Chapter 6

CHAPTERSIX

Jody pulled into the parking lot at the Sunset Smokehouse and couldn’t help but grin when she saw the three women standing at the entrance, talking. She recognized Monica from the one time she’d met her, and just assumed the other two were Elodie and Ashlyn.

She was relieved to see that she’d chosen correctly on what to wear. Jody had decided to go casual, but not too casual. She had on a cotton sundress she’d picked up on a whim while shopping in Honolulu about two years ago. It had cap sleeves, an empire waist, and came down to her knees. It was black with purple and yellow flowers. It was brighter than what she usually wore, but Jody loved the way it fit her perfectly, and she actually felt pretty when she wore it.

She’d completed the look with a pair of black wedges with a beaded sparkly flower at the toes. Mana had always made fun of them for being too girly, but he’d admitted once that he thought they were cute. Jody thought about him every time she wore them…which was why she hadn’t put them on since the day he’d died. But today, after thinking about what Baker had said last night, it seemed right to bring him along with her to hopefully meet her new friends.

Before getting out of the car, she pulled out her phone and typed in a quick text, letting Baker know she’d arrived at the restaurant safely. He hadn’t asked her to, had only asked that she let him know when she got home, but he’d sent her a note earlier reassuring her that he’d arrived in Barbers Point without any issues, and that while he was tired, he wasn’t too tired. It was considerate, as she’d been worried about him. Now she wanted to return the favor.

Jody

I’m here. The girls are waiting for me at the entrance, but I wanted to let you know I arrived all right.

Baker

Appreciate it. Have fun.

His text was short and to the point, but Jody wasn’t offended. He was probably doing his thing with his friend and it was nice that he’d immediately responded. She put her phone into her purse, took a deep breath, and climbed out of her van.

The three women were all watching as she walked toward them. They probably hadn’t missed her colorful VW pull into the lot.

“Hi,” Jody said when she got close. “I’m Jody.”

The three women were all smiling. The black-haired woman stepped forward when Jody got close and said, “I’m Elodie. It’s so nice to finally meet you.”

Then she shocked the shit out of Jody by opening her arms and giving her a long, heartfelt hug.

Monica said, “It’s good to see you again, Jody,” and also hugged her.

And lastly, the tall woman who had to be Ashlyn greeted her and did the same.

Baker hadn’t been kidding, these women were huggers…and it felt awesome. Jody couldn’t keep the goofy smile off her face.

“I can’t believe you’re actually here! We didn’t think Baker was ever gonna get his head out of his butt and ask you out,” Elodie said with a smile.

Ashlyn still wore a friendly smile as well, but Jody knew instinctively that she was going to be the toughest one out of the bunch to impress. Jody remembered Elodie telling her on the phone that Ashlyn was protective of Baker. Instead of being irritated by that, it made Jody feel good. She liked that someone had his back, because it was dawning on her that he was the kind of man who always looked after others.

They all walked inside and Jody inhaled deeply. It smelled so good…she couldn’t wait to dig into the delicious-smelling smoked beef. They went through the line and Jody got beef brisket, as did Elodie. Monica got pulled pork and Ashlyn ordered the pork spare ribs. They got a large order of potato salad to share and some spicy pinto beans. Once they found a seat, a server brought over a basket of Hawaiian sweet rolls.

“I can’t believe I never knew this place existed,” Ashlyn said after they’d all started eating. “Texas barbeque is my absolute favorite.”

“It’s so good,” Jody agreed. “They also cater and have takeout…although it might be a bit far from Barbers Point for you to pick up.”

“I’m sure Slate wouldn’t mind coming up here. I mean, look at this…it’s totally worth the drive.” She held up one of her spare ribs. Her fingers were covered in sauce and there was even some on one of her cheeks. Everyone laughed.

“Very true,” Jody said.

“I’m sure Baker would drive down here and get you guys some too, right?” Elodie asked with a gleam in her eye.

Jody knew she was blushing, but she gave the other woman a small smile. “Probably.”

“So…you guys are finally together?” Elodie asked bluntly.

Jody was impressed she’d waited this long to bring up Baker. But she couldn’t blame her…she was well aware that this visit was about the other women not only getting to know her, but getting the deets on their new relationship. “I guess,” she said.

