Loving a Santini

by Schroeder, Melissa

  She chuckled. “Oh, we have insane traffic up here. You should see it from November through February. When the waves get big, so do the crowds. It’s a bit absurd. But I like Honolulu and Waikiki. I just think that it’s best if Hawaii can keep at least some of their local flavor.”

  “Ah. Do you surf?”

  She snorted. “I tried a few times, but I can be a bit of a klutz on a surfboard.”

  They stepped up to the front door and he opened it before she could.

  “I can open my own doors.”

  “I’m sure you can, but it’s nice when someone else offers.”

  She shook her head, but there was a smile curving her lips. He followed her into the restaurant, happy that at least for a little bit, he had her to himself.

  * * *

  Sunshine smiled at the fish tacos she’d ordered. She was starving, and this was just the meal for her now.

  “You aren’t a true vegetarian?” Nando asked. His tone wasn’t judgy as many people could be. It was more curious.

  “First, I never said I was. I do eat fish, and I occasionally eat other meat, just not that often. About ninety percent of the time I go that way. And yes. I’ve always eaten like this. My mom was a vegan, which I could never do.”

  He smiled. “What’s your downfall?”

  “Cheese. God, I love cheese.”

  He laughed. “If my mom ever cooks when she’s on the island, you should get her to make her cheese enchiladas.”

  “Oh, definitely.”

  They both dug into their meals and chatted about nothing very important. They had picked one of the picnic tables outside of the little dive. The night air was sweet, kissed by the sun with the promise of the night. She could never understand why people wanted to live anywhere else. Her soul would always be connected to the islands.

  “Okay, it’s killing me,” Nando said, breaking into her thoughts.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Do you think you can help me?”

  “You’ll have to see how you sleep tonight. I do want you to make sure you have all your electronics in another room.”

  He sighed. “I can’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’m on call twenty-four seven. They have to be able to contact me any time of the day or night.”

  She thought about it. “Then, can you turn up your cell phone and leave it on your dresser or something? Just not beside your bed. Will that work?”

  “That I can do.”

  She nodded and picked up a fry. “I think that might be part of it. People who have the issues you do are many times hyper aware. Having electronics nearby can keep you from sleeping well.”

  “Huh. I never thought of that.”

  “Also, I want you to do breathing exercises.”

  “Okay.”

  “You’ll just close your eyes and take a deep breath and slowly release it. Count down in your head as you breathe.” She closed her eyes and demonstrated what she meant. Not because she thought he needed it, but she did. Watching him smile at her, with the setting sun behind him was leaving her a little lightheaded. She opened her eyes and found him watching her, his dark eyes intent.

  “So, you get the idea.”

  Oh, God, she sounded breathless. She knew it wasn’t the breathing exercises. It was that look in his eyes. Sunshine had to fight the urge to fan herself. She was suddenly very, very hot. Like in H A W T hot.

  Before he could respond to her instructions, her phone rang. When she saw the two oh two area code, she hit ignore. She knew exactly who it was. She had no reason to deal with her father, especially when there was a pretty man sharing his meal with her.

  “Is there something wrong?”

  She glanced up at Nando. “Sorry. Just an annoyance.”

  “Is there someone giving you issues?”

  Oh, no. He sounded like he wanted to take care of it for her. Sunshine didn’t need a man to take care of her problems. And she definitely shouldn’t be getting all melty about it. Sunshine didn’t get melty about men, especially overly possessive men who wore uniforms. Even though she knew what he looked like without that uniform.

  Dammit, she needed to stop that. It had never been an issue before, and she couldn’t let it be an issue with this man.

  “No. Just a salesman. They keep trying to sell me anything. And when I block their number, they use another one.”

  She felt a little bad about lying, but this was her private life. She had a lot of friends but only a few knew about her father.

  “I would like to see you once a week. Massage will help, but I think Reiki will be the best option. One-hour sessions and then maybe a massage once a month?”

  “I like that idea,” he said, his sexy smile causing her to curl her toes inside her shoes.

  “Don’t.”

  “Don’t what?”

  “It sounded like you were thinking of it as a date.”

  “I’m not.”

  “I know that I sometimes have clients who get attached.”

  He stared at her for one long moment, then he threw back his head and laughed.

  “What?”

  “You think a lot of yourself.”

  She opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. When she realized what she had done, she shook head and chuckled.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like that.”

  “No problem. I’m just happy that it seems you might be able help,” he said. “My issue wasn’t that bad, but it was a newer symptom and I wanted to make sure that it didn’t mushroom.”

  “I do have a question.”

  “Hit me.”

  “You seem so comfortable with the label PTSD. A lot of military folks aren’t.”

  He shrugged. “My brother Carlos has it. Then there’s Madison, my sister-in-law. With a family like mine, you always have one or two of us who have to deal with it.”

  “Still. They say it can ruin your career.”

  “It’s not as bad as it used to be, that’s for sure. Admitting to it when my father and uncles were in the military would end your career.”

  “But not now?”

