Chapter 16

Jay slumped into his chair, blowing out a breath as he stretched his hands over his head and grabbed his phone, hoping Nichole had emailed him. If he frightened her off, he would regret it forever.

“That was a shit workout,” Apple said as he plopped down across from Jay.

Jay had gone strong, like the other guys, and had his ass handed to him. Their workouts kept them in fighting shape, so though it had been bad, he’d welcomed it. “It was hard.”

Squat walked up and snorted. “Stop your whining. It wasn’t that bad.”

Apple rolled his eyes. “You’re short. Burpees and squats aren’t as hard for you.”

Shine stepped in laughing. “Apple, I think you should do some more burpees right now just because you’re bitching.”

Apple shook his head as he stood. “Fuck no. I need to take some stuff over to the offices. I’ll be back later.”

“Hey, while you’re going, deliver this.” Griz held out an envelope for Apple, who happily took it. “Thanks, man.”

Apple waved and headed out. Jay went back to his phone to check the messages he’d received. Excitement slid through him as he spied a reply from Nichole. He sat forward as he clicked on the message, his heart picking up speed as he started reading.

Hey, thank you for that note. I’m on a flight from London, so I can’t talk. I hope you really were serious about me visiting. I booked a flight to San Diego. The details are listed below. I arrive early in the day and can get a ride. I just need to know where to go. Thank you for everything. I don’t think I have the words to express my appreciation. I’m looking forward to seeing you. Nichole.

Jay knew he had an idiotic grin on his face when Sharp tapped his desk. He sat up, trying to look serious, but Sharp wasn’t buying it.

“What’s that look for?”

Jay glanced around, seeing that all the guys were staring at him. “Um, I guess she’s coming out here. Her plane lands tomorrow.”

“Whoa, that’s amazing. And you really knew this woman?” Shine asked.

They’d had sex, but that wasn’t the only reason he wanted to see her. That week had meant something to him. “Yeah, I knew her.”

Squat cleared his throat. “And you aren’t going to tell us what happened?”

Jay shook his head. “Hell no. She’s too special.”

Griz came close and sat on the edge of Jay’s desk. “Do you think she’s the real deal?”

Jay shrugged. He didn’t want to hope too much, but he did think she was the real deal. She was as close to the real deal as he’d ever come. If he had that week to do over again, he wouldn’t have walked away without her information.

“She has the potential to be the real deal. I want to find out.”

Sharp stepped over and squeezed his shoulder. “We’re happy for you. I hope she is. I hope you find someone like Danika.”

Shine turned to Sharp. “How is she?”

“Danika is great. She’s happy. She’s starting classes at the college next week.”

“What is she studying?” Squat asked.

“She wants to work in medicine, specifically physical or occupational therapy.”

Squat nodded. “I could see her doing that. She’s good with people. She handles customers easily at the bar where she works.”

Shine nodded. “Yeah, she is good with people.”

Griz stood. “Jay, if your woman is okay with it, I think we’d probably like to meet her.”

Jay nodded. “I’ll ask.” A part of him was worried about her meeting the guys. They were good men, and he really didn’t need to worry, but she was an investigative journalist. He hoped they didn’t give her a hard time about that.

He typed out a reply, giving her his address and telling her that he would leave a key for her at his neighbor’s place. The man who lived next door, Frank, was retired from the Navy, and he and his wife loved Jay. They’d told him multiple times that they would do anything for him. He tried to not take advantage of them, but they were both Navy through and through and always offered to help.

He had a hard time sleeping that night and was antsy the next day. Nichole texted when her flight took off and when it landed. At work, he had a hard time keeping his focus.

“Get your head out of your ass,” Griz called out to him as he ran the obstacle course. He wasn’t doing too bad, but he’d missed one of the jumps and ended up in the sand.

He focused, forcing thoughts of Nichole out of his mind. He would see her soon enough, and then he would see if their chemistry was still there. Somehow, he got through the rest of the day without screwing up too much.

Maintaining the speed limit on the drive home was difficult, but he made it home without getting a ticket. When he pulled up outside his house, he felt like his heart was in his throat. His eyes were glued to his front door, willing it to open.

Was Nichole as excited to see him as he was to see her? He was almost at the door when he heard someone calling his name. The voice was to his left at his neighbor’s place. But the voice belonged to a younger woman, not Frank’s seventy-year-old wife.

He glanced over, seeing Nichole running toward him. His lungs froze, and maybe his heart stopped. She looked so beautiful. The bruises had faded, and the cuts were almost healed. Everything about her looked perfect, absolutely perfect. The pounding of his heart picked up speed the closer she got. Instead of stopping, she leaped into his arms. He caught her without stepping back. Laughter filled the air, and then her lips were on his. Her legs were wrapped around his waist, and her hands were on his back and shoulders.

The kiss ended, and he pulled back enough to look into her eyes. “You’re here.”

“I am. Your neighbors are amazing. Frank and Michelle were nice enough to cook lunch. They’re very sweet.”

He nodded, then looked over Nichole’s shoulder, realizing both Frank and Michelle were outside staring. Frank had a huge grin on his face. He waved and then turned Michelle to head inside.

“Thank you,” Jay called out.

Nichole unattached herself from him and turned to his neighbor’s house. “Yes, thank you.”

Frank waved again as he and Michelle stepped inside, both of them giggling. He was a little embarrassed, but he figured the couple had seen enough and had an idea about what was going on.

“Let’s go inside.”

“Sure. My bags are already in there. I hadn’t planned on intruding on them, but they insisted I eat lunch with them. Since I didn’t know what you had in your refrigerator, I agreed. They really are a nice couple. Did you know they met when he was twenty-two, but he was lost behind enemy lines and spent time as a prisoner of war? Then, when he came home, she was about to marry another man because she really thought he was gone.”

He shook his head. “No, I didn’t know that. I only knew they’d been together a long time. I didn’t know how long.”

“She told her fiancé she needed to take time before getting married since Frank had come home. The guy got angry and tried to force her into marriage. Frank was at her door when the other guy was beating her. He broke in and stopped the attack.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. The other dude complained to the military, but Frank told his commanding officer what happened, and they took Frank’s side. It was a cool story.”

“That’s awesome. I’m glad they were able to work everything out.”

“Yeah. They asked about us, and I told them we were just friends, but based on how I greeted you, I don’t think they believe me now.”

Jay took her hand and led her to his front door. “We should go inside because I’d like to discuss how we are not only just friends.”

Laughter spilled from her, and his heart felt lighter than it had in ages. Maybe the last time he’d felt like this was when they’d been together at that resort. He hoped that wasn’t a one-time thing because he really wanted something more with her than just friendship or some part-time living arrangement.