Nerd and the Marine
Page 11
It’s been fun. Oh, and my granddad, the Marine, opened a root beer almost as soon as we arrived. He’d forgotten Bentley’s little fetish and he and Bentley went into the lake. So, yes, Bentley’s already thrown one of my male relatives in. Granddad doesn’t seem to mind, though. He still spoils Bentley, thank goodness.
I did stock up on more root beer, and will be spraying any brothers who don’t willingly take one, so no worries there. All for now, as I want to build another computer like the one I sent you.
Yours,
Lainy
P.S. All I can tell you about Ben is he's a Morrison. That's pretty much all you need to know. He's incredibly laid back and smart. I think you'll like him.
Lainy sent the e-mail and wished she could have that hug now. But she didn't want just one, she wanted a hundred. Thousand. Maybe she'd feel she'd received enough then, but probably not, either.
She stared at the computer, wanting to hold Mitch for just a moment, and when her eyes went bleary, pushed herself away to go back to something she could do. Her electronics. Except they weren't working as well now at distracting her as they had in the past.
There really was no sense in punishing herself over something she couldn't alter. She wanted to feel Mitch's arms around her. She wanted to be pressed close against him. Before those physical needs had turned her off, but Mitch was different. He wouldn’t make her feel disgusting after an encounter with him. Lainy bit her lip. Right?
She wanted to believe she’d find what her family had. With Mitch. Wanted to believe a relationship would be better with him.
At least she'd never experienced those sensations with him, so she didn't know what she missed. What if they had dated or been married before he left? What if she knew his scent and how he smiled? Her heart broke for all those women and men whose spouses or significant others were overseas in the military. She didn't know whether to be thankful for not knowing or upset. How could she miss something she'd never experienced? Yet, she did.
Chapter Seventeen
Mitch finally selected the Lainy As Commando video and popped the DVD into his computer. He'd received another box of cookies today, which was good, since his supply had been sorely depleted. The carton contained more toiletries which were also nearing empty on his end.
He sat back on his bed after popping some popcorn and watched as the video started with a wooded shot. The trees were brilliant with green foliage while a near carpet of ferns in the undergrowth completed the wooded landscape. He detected action and watched the stealthy movements of civilians trying to be tricky. Al snorted beside him and Mitch grinned. Then he ate some popcorn and tried to keep the bag out of Al’s reach.
Watching closer, he saw the stealthy were all female. They moved together in a way that classified them either as a team or family, so synchronized were their motions. Each wore olive or dark green shorts and drab shirts. The ladies also sported some heavy duty super soakers strapped across their feminine chests.
Quiet reigned, which surprised Mitch. He hadn't figured the Morrison women had quiet in them. Lainy was the last to show and she carted a heavy looking backpack with her. Bentley was nowhere to be seen. Mitch hoped he spent some quality time with the men, rather than just tossing them into the lake.
When Lainy showed, the women brightened and down to the smallest, who looked to be about eight, yanked their weapons from their shoulders. With a triumphant grin, Lainy removed several thermoses from her backpack and handed them around. The women filled their water guns with the contents.
The liquid looked dark and fizzy and Mitch had a premonition. Lainy confirmed his foreboding when she extracted two cans of the stuff and tossed them to some of the women near the back. The ladies delicately tapped the root beer fizzies down before popping the cans and poured the contents into their weapon of choice.
Lainy took another thermos from her pack and filled her own super soaker, which was a doozy. Dual chambered, the gun looked like it could hold at least two gallons of water. Of course, the Morrison women wouldn't think to use such an innocuous choice. They'd have to choose something sticky. And his pet’s beverage of choice.
Soon the ladies sported black smudges under their eyes, like football players. They each accepted a granola bar and a bar of chocolate. Mitch heard Al lick his lips. He handed the cookie container over. The ladies also sprayed what looked to be mosquito repellant on themselves and then set off through the forest again. They kept a near military precision amount of distance between them.
“Okay, ladies,” Lainy whispered when they stopped, “you know your target. Our mission is to make certain every male in this family who has dunked us in the lake without our permission,” most of the women snorted at that comment, “is doused with root beer. I checked and Bentley is definitely with the herd near the lake. The men should return soon.”
“The root beer will certainly improve how they smell,” an attractive older woman commented dryly.
“That's true, Aunt Emma. Any questions?” Lainy grinned at the woman. The other women shook their heads.
“Very good, you all know your target, correct?”
An enthusiastic nod of heads went round the circle and with a militant gleam in their eyes, the females set off to spots they must have chosen in advance.
With a sense of anticipation, Mitch kept his eyes on Lainy. For never having military training, she performed well. She and the older woman faded into the background and remained still. Some of the teenagers grew a bit antsy as time passed, and the youngest looked like she'd fallen asleep. But many of the women, Lainy's sisters included, remained silent and still. Even Laurie, who'd just had a baby, appeared perfectly comfortable in her perch on a low branch of an oak tree.
Lainy rested high up in another tree, at perfect sniper range. What a well-rounded woman. In more ways than one, he noted, as he took in the snug fitting T-shirt she wore. He approved.