  “It can, depending on the severity. Madison had to give up her Marine career. But I have a milder form. It’s messing with my sleep, and I can’t have that. And, from what my therapist and my sister-in-law says, I need to make sure I face any new symptoms right away.”

  “And right now you aren’t on the front lines.”

  He smiled. “Yeah. So, you say once a week. Do you have any openings this Saturday?”

  “Hmm, they are usually my busy days, but let me check.”

  She pulled out her phone and looked over her scheduled appointments. She felt his study and looked up at him. “What?”

  “Nothing. Just, I find it amazing what you do.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You help people heal, and yeah, you are into woo woo stuff.”

  She laughed. “Woo woo?”

  “See, you don’t get upset when I say that. You just seem so down to earth.”

  She shrugged. “I think having a background in medicine helps. Maybe people get upset because they aren’t so sure about how alternative meds help. I completely believe in them. It isn’t my job to convince the world. It’s my job to heal. And, you are in luck. I have a two o’clock appointment open.”

  “Sounds great.”

  As they finished up their meals, she tried to ignore that telltale heat making her head spin. Men who did that to her should never be her client. She would resist it because he had another strike against him. Men in uniform never stuck around. She had learned that a long time ago, and long-distance relationships rarely survived.

  What she needed was a date. She’d never been a big dater, but the recent dry spell she’d been through had been…damn six months. No…eight. That’s all this was. She just needed a date and all would be well after that.

  So, instead of worrying, she made a mental note about finding time to date, and c
oncentrated on having a fun conversation with Nando, and she made a note to think about finding a date with someone else soon.

  Chapter Five

  Three weeks later, Nando was amazed how a little Reiki had changed his life. He was now sleeping longer spells throughout the night. Not all the way through the night, but for him, it was a move in the right direction. He was now down to going every other week to Sunshine. Or that was what she had scheduled for him today. It had been their fourth session and he felt as if he was a new person.

  Granted he hated the idea of not seeing her for fourteen days. He knew he was going to miss spending time with her, even just in the treatment room.

  He blinked. Why was he thinking that? She was a professional doing her job. Counting down the days like that was kind of creepy, right? He’d responded well to her brand of therapy. In fact, some days, he fell asleep in a matter of minutes of her beginning the treatment. That had to be it. It wasn’t that he was going to be sad not to hear her laugh.

  Shit.

  Before he could think that through, his phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket and when he saw his mother’s face on the screen, he decided to sit down on his stoop and answer her call.

  “Fernando, how are you?” his mother asked. She was the only person in the family who called him by his full name.

  “I’m doing fine.”

  “Did you go to your session today?”

  “Yes. Feels even better each time. In fact, I’m going to start going every other week now.”

  “Good.”

  It was nothing less than the truth. After the first session, he worried how he would sleep. The woman had her hands all over him and just remembering it had him more than a little aroused. But he had slept. Deeply.

  “Is there something you need?”

  “Other than checking on my baby?”

  And he would never get away from that title. He was a few years younger than his brothers and sister. The surprise as his mother called him. Runt is what his brothers and sister called him. In fact, he was pretty sure Anthony had been the one to give him the title.

  “Everything is fine. I’m supposed to go out to the beach tomorrow with Anthony.”

  His brother lived on the island, married to another military brat. He had left the Marines a few years earlier to join NCIS.

  “That will be nice.”

  She seemed preoccupied, but he knew better. She was trying to keep something from him. “Mom. Tell me.”

  She sighed. “Your Aunt Joey is coming over.”

  He frowned. “I expected that. Marco will be home in a few days.”

  In fact, Nando was sure a few more of his cousins would make their way over to visit soon. It was a routine when one of them returned from deployment.

  “I just don’t want her to bug you.”

  “I can handle Aunt Joey.”

  She laughed, and he smiled. His father always said he fell for her the moment he heard her laugh. It was always a sign that everything would be okay. “What a silly boy you are, but I’ll let you continue to believe that for now.”

  He heard a car in the driveway, so he stood to see who it was. He saw a government vehicle and his heart dropped to his stomach.

  “Mom, can I call you back?”

  “Sure. Make sure you keep your appointment.”

  “Love you.”

  “Love you, Fernando.”

  He clicked off his phone, panic settling in his chest. No military family liked seeing a government vehicle in their driveway when a family member was deployed. He reached the driveway just as the front door to Alana and Marco’s house flew open. He saw the same panic he felt stamped on Alana’s face. Then, it dissolved into a smile. The door opened and his cousin stepped out of the vehicle. He was dressed in his uniform.

  “Daddy!” Jon yelled. Nando hurried forward just as Marco bent down to pick up the boy.

  Alana stepped up and Nando took Eddie from his mother as Marco set Jon back down. He clung to his father’s leg as Marco wrapped his arms around Alana. Tears streamed down her face as she held onto Marco. Nando blinked, fighting his own tears. The sight of the two of them was so sweet it left a lump in his throat.

