surfer.”
“Counter-surfer?”
Sidney chuckled. “Yeah. She’s a big dog. If she gets up on her hind legs to inspect what’s on the counter…she could easily reach whatever’s up there. And if it’s food and she’s hungry enough, she’ll steal it. Counter-surf.”
“Ah. Right. I’ll watch for that. I still need to give you my info so that background check can be done on me,” Gumby told her.
Sidney shook her head. “No. Don’t. It’s fine. I trust you.”
Gumby couldn’t help himself. He stepped into her personal space and leaned in close. “Do you?”
She nodded.
“But we just met yesterday. I could be a rapist luring you into letting your guard down.”
“You’re not,” she said, but her voice wasn’t exactly steady.
“But I could be,” he insisted.
Sidney shook her head. “I wouldn’t feel the way I do about you if you were.”
Her words made the anxiety deep inside him settle. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“I still want to pay the adoption fee.”
“Okay. But only because it’ll help the rescue group.”
“Text me the address and I’ll send in a donation.”
“I will.”
“When can I see you again?” Gumby asked.
“I…I don’t know.”
“My friends liked you.”
“And I liked them.”
“Good. I’m sorry they interrupted today.”
“It’s fine. If I had friends as close as they seem to be, I would’ve done the same thing. They were just curious about me.”
Gumby nodded. He couldn’t resist touching her any longer. He brought a hand up and smoothed a lock of hair behind her ear. “It’s really soft,” he murmured.
Sidney bit her lip, but didn’t respond.
Leaning down, Gumby nuzzled the side of her neck, thrilled when she tilted her head, giving him more room. “And you smell so good.”
“It’s my lotion.”
“I think it’s just you,” Gumby countered. He brushed his lips against the sensitive skin of her neck and loved the shiver that went through her body, which she tried to hide from him. Knowing he was pushing his luck, Gumby straightened. “I’ll call soon.”
“Okay. You’ll let me know when Hannah is coming home?”
“Of course. Will you come with me when I pick her up?”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“If I’m not working, then yes,” she told him.
“I’ll get with you and make sure whenever I pick her up works for your schedule.”
“What are we doing?” she whispered.
“Getting to know each other,” Gumby told her immediately.
“This is crazy.”
“Not any crazier than using an app to meet someone,” he countered.
She smiled. “True.”
“Drive safe,” Gumby implored.
“I always do.”
“If you need anything, and I mean anything, you call me,” Gumby ordered.
“I’ve lived on my own for a long time,” she countered.
“I understand that. I know you’re perfectly capable. Hell, you know more about household shit than I ever will. But I just want to make sure you understand that you’re not alone anymore. You need someone to have your back while you check out an abused dog, you call me. You want to have a night out and not have to worry about anyone harassing you, you call me. You get bored and just want to talk to someone, you call me. Hear me?”
She stared up at him for a long moment before finally nodding.
“Good. I’m your friend, Sidney. As are all the other guys you met tonight. If I’m not around, you call one of them. If none of us are around, I’ll make sure you have the number of my commander. It’s important.”
“Okay.”
Gumby had the feeling she was agreeing with him simply to agree, but she’d figure it out sooner or later. She was now a part of his Navy SEAL family. And his family was there for each other no matter what.
He gestured toward her car with his chin. “Go on. Text me when you get home.”
Sidney nodded and turned toward her car. Then she took a deep breath, spun back around toward him, and went up on her tiptoes. She grabbed his arms as she leaned in, and Gumby leaned down. Her kiss landed on the side of his mouth, and he didn’t do anything to ruin the gesture.
She drew back, squeezed his arms, and stepped away. “Thanks for a great afternoon and evening.”
“I had fun,” Gumby said simply.
“Me too. I’ll shoot you a note when I get home.”
He nodded. “Bye.”
“Bye.”
She turned and jogged toward her car. Gumby stood on his porch for several minutes after her Accord disappeared from sight. He finally went back inside and stood at the edge of his living room, seeing his house in a whole new way. Everywhere he looked, he saw Sidney. Sitting on his couch. Standing in his kitchen. Hanging out on the back deck.
Today had changed him. He hadn’t been sure exactly what he’d felt toward her before this evening.
But after seeing how easily she fit in with his teammates… Into his house. Into his life.
