Navy Families

by Debbie Macomber

  Commander Frank Dillon.

  Ali hadn’t seen or talked to him since they’d met in the Farmer’s Market in Guam. Just seeing him again gave her pause. She’d thought about their brief conversation that very afternoon; even now she wasn’t sure what to make of it. Her friends, too, were full of questions she hadn’t been able to answer. Ali filled her tray and started for a table.

  “Good evening, Commander,” she said, greeting him.

  “Ali.” He didn’t look any too pleased to see her, if his scowl was any indication.

  She sat down several tables away, but facing him. It would be utterly rude to present him with her back. “I do hope you’ve sufficiently recovered.” Ali knew she sounded stilted but couldn’t help it. She avoided eye contact by reaching for the salt shaker.

  “I have, thank you. And you?”

  His question caught her unawares. “I haven’t been ill, Commander.”

  “Yes, of course.” He stood as if he couldn’t leave fast enough and disappeared with such speed, it made her head swim. Clearly she was the last person he wanted to see. Only this time, Ali didn’t take offense.

  She’d come to the conclusion that she flustered Commander Dillon, which was a heady sensation. She recalled how gruff and rude he’d been in sick bay and, thanks to their brief conversation on Guam, she finally understood the reason. He’d thought she was married.

  The next evening, Alison purposely delayed her meal and arrived at the same time as the night before. Sure enough Frank was there, sitting at the same table, lingering over coffee. He looked up and smiled uncertainly when he saw her.

  “Good evening, Commander.” She greeted him the same way she had the previous night. After getting her meal, she chose a seat one table closer.

  “Lieutenant Commander.” His eyes held hers, and he didn’t immediately leap up and run away.

  “I have a question for you,” she said and again reached for the salt shaker. It was a convenient excuse to avert her gaze. She feared he might read her intense interest in him, which seemed to compound after each meeting.

  He straightened. “Fire away.”

  “Do I frighten you?”

  He raised one eyebrow. “Truthfully? You terrify me.”

  “Any particular reason?”

  He expelled his breath. “As a matter of fact, there are several. Most of them would get me court-martialed if I mentioned them.”

  “I see.” She didn’t really, but she was definitely curious.

  “Does that amuse you?” he asked, his face deadpan.

  “Commander, are you flirting with me?”

  This question seemed to take him aback, and he frowned. “I can assure you I wouldn’t know how. Is that what you think I’m doing?”

  She shook her head. “I’m not sure, but I do have another question for you.”

  “All right. I just hope it isn’t as difficult as the first.” A hint of a smile touched his eyes.

  Alison dipped her fork into the creamy mashed potatoes. “I wonder, do you know anything about a bolt of red silk that was delivered to the ship in my name?”

  “Red silk?” He shrugged. “I’m afraid I can’t help you there.”

  “That isn’t an answer to my question, Commander.”

  He glanced at his watch, and as if he’d suddenly realized he was late for an important meeting, abruptly stood. He grabbed his coffee cup and took one last swallow before he excused himself and hurried away.

  Alison hadn’t known what to think when the silk had appeared in her quarters. She was able to track down the petty officer who delivered it, and learned that the man from the market had brought it to the docks. He’d left instructions that it should be taken directly to her. Alison had badly wanted that silk, but the price was more than she’d been willing to pay.

  Just before she drifted off to sleep the night before, she’d remembered haggling with the silk merchant just before she’d run into Frank. He must have purchased it for her. It was the only thing that made sense—and yet it didn’t. But judging by the way he’d reacted to her questions this evening, she had to wonder.

  The following night when Alison arrived at the wardroom, Frank wasn’t there. Her heart sank with disappointment. She really didn’t have much of an appetite and ate very little of her meal. She’d almost decided against coffee but it was her habit to end her dinner with a cup.

  Just when she was ready to leave, uninterested in the remains of her cooling coffee, Frank rushed in, looking harried.

  “Good evening, Commander,” Alison said, smiling her welcome. Hiding her pleasure at seeing him had become impossible.

  He poured himself a cup of coffee and joined her. This was progress. They’d begun by sitting several tables apart and had drawn closer with each encounter.

  He was silent for a few minutes, concentrating on his coffee, methodically adding sugar and cream, then stirring. “You have children?” he asked unexpectedly.

  “A nine-year-old daughter.”

  He nodded.

  “Jazmine is living with my sister in Seattle right now.”

  He nodded again. “Is this the first time you’ve been apart for so much time?”

  “Yes.” Then, feeling it was only fair that she be completely honest, Alison said, “This will be my last duty assignment.”

  “You’re leaving the Navy?” He made it sound like an incomprehensible decision.

  “My husband loved the Navy the way you do. He couldn’t imagine civilian life.”

  “Can you?” he asked.

  “No. But it’s something I have to do.” The Navy had shaped her life, but now she had to put Jazmine’s welfare first. She was proud of how well her daughter had adjusted to a new environment, but a child needed roots and stability. Alison felt obliged to provide that, especially since she’d become, however unwillingly, a single parent.

  “Where will you settle?” Frank asked.

