“Nonsense,” he said. “We have a couple of Samoan and Hawaiian teams that are always playing against each other. One we call the Smurfs. They’re one of the most competitive and toughest customers to beat. They just never let the ball drop. If you play like that, all you have to do is wait for the other team to make an error, because eventually, they will.”
“Oh, I’ve played against girls like that in high school. Yeah, they’re deadly.”
“One of the tournaments at Coronado, the Smurfs beat one of our SEAL Teams. That really stung.”
She smiled, rimming her finger around the top of her orange juice glass.
“So what part of California?” he continued.
“Davis, near Sacramento.”
“UC. College town.”
“Except I really grew up in a little town a few miles west of Davis. Woodlake.”
“You got me there, Aimee. I’ve never heard of it.”
“Don’t feel bad. Our downtown is two blocks in each direction. No movie theater. About ten greasy spoons, a really good steakhouse, a bakery, two ice cream parlors and about fifteen drugstores.”
He must’ve dropped his jaw because Aimee laughed.
“Don’t ask me how come, Andy.”
He didn’t know how to read that.
“Well, in Woodlake, the drug stores have a lot of other stuff too since we don’t have any chains. They sell hair dryers, shoes, even groceries. Oh, I almost forgot. We do have a funeral parlor and, I think, about six churches.”
“So you lived there your whole life?”
“My dad was a doctor and had a part-time practice. But he was a biology professor at Davis. Teaching was his real love.”
“Was? As in he passed away?” Andy was hesitant to delve further.
She was not looking at him but rather stared at her coffee. Very slowly, she nodded.
“Drunk driver. He was killed instantly, but my mom lingered for over a year.”
He wanted to say something but wasn’t on solid footing. He tried anyway. “You’ve had a run of bad luck, Aimee. Just meeting you for the first time here, I would have never known all this. I’d say you’re a real survivor.”
She gave him a brief smile. “I wish I could say that was everything, but what sustained me was that I had a wonderful childhood. Sort of a perfect life with my mom and dad and my big brother. The first time I saw Cory, he reminded me so much of Logan.”
“Family’s important. At least you have that.”
“Not really.”
Andy braced himself for a backlash to his inappropriate choice of words. He wasn’t going to do anything but listen. He would not engage, because she wasn’t asking for it. There was no self-pity. He saw a strong, resilient woman who didn’t need to be rescued. If he wasn’t careful, he’d get sucker-punched.
But her story had already touched him deeply. It made him want to call his own parents, who were thankfully still alive and active.
She turned her head, staring out the window at passing cars. Andy could swear he began to see tears form.
“That happened about eighteen months ago. But before that, when I was still in school, Logan started to get into trouble in his teens, so we drifted apart. I really missed my older brother. He always protected me.”
Andy waited. It was Aimee’s story to tell but only if she wanted to. He wasn’t going to pry.
“Cory knows all about it so I might as well tell you too.”
“Don’t feel like you have to.”
She studied his face, her eyes sweeping to the top of his head and then quickly glancing at his lips, before she smiled and poured on the steady lavender gaze that made his pulse quicken. Whatever test she had placed him under, he hoped he passed. He repeated himself.
“I sincerely mean that, Aimee. We don’t have to go there.”
She folded her hands together in front of her on the table. Their waitress brought another pot of French press, and she leaned slightly forward to watch the bubbles and coffee grounds moving slowly inside the glass beaker.
“My brother got into drugs and alcohol. He dropped out of high school and went on the road with a band one summer. He got arrested.” She licked her lips and frowned, staring at her fingers. “My dad sent him to his first rehab when he was sixteen. And then again when he was about eighteen. And then again and again. He’d leave sometimes on his own for a week or two and then come back. He stole from my folks. He’d come home from rehab and steal my babysitting money. It was heartbreaking.”
“I can’t imagine how bad that must have made you feel. All of you,” Andy whispered.
“I think they used their entire savings trying to get him straightened out. Logan just couldn’t do it. They say it’s hard when they start young. Arrests their development. I believe them.”
“I’m truly sorry.”
“Thank you. It gets a little easier the more I tell the story. One day, Logan left and never came back. That was about seven years ago. So when I finished college and started graduate school, my folks felt like they were done waiting for him to return. They’d tried everything. Police, private investigators, checking with the rehab places he’d visited. He was just gone. I didn’t understand what it meant at the time, but I used to watch my mom search through the big picture window in our living room, just hoping he’d come walking down the street clean and sober.”
“They left?”
“They moved to a little town outside of Nashville a few years ago. My dad retired early from the UC system. He got a part-time teaching job at Vanderbilt and set up a small practice being an on-call physician for several larger groups. He made house calls. Everybody loved him.”
“I’ll bet. Sounds like it was a calling for him.”
“It really was. I was so happy they had those five years. I think they were the happiest I’d ever seen them.”
Andy was feeling the blood pooling in his knees and ankles. He needed to move and get a good stretch in, so he asked.
“Can we maybe walk back? I’m getting kind of stiff, and I need to move around a bit.”
“Sure.” She reached for the bill, and Andy swiped it from under her fingers.