  It was a scene he remembered from when his father came home, but for the first time in his life, he wanted this. A woman waiting for him, one who would have a look of love and relief on her face.

  After a moment, Marco looked at Nando.

  “Hey, cuz, howzit?”

  He smiled. “Great, now that we have you back.”

  “Let’s go in.”

  He nodded and followed Alana and Marco, who had picked up Jon again.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t warn me.” Alana’s voice quivered when she spoke.

  “I got a chance at a hop, so I took it.”

  She punched him in the arm. “And showing up in a military vehicle. Do you know what I thought? And I have an appointment next week to make myself beautiful for you.”

  He sat down at the breakfast bar. “You are beautiful.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  He grabbed her and kissed her neck. “I don’t. Either way, I couldn’t wait to see you and the kids, so I thought getting home early would be fantastic.”

  She smiled. “It is.”

  “We’ll have to celebrate,” Marco said. “We need to call Anthony.”

  “Let me get a hold of him.”

  He nodded as Nando called his oldest brother.

  “Hey, Runt, what’s up?”

  “Guess who got home early?”

  “Well, damn. He’s there now? We had all kinds of plans for the homecoming party and shit. Aunt Joey isn’t going to like this.”

  “Yeah. You know what those quiet types are like. He wanted to celebrate with dinner tonight I think.”

  “Count on us. We were just going to go grab some sushi. What time?”

  “I think he just wants everyone to come now,” he said glancing at Marco, who nodded.

  “Great. Give us an hour and we’ll be over.”

  He hung up. “I guess someone needs to get to the store. Make me a list, Alana. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Okay,” she said, but when she picked up a pencil, her hands were shaking. Marco noticed and placed his hand on hers, then took the pencil. A fresh wave of tears filled Alana’s eyes. Marco pulled her into his arms.

  “How about I text you?” Marco asked.

  Nando nodded. “Just let me know. If you don’t care what we eat, I can just pick something up at the store.”

  “Anything other than MRE’s sounds wonderful.”

  “I’ll grab a lot, along with some poke and other appetizers. Sound good?”

  Marco nodded. “Seriously, you know what it’s like. You just want to have a normal meal like a regular person.”

  “Text if you want anything in particular. Oh, hey, can I take the SUV?”

  “Sure, the keys are on the table by the door,” Alana said.

  He headed out the door, unable to fight the smile. It was a great thing when one of them came home, but he had never really seen one of his siblings or cousins when they initially got home. Not at the instant when they were welcomed by their family. That…well, damn. It hit him that while he had family always, he needed to start thinking about his future.

  At that thought, Sunshine Foster’s face popped into his mind. Nope, Santini. Stop that. He needed a woman without hang-ups about military, and who could be happy living that military nomad life. As sexy and desirable as she was, Sunshine would never be happy as a military wife.

  Nando decided to forego the commissary and hit Foodland. It was the go-to store for a lot of the locals, and he knew he could get a good price on the poke. He also didn’t want to deal with the payday Saturday crowd on base. It could be particularly irritating, and they could be out of a lot of things. Also, the aforementioned poke was important.

  He’d just turned into the produce section when he saw Sunshine. She was looking over some
pineapple. He watched as she picked through the offerings. Even in this, there was something so warm and bright in her demeanor.

  He could merely turn and walk away but found he couldn’t. First of all, his mother had raised him better than that. Second…he just couldn’t. Even here in a busy grocery store, he felt the pull. He didn’t know if it had more to do with his initial attraction, or the fact that she had magic hands, but either way, he made his way over to her.

  “What do you think you’re doing, young lady?”

  She looked up, then her entire face lit up. His breath backed up in his throat and his body lit up like the fourth of July. Damn, the woman was intoxicating.

  “Hey. What are you doing here?”

  “We had an early arrival.”

  Her eyes widened. “Alana went into labor?”

  He chuckled. “No. Sorry. Marco made it home today, and we’re having a cookout.”

  Her smile returned. “Oh, that’s wonderful. I’m glad he’s back early.”

  Then, nothing. They stood there staring at each other. He felt like he was back in middle school and mustering up courage to ask Annie Jacobs to dance. As people walked past them, they seemed unable to come up with conversation or even turn away from each other. Did she feel it too?

  “Hey, why don’t you come over?”

  “No, I don’t want to intrude.”

  “It’s not intruding. Anthony and Lalani are coming over, so please come. Otherwise, she’ll start naming off women for me to date.”

  She giggled. “Okay, but I really need to go home and change.”

  He looked her up and down. “You look fine to me.”

  Her face flushed, and he wondered about that flush, and if he had embarrassed her.

  “Sorry. I didn’t…never mind. Just come.”

  “I promise, I will but I need a shower. I have been in these clothes all day—as you well know.”

  He nodded. “Okay.”

  “Can I bring anything?”

  “Just yourself.”

  “Sounds great.”

  Then again, they stood staring at each other. There was a tickle at the back of his throat. It wasn’t panic...but damn, he felt like an idiot.

  “Well, I guess I should go and take that shower,” she said finally.