by Lea Hart
“I love the view. Maybe we can take a walk on the beach after diner.”
“That’s a great idea.” The waitress approached, they ordered drinks, and Grady asked for a couple of appetizers.
Once the drinks were delivered, he started to relax. Sara was happy and enjoying the evening, and the distance that had been growing between them seemed to be dissipating. “Have you been working on the second graphic novel? You haven’t seemed that excited about it since we left San Diego.”
“You noticed that, did you?” She took a sip of her margarita and stared out at the ocean. “Both companies called yesterday and offered me a great advance. I think if I continue with this then I’m going to stick with my earlier decision to self-publish. I’m not real excited about doing business with them, and I’m not sure why. Both companies have good reputations within the industry, but I didn’t care for the people we met with. Collaborating on a book is a lot like dating. You have to like one another for it to work. Respect is also important.”
He took her hand and nodded. “I didn’t get that vibe from the people we met with. Both men seemed antagonistic toward you without any provocation. I don’t know anything about publishing, but that doesn’t seem to be the right way to start off a business relationship.”
“I felt like they dismissed me because I’m not cool enough and I don’t know their lingo. I’m not a hipster and I never will be. I’m just a geeky artist who likes to draw kittens, elephants, and mice. I hated how I felt when we left those meetings.”
“I think they were intimidated by you. You have an impressive fine arts education, and you are the real deal. They acted like asses. I’m not sure if it was because you’re beautiful and smart or because I was standing guard.”
Laughing, she covered his hand. “I like your version of events a lot more than mine.”
“I know what I’m talking about, and I can tell when men are interested. The fact that I had to show them that whatever they had in mind was never going to happen just pissed them off, and they took it out on you.”
“You didn’t say ten words to them. How could you tell them anything?”
“Men have a way of silently communicating.”
“I think you’re full of it, but I may just go with it. I don’t have any new ideas for the second installment, anyway.”
“Maybe the graphic novel part of your career is on hold.”
“I have this idea for a story, and Mark and Birdie’s daughter inspired it. I keep seeing Maddy’s big eyes and bright smile, and I think she would make a wonderful character in a book.”
“So the elephants, mice, and rabbits are starting to return?”
“Maybe.” Before she could say more, the waitress brought their appetizers, and they dug in. “Who knows what will happen after I have the meeting with the Outfit?”
“Ever since we discussed the possibility with Sam, you’ve been excited. I don’t know too many people who would be looking forward to a sit-down with Solly D.”
“My life stopped the moment that I walked out of the restaurant with Sal. I would like to get it back and start planning and not hiding. I’m twenty-eight years old, and this is my first date in forever. I hang out with Agnes and Gladys and the rest of the retired people on the block. I’ve been hiding for so long that I don’t even know who I am.”
“Who were you before all of this happened?”
“I was a successful illustrator with a promising career and a ton of friends. I dated often and traveled and spent time with my family. Then my parents were killed and everything slipped away.”
“So now it’s time to start all over again and build the life you want.”
Sara grinned and took a sip of her drink. “You’re right. Since this is our first date, I’m going to ask you some date questions. Things that I’ve never gotten the chance to ask.”
“I’m ready.” He sat back and crossed his legs. “Ask away.”
“What did you like best about being a SEAL?”
“The best part of being on the Teams was serving and protecting the country I love. I always knew that I was going into the service, and I’m lucky that I found the right place. I would go back if they would have me.”
“Are you medically retired?”
“No. But I can’t be cleared for active duty again. My shoulder can’t be repaired, and I have some vision loss as well.”
“Which explains why you think I’m so pretty.” Laughing, she touched his hand. “Works out for me.”
“Honey, you’re the most perfect woman I’ve ever seen. Whatever you have is what I want.”
“Said the man who can’t really see.”
“I can see fine. It’s just not good enough to be on the Teams.” She gave him a look that told him she didn’t really believe him. “My turn for a question. What would you like to have most in the next five years?”
“The first thing, of course, is not to have someone want me dead. The next thing is to have a career I love, and I’ve started to think about having some children.”
“I can give you some babies and I’ll make sure that you’re safe. The career part is going to be up to you, since I don’t know anything about children’s books. But if you want to stay home, then I can more than take care of you.”
Patting his hand, she took a sip of her drink. “That’s very sweet of you.”
Leaning forward, he took her hand and waited until she looked at him. “I’m not a sweet guy. But I am telling you the truth, and I want you to keep it in mind.”
“This is only a first date. We haven’t kissed yet, so we don’t know if there’s going to be a second date.”
“Honey, you do remember that we’ve been sleeping together for several weeks now. I’m the guy who’s been buried inside you twice a day since the Fourth of July.”
“Shhhh. Don’t say that. Someone will hear you.”
He glanced around, and no one was paying any attention to them. “Nobody is listening.”
Sara straightened her dress and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I want to start over.”
