Vince patted his back. “Thanks for taking it for the team. Don’t worry, I’ll pick up the slack after training’s over.”
After this three-week program, Vince was on leave. Christmas and New Year’s Eve at home. He couldn’t wait.
They ordered buffalo wings and caught up.
“How’s married life?”
“Great,” Angelo replied, but then his jaw tightened. “This whole civilian thing has been an adjustment, but being with Cate makes it easier.”
“Do you regret leaving the Navy?”
Angelo paused and appeared to think. “No, it was time. I’m happy.” He leaned back in his chair. “We’re happy.” He drank some beer. “But I’d be lying if I said that the transition to civilian life isn’t rough.”
“How so?”
Angelo glanced around the bar before he brought his gaze back to Vince. “It’s just different. It’s hard to explain all the nuances. The structure is different, the routine, the mindset.”
Vince scanned the room. Many young twenty-somethings gathered in groups, talking and laughing as if they didn’t have a care in the world. College kids? Maybe. If Vince had chosen that route rather than enlisting in the Marines, how different would his life be right now?
“What about you?” Angelo raised his chin in question. “Anything else going on in your life?”
Emma crept into Vince’s mind, but he shoved thoughts of her aside. “Not much.”
After a few minutes, he finally brought up the subject that had been occupying far too much bandwidth in his mind.
“I ran into someone I haven’t seen since your wedding.”
“Who?” Angelo wiped his fingers on a napkin.
“She worked with the caterer.”
Angelo’s brows rose. “Oh?”
“We ended up in my room.”
“Did you now?” The look Angelo flashed Vince was half-big brother scolding and the other half impressed conspiratorial smile.
“Yep. And I hadn’t heard from her since, until I ran into her here at the War College. She works there.”
“Interesting.” Angelo studied Vince with a keen gaze. “And?”
“And what?”
“And I can tell there’s more to it than that.”
“She ran out of my room before I woke.”
One side of Angelo’s mouth curled up into a grin. “What did you do to her to scare her away?”
“Nothing,” Vince protested. He took a sip of beer.
“What happened here? Did you talk?”
“Briefly.”
“And?” Angelo rolled his hand in encouragement for Vince to continue.
“She turned as white as the Christmas lights.” He pointed at one of the many strings hung in the dimly lit bar, giving it a seasonal vibe.
“She was surprised to see you. That makes sense. And then what?”
“Then I found out she was the woman I’d been emailing about this upcoming conference. We hadn’t exchanged last names.”
“Shit,” Angelo laughed. “Talk about awkward.”
“I just want to get some answers.” Vince took a swig of beer. “I don’t get her. Why would she go from hot to as frosty as this beer without any sort of warning signal?”
Angelo laughed. “She’s human, not a machine.”
Vince grunted. “Much more complicated.”
Their wings arrived and Vince was grateful for the distraction. “Smells delicious.”
He ate one and savored the spicy flavors, washing it down with the cold beer.
Angelo ate a wing, appearing in thought. After he swallowed, he said, “That’s probably the issue.”
Vince narrowed his eyes. “That’s she’s human?”
“Ha. That she’s not a machine that you can tinker with. You’re so used to taking things apart to figure out how they work. It doesn’t work that way with people.”
Vince grimaced. That was a complication indeed. He arched one brow. “They could at least come with a user manual.”
Angelo raised his index finger. “No such luck, bro. You need to figure things out the old-fashioned way.” He pointed at Vince.
Vince stared, waiting for Angelo to finish.
“Con-ver-sa-tion.”
Vince hissed. “Tried that. Didn’t get far. Any time I tried bringing up what happened, she avoided it.”
“There you go.” Angelo brushed his hands together.
“With what?”
“She answered you with her evasion. Meaning she doesn’t want to talk about it.”
Vince waved his hand. “Don’t I deserve an explanation?”
“For what? A one-night stand? There is no explanation needed. It was one night.”
Vince grunted. “Okay.”
“And here you meet on base months later. No wonder she wants to avoid you.”
“Meaning?”
“She’s on a Navy base with a bunch of guys and is probably hit on constantly. Here you come along, some Marine she slept with months ago. Do you blame her for being uncomfortable?”
Vince exhaled. Angelo had a point. “So, what do I do?”
“Leave her alone.”
Not the answer Vince was looking for. “Can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“She’s driving me to speak at a high school on Friday. As far as I know, it will just be the two of us.”
Angelo took a sip of beer and put the glass down. “Go easy on her. Don’t be a dick.”
“I’m not a dick,” Vince protested.
“If you’re too pushy, what else would she think?”
Although Vince tried to listen to Angelo and give Emma space, he couldn’t stay away. It hadn’t taken long for him to find her office.
Tuesday morning, Vince convinced himself that a casual hello with a cup of coffee was reasonable. She sat at her desk piled with textbooks, the top one on military history. As she stared at her monitor, she tapped a finger near her pink lips—pouty, kissable lips. Her hair was pulled into a loose bun with lighter strands dangling down each side, framing her pretty face. His gaze lingered. She appeared like a perfect picture of his librarian fantasy, one that he pinned to his memory to revisit later.
When he approached, she glanced up.
