Sailor Proof by Annabeth Albert
Chapter Two
Arthur
“This should be easy.” I hefted my large cardboard sign out of the trunk as Sabrina laughed.
“Uh-huh.” She flipped her cascading bluish-purple hair over her shoulder. She’d prepared for our day on the docks at base with the hair, a shimmery blue top, and a skirt with scales on it. Her whole look gave her the air of a mermaid prepared to lead some poor sailor to his doom. “If this scheme is so easy, why again did you need me?”
“You have a car.” We had the kind of ride-or-die friendship built on insults and inside jokes.
“True.” After checking her lipstick in a fancy silver mirror, she snapped her purse shut as I carefully removed the bunch of balloons next.
“And you have more social media followers than a minor Kardashian.”
“Also true. I’ll get you trending.” Somehow Sabrina had turned a secret obsession with fashion when we were teens into a successful sideline as an influencer as her alter ego The Makeup Witch with followers hanging on her every post.
“Counting on it.” I adjusted my load so that the balloons weren’t in imminent danger of escape.
“We’ll drown out this cheating loser dude who got first dibs on kissing.”
“Your strong opinions on cheaters are only one reason why I love you, Sabrina.”
“And my car.” She shut the trunk with a gold-tipped finger.
“Yup.” I headed in the direction of the community center where the families and friends waiting for the return of the sub were gathering to await buses to the docks. “Anyway, it’s a stupid tradition, but like everything else, the navy takes it super seriously. My mom and dad got the honor at least once, and there are a ton of pics of it. It was when he was stationed in Hawaii, and she got flowers and the boat was decorated with a huge lei. It made the Navy Times.”
“We can do better than some small-time publication.” Sabrina laughed as her heels clicked on the sidewalk.
“Everything is small compared to you.” It was true on multiple levels because she was big in notoriety and personality as well as stature. Even as we joined the throng of people entering the community center, Sabrina still towered over most of the crowd, commanding far more attention than I ever could, even with my giant sign and balloons.
But the sign that had looked so gaudy back at my place with all its colors and glitter was only one of dozens here. Tons of pretty young women in fancy sundresses toted catchy signs proclaiming how many days it had been since they’d seen their guys, and little kids had smaller signs announcing how much they’d grown. Proud Navy Mom T-shirts were everywhere, and more than one guy my dad’s age sported a Navy Veteran hat. The kids raced around the big common room while clumps of people greeted each other with hugs and excited squeals.
“This is something else. They’ve even got balloon animals happening.” Sabrina gestured at a kids’ area set up in the far corner with crafts and a couple of costumed entertainers.
“Yup. When I was little, they had face painting.”
“Tell me you asked for something embarrassing that made your big brothers cringe.” Sabrina bumped my shoulder.
“I asked for a three-fourth scale viola. I got two music notes and a heart instead.”
“You? Ask for something obscure? Never.” Her laugh echoed in the large space, mingling with all the other conversations swirling around us. Outside the large picture windows, a row of buses awaited the signal to load up.
“Quit laughing at me,” I grumbled as I glanced around to see if any of the uniformed event coordinators were herding people toward the buses yet.
“It’s all love, baby.” She gave me an air kiss.
In my pocket, my phone vibrated, and I shifted around my armful of stuff so I could fish it out of my skinny jeans. I was waiting to hear about a big freelance job, so I was more eager to check the messages than I might otherwise have been.
But I should have saved my enthusiasm.
Guess what? We caught an earlier flight! We’ll probably miss the buses, but we should see you at the docks. Can’t wait to see Calder. And you, of course.
And me. Of course. Calder got the bulk of my mom’s enthusiasm, as always. And damn it, this was a complication I hadn’t counted on. All I’d told Mom was that I was going to greet Calder and Derrick. Calder had sworn me to secrecy on the fake homecoming plan, not that I would have fessed up to Mom under any circumstances. Telling Sabrina didn’t count in my estimation because we operated in a judgment-free zone of total honesty. Unlike my parents.
“Fuck,” I muttered.
“What?” Sabrina deftly saved the balloons as I juggled things to pocket my phone.
“My parents are gonna be here.”
“Oh.” She blinked her thick lashes a few times. “This should be interesting.”
“Very.” There was nothing I could do other than hope they missed the whole playacting-with-Derrick thing. I stepped aside as a pack of dressed-up kids zoomed between us. Then one of the personnel from the community liaison office signaled that it was time to load the first bus. I hurried to make sure Sabrina and I were in that line. Any distance from my parents would help.
“So... Derrick?” Sabrina waited to speak again until we were seated on the navy bus, which was essentially a school bus made over for military use. “Tell me what he looks like so I can help you spot him. Is he gorgeous? Why is it that all the gorgeous guys are the ones who get cheated on? You’d think they’d have better luck.”
“Quit trying to write a romance novel, Sabrina.” I moved my sign to let a family pass as more people filled the bus. “He’s quiet, but when he does talk, people tend to listen. That sort of commanding voice. Tall. Not as tall as you in your heels, but taller than me. Big shoulders. Dark brown hair. And a face like one of those old Hollywood heroes. So, yeah, he’s hot. But this is a favor. Nothing more. Honestly, I’m not sure he even noticed my existence previously.”
“Aw.” She patted my shoulder. “The big bad sailor squashed your tender feelings.”
“Save it for your fan fic. I was a kid last time I saw him in person. And even if I wasn’t, I don’t do military.”