“Wait—you guess?” Ashlyn asked. “Elodie said you guys were dating.”

“I mean, I guess we are, but he’s been busy, as have I, and we haven’t actually gone out on a date yet,” Jody said.

Elodie blew out a breath and sat back in the booth with a small huff. “That guy,” she said with a shake of her head.

“I pegged Baker as the kind of man who didn’t mess around…it’s kind of disappointing to know that’s not the case,” Monica said.

Jody didn’t like the others thinking anything bad about him. “He told me he thinks I’m his soul mate,” she blurted.

Elodie and Monica smiled at hearing that.

“That’s more like it,” Elodie said.

“I can see him saying something like that,” Monica mused.

“And you? What do you think?” Ashlyn asked.

It was a good thing Jody had the food to distract her, because otherwise she had a feeling she’d be quaking in her shoes. She swallowed the bite of beans she’d just put in her mouth as Ashlyn asked her question, then met the other woman’s gaze.

“I think Baker’s the best thing to happen to me in a very long time. He makes me feel safe, he makes me laugh, and he’s the first person to ask me how I’m doing—and mean it—in years. I also think I’m not nearly good enough for him. He deserves someone who doesn’t wake up sad, then goes to sleep the same way at the end of most days. Someone who’s not so…broken. But I already know I’m going to do everything in my power to be the kind of woman who deserves him. I have no clue if I can do that or not, but I’m gonna try. I also think that he’s got to be just as amazing as I think he is, if the three of you have his back.”

Throughout her little speech, Ashlyn’s expression lost some of its reserve, and by the time she was done speaking, Elodie had tears in her eyes. She reached for Jody’s hand and squeezed. “He saved my life,” she said softly.

“And mine,” Monica added.

Jody’s gaze went to Ashlyn.

“He didn’t save mine. But he felt so damn guilty that he didn’t somehow have the ability to know what was going to happen in the future, and that he wasn’t at my friend James’s house the moment his asshole home health aide went apeshit and shot me, that he was sitting on the beach in the middle of the night, stressing over it. Which isn’t safe, and I told him so. I also told him his guilt complex was ridiculous, but he’s the kind of man who hates when his friends are hurting, and hates even more when he can’t help.”

“Um…wow…okay,” Jody said, trying to wrap her mind around everything Ashlyn had just said. “You were shot? Are you okay now?”

Ashlyn’s expression relaxed even more. “I’m good,” she said quietly.

“And the guy who shot you?”

“Is dead,” she said flatly.

“Okay.”

“Has Baker told you anything about us?” Elodie asked.

“Not really. Just that you were all awesome and that he thought you were strong as hell,” Jody said.

“Figures. So, my deal is that I was on the run from a mob guy who wanted to kill me because, as his chef, I refused to put poison in the food to kill one of his guests. I hid out on a cargo ship for a while, but terrorists hijacked it. I met Scott, came to Hawaii, thought I was safe, but the mob guy’s hitman found me and left me in the middle of the ocean to die a slow, horrible death.”

Jody’s eyes widened and she gasped. Her food forgotten, all she could do was stare at Elodie. “Holy crap!”

“Yeah. But Baker went to New York, met with the new mob boss who’d taken over after the asshole who wanted me dead was killed, and they ‘talked shit out.’ Baker reassured me that I was safe.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah,” Elodie said.

“Then one of Baker’s old SEAL teammates came to Hawaii and kidnapped me, using me as bait so he could lure Baker out and kill him. Baker didn’t hesitate to put himself in danger to deal with that jerk, either,” Monica said.

“Oh my God. One of his teammates?” Jody asked in disbelief.

“Yeah. I guess as team leader, Baker gave him a bad review or whatever it’s called, and since the guy was crazy—and totally deserved that review—he stewed about it for years and years and then made his move. But don’t worry, he burned up in lava on the Big Island…just as he’d intended for Baker.”

Jody could barely believe what she was hearing. “One of his teammates tried to kill him. With lava.”

“Yeah,” Monica said solemnly. “But obviously, he didn’t succeed.”

Jody looked down at her plate, not really seeing the delicious barbeque anymore. “What in the world does he see in me?” she whispered. “I’m so boring compared to what he’s used to.”

“I think Baker deserves boring,” Ashlyn said.

Jody looked up and met her eyes.

