Her mouth went dry. It wasn’t the job. She’d done it before and enjoyed it. It was the short notice. That, and the fact she’d had her fingers crossed for promotion. She was eligible, she’d been interviewed, and she’d been hoping against hope that the next call she got from her commander would be telling her she’d be Senior Medical Officer somewhere. Taking this position would likely rule her out for any immediate new role. But Ivy always did the job she was needed to do. Her stomach had a roll of regret as she said the words. ‘Where is the USS Calvin Coolidge?’
‘In the Pacific. Pack your things, Flight Surgeon Ross, you’re needed.’
Her mouth was still open as the call ended. She hadn’t even asked if she would be a permanent replacement or not. How long would she be deployed? Weeks or months? It wasn’t that long since she’d got back from her last assignment. She loved her job, but knew rest and recuperation were essential.
Working on the aircraft carrier would mean that as Flight Surgeon she would be responsible for the welfare of thousands of colleagues, along with the senior medical officer and chief medical officer. It was a huge deal. Every minute of every day would be filled with work. She would be permanently on call—always ready to jump at the first sign of a siren. Her last assignment had been smaller, more manageable.
This one was like throwing her straight in at the deep end. She licked her dry lips. But the commander had phoned her. He’d thought of her when disaster had happened. She didn’t want to believe she was the only person qualified who could fly out a moment’s notice. The US Navy didn’t function like that. She could almost see the list of files on his desk as he’d deliberated the job, weighing up who was most suited. He’d chosen her. This time her heart missed a few beats. That was good. No, that was great.
She’d spent years wanting to finally be on the radar of the commander. She admired him and wanted to impress him. He clearly thought she was up to the task. But would he consider her for a bigger task? There was so much to think about. One thing was for sure, if she said she didn’t want to take this emergency job, she would automatically tumble down the ranking for any promotion.
Her stomach flipped over as she remembered Ruff. She’d need to make arrangements for a colleague to take him back to the shelter tomorrow—and it wouldn’t be open before six a.m.
A photo of a glass of wine appeared on her phone. Oh, no.
Rob. She grimaced. The wine looked perfect. Chilled, with some condensation on the glass, in the midst of a dimly lit bar—the perfect place for a first meeting. How on earth could she tell him?
Her fingers started typing before she even thought.
So, so sorry, but family emergency and I need to bail. I promise, at some point, we will actually meet.
She stood up then walked to the front of the trolley, signalling to Elvis that she needed to get off. He shook his head as they were nowhere near an official stop. The trolleys weren’t supposed to stop anywhere else.
‘Sorry,’ she pleaded. ‘It’s an emergency.’
After a few moments he gave a shrug and slowed down, giving her the chance to alight. ‘Don’t know what you’re missing,’ he said with a twang in his voice as he pointed towards the heart of San Diego.
She pulled up another app to grab a ride back to her apartment, and thankfully a car was only a few minutes away.
As she jumped inside, she realised that Rob hadn’t replied and a wave of regret washed over. She felt terrible. She’d been looking forward to this and now, with one call, she had to walk away. But that was her job, her duty. Part of her wished she’d been a little more truthful, then she could have actually revealed why she had been called away. But it was too late now. As the car sped back across the Coronado Bridge she turned her phone over in her hands, wondering if she’d just blown it for good.
* * *
Travis had just sat down and taken his first sip of beer, letting the cool liquid slide down his throat. He was ready for this. Ready to meet this fun-sounding woman who lived in the same city as he did, and see where it went. Maybe they could have a few fun dates? His eyes kept heading to the door—even though she’d told him she was ten minutes away.
A small woman in a red coat walked in. His pulse rate quickened. But the woman let out a squeal and ran over to another table, embracing someone in a bear hug. Travis sighed and pretended he wasn’t thankful. He wasn’t sure she was his type. Two women around the right age wandered in, chatting and laughing conspiratorially. One brunette, one redhead, both dressed in jeans and light shirts. Maybe Ali had brought a friend. That made sense. He could understand that. But a few seconds later two men walked in behind them and joined the ladies at the bar. They were clearly two couples.
His phone buzzed. An email. He flicked it open and sighed. Peters, a friend and colleague who’d spent the last few weeks trying to convince Travis that he wanted to look to the future—encouraging him to think about leaving the navy and setting up in private practice in San Diego. Peters had a very successful practice already but one of his partners had left recently. He was anxious to fill the spot, and he’d set his sights on Travis.
In a way it was flattering, but Travis didn’t even want to think about things like that. Right now, he was focused on staying in the Navy Medical Service. He liked it. No, he loved it. He slid the email away. The limited conversations he’d had with Peters had always been after a few spells of bad nightmares. Private practice would probably be in his future at some point but things were settled right now. He didn’t want to make the transition before he thought he had to.
He bent his head, trying to take his eyes off the door. It hadn’t been ten minutes yet. Then his phone buzzed again. He picked it up instantly, seeing the message on his screen. His first instinct was to groan and then have a quick look around. Maybe she was in the bar, watching him, and she hadn’t liked what she’d seen?
He glanced down at his clothes again and at his reflection in the gantry behind the bar. His job meant that he was physically fit. Most women considered him vaguely attractive, a few had even called him outright handsome. And, no, it wasn’t just his mother and sisters. Had Ali taken one look and walked away?
The thought didn’t sit comfortably with him. He looked around the bar. Sure enough, as far as he could see, he was the only person right now sitting with a glass of rosé on the table.
Travis looked around again and then laughed and shook his head. Had he missed out on some kind of girl code? Was he getting too old these days to not understand the signs?
It could be something else entirely. It just seemed well...odd that as soon as he’d sent the photo of the wine glass she’d blown him off.
Maybe she was just old-fashioned nervous. There. That was a better thought. But it still left him sitting alone in a San Diego bar.
He had asked her at short notice. But she’d been quick enough to accept. Maybe Ali did have a genuine family emergency. Maybe she would message later or even tomorrow to makes excuses and rearrange. And if she did, would he agree?
He debated in his head as more people streamed into the bar. Soft jazz music was playing around him. A few couples, some groups of friends. An older, single man who sat at the bar, sipped his beer and read the paper.
The woman at the next table gave him a coy smile. ‘What’s wrong? Date called off? Silly girl. I can keep you company, if you like.’ She flashed her teeth at him and he drew in a deep breath.
He didn’t want a companion who might want to hang around overnight. He wanted something more meaningful than that. It’s why he’d spent the last few weeks getting to know Ali. It’s why the first thing he’d done when he’d landed had been to text her and ask her out.
He wanted the chance to finally meet face to face. Get to know if the buzz that seemed to flicker via message between them was actually there when they met in person.
He looked at the glass of wine and empty seat op
posite him, trying to think of any reason in the world why he shouldn’t just look like some guy who’d been stood up. Instead, he flashed her a smile and stood up. ‘Let’s just say you win some, you lose some and some aren’t worth waiting for.’ He picked up his bottle of beer and drained it, before heading to the door and walking out into the warm evening air.
Copyright © 2020 by Scarlet Wilson
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ISBN-13: 9781488074738
Falling Again in El Salvador
Copyright © 2020 by Alexis Silas
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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Falling Again in El Salvador Page 18
