by Parker, Ali
I had wanted to ask him about his mom, especially since he talked about her in the past tense. I stopped myself from pushing. It was none of my business, and if he wasn’t ready to talk about it, I wasn’t going to pick the scab off a festering wound.
“I’m sorry. Death is sad no matter the situation.”
He nodded but said nothing more on the matter. “Is this another one of those things you do often? To decompress?”
I laughed. “No, definitely not. I don’t know if this is really decompressing. The fun does rejuvenate me a little though. It’s exhausting but it feels good to scream and just kind of let loose. Don’t you agree?”
He smirked. “I suppose. There are other activities that can lead to screaming and letting loose.”
He was so different than he had been before our outing on the boat. I was convinced I was getting to see the man behind the mask. “Yes, I suppose there are.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, looking away.
“For what?”
“I’m being an ass.”
“I don’t think you are,” I assured him.
“I don’t normally talk like I’m a horny teen,” he said with smirk.
I used my straw to stir the float. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I don’t mind.”
“I’ll try and curb it.”
I nudged him with my shoulder. “I think I like it. It’s fun. I know you aren’t being serious.” I popped out my bottom lip. “But I think I like it. It makes me feel like I’m a teen again.”
“Then I won’t stop,” he said in a husky voice that sent goosebumps spreading over my body.
I sipped on my float and watched people mill about. I was always fascinated by people. “Dang,” I muttered when a young couple that was clearly very enamored with one another passed in front of us.
“Is this the part where we yell at them to get a room?” he joked.
“Something like that.”
We finished our drinks but neither of us made a move to get up. “I have to go out of town tomorrow morning.”
I turned to look at him. “Oh?”
He nodded. “I should only be gone for the week. When I agreed to our little deal last night, the meetings slipped my mind. I hope I don’t leave you hanging.”
“I’ll be fine. I don’t have anything on the calendar just yet.”
“Can we do this or something next weekend?” he asked. “I’m hoping to be back by Friday, Saturday at the latest.”
“I would love to. I don’t actually have anything going for this weekend.”
“Really? Is that a first?”
“Yes, it is actually. I just hope my coworkers don’t decide they need me.”
“Maybe I can take you out to dinner?” he offered. “We can go to McDonald’s or something.”
I laughed. “I don’t know. I’m kind of a BK fan.”
“But do they have the awesome playground?” he teased.
“Some do.”
“Then Whoppers, it is.”
We both rose from our seat and slowly meandered back toward the parking lot. We got to my car and headed back to the restaurant to drop him off. I got out of the car, for whatever reason. I wasn’t sure where to go from here. We had been dancing around the sex subject all day, but now that we were at the end of our time together, it didn’t feel like that was where we were going.
In many ways, it felt like a first date, which was silly because we had spent a lot of time together.
“Thank you for hanging out with me today,” I said.
“Thank you for dragging me out,” he said with a smile. He was standing in front of me, keeping a safe distance.
“I guess I’ll wait for your call?” I asked.
He nodded. “I will call.”
“Good.”
He didn’t move. We had come to that part of the date. To kiss or not to kiss. Considering we had already crossed way over that line, it seemed a little silly to be so stressed out about what to do in that moment. I decided it was on me. After all, I was the one who made it clear I didn’t want us to be a thing. He was respecting the boundaries I had set forth.
I stepped forward and went up on my tippy toes to drop a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll be waiting for your call,” I said and stepped back.
He stared at me, heat in his eyes, but he didn’t make a move. I got into my car and waved. He lifted a hand and watched me pull out of the parking lot. As soon as I was down the block, I blew out the breath I had been holding. That had taken every ounce of willpower I possessed. I was dying to kiss him, really kiss him. I wanted to take him up on the many offers for sex.
I was damn proud of myself for not jumping his bones. I could be just friends with him. If we had sex all the time, it would blur the lines of our casual relationship. It was probably a good thing he was going to be out of town. I needed time to cool off. If I knew he was in town, I was going to be tempted to call him up and offer my body to him.
Distance was best. I would see him again and we would do something completely safe and nonsexual. It was going to be hard, but I could do it. I couldn’t let myself fall for the man. I didn’t need that in my life. I liked things neat and tidy, just the way they were, without complications.
But damn, I really liked sex with him.
Chapter 19
Xander
My jet landed just after one my time and four Miami time. The car I hired for the duration of my time in Miami was waiting at the airport for me. It was moments like these I appreciated the wealth I had made. It was a hell of a lot easier than navigating a busy airport and trying to hail a cab. I leaned my head back against the headrest and closed my eyes.
The difference in weather was night and day. I would never get used to the humidity in Florida. We had our days in San Diego, but Florida gave humidity a whole new meaning. I shrugged off the suit jacket I thought I would wear to the meeting. I wasn’t going to wear it. The other engineers I was meeting with could think what they wanted.