“Okay…can you give me a clue why?”
The waitress came up and asked about their dinner selections, and they ordered. Grady couldn’t wait until she retreated, because his girlfriend had just taken a left turn that he didn’t see coming. “I want to make you happy. I just need some information about why we are starting over.”
“I don’t want to bring it up on our special night out. Let’s just talk about it later.”
“Oh, no. I want to hear about it now.”
“Fine.” She played with the sleeve of her dress and then smoothed down her hair. “I know too much about your last relationship, and it makes me sick. I want to wash all of that away…Angelina talked endlessly about how she felt about you and what you two did together and other stuff. Hours upon hours of listening to her made me want to run away from you. Which I know is ridiculous, because you’re a good man. I know that in my bones, but my mind has been filled with a lot of garbage, and I want to fill it with only the things that I personally know about you. So I want to start over. And you can get to know me and see if you like me. You may change your mind once the threat is resolved. Maybe I’ll just end up being your geeky neighbor, and we’ll discover that we have nothing in common.”
That was a hard left. He hadn’t seen that coming. “Okay. We can start over. But please know that my feelings for you are not going to change. When you opened the door and invited me in, I knew I was home. You feel right to me in a way that I didn’t know was possible.”
Her hand moved to the back of his head, and she tugged him forward. As she placed a kiss on his mouth, he knew that he was never going to give up.
“That was our first date kiss, and I would definitely like a second date with you.”
“Thank God,” he breathed. “We’re still going to sleep together while we start over and date…right?”
Her head fell back and she laughed. Their dinner was deli
vered and she moved away from him. “This looks delicious.”
“Was that a yes?”
“We’ll see how the rest of the date goes. Maybe we can make out on the beach, and if I like it, then we can work on the rest.”
“Oh, you’re going to like it. In fact, you’re going to love it.”
Shrugging, she started to eat her meal. When he waited, she pointed her fork at his plate. “You’d better start eating. You may need your energy for later on.”
“Good idea, honey. I plan on being ready for whatever you have in mind.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Friday
Grady walked into the bathroom and set Sara’s coffee down on the counter. “You are getting dolled up to go into the office.”
Glancing over, she set down her mascara. “I’ve decided that I’m going to put an effort into looking like an adult as opposed to a student.”
“I like how you look. Why are you going to change?”
“I’m not changing, per se. It’s more of an update.”
He leaned against the counter, watched her put something on her eyes, and found it fascinating. Why she thought that any of that was necessary was beyond him. But he didn’t figure that she wanted his opinion, so he kept his mouth shut. They were in a good place, and he wasn’t going to do anything to change it. After dinner last night, they had taken a walk along the beach and then made out under the moonlight. It was freaking great, and it had only been the beginning. It turned out that they were going to continue to have sex while they started over, and he couldn’t have been more grateful. “I’ll go make some breakfast while you finish up.”
“Thank you, honey.”
He watched her pick up her curling iron and start on her hair. It seemed like something that was going to take a while, so maybe he had time to get some work done before he started cooking.
Just as he finished with the eggs, Sara walked in, and he almost dropped the pan. “Wow, you sure are pretty.”
Smoothing out her dress, she smiled. “That’s very nice of you. All I did was put on a little makeup and fix my hair.” She walked into the kitchen and grabbed the cutlery and napkins and then set place mats down on the island. “I decided that I should treat you like any man I was interested in dating, so I’m going to put more effort into us. You deserve to see the best version of me, and that way you can decide if you want a relationship with me. All you’ve seen is your crazy neighbor who is in danger. I’m a lot more than that, and I intend to show you.”
He came around the island, set their plates down, and then refilled their coffee cups. “Honey, none of that is necessary. I already like you.”
They sat down, and Sara covered his hand. “I don’t want to be seen as a victim.”
Turning, he cupped her face in his hand. “I think you are one of the strongest women I’ve ever met. You have withstood a lot, and I’ve never heard you whine or complain.”
“I’ve done a lot of both. I just try to do it in private.”
“No more, Sara. I want you to share stuff with me. I don’t need the brave, dolled-up version of you. I’ll take the crazy-hair, scared version of you any day.”
She kissed his hand and then picked up her coffee cup. “Let me show you the best version of myself for a while. I need to start believing that she still exists.”
“Okay. Whatever you want.”
They started on their breakfast and came up with a plan for the day. Grady felt that she was still holding back, but what could he do? Forcing her to confide in him wasn’t going to work. Patience was the only thing that would allow him to accomplish his goal.
***
They drove down the highway, and Grady heard his phone buzz. “Honey, can you check that for me? I’m expecting a text from my buddy Ryan. He flew in last night, and he’s meeting me at SAI.”
Sara checked the phone and read the text. “He says that he’s going to meet you at eleven at the office.”
“That works out. Maybe we can take him to lunch after he meets everyone and show him around Miami.”
“So, who is Ryan, and where do you know him from?”