“And I don’t mean that in a derogatory way,” she said quickly. “Baker goes to great lengths to help our guys however they need it. Research for missions, when shit goes sideways for their women, and however else he can help. He needs someone who brings him some normalcy. I think he probably welcomes boring, considering everything that’s happened in the last couple years.”

Jody wasn’t sure she agreed.

“Has he told you what he does for a living?” Elodie asked.

Jody shook her head. “No. Why? What does he do?”

“Well, darn. I was hoping you’d be able to tell us,” Elodie said with a smile. “I mean, we know he has some amazing connections…the man flew to New York and was able to meet with a mob boss, for goodness sake. But none of us know exactly what his job is.”

“Does it matter?” Jody asked.

For once, all three women seemed to be speechless.

Finally, Ashlyn chuckled. “No, it absolutely doesn’t matter. We love Baker because he’s a fabulous human. He’s also helped all of us, and our men, when we’ve needed it the most. It doesn’t matter at all what he does.”

Jody was relieved to hear that, because she felt the same way. The more she learned about Baker, the more in awe of him she was. “Well, I don’t have any mob bosses after me, that I know of at least, and I don’t think I’m in any danger of being kidnapped anytime soon. I’m a normal graphic designer who sits at home most of the day in front of my computer, a former mother, and someone who spends my mornings and afternoons at the beach looking after the high school surfers who congregate there. If he’s good with boring, he’s hit the jackpot.”

“Former mother?” Monica asked. “I’m not sure there’s such a thing.”

“My son died,” Jody said bluntly.

She saw the surprise in Monica’s eyes, then the pain when her words sank in.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, reaching across the table and touching Jody’s hand. “I had my first child, Charlotte, just over a month ago, and I seriously can’t think of anything worse than losing her.”

“There is nothing worse,” Jody agreed.

She expected that to be the end of the conversation, but to her surprise, Ashlyn asked, “What was his name?”

“Kaimana.”

“That’s a beautiful name,” Elodie said gently.

“It means ‘power of the ocean,’” Jody said with a small smile. “Which is appropriate because from the moment he learned how to swim, he loved being in the water. He was a great surfer. There was nowhere he felt more comfortable than on a board in the surf.”

“Which is why you hang out there now?” Monica asked.

It felt a little weird talking about Mana, but in a good way. It had been so very long since anyone had asked about her son, so between Baker and these women, he was in her thoughts even more than usual. “Yes and no. He died one morning while surfing. A riptide came out of nowhere and started dragging people out to sea. A younger surfer panicked and tried to swim back to shore, rather than staying with his surfboard, and Mana went after him, giving him his own board when he saw the boy struggling to stay afloat. He began to tow the boy on his board parallel to shore, to try to get out of the rip, and he was succeeding. But a huge wave washed over them, and Mana was stuck in the whitewash. He hit his head, got disoriented, and drowned.”

Silence settled over the table, and Jody immediately regretted her overshare. She hadn’t meant to bring the mood down. “I go to the beach and watch over the kids because if someone had been there the morning my son died, they could’ve called for help. Maybe Mana wouldn’t have drowned.”

“You’re their guardian angel,” Elodie said quietly.

Jody shrugged. “I don’t know about that. I just don’t want another mom to suffer like I am.”

“Tell us about him?” Monica asked.

Jody looked at her in surprise. And when she glanced at the other two women, they both nodded and smiled.

“I… What do you want to know?”

“Whatever you want to tell us. Your son sounds as if he was amazing,” Ashlyn said.

“He was.”

“How old was he?” Elodie asked.

“Seventeen. He was a junior in high school.”

“I bet he was a ladies’ man,” Monica said.

“Not really. He was more into surfing than girls,” Jody said with a smile. “Although I did convince him to go to a dance not too long before he died. And he even admitted afterward that he had a good time.”

For the next thirty minutes, she continued to answer the other women’s questions and talked about her son. When the talk naturally turned to Monica’s daughter, and the way her husband was completely overprotective of her, Jody couldn’t help but close her eyes and savor the unusual feelings coursing through her.

“Jody? You okay?” Elodie asked.

She opened her eyes and nodded. “I’m good. Really good. I want to thank you all for letting me talk about Mana.”

“Why wouldn’t we?” Monica asked.