“And yet here you are.” Gesturing at my sign and balloons, she gave me a pointed look.
“Here I am.” I adjusted my balloons so a teen girl with an even bigger bunch could settle in behind us. “As a favor to my brother.”
Who had loaned me money on more than one occasion while I’d been in school and broke, but even Sabrina didn’t need to know everything.
“Uh-huh. And this hot, older, silent man whom you might get to plant one on.” Sabrina braced a hand on the seat in front of us as the bus got moving.
“I feel sorry for the guy, that’s all.” Sure, teenage me had found Derrick beyond attractive, but even then I’d known better than to get a crush on a man in uniform. “He got a bum deal with his ex. I met the guy once when they first started dating. The sort of high-maintenance dude who tries too hard to be hot and comes off fake instead. Terrible voice.”
“You can’t keep picking men simply because they have the right pitch of baritone.”
“You never know when a musical number might come up.” I laughed.
“With you? That probability is higher than it should be. I’m still not over you leaving that fine hookup simply because inspiration struck for your latest composition.”
“Eh. He wasn’t that hot. Kinda nasal. And the composition won four awards, which is more than I could say for his kissing.”
“And this level of picky is why you’re still—”
“Hey, look, we’re on base.” I could usually handle Sabrina’s teasing and give as good as I got, but I didn’t need to be reminded exactly how pathetic my love life was right before I went and rescued Derrick from his.
“Oh my gosh, the ships are huge.”
It was always fun watching a civilian see the big ships for the first time, and Sabrina’s face as the bus turned onto the road that rimmed the docks was no exception. Her wide eyes and slack jaw reminded me of my excitement as a kid, waiting for my dad or uncles to return and taking in all these ships the size of a small city. As always the docks were bustling with activity. Uniformed sailors were everywhere, dwarfed by the giant equipment like cranes and the boats themselves.
The community liaison personnel herded us carefully off the buses and into a cordoned-off waiting area where we had a great view of the Sound and the empty dock space where the submarine would moor. I scanned the crowd but didn’t see my parents. Maybe they were stuck in traffic. That would be helpful. I did, however, spot Derrick’s sleazy ex right near the front of the barricades, talking to one of the sailors working crowd control. Probably lining up his next hookup.
“Tell me I’m hotter than him,” I whispered to Sabrina after discreetly pointing him out. Normally I didn’t care at all what I looked like, and clothes were an afterthought at best, but today I wanted to look good in a way I wasn’t sure I ever had before. To that end, I’d let Sabrina mess with my hair before she picked out black skinny jeans, chunky belt, and a white pullover shirt with a subtle rib that made it hug my chest.
She gave me an exaggerated once-over. “Much. Lugging heavy instruments around Boston agreed with you.”
“I also discovered that unlike the horrors of PE class, weight rooms and cardio machines are excellent at focusing my brain for composing.”
“You undoubtedly miss all the cute gym bunnies trying to flirt with you because you’re debating C flat versus F sharp.” Sabrina shielded her eyes as she directed her gaze toward the water.
“Guilty.” I laughed right as a murmur went through the crowd.
“I see something!” a kid yelled.
I’d been here before, on the docks, waiting for a ship to appear on the horizon, but even so I couldn’t help the tremor of excitement that raced through me too. The energy was contagious, and few sights were as impressive as a naval submarine arriving in port. Sailors with life jackets over their gleaming white dress uniforms stood up top, waving. More stood up in the crow’s nest where a giant American flag hung. Not a single person wavered as the ship moved toward us, their footing way surer than mine would have been. The boat churned through the water as smaller ships, the size of fishing boats or small ferries, moved into position to help guide it into the bay and assist with the disembarking sailors.
Even as the ship docked, the sailors were too far away for me to spot either Derrick or Calder. One of the uniformed liaison personnel directed three young women holding tiny babies to step forward as tradition said that any new fathers would be among the first off the boat. Derrick’s ex also got called to the front. Ugh. He was attractive with bleached-blond hair and chiseled features along with a slim body that would have been at home on any swim team, but his entitled attitude ruined any appeal for me.
The crowd whooped and hollered as a brash young lieutenant was first off the boat and gave him a very showy kiss. Lots of cameras flashed and clicked. Bletch.
“I’d bet my new eye shadow palette that they’re broken up by next week,” Sabrina whispered. “Think you can beat that?”
“Oh yeah. That looked fake, even to me,” I agreed even as my pulse sped up.
Three teary enlisted men were next, greeting the women with babies as cameras clicked, and the crowd cheered again. Then more sailors were released and the crowd became increasingly disorganized as people jostled to greet them. I still didn’t see Calder or Derrick, but then the crowd parted slightly and familiar broad shoulders and hazel eyes moved into view.
Damn. How had I forgotten how swoon-worthy Derrick was? My stomach wobbled as my racing pulse reached Indy-500 levels.
“Derrick,” I called out.
Beside me, Sabrina clicked away on her phone camera, but I was only marginally aware of anything other than Derrick’s face as he spotted me. He didn’t smile, but his eyes went wide and locked with mine. If this had been a movie, the music would have swelled right then, a beautiful crescendo, and I wanted to memorize every note so I could use this moment later. I’d never experienced anything quite like the energy arcing between us.
And then his purposeful strides carried him closer. His gaze intensified, if such a thing were even possible, equal parts terror and excitement in his expression. Or maybe that was all me, the way my legs shook and my back sweat.
I had to swallow hard simply to get enough spit to speak. “Welcome home.”