She leaned against the trunk of the tree with a negligent grace, and didn't tap so much as a finger or toe. Her finger, her left forefinger, he noticed with interest, hovered near the trigger. A lefty. Interesting.
The ladies waited almost with casual indifference, with not a word or sigh uttered. They seemed content to take in the antics of the forest and were perfectly happy to wait. Each woman looked to be in a decent position to nail anyone on a boat.
Mitch assumed most of the male population, teenaged and higher, must be out on boats. From Aunt Emma's comment about their smell, he figured they’d gone fishing. He could think of easier ways to dunk a bunch of men, but was interested in seeing how the women faired.A small fishing vessel cleared the horizon and the women instantly went on alert. Super soakers were pulled into ready position as the women poised for action. Or for a directive from their leader. Eyes flicked to Lainy and he wasn't surprised she was the leader of the little coup. With her in charge, he didn't doubt their success.
The first boat bumped into the pier, followed closely by three more fishing vessels. Several pontoons floated in after those. Males of all ages and sizes began filing off the crafts, rolling weary muscles and lugging some bountifully stocked coolers by the way their muscles strained.
Mitch and Al both laughed when the camera paused for a moment on several of the ladies faces. Their scrunched, nearly painful, green nauseous looks spelled smelly. None of the women went so far as to hold their noses, but the stench emanating from the fellows looked rather obvious.
“Hey, I don't see any of the women,” one of Lainy's brothers commented, glancing around.
“How are we supposed to throw them in the lake when they don't even come down to see us?” a brother-in-law groused.
“Probably up at one of the cabins gossiping and eating,” an older man said with a sniff.
The camera swung round to catch Lainy's raised brow and caught the gleam in her eyes as she smiled a rather devilish grin. The camera followed her gaze and Mitch saw Bentley, obviously attracted by the men's catch and smell. He sniffed around
the coolers, his tail swishing in harmony with his sniffing.
Lainy held up a finger and the ladies raised their squirt guns as one. Another finger and each woman shoved the weapon against her shoulder. Lainy's third finger coincided with her order. “Fire!”
And the women let loose. Long sprays of root beer shot from the huge barrels and doused the men in the most synchronized shooting Mitch had ever seen. Al let out a hoot of laughter that toppled him to the floor. Mitch ignored him, his eyes focused on the laptop screen. He wanted to see Lainy and his dog in action.
The men, thoroughly sprayed and probably sticky, shook off the liquid, only a few of them catching on as to the contents of the women's ammunition. Fewer still noticed the big brown dog, now in a frenzy as he went for one man and then the next. The other dogs, apparently not wanting to miss out on the fun, took to the game, too. And man after man with a canine, hit the water with a shout or exclamation, some blistering, some hilarious, or both.
The women, as a swarm, left their various posts, and howling, pumped the last of their ammo onto their gleeful kids who took all the fun out of the game and leapt into the water before Bentley or one of the other dogs could assist. The men staggered to shore, and made grabs for the ladies, who sidestepped them or pumped more root beer onto the man trying to send her into the lake.
The ladies eventually made a hasty retreat, laughing and heckling. Lainy, her nose now pinched between her thumb and forefinger, pointed to the men in general and offered one more command.
“Shower.”
The screen went blank.
*****
Al, now back on his cot, offered his thoughts on the video, “Your Lainy, she's something. You better keep a tight hold on her, or someone else is going to snatch her, bro.”
Mitch, still enjoying the remnants of video watching, sobered. He knew that. It was only a matter of time before Lainy realized not all men were jerks. Perhaps she'd already come to that understanding and wanted to test her wings. Something pierced his heart and Mitch hated the feeling. He wanted Lainy. Completely. Totally. Absolutely.
He didn't want to share this amazing woman. Why should he? Yet, what did he have to offer her? The Atlantic Ocean separated them. He barely had enough toiletries to live, and her family supplied those. Mitch had plenty of money in the bank, but had little use for the funds in the desert.
Besides, Lainy had her own money. She didn't need his. She probably had a better brain than him. Who knew? “Who cares”, a little voice in the back of his mind snarled. “We're not giving her up,” the he-man in him decreed and Mitch wondered how she'd take to that approach.
Al gestured that he was leaving and Mitch responded with an absent wave before shoving a hand through his hair. He clicked on the e-mail icon, wondering what he could offer Lainy. Bentley came to mind, but she already had him.
He saw an e-mail from her and was mollified by her first paragraph. She hated that they'd be out of contact for whole months on end. Already she didn’t like it, and they hadn't even experienced the separation yet.
Her passionate response made him smile. And her reply that he could hug her any time made him ache. Mitch longed to give her a long, tight one. He wanted to feel her pressed against him. To smell her. Maybe even hear her happy sigh. He'd heave a big ole happy sigh if he could hold her in his arms.He doubted he'd be able to let her go. After hugging her, he'd have to concentrate to make his arms unwrap from around her. To free her. He hated the idea of freeing her. Of letting her out of his sight once he had Lainy. He wanted her. Forever. But how to convince the woman of this? And what if her family hated him?