“He and I were on a platoon together when we were on Team Two. He retired about two months ago, and I’m hoping that I can talk him into joining SAI. He’s a rock-solid operator and a great guy. He lives in Virginia Beach, and I don’t think he has anything keeping him there. I want to grab him before Rorke does.”
“Does Rorke run the SAI office in Virginia?”
“Yes. How did you know that?”
“Vivi and Ruby were talking about him at the Fourth of July party. Apparently he’s dreamy-looking and very funny.”
Snorting, he glanced out the window. “Whatever. Can’t believe you all wasted your time talking about Rorke.”
“After we talked about our sex lives in detail, we moved on to the men who we thought were attractive. Women do it all the time.” Patting his hand, she smiled innocently. “You didn’t think that we sat around and talked about recipes and quilting, did you?”
“No.” He glanced over and saw her dig through her purse. She pulled out a lipstick and then applied it. Did women really talk about their sex lives? Jeez, he didn’t talk about his. Maybe when he was young and stupid, but he would never tell anyone about what happened between him and Sara. That was private and special and not anyone’s business.
“Where did Ryan stay last night?” she asked.
“At a hotel. TT set him up at a place in Coconut Grove, near where Joel and Vivi live. If he decides that he wants to join us, then I was thinking of offering him my house. He can stay there until he figures out where he wants to live.”
“That will be fun for the two of you. Maybe you two can have some parties and liven up the neighborhood.”
“I’m living with you, so he can have whatever kind of parties he wants.”
“Did I know that you were living with me?”
“I’m kind of hard to miss, honey. I haven’t slept at my house since the Fourth of July. That was almost a month ago. We share a bathroom, and I have clothes in the closet.”
Tapping her fingers against the door, she started to hum. “Well…I suppose it’s all right for now.”
“Do you want me to go back to my house?”
“No…I don’t. I probably won’t be able to sleep if you’re not there. Let’s just keep living together for now.”
The crushing enthusiasm was hard to take. Why did he feel like he’d talked her into something she had no interest in? Probably because he’d done it wrong. The message about living together was probably supposed to be wrapped up in a lot more hearts and flowers. He’d just assumed they were together and acted accordingly. Sara deserved more from him than that. He’d never romanced a woman before, so he had a lot to learn. Maybe he could ask Joel. After all, he’d gotten Vivi to fall in love with him, so he must’ve done something right.
***
Sara and Grady walked into SAI and were greeted by TT. “Hi there,” she called out. “You two make the cutest couple. Grady looks like a big, mean lion, and Sara looks like a sweet kindergarten teacher. Opposites do attract.”
Joel walked up, put his hand on his sister-in-law’s shoulder, and laughed. “What are you getting yourself into, TT?”
“Nothing. I was just commenting on how cute those two are. I’ll bet they’re going to have some good-looking babies. They both have beautiful eyes, so they’re pretty much guaranteed to have some delicious children.”
“Have you set Ivy up in an office yet?” Joel asked.
“Yes, I have. But I can tell that you want me to go check on her and quit talking about people and their babies.” She winked and then twirled around. “I’m off.”
Sara watched TT sashay down the hall and laughed. “She’s like having TNT in the office. What fun.”
“That’s what I keep telling myself,” Joel remarked. “I sometimes have to remind myself that beneath all of that jibber-jabber lies a very smart woman. Lord kn
ows the kids in that family have intelligence, and TT is no exception. But the way she carries on sometimes makes me forget.”
“I like her and her crazy energy. It’s never dull with her in the office,” Grady commented.
“I should go find her,” Sara said, “because I brought a check with me today for the services you all have provided.” Just as she was about to walk away, Grady caught her hand.
“What did you say?” he bellowed.
“I know that you did not mean to shout at me in the middle of your workplace. So if you have something to ask me, then I suggest you moderate your tone.”
Gritting his teeth, he took her hand and led them down the hall. “Let’s talk about it in my office.”
“I’ll talk to you later,” Joel called after them.
Grady held the door for Sara and waited for her to walk in and sit down. Once she was settled, he carefully closed the door and walked over to his desk. He sat down slowly and took several calming breaths. “Honey, I hope you don’t think that we will accept payment from you.”
Slapping the envelope on the desk, she glared. “I most certainly do. I had Sam ask Hank what the cost would be for protective services. I think that I’ve calculated correctly. If not, let me know, and I will write another check.”
Leaning over, Grady picked up the envelope. He pulled his trash can out and proceeded to rip the envelope into shreds. “The fact that you think that we would charge you is insulting. I’m working very hard on not losing my temper.” He glared and took another breath. “It’s not going well.”
“I knew you were going to be stubborn about this.”
“You have no idea,” he said as he leaned back in his chair. “Even if you were not my girlfriend, we don’t charge for protecting women. Never have and we never will.”
Sara crossed her arms and then her legs. “I don’t like it.”