  “I haven’t decided yet. I’m considering Seattle. Jazmine seems to like it there, and it’s where my sister lives.”

  “Is she married?”

  “Single,” Ali explained. “But she’s romantically involved with someone.”

  Frank stared down into his coffee, cupped between his outstretched hands. “I don’t know much about romance.” He took a swig of coffee. “I’m pretty much a failure in that department.”

  “You’re divorced, aren’t you?” She recalled that he’d told her this.

  “A long time now.”

  Alison studied him as he sipped his coffee. “Given up, have you?”

  He raised his head, his gaze burning into hers. “Until recently I had.” His shoulders rose as if he was taking in a deep breath. “It’s not appropriate to ask now, but I was wondering...I was thinking that in a few months, when you’ve...resigned your commission, you might consider going to dinner with me. It wouldn’t mean anything. I mean, there’d be no obligation on either part, and if you’re not ready—”

  “Commander,” Alison said, breaking into his soliloquy. This was the most he’d ever said to her at one time. “Yes.”

  “Yes?” He eyed her quizzically.

  “I’d be honored to have dinner with you.”

  He seemed tentative, unbelieving, and Ali smiled.

  “More than honored,” she added softly and reached for her own coffee. She needed a sip to ease the dryness in her mouth and throat.

  “It won’t be for several months,” he warned.

  “I’m well aware of that, Commander.”

  He sighed and looked away. “Don’t take this personally, but it’s not a good idea for us to continue meeting here.”

  Disappointment hit her hard. “Why not?” Their meetings were completely innocent. This was the third night in a row, and not once had they even touched.

  “Lieutenant Command
er,” Frank said, his voice barely above a whisper. “You tempt me and while I’m a disciplined man, I don’t think I can hold back my feelings for you indefinitely. Give me a date and a time I can meet you in Seattle and I’ll be there.”

  Alison met his eyes and smiled. “January twenty-seventh. One o’clock in the afternoon. At the bronze pig in Pike Place Market.”

  She’d chosen the date a bit recklessly, perhaps, but that was Peter’s birthday, which made it easy to remember. And she was very sure Peter would approve....

  Twenty-Three

  “Aren’t you going to call Uncle Adam?” Jazmine was pestering Shana for about the hundredth time that week.

  “Why should I?” Shana muttered, scooping ice cream from the bottom of the caramel pecan container and packing what remained into a quart-size one. This was her life these days. For at least two hours every day, she risked frostbite with her face in the freezer.

  “You know,” she said, righting herself and holding up the ice-cream scoop for emphasis, “when I moved to Seattle, I decided I was finished with men. I didn’t need a man in my life then and I don’t need one now. I’m better off without them.”

  Jazmine sat on the other side of the counter, her chin propped in her hands. Shana noticed that she was frowning.

  “We don’t need boys?”

  “We don’t,” Shana reiterated.

  “At all?”

  “Well, technically we do, but only for reproductive purposes.” This was definitely an area she didn’t want to get into with a nine-year-old.

  “But aren’t they kind of fun to have around?”

  She realized she was tainting her niece’s mind because of her own negative experiences. That had to stop. Besides, Adam had potential—or he did when he wasn’t overtaken by jealousy. The thing was, he had absolutely nothing to be jealous about. It was almost as if he wanted to be upset with her. Fine, then, she’d just let him.

  “Men have their uses,” Shana replied guardedly.

  “I thought you liked Uncle Adam.”

  “I do...I did...I do.” While Shana was still annoyed with Adam, she missed him, too. That was the point. She didn’t want to think about him, but she couldn’t help it—which annoyed her even more.

  “You should call him,” Jazmine suggested again.

  Shana refused to do that. “I phoned last time. It’s his turn.”

  “Oh.” Her niece sounded distressed.

  “What’s wrong?” Shana asked, unsure what had brought the woebegone expression to Jazmine’s face.

  Jazmine sighed deeply. “I was just hoping you liked Uncle Adam the same way he likes you.”

  Now Shana was the one frowning. “I do like him. It’s just that two people don’t always see eye-to-eye.” This was difficult enough to explain to an adult, let alone a child. “Sometimes it’s best to simply leave things alone.”

  “It is?” Jazmine squinted as though confused. “Is that how you felt about Brad?”

  Shana thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, in the beginning. When I first broke up with him.”

  “But you went to see him again ’cause you didn’t like the way it ended, right?”

  “Right. I regretted the fact that I’d run off in a fit of righteous indignation. It was over, and I wanted him to know that in a civilized manner.”

  “You aren’t being impulsive now? About not phoning Uncle Adam?”

  Coming out from behind the counter, Shana slid onto the stool next to her niece. Sighing expressively, she said, “You’re pretty smart for a kid.”

  Jazmine flashed her a bright smile. “How come?”

  “You just are.” Her niece had told her what she needed to hear. She’d refused to phone Adam strictly out of pride. Their last conversation had been painful. She’d been lighthearted and hopeful when she called him, but his gruff responses had short-circuited her joy. He hadn’t phoned her since and she hadn’t phoned him, either. They were behaving like children.

