Copyright 2015 by Milena Fenmore - All rights reserved.
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Reminding the SEAL
By: Milena Fenmore
Includes Secret BONUS Collection!!!
Chapter One
Caroline raised her slim hand to shade her emerald eyes from the glaring sun which blinded her. She pressed the back of her hand to her eyes and protested, “No, don’t open that.”
Her mother, Madelyn, ignored her and pulled the drapes apart. The bright morning sun burst into the room, casting a brilliant yellow glow across the queen-sized bed, the bureau, and bedside tables. Caroline Sutherland turned over, sank her face into the plush pillow and pulled the navy blue satin sheet over her head.
“Mom, please close the curtains,” she pleaded.
Madelyn walked over purposefully, bent, and grabbed the sheet, pulling it completely off her daughter’s thin frame. “You’re getting up today. I know you miss him, but that’s no reason to recluse yourself like this,” Madelyn’s voice was stern.
“I don’t want to, Mom,” she said in a childish sort of tone, all the while trying to get the sheet away from her mother who held on to it quite tightly.
“Honey, it’s been a month. I can’t bear to see you do this to yourself anymore.”
Caroline sighed, “Mom, I’m fine, don’t worry. I’ll be down in a while, just let me sleep for five more minutes, please?”
“You say that every day, and then we don’t see you until four in the afternoon. You don’t eat, look how thin you are. No, I’m not letting up today. Get ready, your father and I have something to discuss with you,” Madelyn dropped the sheet on the bed and walked to the door. “If you’re not downstairs in fifteen minutes, I’m coming to get you.”
Caroline pouted her pretty pink lips as her mother closed the door behind her. All she wanted to do was lie in bed and think about Demetri and the wedding that should have been next weekend. Her dress was still hanging in the closet and the rings were sitting at the jewelers, still waiting to be picked up. How could she continue living when the love of her life was dead?
She buried her face in the pillow once more, her long golden waves looking like a raggedy old doll. Her heart ached terribly and pain ripped through her, but no tears came. She spent the last four weeks mourning, and now, she felt dried out, like a desert without an oasis. Her sobs were dry and all she could do to ease her sorrow was to curl up in a fetal position and pretend that the world outside did not exist.
Her mind kept going back to that day, the last time she saw Demetri, her fiancé. They’d spent the entire weekend together before he left for duty as a Navy SEAL. He had been brave enough to come with her and the wedding planner to pick out china along with choosing the wedding cake. He even seemed happy to do it, though she knew that men had no interest in such things.
That Sunday before he left, they cuddled together in the garden chair and talked about their future. Demetri wanted five kids but she wanted two. They finally compromised on three. Demetri McFadden was an only child who always dreamed of having a large family. He often told her that he was lonely growing up and didn’t want his children to experience that sort of childhood. Though his parents were loving and provided all the necessary things he needed, the one thing he hoped for were siblings. Most of his friends had two or three brothers and sisters, and he often felt jealous of them.
Caroline had two older brothers, so she never understood what it felt like to be lonely. She and her brothers, Adam and Jacob, shared a close relationship. With Jacob being only two years older than she was, they were almost joined at the hips.
When they were growing up, she often bribed Jacob to put on a dress and have a tea party with her and her dolls. Many people thought they were twins, with their golden curls and bright green eyes. Adam was the protector of the family, and even though he succumbed many times to her tantrums and cute pouts, she could never get him to put on her dresses and have tea. She did get him in trouble a few times. There was one occasion when she got him to use their father’s stethoscope to listen to Jacob’s heart in the swimming pool.
He was twelve at the time, and she was only six years old. That’s when she realized that women held the ultimate power to control everything, either by batting their eyes, pouting, crying, or using their brains. Though the boys pretended that they were going along with her ideas because they wanted to, she knew she was the leader of the gang.
It was around the same time that Adam knew he wanted to follow in their dad’s footsteps and become a doctor. Thomas Sullivan, at the time, was the head surgeon at a prominent hospital in Washington DC. He made Adam come to the emergency room for three weeks as punishment for using his medical instrument in the pool. After three days observing his father and other doctors at work, Adam was a new creature.
“I’m going to be a doctor,” he announced at the dinner table one evening that week.
“I thought you were going to be a pilot,” Madelyn smiled and gave their father a knowing look.
“Dad, you were amazing today. I want to do what you did,” Adam’s eyes gleamed as they looked at Thomas across the table.
He’d observed his father save lives in the emergency room after a motor vehicle accident. He described how his father gave orders on what medicine to give the patients and how cool he was while everyone else seemed to panic. His father was his new hero.
“I’m going to marry a soldier!” Caroline announced, and they all laughed. What did she know, she was only six years old.
“Honey, why a soldier?” her mother asked.
“Because soldiers save the world,” her little green eyes sparkled.