“Most people feel uncomfortable even mentioning him. They think if they don’t bring him up, I won’t be sad. But I’m always sad. Talking about him, remembering some of the good times, actually makes me feel good for a short period of time.”

“He was a living, breathing person who deserves to be remembered,” Monica said.

“Exactly, so thank you for giving me that,” Jody said.

“Anytime you want to talk about him, you go right on ahead. It won’t make us uncomfortable in the least,” Elodie assured her.

“This is so weird,” Jody said as she wiped away the tears that had managed to escape.

“What is?”

“In the last week, I’ve gone from a lonely middle-aged woman who’d kept to herself for the last five years, to having a fabulous man interested in me, talking about my son constantly—when I rarely mention him out loud, because I’m afraid of making others uneasy—and sitting in a restaurant with three women I really, really want to be friends with.”

“We’re already friends,” Ashlyn assured her, without missing a beat.

“Not only that, there are three other women who’ll be jealous as hell that we got to spend time with you today and they didn’t,” Elodie said with a grin.

“Oh, I’m sure Kenna will have a sleepover planned immediately after hearing about lunch,” Monica said with a chuckle.

“Baker’s told me about these legendary sleepovers,” Jody said.

“They’re the shit,” Elodie said. “Wait until you see the view from Kenna’s balcony. It’s to die for. She’s bubbly and gorgeous, but you can’t even be mad at her because she’s the nicest person ever who shares her killer view.”

“I think I’m probably too old for a sleepover,” Jody said a little self-consciously. “I’m what, twenty years older than you guys? I was married before some of you were even born.”

“So?” Elodie asked. “Age is nothing but a number. Besides, we could probably all use your wise advice on things like being a mom—and of course we want to hear all about whether Baker’s a good kisser or not.”

Everyone laughed.

“Of course he is,” Ashlyn said. “He’s Baker.”

Everyone looked at Jody with expectant looks on their faces.

Jody shrugged and said, “If you’re waiting on me to tell you how he kisses, I’m afraid I’m going to disappoint. Unless you want to know how he can make my legs weak with the touch of his lips on my forehead.”

Everyone gawked at her for a moment, before Monica said, “He’s going slow.”

Jody nodded.

“He knows not to rush things when he’s going after something important,” Ashlyn agreed.

“And for the record, that’s you,” Elodie finished.

“And just to warn you…the others like to talk about sex,” Ashlyn added. “They aren’t pushy about it, but they don’t hold back. If that makes you uncomfortable, that’s cool, you don’t have to join in, but I wanted to give you a heads-up before we have the next sleepover.”

“I don’t mind talking about sex in general, but I’m not going to talk about Baker,” Jody said firmly. She didn’t want to alienate these women when she felt like she’d just gained their respect and friendship, but the last thing she wanted was to gossip. “I’m certain that he values his privacy, and I don’t want to go behind his back and break his trust.”

All three of the other women beamed at her.

“I love that for him,” Ashlyn said softly.

“I love you for him,” Elodie corrected.

“I think you’re exactly what he needs,” Monica agreed. “Thank you for coming to meet with us today. Thank you for being you. And thank you for not getting offended by our questions.”

“Thank you for letting me in,” Jody countered. “I knew when I saw you on the beach that day that you were someone special,” she told Monica.

“Don’t make me cry,” she complained as she blinked quickly.

The rest of the meal was fairly uneventful compared to the emotional topics they’d already covered. Jody learned more about Lexie, Kenna, and Carly, and made a promise to come down to visit both Food For All and to go to dinner at Duke’s one day. Elodie said she could stay at her house if it turned into a late night, and that started an argument about who Jody might stay with, as both Monica and Ashlyn invited her to crash at their places too.

It felt good to be wanted, but Jody ended the argument by saying that Baker would probably insist on taking her back home up to the North Shore, no matter what time dinner ended…and that she trusted him to make sure she got home safely.

Feeling stuffed and happy, Jody followed the others out of the restaurant into a beautiful Hawaiian afternoon. She exchanged numbers with Ashlyn and Monica, and even put Lexie’s, Kenna’s, and Carly’s numbers into her address book on Elodie’s insistence. Seeing all the names in her previously scarcely populated contact list made Jody smile.