I unbuttoned the top few buttons of my shirt and aimed the AC vent directly at my face. The car stopped in front of one of the many Miami high-rises. I climbed out and headed inside. The driver was going to be delivering my luggage to the hotel while I got through the first meeting of the week.
I hated fucking meetings. I hated having to deal with other engineers who wanted to tell me how to do my job. I was here as a courtesy. I was brought in to help the company figure out what the hell they were doing wrong. No one liked to be told what they were doing wrong, especially arrogant engineers.
“Gentlemen,” I said as I walked into the conference room.
The owner of the ship company got to his feet. “Mr. Holland, I’m glad you could make it.”
No one else seemed glad. I shook his hand. “I hope I can be of help.”
What sounded an awful lot like a scoff came from one of the older gentlemen at the table. I knew his type. Old, set in his ways, and uninterested in hearing what a young buck like me had to say. I took a seat at the table and opened the binder that had been sitting at the open spot.
“We were just going over the latest design options for our fleet,” the owner explained. “We can’t seem to get a unanimous opinion on how to design the hull. We’ve got plenty of ideas, using some of the elements from your designs. We’d love to hear what you have to say.”
I scanned through the various specs and drawings that were in the binder. There were elements of my designs, but none were really exact duplicates, for obvious reasons. “What are you proposing to use for the skin?” I asked.
The older engineer sighed. “The skin isn’t the problem. It’s the hull. Reinforced steel is the best option.”
“It’s also the heaviest option,” I replied without looking at him. “Isn’t the goal to streamline your ships? Cut costs? Save fuel?”
“Yes,” the owner answered. “However, if the cost of production exceeds the cost of operation, I don’t see the benefit.”
His response triggered an argument. All the engineers began to talk at once. One of them got up to draw on the whiteboard in an attempt to get his point across. I wasn’t listening. Truthfully, I didn’t care all that much. I would let them have their say and then I would tell them the right answer. If they listened, great. If they refused to, so be it. It was no skin off my nose.
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and quickly pulled it out. It was a text message from Evie.
Did you land safe and sound with all of your parts attached?
I smiled and quickly sent a reply. All the important parts are present and accounted for.
Good. There’s a particular part I was most concerned with.
I had to bite back my laugh. She could be saucy when she wanted to be. I loved playing the game. The men around me were arguing about something. I focused my attention on Evie.
Working? I texted.
Always. You?
I looked up, noticed no one was paying any attention to me, and returned to the text conversation that was far more interesting.
I’m sitting here, listening to men bicker back and forth about shit they don’t have a clue about. It’s riveting.
She replied with a series of laughing emojis. I found myself smiling. We exchanged a few more messages before I decided I better pay attention. They were paying me a lot of money for my opinion and advice. I had taken one look at their proposed designs and knew almost immediately what the problem was.
“Mr. Holland, is he wrong?” one of the engineers asked.
I looked up. “Is who wrong?”
“Carl suggests we increase the sheer,” he said.
I shook my head. “I would not advise increasing your sheer. I would suggest you consider a long span between the perpendiculars. The belly of the ship is too heavy. The weight needs to be more evenly distributed. Using the building materials I suggested last week would also be a huge benefit.”
“Steel is best,” the old guy shot back.
I shrugged. “In some cases, it is. In this particular case, it isn’t.”
The man shook his head. “You kids think you are so much smarter. I have history on my side.”
“I wouldn’t brag about that,” I muttered.
“All right,” the owner said, slapping his hands on the table. “I think that will be enough for today. Why don’t we meet back here tomorrow at ten? I have a couple of my ship captains coming in to offer their opinions.”
I inwardly groaned. Just what we needed, more opinions. I got up from the table and took the binder with me. I said nothing on my way out. I was ready to get to the hotel and hop in a pool or a cold shower. My hired car was just pulling up to the curb when I stepped outside. I practically ran to get into the back of the car. I directed him to take me to the hotel without making any stops.
When I got to my room, I was stripping out of my clothes before the door closed behind me. I headed directly for the shower, stepping under lukewarm spray. The huge shower gave me ample room to turn and make sure every inch of skin was the recipient of the soothing spray.
After finally cooling off and feeling human again, I pulled on a pair of underwear and nothing else. I grabbed a beer from the minibar, not caring that it probably cost twenty bucks, and flopped down on the sofa. I had barely taken the first long drink when my phone began to vibrate on the table. I got up, expecting it to be Evie—hoping it would be Evie.
It wasn’t. It was a number with a whole lot of digits, which told me it was from overseas. There was only one person that could be. “Kade,” I said with a smile on my face.
“How did you know it was me?”
“Because if ISIS is calling me, we’ve got a problem.”
“How are you?” he shouted into the phone. He was clearly somewhere loud. I could hear a lot of background noise and the usual static.
“I’m good. I’m actually in Florida right now. What about you?”
“I’m in a place with a lot of fucking sand,” he said with a laugh. “I’m going to need to go through a pressure wash to get the sand out of my ass.”