“Mine,” he said.
“But I said it was on me.”
Her pouty face mocked anger. She threw her arms around her upper torso and stuck out her lower lip.
Andy held the slip high in the air, twirling it slightly to get the waitress’s attention. “You gotta be quick. Besides, you told me yourself that you don’t have a job. I do.” he said as he tapped his thumb to the middle of his chest.
She started to protest again, and he stopped her by raising his palm.
“It won’t do any good, Aimee. This is non-negotiable.”
Andy wanted to hear the rest of the story but feared he should’ve stopped her, and now she was embarrassed with the reveal. If she wasn’t Cory’s girl, he would do something stupid like touch her shoulder or hold her hand, or something to reassure her that, with him, she was safe.
However, Aimee was Cory’s girl, and so he kept his distance, walking behind her through the palm tree path, and onto the white beach again, where he could breathe. All the heaviness of their discussion floated away.
The morning was still on the chilly side, so no one had set up beach chairs or blankets. Everyone they passed was either walking or running, singly or in groups.
Her pace was quick, which was exactly what he hoped for. Then he remembered the omelet.
“Did you get the—”
Aimee held up the white styrofoam box in a plastic bag with Chinese characters all over it in red. “Cory’s breakfast.” She checked her watch again. “If he’s up.”
The same two silver-haired older guys had removed their jackets and rode their fat tire bikes in flip flops and their swim trunks. He hadn’t noticed until now that one of them had a short ponytail.
“I just love those things.” Aimee said.
“Well, let’s try to get you one. Let’s rent three a
nd go for a ride.”
“That would be so much fun.”
Her lighthearted comment convinced Andy she was done with the sad tale. He started examining the crushed shells beneath his feet as they walked in tandem. A pair of brown pelicans flew overhead, heading out into the water, joining another pair. They took turns circling and then plunging into the water to fill their bellies with fish.
A small fishing boat trolled through the waters past the row of red buoys, a couple of lines dragging behind. The boat was being followed by a flock of about thirty seagulls, who fought over what must have been pieces of fish that had gotten chummed in the boat’s propeller.
Aimee’s phone rang. Andy recognized Cory’s voice immediately.
“Wow, you’re up about two hours before I thought you would. Are you hungry?” she said into the phone.
“Sorry, Aimee. I guess I wasn’t much fun last night.”
“I needed the rest. Andy carried you to the bed, and I took Shelley home. Anyway, I went for a run on the beach and picked up some old crusty barnacle here. We just had breakfast at Connie’s, so I brought you the rest of my crab special.”
She finished the call, tucking the phone in her zippered breast pocket.
“He okay?” Andy wanted to know.
“He sounds pretty damned good. It looks like today will be one of his good days.” She looked up to him with a brave smile.
That look told him all he needed to know. She’d come to Sunset Beach to heal. Cory was someone she could take care of. He was consuming her entire world and helping her to forget.
Or at least trying to.
Chapter 4
Aimee found Cory sitting on one of his bright yellow chairs. He was sunning himself, his legs outstretched, flip-flop encrusted feet resting on the lip of the fire pit. He wore black wraparound sunglasses and was shirtless. Only thing missing was the tanning lotion.
His upper torso was packed, sculpted, and hairless. In fact, he was the most perfect-looking guy she’d ever dated. For all his casual and somewhat irreverent personality traits, staying in top physical condition was no joke to Cory.
“Hey there, sailor,” she said as they opened the gate and entered the patio.
He sat upright, removing his glasses, and then scrambled to his feet when he saw Andy.
“So now you’ve seen Connie’s, and how does it rate?” he asked.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a crab omelet like that before. It was an outstanding recommendation,” Andy answered.
Cory paused slightly, studying Andy’s face. Then he focused on Aimee, stepping forward to present her with a tender kiss. While she went up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arm around his neck, Cory was gingerly extricating the bag from her fingers. “Thanks babe,” he whispered in his sexy, private, ‘for her ears only’ type of voice that gave her a tingle down her spine. She wondered what she’d done to deserve such attention.
But she loved it.
His fresh, clean-shaven cheek and tender kiss had her melting dangerously. She broke free, trying to respond as if it was bedroom talk, rubbing his left butt cheek when she whispered, “I’ll go get your fork. Be right back.”
As she stepped into the doorway, his words followed behind her. “I’ll be right here,” he called, mimicking her voice and continuing to play along.
Inside the house, she grabbed a fork and napkin. As she passed the open door to the bedroom, she discovered Cory had even made the bed. Andy’s room, in contrast, was completely torn apart with the coverlet and even the sheets halfway ripped off the mattress. She smiled to herself. He was either a thrasher, or he’d had company last night.
Once outside, Cory dug into the food, devouring it in mere seconds.
“I was going to offer to heat it up, but I can see that is completely unnecessary.”
He gave her a cheesy grin and completed his meal.
“Was there some sort of alien abduction here today?” she asked.
Cory’s eyes danced. Andy looked completely confused.
“Whatever do you mean?” He set the paper plate on the grill in front of him, begging for her explanation.
“You straightened the bedroom. You even made the bed, Cory.”