“That’s silly,” Jacob teased.
“No, it’s not! Soldiers save people too,” she protested.
“You’re right my dear,” her father smiled. “Soldiers and doctors are similar. We save lives.”
Jacob was eight at the time, but all he knew was that soldiers went to war. Caroline learned from her kindergarten teacher that soldiers, firefighters, doctors, and nurses save lives. Their father explained to them what a soldier’s duties were and the kind of training they got. There were different kinds of soldiers with different skills. After that lesson at the dinner table, Jacob wanted to become a soldier too, but ended up changing his mind when he became sixteen and developed an interest in business.
He started his first business for profit when he was only sixteen. He’d announced early what he wanted for Christmas and ended up with three surround sound headphones. Rather than return them for something else, Jacob sold the extra two to friends for a profit. Other students got the impression that he had the products for sale and began to place orders. Jacob, seeing the opportunity, not only took over thirty orders, but made a deal with the distributor to supply the headphones for a commission. He did that with the consent of their parents.
In six months, he was the go to guy for the newest electronic gadgets for teens, making deals with manufacturers to test drive new gadgets and earning a profit. He continued his business throughout college, and by the time he graduated, he had en
ough money to open his own business. Now, at age thirty, his main focus was medical equipment.
Caroline’s mind flicked back to Demetri. His hazel eyes suddenly loomed before her. The memory of his strong cheekbones and sensuous lips hadn’t faded. It was as if he was right there in front of her. His face was as she liked him most, with his stubble almost a day old and she loved rubbing her palm along his cheek.
She held the picture of his face behind her eyelids for as long as she could, until the bedroom door opened and broke her concentration. A soft groan escaped her and she relaxed her body, feigning sleep. Someone moved into the room. She could feel their presence as they walked silently on the plush beige carpet. Then, she felt the bed depress and she faked a light snore. Someone parted her hair and brushed it from the part of her face that wasn’t buried in the pillow.
“You can stop now,” a man’s deep voice chuckled. “Mom’s gone to the store.”
Caroline’s eyes flew open and stared into green eyes just like hers, “Jacob!”
She sat up immediately and flung her arms around her brother’s neck. The tears that had refused to come now broke free, and she found that she could not control the flood that tore through her. It was as if she’d been waiting for her brother to come back from his three month business trip abroad. He held her close and stroked her hair.
“Let it out,” he murmured. “Your brother is here now.”
“Oh Jacob,” she bawled into his shoulder.
They stayed like that for about fifteen minutes until the tears slowly subsided and she was able to pull away. Her eyes had become puffy and red. Jacob reached to the bedside table with a gold lamp and a box of tissues, and pulled out a few, then handed them to her. She blew her nose and looked up at him.
“What took you so long?”
“The deal went longer than expected, but I won’t be going anywhere for a while,” he pushed her hair behind her ear in a loving gesture. “What’s this I hear about you not wanting to get out of bed?”
She bit her lips and pressed the heel of her palms into the socket of her eyes. They hurt from the glare of the sun which she hadn’t seen in days…or months…she couldn’t remember. Jacob continued to stroke her hair and she began to relax. She’d missed him terribly.
“I’ll wait while you wash up and change. I need a favor,” he told her.
Caroline scrambled from the bed and managed to drag her feet to the bathroom. Absently, she brushed her teeth while she wondered what Jacob wanted and then she remembered that her mother had something to discuss with her as well. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a loose t-shirt.
As she looked at herself in the mirror she noticed that her cheeks had sunken slightly and her collarbones were more pronounced. She’d lost weight, but she didn’t care. She brushed her hair and put on a smile before getting back to the bedroom.
“Much better,” Jacob announced when she walked in.
He led her down the winding staircase and into a large drawing room overlooking an expertly manicured garden. She stopped at the sight of her older brother who had his back turned. He was holding a cup and looking out the double French doors. His light brown hair was neatly cropped and he’d rolled up the sleeves of his crisp white shirt, revealing his firm forearm.
Her father was seated in his special recliner and he looked up as they entered. His once blond hair was white and his pale blue eyes softened as he looked her way. Madelyn was standing close by her father, looking on expectantly. Her neat brown hair was cut in a bob, a new hairstyle? Caroline wondered. When did mom get a new hairdo? Then, it occurred to Caroline that this was an intervention and knew they were ganging up on her.
“What’s this?” her voice carried over to Adam who now turned and smiled.
“Hey Goldie, long time no see,” he put the cup on a side table that was close to the door and walked over to her, hugging her tightly.
Adam took her hand and led her to the three piece beige sofa in the center of the room while Jacob moved to sit beside her. She looked down at the rug on the floor and noticed she had never seen it before. The room seemed strange and she felt slightly out of place.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, looking from one to the other.
“No, nothing’s wrong. We’re just happy to see you,” Adam said.
