Hot SEAL, Labor Day by Cynthia D’Alba

Chapter 6

Back at Harbin’s, they went their separate ways…her to take a nap, and him? She had no idea. She was enjoying their time together. Sometimes, she found it hard to believe they’d only known each other for two days, well, if she didn’t consider their meeting as children. She’d laughed more in the past forty-eight hours than she had in years. The weight on her shoulders had lessened, but the muscles were still tight and achy. A massage sounded like a message from heaven. Too bad today was Sunday and tomorrow was a holiday. Maybe later in the week?

When she finally awoke, the sun was low on the horizon. Automatically, she reached for her phone to check messages, and then stopped. Her phone was off and had been since early Friday morning. She was sure she had messages, verbal and text, from Randall, Geoffrey, and her mother. She suspected her email box had taken a few hits from those three as well. As much as she was curious about what they’d actually said, she wasn’t crazy enough to start her phone.

She showered and dressed in jeans, sneakers, and a long-sleeve shirt. During the day, the sun kept the temperatures pleasantly warm, but if they were going to sit outside to watch fireworks, she’d need clothes that covered her arms and legs. She’s felt a pang of guilt as she’d told Sawyer they could fish this afternoon after her nap, but the nap had lasted much longer than she’d planned. She’d needed sleep and rest, something no one around her seemed to understand.

After pouring the last of the merlot into a glass, she stepped onto her porch to watch the lake activity, which, in her opinion, was more entertaining than any television show. The firepit had been cleaned out and fresh wood stood ready to light. For the next half-hour, she sat and enjoyed the quiet swish of the breeze through the trees, the occasional chirp of birds, the roar of boats as they sped along the lake, but mostly, she enjoyed the peace in her soul. Is this how the rest of the world felt? She’d been on her hamster wheel for so long, she’d forgotten what it was like having nothing pressing to do.

She heard his whistle before she saw Sawyer. He was walking along the sandy shore of the lake. A fishing pole dangled over one shoulder while he carried a small plastic box in the other hand. She was glad to see he’d gone on without her. As nice as he was being, she didn’t want to do anything that would mess up his vacation.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” he said with a smile. “Have a nice nap?”

“I did. Where’s all the fish?” she joked.

“Still in the lake,” he said. “But I promised each one that we’d be back.”

“Sounds like a plan, or maybe it’s a threat?”

He laughed.

She gestured toward him with her wine glass. “Where’d you get all the fishing stuff?”

He pointed toward the office with the plastic box. “Mandy. She has fishing equipment for guests. I’m headed up there to return it. Want to walk along?”

“I need some exercise, so sure,” she replied as she stood and bounded off the porch. “Have fun?”

“I did.” He glanced over at her. “But it would’ve been more fun with your company.”

Heat flushed her cheeks. “Sorry. I think it’s all the fresh air. I just crashed when we got back.”

He nudged her with his shoulder. “I’m glad you got some rest. From the description of your usual days, sounds like you need fresh air and sleep. Oh, remind me to ask Mandy about the fireworks tonight—where the best place to see them is and what time.”

“Will do.”

Activity teemed in the parking lot, families coming and going into and out of cabins. Children with wet bathing suits and hair dripping with lake water climbed wearily from cars and headed into different cabins. Drained parents pulled damp towels and beach bags from the trunks of cars and followed their exhausted offspring inside. From one cabin, a baby cried. From another, a pair of children argued over the television until an adult voice put the verbal brawl to an end.

Ana had never spent much time around other children. Her piano lessons had started at such as early age and had taken so much of her time that attending a typical school had never fit the schedule. She’d had tutors and home teachers most of her life, until college. It was only there that she’d had to share her education with others, and those individuals had been adults.

“Did you miss having brothers and sisters?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I don’t know.” He glanced over. “My birthday is near Christmas. People used to ask me if I’d rather have had a birthday in the summer or some time other than December. I couldn’t answer because I’d never known anything else, know what I mean? Did you?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. My parents had busy lives, so maybe it would’ve been cool to have had a sister to play with, but I read so many stories about how siblings never get along, or how parents play favorites that I ended up deciding when I was about ten that things in my house were fine. Having another child would’ve been too much work for my parents. I mean, I know they loved me, but they were so busy with, well, everything else.” She smiled at him. “How close to Christmas is your birthday?”

“The eighteenth. Far enough away to avoid the dreaded birthday-slash-Christmas present duo. My folks were good about making sure my birthday was a completely different holiday from Christmas. I didn’t appreciate their effort as much as a child as I do now.”

They reached the office. He opened the door and allowed her to enter first.

