Chapter Two

John

"Well, that couldn't have gone any fucking worse," John mumbled as he stared at himself in his bathroom mirror.

He was back home, and thankful to be alone in his apartment above Gator's bar. The encounter with Stryker shouldn't've affected him as much as it had. It'd been a while since he'd had an asthma attack and wondered if the SEAL's intense scrutiny had set it off.

He had to get his head on straight before the New Year hit because things were about to move at a fever pitch once he and Jason took possession of their new storefront and warehouse. Double J Woodworking and Design were well on their way to relocating to Marshall, and he and Jason had a shitload of work to do before they officially opened their doors.

With a loud groan, he ran calloused palms down his face. Years of working with wood had left its marks on his hands, but he loved what he did and wouldn't change a thing. It was more a calling than a job. Creating beauty from raw timber had been an innate ability and a balm to his soul.

He flicked off the light switch and headed to bed. Aside from Julia and Stryker, maybe no one had noticed his abrupt departure. With any luck, he hadn't caused too much of an interruption to ongoing festivities, and he was too tired to worry about it.

Tomorrow held all sorts of challenges, and he was sure he'd find something else to worry about.

He always did.

***

"It's huge," Ben hollered as he ran through the open space of the new warehouse. The old shop and warehouse had been about half the size of the new location.

"It'll be full in no time." Jason laughed. "Furniture takes up a lot of space."

John couldn't help but smile as they conducted the final tour of their new space in downtown Marshall. Going through the punch list and final walk-through were the last steps before they took "official" possession of the property. The real estate agent looked ready to go with the file poised in her hand.

"You'll see everything is as specified in the offer. Roof, heating, and air conditioning have been updated in the last five years, and the building inspection went off without a hitch," she said, looking around with a critical eye. "It's a solid building that should be perfect for your needs for many years to come."

John liked her. She was a straight talker and hadn't tried to bullshit them throughout their search for the new store's location.

"I have a good feeling about this," he stated. "With the warehouse space out back, we don't have to travel to work on new pieces."

"Yep, it's a one-stop shop. Browse, build, design, sales, it can all be done from right here," Jason agreed.

"Well, if that's all settled, I'll have the two of you sign the final papers, and I'll hand over the keys," she said as she laid the paperwork on a nearby counter. "You'll have to invite me to the grand opening. Marshall hasn't had any new businesses open up shop in a while. You two will be the talk of the town."

"We're hoping all the talk will be good." John laughed as he took the pen and signed the pile of papers, which sealed the beginning of his future in Marshall.

Jason followed suit, and after the realtor left, they stood, keys in hand, allowing the magnitude of what they'd done to wash over them as Ben ran around the empty space.

"Thank you," Jason said quietly.

"For what?" John asked.

"You know what. This wouldn't be happening if you hadn't given up everything you had back in Oregon start over here so I could stay close to my son," Jason said. "I promise I'll do everything I can to make sure this will be a success."

"You would've done the same thing for me if I were in your position."

"Yeah, but I won't ever forget you doing this for me." Jason punched him lightly on the arm. "This is one momentous occasion."

Before John turned a full circle, taking in their new shop, Ben let out a loud, "Hey" as their friends entered en masse. Cheers of congratulations were shouted, bags filled with burgers and beer handed out, and the long counter attached to the wall near the entrance was turned into a makeshift buffet. The celebration was unexpected but absolutely welcomed.

Standing among the group, John couldn't help but measure himself against most of the guys in the room. They were men of stature in both size and reputation, and he couldn't help feeling a little overwhelmed at how they'd adopted him as part of their extended family.

He'd never had one of his own before.

"So, when do we start moving stuff in?" Fletcher asked as he wolfed down another burger.

"The containers should begin arriving tomorrow," John said. "There's ten all together." It would be a ton of work to get them unpacked, but with this tribe to help, he was sure it wouldn't take long.

As the team milled around eating and checking out the new digs, John noticed Stryker getting progressively closer. He hadn't run into the guy since Christmas Day, when he'd beat feet after his asthma attack,

"Hey," Stryker said as he came to stand beside him.

"Hey." For a moment, they watched the kids racing around the place, followed by Kyle's dog, Gracie.

"So, how are you feeling?" Stryker asked, his gaze still focused on the activity around them.

"I'm good."

"Any more asthma attacks?"

"No, only a few mild flare-ups."

"Good. Do you always carry your inhaler on you?"

John pulled it from his jacket pocket and held it up. "Everywhere I go."

Stryker looked closely at it before returning to look at the group.

"Good. Better to be safe."

John felt he should apologize for his dramatic exit from the Christmas party. "Look, I'm sorry if I caused you any worry or interrupted your time at the party."

