“Oh.” Brooklynn’s hopes fell. “So you don’t know how he’s doing.”
“The Swordfish had to be deployed because the Adelie couldn’t handle the weather much longer. I came in with her, and another pilot and crew went out in our place.”
“Dave’s captaining that.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Do you know how he is? That guy said the ship was only fifteen minutes out.”
“They’re limping back.”
“Limping?”
“Towing a couple of boats. We got all the people saved, and it’s just taking longer than normal, because of the extra load. That’s all.” She smiled, but it didn’t exactly radiate happiness.
“So Dave’s okay.” Brooklynn didn’t dare let the relief spread through her until she knew for certain.
“He’s sustained some minor injuries, as have most of us,” she said.
“Injuries?”
“I believe the executive officer’s report was a separated shoulder.”
That relief she’d been holding in for so long finally rushed through her making, her shoulders sag. She could handle a separated shoulder.
“He’ll be at least another hour after he pulls in to port,” she said. “Paperwork and debriefing.”
“Can I wait here for him?” she asked, debating about whether she should stay or go. He didn’t need to know she’d driven to Port Angeles to inquire after him. No one needed to know.
“I’m headed out, but I can get word to him.” Audrey’s eyebrows went up, clearly asking Brooklynn what she wanted to do.
“How well do you know Dave?” Brooklynn asked.
“Pretty well,” she said. “I live in Hawthorne Harbor too. We drive over together sometimes.”
“Oh.” Brooklynn didn’t know that. Dave had never said anything. “Should I stay or go?” she asked, trying to push aside her feelings. Now that she wasn’t consumed with worry, she could feel other things, and she didn’t like the jealously coursing through her.
If Dave was interested in Audrey, he could’ve been with her all these years. He wasn’t.
“That’s up to you, ma’am,” Audrey said.
Brooklynn really didn’t want to be called ma’am one more time. “I’ll wait here. If you could let him know?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Brooklynn clenched her jaw, nodded, and turned away from the military pilot. She opened the door and left, and Brooklynn darted over to the door to watch her walk across the street to the hut and talk to the man there. Then she got in a car and drove away, toward the bird refuge.
Now Brooklynn just had to wait for Dave.
Chapter Twenty-One
Dave couldn’t wait to get back to the station. He needed to get out of this rain and somewhere warm again. He could barely feel his fingers, but he stayed in position, wanting everyone on board to know their captain was in control.
But he knew he couldn’t control the ocean. The weather. Any of it. His impatience kept his fingers clenched into fists, and he refused to look away from their destination. The lights on the tip of the land where he launched from each day finally came into view, and they docked a few minutes later.
It had taken twice as long to get back as it had to get out there, and the rescue had used up all the fuel in another helicopter. But hey, Audrey’s pretty boy pilot friend had performed great. They hadn’t lost any civilians, and all the divers were accounted for as well.
His shoulder ached where he’d wrenched it, and he knew Officer Lillith had called in medical for him. That would take forever. And then he’d have to debrief and fill out paperwork. Make sure all the civilians had rides to somewhere safe.
And then…then he could call Brooklynn, if the hour wasn’t too late.
“Captain,” Officer Lillith said, and Dave turned toward him. “We’re disembarking.”
“I’ll sweep the ship,” Dave said, watching as officers worked to secure the two boats the Swordfish had towed in. They’d been heavily damaged, but they could be salvaged. And if it were him, he’d rather have a damaged boat he could fix than one at the bottom of the ocean.
He made sure all passengers were cleared from the ship before he went down to the dock himself. Two men stood there, waiting for him. “Captain, we received word that your arm is injured.”
“I popped my shoulder out,” he said. “We can go inside to look at it.” They followed him, and then Dave let them remove his poncho and his jacket. He did what they asked, wishing he could dictate his reports while they fiddled around with his arm.
“I’m going to put it in a sling,” one of them said. “You’ll need to go over to the hospital to get it reset.”
“Fine,” Dave said. “Do either of you have a phone I could borrow?”
“CO Pendelton is waiting for you,” one said.
So no phone. “Thank you,” he said, saluting them and walking away. Might as well get his interview with the commanding officer over with.
More than an hour later, his shoulder still hurt but it was back in its rightful place. His interview was done, as was his paperwork. A headache pounded behind his eyes, and he should stay at the station that night. Those who didn’t live in town were. Ben had offered for Dave to crash at his place.
But he’d lost his phone in the rescue, and he needed to call Brooklynn. More than that, he needed to see her. Reassure her that he was fine, that it would take more than a storm and a couple of sinking boats to take him out of the game.
“Sir,” someone said behind him, and he turned to find the CO’s secretary approaching.
“Yeah?”
“There’s a Brooklynn Perrish waiting for you at the gate.”
His heart leapt into his throat and stuck. “What? How long has she been there?”
“I’m not sure, sir. I was just to tell you when you left.” He saluted and walked away, leaving Dave to hurry to his SUV and get behind the wheel. A small building sat near the gate, but he didn’t see her car there. Perhaps she’d been waiting too long and had left.