Gumby knew he’d found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his days with.
Of course, there was no guarantee she wanted the same thing. He’d have to do whatever it took to make sure they were on the same page. As Rocco said, no matter how long it took, he’d be there while she made up her mind.
Sidney Hale might’ve had a hard life, but now that she’d met him, she’d find things were about to get much easier.
Chapter Six
Sidney smiled when she looked down and saw the text she’d ju
st received was from Decker. It had been a week since she’d seen him, been at his house, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t talked.
And Decker Kincade was a talker.
It was almost hard to believe.
He texted her all the time, but it was the phone calls that made her feel almost giddy. He’d called, like he said he would. And they’d talked for hours. Two nights ago, she’d looked at the clock and had been shocked to see that it was two-fifteen in the morning. She knew he had to get up at four-thirty to get to the naval base for PT. When she’d apologized, he’d said, “I’d forgo sleep any day of the week if it meant I got to talk to you.”
It should’ve sounded cheesy. Like a line. But for some reason, it hadn’t. He meant it.
Sidney had never come first in anyone’s life. Ever. Brian was her parents’ favorite. She was only three years older than her brother, but from the time she could remember, Brian was always showered with more attention. He got more presents for his birthday and Christmas, her mom slaved over his Halloween costumes while she had to make do with what she could put together herself. Her parents’ schedule revolved around Brian and his extracurricular activities, not hers.
And when she’d tried to tell them what Brian was doing in the shed in their backyard, they hadn’t believed her. Had told her she was just jealous of her brother.
Pushing the memories of that shed out of her mind, Sidney read the text Decker had sent.
* * *
Decker: The vet says Hannah’s ready to go home whenever I can come pick her up. What’s your schedule look like?
* * *
Sidney immediately texted him back.
* * *
Sidney: I’ve got one more job to do this afternoon, then I’m free.
Decker: Awesome. I can pick you up around four? That will give us time to get to the vet before they close.
Sidney: I’ll meet you there.
Decker: I can pick you up.
* * *
She sighed. One thing she’d learned about Decker through their phone calls was that he was stubborn. His protective instincts were huge. He’d told her a million times to be careful, to drive safe, and to watch out for herself over the last week.
* * *
Sidney: Deck, think about this. You aren’t going to want to leave Hannah in your house to take me home. She’s probably going to be in some pain, she’ll be in a strange place, and if you leave her alone, she could get into trouble.
Decker: She can come with me when I drive you home.
* * *
It seemed like he had an answer for everything.
* * *
Sidney: I’m perfectly fine driving home myself.
Decker: Please?
* * *
She sighed.
* * *
Sidney: Fine.
Decker: HURRAY!
* * *
Chuckling, Sidney rolled her eyes.
* * *
Decker: I’m gonna stop at the store to pick up some stuff for Hannah before I come and get you. Am I allowed to say I’m nervous about this? What if she doesn’t like me anymore? I’m glad you’re coming with me to get her.
* * *
She actually put a hand on her chest at his words. She really liked the fact that Decker was honest and forthcoming. It was refreshing. Oh, she knew there would be times she wouldn’t appreciate it, like if he told her she looked fat in something she was wearing—not that he would, he wasn’t that kind of guy. But still. Sidney quickly typed out a response.
* * *
Sidney: She’s gonna like you. Why wouldn’t she?
Decker: I don’t know. I’ve just never had a dog before, even though I’ve wanted one. I promised myself if I lived through that shit in Bahrain that I’d get off my ass and make it happen, but now that it is, I’m scared to death.
Sidney: Stop panicking. Hannah chose you, Decker. Relax.
Decker: She did, didn’t she?
Sidney: Yes. You have the list of things we talked about to get at the store, right?
Decker: Yeah. Sid?
Sidney: Right here, Deck.
Decker: Thanks.
Sidney: You’re welcome. Now I have to go. Gotta change out the lock on someone’s door because her stupid-ass boyfriend kicked it in last night.
Decker: You goin’ over there with someone else?
Sidney: Relax. The guy’s still in jail. It’s fine.
Sidney: Decker?
Decker: For the record…I’m not happy.