I had to laugh. He managed to keep a positive attitude all the time. I knew it sucked where he was—wherever he was. He was never allowed to tell us exactly where, but I suspected Afghanistan. “I’ll be happy to shoot you with one. Spread your cheeks, little brother.”
His laughter broke up over the shitty connection. “Are you still living in San Diego or did you finally move?”
“I still live there, same house.”
“Mansion, you mean. You live in a fucking mansion.”
My house was not a mansion, not by far, but it was certainly bigger than any house we ever lived in growing up. “You can always come and live with me,” I offered.
“Yeah, right. These fuckers own me for another two years.”
I knew he loved being in the Marines. He would likely sign up for another four years when it came time. He was a lifer, career military, just like our father. “I can buy you,” I joked.
“Oh yeah, I forgot you had more money than God,” he joked.
“Not quite, but I’m working on it.”
He chuckled, the line crackling a little. “I’m coming home next month,” he announced. “I’m hoping I can see you.”
“Home to Cali or home to Oregon?” I questioned.
“Oregon,” he answered. “I don’t know if I can make it down there.”
“Kade,” I said. “If I go up there, it’s only going to cause drama. I don’t want to fuck up your time at home.”
“Just say yes. It’s been too long. There won’t be any drama. If there is, we’ll all get over it.”
“I’ll do what I can,” I said.
“Bullshit. That’s a pussy answer. Man up and face the guy. What’s the worst he can do?”
I scoffed. “Easy for the Golden Child to say.”
I waited for him to tell me to just do it. I waited several seconds.
“Hello? Kade, are you there?”
There was no answer. I put the phone down and leaned back against the couch. I was happy to see my little brother but not quite as thrilled to see our father. I knew his leave would be short. He wouldn’t have time to fly down to see me. The best-case scenario would be me going up there. That was about the last thing I wanted to do.
My brother was a good guy, but sometimes, it was hard to stand in his shadow all the time. Granted, he was about four inches shorter than me, but he was a Marine. In my father’s eyes, Kade walked on water. He was the golden boy. He was the son who made him proud. He carried on the family name and made sure the Holland family name would always be associated with service to our country.
“Fuck,” I groaned. I finished my beer and went in search of the room-service menu. I needed something to distract me. I was going to be thinking about the not-so-happy family reunion coming soon. Maybe I could fly in, meet Kade at a restaurant, and then fly home without ever having to see my father.
I thought about texting Evie and talking to her about the situation. I couldn’t do that. We barely knew each other. Although she probably knew just as much about me as Charlie did. She was one of those people that could make you spill your guts with very little effort. She would have made a hell of a therapist.
I checked the time, my watch showing it was just after five at home. She was probably still working anyway. I didn’t want to bug her. I didn’t want to be that guy. The guy that texted or called every hour on the hour. We weren’t that couple. I was not going to be the needy type.
Instead, I ate my dinner in silence and watched some really stupid show on TV. It was pretty much how I spent most of my evenings. The only difference was I was on the other side of the country. I was hoping I could get the meetings wrapped up early and get back home. Maybe I would surprise her.
Chapter 20
Evie
I walked into Nelle’s bar, my face glued to my phone like a true millennial. I was smiling as I sent back a lips emoji in response to something Xande
r had texted. I barely looked up as I walked through the door, navigating my way around the tables to my seat at the end of the bar.
“No,” I heard Nelle say.
I looked up and found her staring at me with her hands on her hips. “What?”
“Don’t you dare turn into one of those zombies.”
“I’m not a zombie,” I protested at the same time my phone vibrated in my hand. I had to look down and see the message.
“Yes, you are. Put your phone down.”
I smiled and put my phone on the bar, facedown. “There, happy now?”
She frowned at me. “I’m not sure. Do you want a drink?”
“A glass of red would be nice, thank you.”
“Are you off for the night?”
I nodded. “For the whole weekend.”
“Wow! That has to be a first.”
“I know and I cannot wait to just unwind for two days in a row.”
She laughed. “I can’t even imagine what that would be like.”
“It’s going to be awesome.”
She drifted away to take care of her other patrons. I buried my nose back in my phone, texting back and forth with Xander. He was in a meeting, which you would never know judging by how much he was texting me. I told him he should be paying attention. He told me he didn’t need to because he already knew what the answer was and was waiting for the rest of them to quit talking so he could tell them.
That was Xander. Just a tiny bit arrogant. I liked it. The man was smart and deserved to be revered. All week, we had texted back and forth. Every night before I went to bed, there was a message from him. It was really getting hard to remind myself we were nothing serious. We weren’t in a relationship. We were just friends.
“You have barely taken a drink of your wine that I took such great care in pouring for you,” Nelle said.
I looked up from my phone. “Busted.”
“Is this the man that is not your boyfriend that has you so preoccupied?”
“He is not my boyfriend,” I said as much for her sake as my own.