Stryker turned to look at John, and that same feeling of awareness shot through him when their eyes met. "Sorry? You don't have anything to be sorry about."

"Oh, okay." Maybe the guy hadn't been worried. And why the hell did that bother him so much?

"Just wanted to make sure we were all good, that's all," John said.

"We're fine."

"Good."

"Good."

The conversation was bordering on painful, but thankfully Julia joined them before he had to think of something else to say. He'd never been known for having the gift of gab, even with people he knew well.

"Nice place you guys have here, John." Julia waved a hand around. "Great space and bones."

"Thank you, ma'am. I think it'll fit our needs."

Julia stood there for a few moments looking between him and Stryker. John had the distinct impression she was working something out. He had no idea what, but he knew when to cut and run.

"If you don't mind, I think I'll grab myself a burger before Fletcher has a chance to empty the bag," he said, as he walked away.

Shit. This awkwardness was why he was better off working on a piece of lumber. He didn't have to think of witty things to say or try to guess what people were thinking. He preferred things simple and clear-cut. Unfortunately, that meant he was often alone, but he'd made his peace with that a long time ago.

***

Stryker

"So how long has this been going on?" Julia asked.

"How long's what been going on?" Stryker didn't like the knowing look in her eyes. She saw too much sometimes.

"You and John," she answered easily, like it was common knowledge.

"Nothing is going on between us."At least I'm pretty sure there isn't yet.

"Oh, come on. I'd have to be blind not to see you two dancing around each other like a couple of waggling honeybees."

Stryker wasn't sure about that comparison and made a mental note to look it up later. "Thanks. That makes me feel better."

"Would you rather I tell you things that'll make you feel better, or the truth?" she asked. Stryker liked that about Julia. She was a straight shooter.

"Is there any possible way for me to get out of this conversation?"

"No."

Stryker closed his eyes and shook his head. "What do you want me to say?"

"I'd like you to tell me the truth. You have the hots for John," Julia said with a smile. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"I don't have the hots for anybody," Stryker said a bit more loudly than he had intended, causing a few heads to turn in his direction.Shit.

"All right, but if I were you, I'd act fast before anyone else in this town realizes there's a new eligible bachelor among the masses," she said casually while turning to glance at John, who was digging a burger out of one of the diner paper bags.

"What do you mean by that?" Stryker asked.

"It's Marshall. Not a whole lot of new eligible bachelors move in. That makes our friend John over there a hot commodity whether he knows it or not. Just giving you a heads-up."

Julia walked off without even looking back. Stryker knew what she was doing but damned if it didn't burn his ass. He did kinda like John, but if the sharks started circling? It didn't make any difference to him. Soon enough, he'd be headed out, his grand plan made when they'd returned from the Mexico mission on Christmas Day.

Life could get messy here in Marshall if he stayed. The team had set up roots in the area, and all of them looked settled. He still didn't know where he fit in. The options to re-up in the Navy or take a position as an instructor on base were still open to him, but did he want that?

Everything was up in the air, and he wasn't comfortable leaving it there.

"What's got you deep in thought?" Conor asked.

"Trying to decide on my next move."

"Move? Are you thinking of heading out again?"

"Yeah, it's possible."

Conor looked dismayed. "You decided you don't want to go out on missions with the team anymore? You appeared happy back in Mexico."

"It's not that. I loved being back with the team. It just might be time to leave."

"Ah, okay, I get it. You're not sure where you fit in anymore."

Stryker looked over at Conor. "Is this one of those gifts of yours?"

"Could be, or I could just be a damn good judge of people. You've been on the move for so long that settling down, even if it's only partially, might be a bit scary."

"I'm not scared of anything," Stryker growled.

Conor huffed. "We're all scared of something. We may try to convince ourselves otherwise, but that fear is always ready to jump out when you least expect it. Believe me when I say I know how it feels. Every day I wait for something else to surface in me that those damn Noah Project bastards created."

Stryker had to hand it to the guy. Conor held it together well, but under the surface, it must feel like living with a ticking time bomb inside.

"You have a point. Maybe I don't see myself ever settling down in one place."

"Or maybe you just don't know how to start. If you need help with that, let me know. Changing the status quo can be hard after spending your entire life a certain way. But I can't think of a better place than Fire Lake to try it."

Conor walked off, leaving Stryker with more questions and answers. A sorry state he'd found himself in more these past few months than in his entire Navy SEAL career. He had to admit that the guy had a point.What am I so afraid of, and if I leave, do I want to face my demons alone?

The burning question was whether he was brave enough to stick around and find out.