“You see me all the time. We live in the same house remember?” she looked at him with a frown.
“Oh yeah, but that’s only when I come to your room, and you’re mostly sleeping then,” he commented.
“So that’s it, you’re all ganging up on me!” she made to get up but Jacob stopped her.
“Sis, we’re not ganging up on you. I need you to do something for me, and he’s here because we want to have breakfast together.”
She looked at her older brother questioningly and he nodded. “That right. I came because Jacob is back and I wanted to join the breakfast throng,” he grinned, baring his white even teeth.
“Come, Rosa has prepared breakfast and it must be getting cold,” Madelyn announced.
Jacob stayed beside her when they moved towards the dining room. The room was very spacious with only a large dining table and a side table. He pulled her chair out and took the chair to her right, while Adam sat at her left. It was no different from when they were kids, they always insisted on flanking her…or was she the one who insisted that they sit that way so she could get something from each of their plates? She could not remember.
Their parents sat directly across the table from them and not at the shorter ends like most people. The table was a twelve seater that could be easily adjusted to an eighteen seater. They always said that it made no sense sitting so far from each other when the other seats were empty. It occurred to Caroline that her parents could not bear to be apart from each other.
It seemed like it was a very long time since she last saw her brother Adam. He appeared to have gotten older somehow. She knew he was busy with the private practice he and their father now managed, with him taking on most of the patients since Thomas was still a consultant at the hospital. At thirty two, Adam was a successful physician, earning the confidence of many patients as well as his father.
It was strange for her with everyone there. “So, what is this thing you want me to do Jacob?” she asked, not quite believing their story about wanting to eat breakfast together. Usually, Adam would be long gone by now, so she knew he was missing a few appointments to be there.
“I have a client I want you to meet with,” he replied.
“Why me?” she asked. She’d worked with him before in an acquisition, being that she was a Business Consultant. “Are you expanding?”
“Why not you? You are the best and I’d rather you do it than someone else,” he stated succinctly. “And yes, I’m considering a merger.”
Caroline sighed. She wasn’t in the mood to meet some client and discuss business. Her heart was still broken from the death of her fiancé and everyone around acted as if life went on as usual. Life didn’t go on as usual! The sun should not be shining, she wanted to scream. Why did the sun have to come out today? She almost blurted out.
“I really need you Goldie,” her brother reached a hand and placed it on hers, squeezing it slightly.
Caroline raised her eyes and connected with his. She relaxed her shoulders and her rising frustration melted. How could she refuse her brother when he needed her help? He had always been there for her, so it was her turn. Still, she wasn’t ready to face anyone just yet, let alone a client.
“I don’t know Jacob,” she winced. “I don’t think I can.”
“You owe me,” he said. “This is for me kissing your Barbie’s butt, and we call it even.”
Her eyes widened, “Are you still upset about that?”
“She made you what?” Adam’s raucous laugh filled the dining room. Even their parents burst out laughing as well. Caroline could not help giggling at the memory and the look on Jacob’s face at that moment.
“It’s not
funny,” he protested, but she could see him trying to suppress his own laughter.
“Okay,” she relented. “I’ll meet your associate.”
“Promise me you won’t back out,” Jacob warned. “Come, let’s spit promise.” he opened his palm as if to spit on it.
“You’re gross. We’re not kids anymore,” she shoved him playfully with her shoulders.
“Okay, maybe no spit, but let’s shake on it,” he stretched his hand out and she took it. As she did, she could see a glint in his eyes. He was hiding something, she knew him well.
“When is this meeting?” she inquired, still holding his gaze, trying to figure out what Jacob was up to.
“In two days,” he informed her. She dropped his hand and picked up her orange juice. “In Viti Levu, Fiji,” he added.
Caroline almost choked, “What? You never said…,” she started but he interrupted her.
“You promised! Didn’t she promise?” he looked around the table at the others. “Didn’t she?”
“Yes, she did,” everyone chorused.
“You tricked me, you scoundrel!” she made after Jacob, but he quickly pulled his chair back and bolted from the table.
Caroline felt the blood began to circulate through her as she chased her brother around the room. She felt like a child again having fun with her siblings. A rush of adrenaline flooded her veins as laughter emanated from her for the first time in a month.
Out of breath, she leaned against the wall and twisted her lips in mock anger, “I’ll get you for this.”
Chapter Two
For the first time in a month, Caroline didn’t feel like she was going to die. She didn’t feel quite normal just yet, but what she felt wasn’t despair either. Everything seemed strange to her, but she was communicating with her family and it felt right. Going on this business trip may just be the thing she needed, she thought. She had a feeling that this short business trip was going to turn out to be something special. She could not put her finger on it as to why, but she was anxious to get to Fiji.
Reminding The SEAL (Navy SEAL Military Romance) Page 1