He pulled in beside a red truck, giving it a sidelong glance. “I know that truck….” So she was still here. Anticipation coursed through him now. She’d see he was fine. That no one else had come to the station in a panic to find out about their loved ones.
He opened the door and found her sitting on the couch, her head in her hands. “Brooklynn,” he said, and she flinched.
It took a moment or two for her eyes to focus, and then she jumped to her feet. “Dave.” She hurried toward him and he went to her too, taking her into his arms. “You’re all right.”
He suppressed most of the groan that came from lifting his arm the wrong way and held onto her when she tried to step back.
“Oh, you’re hurt.”
“I’m fine,” he said.
“Audrey said you’d separated your shoulder.”
Surprise filled him. “You spoke to Audrey?”
“Yes.” She stepped back. “She came to tell me what was happening.”
Dave wasn’t sure how to feel. Everything mixed inside him, and he simply blinked at Brooklynn. “I’m fine.”
“You separated your shoulder,” she said as if it was a life-threatening injury.
“I saved seven people and two boats,” he said. “All of the crew is fine. Everyone did their jobs spectacularly today.”
She recoiled from him, a bit of shock in her expression now.
“I’m sorry.” Dave sighed. “I just…you didn’t need to come.”
“You didn’t call.”
“I lost my phone.” He wasn’t going to tell her it had gone overboard. That would only add fuel to her nerves. “I’m tired and hungry. You want to grab something to eat?”
“I have my father’s truck.”
“Yeah, I saw it out there.” Now they’d have to drive separate cars home. What was she going to do? Follow him to make sure he didn’t slide off the road? He didn’t like the venomous thought and pushed it away.
&nbs
p; She was sensitive, that was all. She’d lost someone she loved in an accident on the ocean. He tried to see things from her perspective, and he wondered if he’d always have to do that when she didn’t give him the same luxury.
He turned toward the door. “Let’s get back to town before we eat. There’s nothing good here anyway.” And then he could figure out how to get over his frustration with her during the drive.
On the way back to town, he looked more in his rearview mirror than he did the road in front of him. Miracles definitely still happened, because it was due to one that he arrived home in one piece.
He pulled into the garage and went inside, his flesh still chilled despite the seat warmer he’d run for thirty minutes. His stomach growled, but he didn’t want to go out. Brooklynn pulled in after him, and he left the garage door open so she could come in behind him.
Usually pretty clean, Dave ignored his tendencies and dropped his coat on the floor and kicked his boots off next. Brooklynn came in, and he said, “I don’t feel like going out. I’m cold, and I’m going to hop in the shower.”
“I’ll order something,” she said. “Or dig through your fridge.”
“You won’t find anything in there,” he said. “Don’t you need to get home and take care of your dogs?”
“They’re fine,” she said, moving ahead of him into the kitchen.
Dave didn’t say anything else as he followed her and turned down the hall that led to his master bedroom. With the door locked, he undressed and stepped into the shower. “Am I just delaying the inevitable?” he said into the hot spray, his muscles starting to relax.
The following day was Sunday, and he rarely reported to the port on Sundays. But Brian had asked him to come back and go through the rescue footage from the surveillance videos, and Dave had agreed.
But Dave didn’t want to make that drive to the tip of the United States again. He thought of his retirement packet and wondered if time had started to go backward. July seemed like it would never arrive.
Once warm, he washed and got out of the shower. Dressed in his comfiest clothes, he finally went out to the kitchen and living room, which melded together into one big room at the back of the house.
Brooklynn lounged on the couch with her feet tucked under her, and Dave had to admit he sure did like her there.
“Smells good,” he said, spying the white containers on the counter.
“I got Chinese,” she said needlessly, as Dave was already opening the distinct boxes. He got down two plates and served himself some food before asking her what she wanted.
She got up and came over to the island too. “Are you upset with me?” she asked, spooning some ham fried rice onto her plate.
Dave didn’t want to lie, but he didn’t want to argue with her tonight either. “I don’t know,” he said.
“I wish that were a no,” she said.
“You didn’t need to come to the station,” he said, trying to use his most delicate voice.
She nodded, quick little movements of her head. “Did I embarrass you?”
“No,” he said. “It’s just…I was fine.”
“But I didn’t know that.” She looked at him, her dark eyes blazing like fire. “You said you’d call.”
This was the exact conversation he didn’t want to have. He turned away from her and pulled the bottle of painkiller from the cabinet above the microwave. After filling a glass with water, he downed four of them and took his food to the other side of the island. He didn’t have to defend himself. It wouldn’t have mattered if he’d called before leaving on the Swordfish, or the moment he’d returned. It was what happened in between that really mattered, and he couldn’t put her on speakerphone for the whole rescue.
Brooklynn sat next to him, and they ate in tense silence. The moment she finished, she stood and put her plate in the sink. “Dave, I’m sorry I came to the station. I was worried.”
“I know,” he said.
A couple seconds of silence drew his attention to her. She drew in a deep breath as she wore that strong, determined look that usually got his hormones going into overdrive.