When no answer miraculously appeared before him, Mitch reread her e-mail, loving how she seemed so comfortable with him. He felt that way about her. Like he'd known her most of his life. Pursing his lips, he then smiled.
To: L_Morrison@gmail.com
From: M_Monahan@yahoo.com
Subject: I've been thinking about
how comfortable I am with you.
Hello Lainy,
Just read through your e-mail and it occurred to me that I'm comfortable with you. I feel like I can be myself. I'm normally quiet. Well, if you knew Al, you'd understand it's difficult to get a word in, much less two, when he's around. He comes from a big family too, and claims if you don’t talk, you’re ignored. (Trust me, no one ignores him!)
But I don't seem to have any trouble writing lengthy letters to you. Normally, I'd write a paragraph and that'd take about an hour. I'd be totally relieved to send the message and it'd be a great accomplishment. But even from the start I've not had a problem sending a fairly long letter (for me!) to you. I don't usually open up to people. Maybe because I have a family now?
Oh, by the way, the video we just watched was about you and the ladies playing commando. I must say, there might be something to families making excellent tactical teams. Have you all practiced moving in such synchronization or does that come naturally because you're all Morrisons? Now wait, some of those women were sisters-in-laws, so they wouldn't be related by blood. Hhhmmm. And maybe some were also their relatives and not your blood? That's interesting. I thought you moved so well together because you’re related, but now realize that's not true.
So, you must have practiced. Is this a normal thing each year? I'm figuring the usage of root beer in your super soakers is new, due to Bentley's arrival, but the game itself is not? The kids sure seemed to have a great time. You ladies probably showed them a bad thing by filling your squirt guns with sticky soda. Or did you learn this from the kids? Smart of you to douse the men so near the lake. They had no place to go but in.
Al watched with me and laughed so hard he fell off his cot. He's a goofball. And because of that, he's one of the most likable men I know. He's also an incredible Marine and there's no other man I'd rather have at my back.
He still wants to know if your grandparents are willing to adopt him? I keep telling him they have better sense, but you know how friends are. Well, Al's the closest thing to family I have, I guess. His sister treats me exactly like she treats him. Same with his parents.
I'm hoping this finds you well and still enjoying your time at the lake. Hopefully you're not spending all your time on your second laptop. This one runs well. My only comment so far is that the sliding doors covering the various outlets and drives prove tricky to open when encrusted with sand. (Remember, everything here, including me, is encrusted with sand.)
Not that the sliders are impossible to open, they aren't at all, just a bit tricky. And the doors are necessary, as there'd be sand inside the hard drives and ports. This computer is a wonder. It's tough and that's a necessity here in the desert.
Sorry about Bentley and the fish and skunk bit. I wish I could have been there. Of course, that would mean I'd have had to take a turn bathing him, and that's not one of my favorite jobs. I usually took him into the shower with me. It's easy to coax him in, just open a can of root beer. He'll follow. (As you've seen.)
If you mind showering with a wet dog, you might not want to try this. He isn't exactly a neat bather, but he means well.
Oh, we got another shipment of cookies, and we thank everyone responsible. Our supply was low, and these should last until we ship out. Sometime next week, I imagine, but one never knows. Could be ten minutes from now. Which I'm hoping against since your cousin will be visiting. There's a lot of talk about some SEALs coming. A bit of a rivalry going on.
All for now. I have some work I need to finish. I'll save the last video for when I really need it. They do brighten my
days, and Al's. He's shown your detouring one to some of the guys. They're still talking about it.
(If you get any odd e-mails let me know. They think you're hot, so I imagine you will. I do my best to stop the craziness, but so long as it's harmless, I think the guys need it.) Seeing a beautiful woman brightens our day.
And it certainly doesn't hurt what I believe is a tiny ego on your part. You are special Lainy. Don't ever believe less than that. You're intelligent, but also beautiful - really incomparable, and so sexy. Please don't believe anything else. I get the impression you don't think much of yourself, and I find that a shame. If I've stepped out of line, tell me. I told you, I feel pretty comfortable with you. Obviously.
I need to get back to work. Think about what I said, please? Don't sell yourself short. You're amazing.
Yours,
Mitch
Chapter Eighteen
Lainy clicked on Mitch's e-mail. She smiled at his response to Bentley's debacle, and then blinked a few times as she reached the bottom. He thought she was amazing. But he barely knew her, something inside protested.
Yet, that wasn't exactly true. Because she felt like she knew him very well, too. She'd had that feeling from the beginning. She wanted this man as more than a friend. And it almost sounded like he felt the same way. How could that be? Relationships could offer so much pain. Especially when they didn’t work out.
But Mitch? She couldn't believe he actually believed her to be attractive. He had seen her in action. Thanks to Ed and his videos. But still. Her? Lainy Morrison, nerd personified? A handsome Marine thought she, a complete geek, would make him a good candidate for a girlfriend. Or at least, from what he said in the e-mail, she needed to not put herself down so much. Her sisters had been telling her this for the past ten years.