* * *
Sidney couldn’t help but smile. She knew perfectly well what he thought about some of the people who lived in her trailer park. But it wasn’t as if she could help some but not others. And most of the time, during the day at least, most of the residents were either at work or sleeping off the night before. She felt perfectly safe working on the trailers during the day. It was only at night when she sometimes felt uneasy.
* * *
Sidney: It’s fine. I’ll see you at four.
Decker: Yes, you will.
Sidney: Later.
Decker: Later.
* * *
As Sidney put her phone back in her pocket and headed for the trailer on the other side of the park from her own, she continued thinking about Decker. Being a Navy SEAL fit him perfectly. If she’d thought about it, she might’ve guessed that about him. She’d been fairly close to the base when she’d found Hannah, and he was built like she thought a Navy SEAL would be. Tall, muscular, and definitely menacing…when he needed to be.
His friends were fun. She’d been nervous at first, but playing the video game was a great way to break the ice. She was well aware that Decker had spent most of the afternoon simply watching her, but instead of making her uneasy, it had felt…good. She knew without a doubt that if any of his friends had gotten out of line, he would’ve taken care of it.
And while that was a good thing, it was also unsettling. She’d never had a champion. Her brother had delighted in tormenting her, and never in a hundred years would he have stepped in if someone was bullying or otherwise threatening her.
Turning her thoughts away from her brother, Sidney decided to call Faith, the owner of the rescue group. It had been a while since she’d talked to her, and she needed to check in.
The older woman picked up after only one ring.
“Hi, Sidney, how are you?”
“I’m good. How are you?”
“Busy. We’ve been up to our eyeballs in abandoned animals. I swear I feel as if there’s a memo that goes around to deadbeat dog owners that says to let their pets wander the streets on the same day.”
Sidney chuckled. It wasn’t really funny, but somehow Faith could lighten up even the worst situation. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around much. It seems as if everything in the park has been breaking at the same time.”
“I understand. I appreciate whatever you can do.”
“Um…” Sidney hesitated to tell Faith about Hannah, because the other woman had warned her time and time again not to peruse Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for animals. That it wasn’t safe. And she knew her friend was right, knew she shouldn’t be doing it…but she literally couldn’t make herself stop.
Sidney was aware she might have a problem, that her behavior was a little self-destructive. But she convinced herself there were definitely worse things she could be doing. The dogs needed her help—and if she didn’t help them, who would?
“What’d you do now?” Faith asked, interrupting Sidney’s internal struggle.
“You know me,” Sidney said, attempting to make her compulsion not seem like a big deal. “I couldn’t help it! I accidentally saw a pit bull for sale and had to follow up. I swear I was just checking on the dog. He was abusing her, Faith, and I couldn’t handle it anymore.”
Faith sighed, but asked, “Did you get her?”
“Sort of.”
“Explain,” Faith ordered.
“I kind of got into a fistfight with the
douchebag, but a guy saw us fighting and stopped to help. The asshole ran away, and the Good Samaritan helped me get the dog to a vet.”
“How come I haven’t heard about this before now?” Faith asked. “You know I need to be aware of this stuff as soon as possible so I can arrange funding. And the vet didn’t call me with a new case. What’s going on, Sidney?”
She sighed. “I know. The guy who stopped took Hannah to a vet near his house. And he wants to adopt her.” She spoke even faster. “And before you yell at me some more, he’s a good guy. I’ve been to his house, he really wants a pit bull, and Hannah totally adores him. He said he was going to send in a donation to the rescue, even though he doesn’t have to.”
The fact that Faith didn’t say anything for a moment made Sidney nervous.
“Faith?”
“You like him,” she said.
Sidney almost tripped over her feet as she continued toward the trailer where she had to replace the lock.
“No, I don’t,” she denied instinctively.
Faith didn’t say anything again.
“Fine,” Sidney huffed. “I do. But it has nothing to do with Hannah.”
“You guys named the dog?”
“He did. Said she needed a nice feminine name. Are you mad?”
“No,” Faith said immediately. “Well, not about the guy who wants to adopt her. That’s the goal of the rescue, to find every single one of the dogs that make their way to us a home. I am upset that you continue to ignore my warnings not to chase after these assholes yourself. Honey, one of these days it’s not going to go so well for you. What would you have done if this guy hadn’t stopped?”