Ashlyn gave her a hug, as did Monica, then Elodie held her tightly for a long moment. “Thanks for coming,” she murmured. When she pulled back, she kept her hands on Jody’s arms. “I know it was probably weird, but we all truly do want the best for Baker. He’s a good man. Mysterious and a little scary at times, but we’d all do anything for him. We’re happy he finally got up the nerve to go after what he so obviously wanted.”

Jody blushed at that. “Me too. I thought he was pretty incredible for a long time myself.”

“Drive safe,” Monica told her. “Maybe, if it’s okay, the next time we have lunch or something, I can bring Charlotte?”

“I’d love to meet her,” Jody said honestly. She loved babies and rarely got the chance to be around them. “I’m happy to come down to Honolulu or Barbers Point too.”

“It’s kind of far,” Elodie mused.

Jody smiled. “It’s not that far. I mean, it takes an entire day to drive across Texas…coming down to the city is nothing in comparison.”

“Very true,” Elodie said. “I guess I’m just spoiled now. I think anything above twenty minutes takes for-ev-ver,” she said, drawing out the last word dramatically.

Everyone laughed.

“You guys drive safe,” Jody told them.

“We will. You too,” Ashlyn said. They all waved and Jody headed to her van. Seeing it made her smile. The other women had all gushed over her car, and loved the fact that she had a hula girl on her dash. Jody insisted she couldn’t have a classic VW van and not have a hula girl.

The second she got into her car, she rolled down the windows to get some fresh air and dug her phone out of her purse. She saw Baker had texted, telling her that he’d made it home. She typed out a quick response.

Jody

Lunch is over and I’m about to head back home.

Baker

All good?

Jody

You have amazing friends.

Baker

I take it that means things went well?

Jody

You’d be right. There was only one problem.

Jody was feeling damn good after the successful lunch. And brave.

Baker

What? Do I need to call the guys and tell them to have their women back off? Or apologize?

The warm feeling within her grew at his immediate concern.

Jody

No.

Baker

Then what’s wrong?

Jody

The girls wanted to know if you were a good kisser. And I had to admit that I had no idea.

It took a full minute for the three dots to appear on the screen, just enough time for Jody to wish she hadn’t been quite so brave. She was just about to tell him to forget what she’d said and proceed to die of embarrassment when his response appeared on the screen.

Baker

We’ll remedy that the next time I see you.

Jody

I didn’t mean to pressure you.

Baker

You didn’t.

Jody

It took you three years to respond to my stupid comment.

Baker

It wasn’t stupid. And it took so long because I haven’t had a spontaneous woody like I got when I read your words since I was fourteen years old. I was trying to regain control.

Jody breathed a sigh of relief.

Jody

I know you said you wanted to wait.

Baker

I wanted to wait for you to be comfortable with where we’re going. I already know where I want us to go. And after last night, and you not freaking about my talk of soul mates, and then not only texting me when you got to the restaurant, but letting me know you were about to be on your way home, I’m thinking we’re good.

Jody

We’re good.

Baker

Then the next time I see you, you’ll have something to report back to your girls.

Jody

I don’t kiss and tell.

Baker

You want to tell them I’m the best kisser you’ve ever had, I’m okay with that.

Jody laughed out loud. If anyone was watching her, they’d think she was looney…sitting in her car, laughing by herself. She didn’t care.

Jody

You that sure of yourself?

Baker

No. I’m that sure of you, Tink. You’re gonna blow my mind, I have absolutely no doubts. Drive safe going home.

Jody

I will. You have a good visit with Theo?

Baker

Yes. I’ll tell you about it later.

Jody

Okay.

Baker

Glad you had a good time.

Jody

Me too.

Baker

They schedule that sleepover?

Jody

Ha! Not yet, but it was mentioned.

Baker

Told you. Okay, really letting you go now. Talk to you soon.

Jody

Later.

She put the phone back in her purse and smiled. Had she ever felt this way when she was dating Kaimana’s father? No. Not even close. Maybe there was something to Baker’s soul mate theory. It was a scary thought, but a good one. Jody was still scared that things wouldn’t work out, but she was going to do everything in her power to give this relationship a chance.

There was no rule book that said people in their forties and fifties couldn’t find love. She may not have been looking for another relationship, but she wasn’t dumb enough to turn her back on a man like Baker.

She smiled all the way back up north to her house.