“Good afternoon. How was the fishing, Sawyer?” Mandy’s voice was chipper and happy. “Where’s all the fish?”

He quirked the corner of his mouth. “Fishing was good, but I did catch and release so Ana and I can catch them again later this week.” He walked over to the stand that held fishing rods and reels and returned his to its spot. “But it was a nice day to be out.”

Mandy looked at Ana. “You didn’t want to fish with Sawyer?”

Ana grinned. “I opted for the long afternoon nap.”

Mandy sighed. “Sounds like heaven.”

“It was. Thank you for leaving my key on the door the other night. I meant to get up here and tell you.”

“No problem,” Mandy replied with a shrug. “Happy to do it.”

“Mandy,” Sawyer said. “I was telling Ana about the fireworks Lake Kincade does for Labor Day. Do you know when they go off?”

“Tonight, about nine or nine-fifteen. Depends on the weather. Organizers wait until it gets dark, so that’s my guess.”

“And the best spot to watch them?”

Mandy chuckled. “At the water’s edge in front of your cabin.”

Ana looked at Sawyer. “Perfect, right?”

“Right.”

“Haven’t seen you jogging by the office this year, Sawyer. You’re still in the SEALs, right?”

He nodded. “You will tomorrow.” He patted his stomach. “I’ve eaten too much good food on this trip. I have to burn some of the calories.” He looked at Ana. “Want to come with me in the morning?”

“Jogging?” Ana laughed. “I doubt I could run a mile, but don’t let me stop you.”

“Wear a shirt this time,” Mandy said. “Last year, you almost caused two car accidents from female drivers ogling you.”

He scoffed. “That did not happen.”

Mandy held up her hand as through swearing a vow. “It did.” She looked Ana. “He’s a menace on the roads.”

Ana laughed.

“And we’re leaving,” Sawyer said. “Oh, we’ll need to rent a boat for….” He looked at Ana with a raised eyebrow. “Wednesday?”

She nodded.

“Wednesday,” he said with finality to Mandy. “Can you reserve one for us?”

“Pontoon or bass boat?”

“Pontoon, I think.” Sawyer glanced at Ana, who nodded her agreement.

Mandy made a notation on the desk calendar. “Got you covered.” She looked up. “Good thing you didn’t want one for tomorrow. We are completely booked.” With a shrug, she added, “Labor Day, you know?”

“I wouldn’t want to be out there tomorrow. The water will be choppy as hell.”

“True. Okay, then, I’ve got your reservation for Wednesday. Anything else?”

“Not for me. Ana?”

Ana shook her head. “Can’t think of a thing.”

Sawyer snapped his fingers. “Dinner. It’s getting late. Any suggestions for where we can grab a meal?”

“DD’s is always good. There’s Hardwick Bar-B-Que or maybe Elaine’s, if you’re in the mood for steak.”

On the walk back their cabins, Sawyer took Ana’s hand. “Dinner. What do you think about trying Elaine’s for steak?”

“Works for me.”

Dinner was as good as Mandy had promised. Actually, it was better. Their filets were buttery soft and grilled to perfection.

As they pulled Ana’s car back into the parking area of Harbin’s Harbor Cabins, they were shocked to see a chain across the drive. When they stopped, a teenage boy hurried from the office and over to the driver’s window.

“Parking for cabins only, please,” he said.

“We’re staying here,” Sawyer said. “Cabins ten and twelve. Beckett and Cristiano.”

The teen checked his clipboard and nodded. “Sorry for the inconvenience. With the fireworks, too many people try to park here and take up all our residents’ spaces.” He unlocked the chain, and it fell to the ground. Sawyer drove over it and into the lot.

“Thanks,” Sawyer said.

“Have a nice time,” the teen called and pulled the chain back across the drive.

“Well, I guess viewing is good here if Mandy has to protect the lot.”

“Sounds like it.” He parked in the spot for cabin ten. “I didn’t take our chairs down to the water before we left. I was worried they’d be occupied when we got back.”

“Good thought.”

“I’ll do that now before I fix a drink to carry down.”

“I’m changing into shorts. I’ll meet you at the water.”

Ana hurried into her cabin to change. Her stomach was pleasantly full. Her mood was better than it’d been in months. Grace had been right with her, “Screw ’em. Take a vacation,” advice. She wasn’t getting as much rest as she’d thought she would. However, she wasn’t complaining. Sawyer had turned out to be a sexy, enjoyable way to spend some time.