“Good morning, Emma.” He offered her the coffee and a small white paper bag. “I’m not sure how you take it so there is cream and sugar in there.”
Her eyes widened. “What’s this for?”
“To thank you for setting everything up.”
She blinked twice. “Oh, you’re welcome. Your presentation was well received.”
Although he wanted to linger and talk, he forced himself to step back, heeding Angelo’s warning Vince gave her a slight nod. “See you on Friday.”
“Yes.” She glanced at their surroundings. “Want to meet here?”
“Sounds perfect.” As he walked away, a strange buzz of excitement hammered through his body.
Three more days.
Those three days crawled by, despite the busy schedule of the training program. Long days of classroom instruction, PT, and homework didn’t give him much free time to muse, yet he still found time to think about Emma. He pictured her eyes as she looked at him, the sassiness when they’d spoken, the curves of her body. What was she doing? Knowing she was so close by on base that he could just stroll on over to see her stirred a yearning that was hard to ignore.
Friday morning finally rolled in like a slow-moving wave that grew in intensity before it crashed onto the shore. By then, he was so buzzed with anticipation, as if his veins had been replaced with electrical circuitry.
He paced for fifteen minutes before they were scheduled to meet. When she pulled up in a dark green Nissan, he climbed into the passenger seat. A pop song played, and she turned it down.
She smiled at him. “Good morning.”
She wore a gray sweater dress with a lighter gray scarf. The hem edged up over her knees as she sat, exposing a few inches of her legs. He forced h
imself not to stare.
He raised the paper bag in his hand.
“What is that?”
“Muffins. I would’ve got cupcakes,” he noted with a scratch of his chin. “But these were freshly baked.”
“Ah,” she nodded in recollection. “A reference to the colossal cupcake incident.”
“A confectionery catastrophe.” He grinned.
She laughed. Okay, at least he broke the tension that had loomed between them and had kept it light.
“They smell delicious.”
They did indeed, filling her car with their appetizing aroma. He’d bought blueberry and apple cinnamon. She chose the blueberry and picked at it while she drove.
He bit the apple muffin, acutely aware of her closeness.
“How long are you in Newport?” she asked.
“Until after the new year. The program I’m in ends next Friday, and then I’m on leave.”
“You’re spending the holidays here?”
“I better be,” he replied. “My parents are here, and I don’t make it home for Christmas every year.”
“Right here in Newport?”
“Yes. My dad served over thirty years as a Naval officer, and some of it was stationed here. Once he retired, my parents decided to stay here.”
She motioned at the ocean view on her left. “Not a bad place to retire. Or live.”
“What about you? Do you live here?”
“Yes, just since the spring.” She rolled her shoulders back.
“What do you think?” Vince struggled to keep the conversation light and not too personal, although questions swarmed in his brain. What was she like? Why was she here?
“I like it. I wanted to start a new life after I got out of the Navy and this seemed like a good place to do so.”
She served in the Navy? Interesting. “How long were you in for?”
“Too long,” she replied with a laugh. “Serving time.”
He grunted. Anyone who served knew it could feel that way at times. “Where were you stationed?”
“Mostly in Virginia. I was an aviation tech. When I met you, I had recently gotten out after four years and was still adjusting to my new life with the added bonus of some personal issues.” Her expression tensed and she exhaled.
“I’ve heard about the transition to civilian life from my brother, Angelo. He served as a SEAL, but is out now, living in Providence and working as a paramedic. I have no plans to find out what that’s like for myself yet.”
She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. “You plan to be a lifer?”
“I’d like to do twenty. I’m past the halfway point.”
“It’s a tough gig, what you do. When you were talking about what you experienced…” She shook her head. “I can’t even imagine.”
“I’ve had my moments, as we all do, but all I ever wanted was to be a Marine. I can’t picture myself doing anything else.”
She glanced over at him before pulling her eyes back to the road. “Once I had a taste of Navy life, I knew it wasn’t for me.”
“Meaning?”
She laughed. “Nothing like what the recruiters promised, that’s for sure.”
“True, true.” Recruiters were often known for stretching the truth to reach quotas. “Plus, you had to serve with all those squids,” he teased.
“Is that right, jarhead?” She tilted her head.
“Absolutely.” He grinned. “Besides my father and my older brother, I have a younger brother, Matty, who’s also a SEAL.” He raised his hands with mock exasperation. “I’m surrounded by them.”
“Oh, poor you.” Her playful tone was insincere.
“Funny.” He glanced out the window. “You made it out of the Navy but are back on a Navy base.”
“As a civilian,” she clarified. “Which isn’t as bad.”
“What didn’t you like about the Navy?”
“I’ve had enough of that lifestyle. I grew up an Army brat. The constant moving, the family upheaval, not staying one place long enough to call home.”
He knew that life well, which is why he never planned to have a family while in the military. “I understand that.”
Each of them drifted into their own thoughts for a minute or so. She turned the music up a notch, the Foo Fighters’ Learn to Fly. She stared straight ahead, eyes on the road, saying nothing. Not wanting to think about his past, he brought his thoughts back to their current situation. He was learning more about Emma, but he still didn’t understand what had happened that night at the wedding, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to leave today without giving it one last shot.