“I don’t think this is going to work out,” she said, and though Dave had realized a moment ago what she was going to say, each word punched him right in the gut.
“Because I didn’t call?” he asked when he really wanted to apologize and beg her to reconsider. Would she do that? Could she?
“It’s not just that,” she said. “It’s…everything.” She turned away from him and collected her coat from where she’d laid it over the back of the chair at the built-in desk. “Best of luck to you.”
“Brooklynn,” he called after her. She didn’t come back, and he went after her. “Wait a second.”
She opened the front door and stepped outside, letting a blast of wind in behind her. Dave wasn’t wearing shoes, but he followed her anyway. “Hey,” he said, finding her at the top of the steps, staring out into the rain. “Come on. It can’t be everything between us.”
She shook her head, her chin trembling. “It is. Your job. Your whole career. That you didn’t even consider my reservations. And yes, that you didn’t call.”
“Nothing happened,” he said. His gut had been wrong a few times over the past couple of months too. Maybe her personal fears and worries had colored her perspective.
“This time,” she whispered. “I have to go. My dogs need to go out.”
“Brooklynn,” he called after her as she went down the steps. She didn’t look back once, and Dave felt his heart drive away with the woman he’d loved for so long.
A week went by, and Dave made the journey to the station every day. Every night, he came home to an empty house, despite his texts asking if he could stop by her house. His invitations for her to grab some food and meet at his place likewise only met with silence.
He didn’t want to give up, but he didn’t need her calling the Chief of Police and reporting him as a stalker. He’d seen her in action on behalf of Bethany’s rights, and Dave didn’t want to anger Brooklynn further.
She’d taught him about Grub to Go, and on Saturday, he sent her favorite ham sandwich from The Anchor to her house. Still, he got nothing in response. Not even a thank you.
The following week, like a lovesick sixteen-year-old, Dave drove slowly by her house one day after work. Her big dog spa van sat in the driveway, so she hadn’t left town. Maybe she’d lost her phone. Maybe it had fallen overboard while she took sailing lessons.
Dave scoffed, because while Brooklynn had been religiously attending her therapy appointments, she still seemed deathly frightened of the ocean.
He ran along the beach every morning at five o’clock, his mind revolving around Brooklynn. Maybe he should just go by her house and wait until she came home. Force her to talk to him.
He’d thought he’d been unhappy before, when he’d moved back to Hawthorne Harbor and found her with a boyfriend and then a fiancé. But now? Now, he knew misery and loneliness on a whole new level.
With his second Friday night alone suffocating him, he left his house and went to his parents’. He’d have to tell them at some point that he and Brooklynn had broken up, though he’d be surprised if they didn’t know already. Brooklynn had told him that the gossip mill in town operated better than the cider mill, and he believed her.
He’d believed everything she’d told him, and foolishness pinched behind his lungs when he thought of how she’d said she loved him.
Had she been lying then? Was his job really too big to be overcome by love?
“Hey,” he said upon entering the house. “Wow, that wall looks great.” He could see right into the kitchen, and while the entire load-bearing wall hadn’t been able to come down, a large part had, opening up the house significantly.
“Dave,” his mother said from her place at the counter. She got up, limping for the first few steps toward him. “What are you doing here?”
He gave his mother a hug, holding onto her for a few extra secon
ds, giving away his loneliness if she hadn’t already known.
“What’s on your mind?” she asked, stepping back. “I didn’t make dinner tonight, but we have some leftovers in the fridge.”
“I can heat them up,” he said. “If you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. Your dad won’t eat that beef and broccoli.”
Dave would, and he slid the plastic container in the microwave before turning to her. “Brooklynn broke up with me.”
His mother nodded, her eyes somber. “I heard.”
He diverted his attention to finding a fork for his food. He didn’t want to think about people talking about him. “She doesn’t like my job.”
“She must really hate it,” his mother said.
The microwave beeped, but Dave didn’t turn toward it. “I’m thinking of retiring.”
His mother’s surprise lifted her eyebrows. “Really? For Brooklynn?”
“No, for me,” he said, turning to get his food. If he retired now, everyone would think he’d done it for Brooklynn.
So what? he asked himself. Is that so bad?
He loved her. He wanted to be with her. But if he retired before July, he’d lose a year of service. So he said nothing else. Just got his food out and sat beside his mother at the counter.
Eighty-one more days. He could wait eighty-one more days. Then he’d invite Brooklynn to his retirement ceremony and ask her to marry him.
Satisfied with his haphazard plan that had literally come to his mind as he ate beef and broccoli, he was able to relax with his mom and carry on a conversation about his brother, then the remodel.
His father came in the back door, and Dave gave him a hug too. To their credit, neither of his parents asked him how long he was going to stay, and he chilled on the couch with them as they watched their favorite game show.
When Dave felt only moments away from falling asleep, he got in his SUV and went home. Of course, once home, he was wide awake, and he laid in bed, staring at the ceiling and trying to find a way to get Brooklynn back before July.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The Captain's Second Chance Page 15