Andy leaned back in his chair and chuckled. “I didn’t,” he mumbled.
Cory chuckled while he brushed biscuit and egg pieces from his trunks. “I like to surprise you now and then.” His grin came late, but it was still a grin.
“I like surprises very much,” she purred back.
“Yes, I know that.”
Andy sighed. “Just tell me now, Cory. Should I get a room somewhere? I feel like I’m getting in the middle of something.”
Cory lazily leaned over in his direction. “Usually, the girl is in the middle, sport.”
“Cory!” she screamed. She was genuinely shocked at his behavior.
“It was just a joke, and I didn’t mean to disrespect you, sweetheart.”
Andy’s puzzled expression hung in the air like an old jacket. Carefully, he leaned back, crossed his legs, and waited for anything else to happen.
She changed the subject. “Do you want some orange juice or something else to drink?”
Cory smirked and picked up an opened longneck beer bottle. “I got it,” he said, holding it up.
Aimee was slightly surprised but had seen this before.
Andy interrupted, nervousness making his voice wobble. “We came up with a great idea, if you’re into it, Cory. How about renting some of those fat tire bicycles so we could ride up and down the beach?” he asked.
“I’m good with that plan,” he answered. “Aimee has been wanting to try one of those motorized bikes ever since she saw them. Right?”
“I think it’s a great idea,” said Aimee. She looked down at her running outfit. “I’m gonna go take a shower and change, if you don’t mind?” She’d directed her question to Andy. “We only have one bathroom, sorry.”
That brought a frown to Cory’s face, and then he spoke up. “Well, instead of waiting maybe he could join you.” He widened his eyes and presented both of them with a Joker grin.
“You asshole,” muttered Andy. “I had to carry your fat ass to the bedroom last night. That’s what kind of a fucking host you are. We did you a favor and let you sleep.”
“And I thank you for that, Andy.”
“Maybe I should go find a spot to hang out for a couple of days, and then we can start all over again. Act like adults.”
“No, don’t do that,” both Aimee and Cory said in unison.
“Go take your shower, honey,” Cory instructed. She rose and headed for the house. Behind her, she heard Andy address her wayward boyfriend. She turned to watch the fireworks.
“Now, about tomorrow…” Andy pointed his forefinger at Cory’s face. “I’m gonna pour ice water on you and get your butt up and on the beach for our morning run. And that’s going to be oh-six-thirty, Casanova. You got it?”
“Yes sir. Whatever you say, sport.” Cory had lost the scary grin but sat to full attention.
Aimee wasn’t quite comfortable with the swearing back-and-forth between the two friends, but she got loud and clear the message, veiled as it was, that Cory wasn’t happy about the run or being left out at breakfast. She retreated to the bedroom.
As she stripped and stepped into the shower she couldn’t recall picking up jealousy in Cory’s nature before. But then, she’d not seen him around other SEALs very often. Maybe that was how they played, a little rough, joking as if demonstrating a lack of respect. Every minute she’d spent with him, she learned little subtle things, like how Cory liked to live slightly on the edge. He could make fun of the most ridiculous situation. Nothing, except his commitment to his Brotherhood or his manhood, was sacred. Although they enjoyed each other, she came second.
She dried her hair and dressed in stretchy jeans and a halter top so she could get full sun on her back but protect her legs from the bicycle mechanism. She applied light pink lip gloss and
blotted her lips. When she dropped the tissue into the wastebasket, she noticed something.
A golden plastic pill bottle lay on its side, partially obscured by other paper garbage. She bent down to pick it up. Cory had told her he was done with the painkillers. But, unless he flushed the contents of this bottle to dispose of the unused pills, this was evidence that he’d been lying to her.
Her surprise discovery worried her. Clutching the bottle in her hand, she joined Cory and Andy on the patio.
“It’s all yours.” she said, pointing to the sliding glass door.
Andy jumped to his feet and disappeared inside. Cory had put his sunglasses back on and continued to soak up the sun. She picked up his plate, his now-empty beer bottle, and leaned over to speak to him.
“Hey, honey, I’m going to take this inside. But can you first explain to me what this is?” She held the bottle between her thumb and other fingers.
Cory slowly removed his glasses and sat forward. She handed it to him. He slowly studied the label, turning it like he was seeing it for the first time.
“I had one left. I took it early this morning, because my elbow is just killing me.”
He didn’t look at her.
“But you still had alcohol in your system from last night. And look at you now. You’re drinking a beer with your breakfast,” she reminded him, her concern growing.
He nodded. “I know. I’m careful. It was just one pill.”
“You know I’ve had some experience, some history with this, and it freaks me out. Being careful isn’t the point. It’s a little reckless, Cory. You know better.”
Cory stood, tossing the bottle onto the chair, and enclosed her in those strong arms of his. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. It was dumb. You’re completely right. It ends here.”
Still standing, he leaned back at the hips to study her face, placing his palms at the sides. “I know you mean well, but you don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine.” He pulled her to his chest, gently rocking the two of them from side to side. “But thanks for looking out for me just the same.”
His kiss and gentleness brushed aside her niggling worry.
SEALed At Sunset Page 4