Angelo’s warning to drop it and let her be, replayed in Vince’s head, but he shoved it aside. She’d been opening up to him. If he kept it light, he might finally get answers.
Once she stopped at a red light, he said, “Watch out,” in a lighthearted tone.
She turned to him with a confused glance. “For what?”
“The giant elephant in the backseat.” He motioned behind him.
Surprise passed over her face. “Ha ha. The elephant in the room.” She shrugged. “I thought you’d finally drop it. What do you want me to say? I freaked out.”
“Why?”
She squirmed and sighed. “I was in a bad place.”
“Because you just got out the Navy?”
Her lips pressed together tight. “Part of it.”
“And?” he pushed.
“Ugh, it was unprofessional then and so is talking about it now. I don’t want to dissect my mistakes.”
His brows shot up. “You think of it as a mistake?”
“Yes. No.” She raised her hands and dropped them to the steering wheel. The light turned green, and she drove. “It’s complicated. You wouldn’t understand.”
“I know I’m just some jarhead,” he teased, “but why don’t you try me?”
“Vince, please. It was a difficult period in my life. I’m trying to put it behind me and start over. It has nothing to do with you, okay?”
“Okay, but just making sure—I didn’t do something to piss you off that night?”
Her cheeks turned pink. “No. God, no. Ah jeez, I never thought you’d even think of it that way. I figured you were a guy who would be happy for the hookup without the morning mess.”
He could understand why she’d see it that way. “I’m glad I wasn’t a dick.”
She shook her head. “Not at all. You were sweet, and charming, and funny.”
Funny? That’s how people described his younger brother, Matty. People often thought of Vince as the quiet one—reclusive and nerdy. His interests in sci-fi, fantasy, and geek culture didn’t help, so hearing her say that felt kind of good.
She cast him an earnest look. “Can we put it behind us and forget it ever happened?”
Vince covered his chest. “Oh, ego blow.” He took a deep, exaggerated breath. “A gorgeous woman wants to forget we ever slept together. Was it that cringe-inducing?”
She laughed and playfully punched his bicep. “No, you goof. It was good.”
“Just good?” he prodded.
“Pretty good. Better?”
“Not epic? World-shaking? Shag-a-licious?”
She raised her index finger and teased, “You’re pushing it, Austin Powers.”
He sucked in a breath and pushed his chest out. “If it wasn’t any of those, I think I should have a chance to redeem myself.”
She arched an eyebrow. “If you’re proposing we sleep together minutes after I say let’s put it behind us, I’m going to have to warn you, Devil Dog—prepare to be shot down in 3—2—”
“All right, all right, I get it. Fine. No hotel humping this time.”
Her eyes widened. “Hotel humping?”
“You don’t like that one? How about suite shagging?”
She snorted.
“I’ll get there. Wedding wanking—no, that doesn’t work. Ah shit, wedding uh-uh—help me out. You’re good with alliteration.”
> Emma released an exaggerated sigh. She pulled into the parking lot of the high school and parked. “Come on, Casanova.”
Chapter Five
Emma
Emma attempted to ignore the tingling sensation when she picked up Vince on base that morning, as well as ignore how good he looked in uniform. His biceps strained the tan sleeves of his Service Charlies uniform, which showed how fit he was. His face was clean-shaven, enticing her to run her fingers over his smooth jawline.
After he climbed out of her Nissan, she teased, “Ready to face the teenage firing squad?”
“Teenagers.” He grinned. “I’d be better off in Afghanistan.”
She laughed. “Tough crowd.” She touched his bicep. “Thank you for doing this. I’m sure the kids will get a lot out of it.”
He glanced down at where her hand was, and she quickly pulled it away. Why did she have to reach out and touch him that way? She could’ve just said thank you.
When his eyes met hers, they all but twinkled. “I’m happy to do it. A few of them may be considering the military. The more they know, the better able they’ll be to make a decision for themselves.”
She grunted. “Better than talking to a recruiter.”
He chuckled. “Then they’d be signing papers before they’d finished spelling out their names.”
Once they were buzzed in and checked in at the main office, Mrs. McDonald, a stout middle-aged teacher with dirty blonde hair, led them into the library. A few dozen kids sat in an informal half circle while others talked in small groups. Many heads turned and their gazes focused on Vince. It was easy to see why—he appeared quite sharp in uniform.
Mrs. McDonald directed, “Take your seats everyone, our guests are here.” After everyone was settled into the chairs, she continued. “Welcome Staff Sergeant DeMarchis and Ms. Bradford from the Naval War College in Newport.”
Emma stepped up to the podium first and faced the teens. She gave them a quick overview of the War College, geared for her audience. “Think of it as a grad school in the military, but with topics like leadership, strategy, global issues, and military operations. We have year-long programs or short trainings, like the one that Staff Sergeant DeMarchis is in.” She wrapped up her intro as she knew they were more interested in the impressive Marine standing at parade rest behind her. “And now, here’s Staff Sergeant DeMarchis.”
Vince: One Night with a Marine: A Second Chance Military Romance (Anchor Me Book 2) Page 4