  “That’s what I don’t understand,” Jazmine murmured, returning to her original pose, chin cupped in her hands, elbows splayed. “You went to talk to Brad, but you won’t go see Uncle Adam.”

  “He’s in Hawaii.” It wasn’t like he was a three-hour drive down the interstate. “It isn’t that easy to get to Hawaii.”

  “Don’t they have ninety-nine-dollar flights there?”

  “I doubt it.” More than likely it would be five hundred dollars. Shana sat up. Then again, going to see him in Hawaii might help clear up this misunderstanding—resolve this stalemate—and she wanted that. She believed he did, too. One of them had to make the first move and it might as well be her.

  Shana was shocked at herself. She was actually considering this. She’d spent all that money on the dress she’d worn to see Brad, and now she was about to spend more. She supposed she could always wear her new dress when—if—she went to see Adam. Why not?

  “You could check the computer,” Jazmine said confidently. “There are advertisements on TV all the time about airfare deals over the Internet.”

  “You think I should?”

  Jazmine nodded eagerly. “If you find a cheap ticket to Hawaii, you should go.”

  “I can’t close the restaurant.”

  “You don’t need to close it. Catherine ran it when we went to Portland,” Jazmine reminded her. “And that was just to see Brad.”

  She opened her mouth to claim that seeing Brad was different. Well...it was and it wasn’t. She’d been willing to make arrangements and a few sacrifices in order to talk to him. And she cared about Adam a hundred times more than she did Brad.

  “Remember Tim, the single dad who wanted to go out with you?” Jazmine asked.

  “Yes. Why?”

  “I saw him in the park. He’s back with his wife and he said it was because of you.”

  “Me?”

  “Yup—he said you were the one who told him he was still in love with her. He knew you were right but the hardest part was telling Heather—that’s her name. He’s really glad he did, though.”

  “I’m glad, too. But why are you—”

  Before Shana could finish the question, Jazmine blurted out her reply. “Because the hardest part is you telling Uncle Adam how you feel—so do it!”

  “I will.” Shana closed her eyes. She wanted this relationship with Adam to work. All the years she’d been with Brad, friends and co-workers had said he didn’t deserve her, and she’d refused to listen. Now the people she loved and respected most were telling her that Adam was a dream come true—and once again she hadn’t been listening. But that was about to change.

  “It all depends on whether Louis and Catherine can work while we’re away,” Shana murmured, biting her bottom lip.

  “They can,” Jazmine said immediately. “They love it here. And if you marry Uncle Adam, they want to buy the business.” She leaned close and whispered conspiratorially, “I heard them talking about it.”

  Now that the idea had taken root, Shana was convinced it was the right thing to do. She knew that if she sat down with Adam for five minutes, they’d get past the false impressions and false pride. She wanted him in her life; it was that simple.

  “We’re going to Hawaii?” Jazmine asked, her look expectant.

  Shana smiled and slowly nodded. Yes, they were going to Hawaii. Adam might think this relationship was over, but she wasn’t willing to lose out on her best chance for happiness yet. If everything went as she prayed it would, she just might end up with a Navy husband.

  * * *

  Adam’s bad mood hadn’t improved in a week. A dozen times, probably more, he’d lifted the receiver to call Shana. This estrangement was his fault. But for reasons he didn’t want to examine, he’d been reluctant to phone.

  Okay, it was time to own up to the truth. He’d been waiting for her to break down
and phone him. After more than a week, he might as well accept that it wasn’t going to happen.

  “You feeling better?” John asked when Adam arrived at the office Friday morning.

  “I don’t know.” He shook his head. “What do you think are my chances of hitching a transport to Seattle this weekend?”

  John perked up. “You’re going to see her?”

  Adam nodded. As best as he could figure, this was the only way he and Shana would ever make any progress. He was ready to take responsibility for his part in this fiasco and admit he’d overreacted. After all, she’d said it was over between her and this Bernie character.

  From today, from this moment forward, he chose to believe her. His next task was to tell her he’d been wrong. He didn’t like apologizing, but having Shana in his life was worth a few minutes of humiliation.

  “This is good news,” John said, grinning broadly. “Finally.”

  Adam leaned back in his chair. He’d get to Seattle one way or another, even if it meant paying for a commercial flight.

  “Are you going to let her know you’re coming?” John asked.

  “No.”

  “So you’re going to surprise her?”

  “I believe I will,” he said, already deep in thought.

  He pictured the reunion: Shana would be at the ice-cream parlor with a dozen kids all placing their orders at once. She was great with kids, great with Jazmine, patient and generous.

  She’d be scooping ice cream for all those kids, and then she’d look up and there he’d be, standing in the doorway. He’d wear his uniform. Women were said to like a man in uniform, and Adam decided he needed all the help he could get.

  He returned to his imagined scenario. Naturally Shana would be astonished to see him; she might even drop the ice-cream scoop. Their eyes would meet, and everything else in the room would fade as she came around the counter and walked into his embrace. Adam’s arms suddenly ached with the need to hold her. Until this very minute, he hadn’t realized just how badly he wanted Shana in his life. He’d felt the need to link his life with a woman’s earlier that summer, and that need had grown stronger, more irresistible, ever since he’d met Shana.