After slipping into shorts and a T-shirt that boasted “I’m All Fingers,” she poured a glass of merlot from a new bottle, slipped on her sneakers, and headed down to the lake. Sawyer was already there and sitting in one of the chairs when she walked up.

“That’s not a beer,” she said as she took the chair beside him.

“Bourbon. Beer with hot dogs works, but most of the time, I’d rather be sipping a nice Kentucky bourbon.”

“Can I taste?”

He handed her the glass.

She took a sip. Fire burned all the way down her throat until the liquid splashed into her stomach. Her eyes watered. “Not at all what I expected.”

He took back his glass with a smile. “Life never is,” he said, with a lift of his glass.

She slipped off her sneakers and dug her toes into the sand. Water lapping at her toes tickled. As she took a sip of her wine, she sagged against the back of the chair. “Ahh,” she said with a sigh. “This feels wonderful.”

“It does, don’t it?” he replied. “Think it’s the setting or the company?”

A smile bloomed on her mouth. “Why can’t it be both?”

“It can, I suppose. For me, it’s the company.”

Her smile widened. “Thank you. When I was changing clothes, I was thinking about how great these days have been.”

“And we have a few more before we’re required to go back to reality.”

“Oh, let’s not go back. We can run away to some tropical island and sit on the beach all day.”

He chuckled. “I’m in, but I’ll need you to explain to the Navy why I went AWOL.”

She snapped her fingers. “No problem.”

“Right,” he said with a snort. “The military is known for being all caring and considerate about deserters.”

With a sigh, she said, “I hear you saying I’d be visiting you in some horrible military jail, right?”

“You’d come to visit?” He put his hand over his heart. “I’m touched.”

She chuckled. “Of course, I’d visit. Any time I was in the states, I’d make it a point to visit.”

“I’m thinking you wouldn’t get to come often what with your international tour schedule.” He looked at her. “I checked your schedule today. I’m glad we have this week. From the looks of your upcoming appearances, you’ll be overseas some in the coming weeks.”

“I know.” She blew out a long breath. “But we still have a few days. Let’s make the most of them.”

“I hate to be a killjoy, but your family and your manager must be worried about you.”

She shrugged. “I’m sure if I turned on my phone, it’d be filled with text and voice messages, but if I don’t know, I can’t respond, right?” She looked at him. “I don’t want to talk about that anymore tonight.”

He nodded.

From behind them, they heard a couple of voices coming closer. Ana glanced over her shoulder toward the sound. “It’s Mandy and a man coming this way.”

“Hey, fellow fireworks watchers,” Mandy called out. “Can we join you? You’re hogging the best spot.”

Sawyer stood. “Of course. Let me help you.” He took the collapsible chair Mandy carried and placed it in the sand next to Ana. “Sawyer Beckett,” he said to the man and extended his hand.

“Aaron Harbin, Mandy’s husband.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Ana leaned over with a wave. “I’m Ana.”

Aaron acknowledged her greeting with a smile and return wave.

“Have any trouble getting back into the lot?” Mandy asked.

“No. The teen manning the chain was very polite.”

Mandy looked at Aaron and both of them chuckled.

“That’s our son, Douglas. I think he likes all the power he perceives goes with that job.”

Ana chuckled. “Well, he did a good job.”

“That’s a relief,” Aaron said around his wife.

At that moment, a large boom echoed across the water and the sky lit up with bright multi-colored sparkles.

Sawyer held out his hand, and Ana took it. Then, she settled into her chair to watch the fireworks in the sky, which didn’t come close to the fireworks taking place inside her. Sawyer had said that life can hold surprises. Well, life had certainly thrown her a curveball with him. She was thankful they’d found each other, but sad knowing their time was limited to this week.

But was it? Limited to this week? Who said so?

One thing she was positive of…Sawyer made her feel things she’d never felt around another man, especially Geoffrey Blagg. To think that she’d given thought to actually marrying him. Not a lot of serious thought, but consideration nonetheless. And why? Because her mother and Randall, Geoffrey’s father, had both felt that Geoffrey would be supportive of her career, and even ready to step into the managerial role as soon as Randall retired, not that he had any plans to do so.

Her mother had even gone so far as to suggest that Ana should take Geoffrey as a husband since he’d probably be the only contender. Her own mother thought her incapable of drawing the attention of another man. She’d told Ana on many occasions that men would be after her money more than her personality.

The thought infuriated her while at the same time making her extremely sad. Her current reality was that no men had asked her for dates nor expressed any interest in her…until Sawyer. Now that she’d felt the attraction and attention from a man like Sawyer, how could she go back to her lonely life?

Good question. All she knew for sure was Geoffrey Blagg was not the answer.