“Hey, Riley.” He waited for her eyes to lift to his. “If you get there first, save me a seat.”
Her smile was timid and confused, but she nodded as he closed the door and stepped back. He stood in the parking lot and watched her drive away. As the taillights of her car disappeared out of sight, he wondered what this girl was doing to him. He was already worried about what would happen when this assignment ended. For the first time in his life, he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to walk away without looking back.
* * *
She was trying not to watch for him, but she couldn’t deny the quick thrill that whipped through her when Tristan walked through the door. She also didn’t miss the curious looks that several other ward members cast toward the door as the rest of the squad followed. Their ward was small enough that anyone new was likely to get noticed. It wasn’t possible for six newcomers to show up without drawing some attention. Make that seven, she thought to herself when she noticed Kel’s wife beside him.
Tristan’s eyes found her immediately, and her stomach did a little somersault as a smile crossed his face. He moved farther into the chapel, followed by the rest of the gang. They crowded into the pew Riley and Taylor had saved for them, and Tristan made a point of sitting at Riley’s side.
The nerves fluttering in her stomach calmed as soon as Tristan settled into his seat and laced his fingers with hers. He didn’t seem concerned about anyone seeing him holding her hand, so she guessed no one on his squad would have a problem with them dating. After all, Brent was married to their intelligence officer, and they worked together all the time.
Sacrament meeting and Sunday School passed much too quickly, and Riley tried to hide her reluctance when it was time for her to leave Tristan’s side to go to Relief Society. She was still wondering if she would see him after church when the Relief Society president called on her to introduce her friends. She was confused for a moment before she realized the woman was talking about Amy and Marilyn, Kel’s wife.
Before Riley could fumble over the introductions, Amy stood up and, with a confidence Riley couldn’t help but admire, introduced herself and Marilyn. Riley wasn’t sure what to think about Marilyn, who was remarkably quiet. When Kel had introduced her to Riley before sacrament meeting, he had mentioned that she would be staying in Bainbridge with him until their training sessions ended.
Riley considered what it must be like for Marilyn to have to relocate every time Kel was on temporary duty just so they could be together. As difficult as it had been for Riley to have her father away at sea for months at a time, she realized that maybe her family hadn’t had it that bad after all. At least her family had spent all of her teenage years in the same house, and when her dad had been home on leave, he had been with them all the time. Rarely did they have to worry about him getting called back suddenly, except in wartime.
The notes of the closing hymn startled Riley out of her musings. She was a little embarrassed that she had spent the entire class letting her mind wander. When she walked out of the classroom, her stomach did that quick little lurch at seeing Tristan waiting out in the hall. He reached for her hand and drew her away from the classroom as Brent and Kel stepped forward to greet their wives.
Tristan lowered his voice as they moved down the crowded hallway. “I hope you don’t mind that I used you as an excuse to get out of lunch with Brent and Amy. She’s trying to cook again, so I told her I already had plans with you.”
Riley raised her eyebrows. “Is this your way of asking me to eat lunch with you?”
Before Tristan could answer, Brent and Amy approached. “Are you sure you don’t want to come over?” Brent asked. “Amy’s making pot roast.”
“He means I’m attempting to make pot roast,” Amy corrected with a laugh. “This is supposed to be a foolproof recipe.”
“Thanks anyway, but I was thinking we’d go on a picnic,” Tristan improvised. “It’s such a nice day out.”
“Let me know if you change your mind,” Amy told him before moving down the hall with Brent.
Tristan fell into step with Riley as they headed outside, and he walked her to her car. She was smiling when she turned to face him. “Do you even have any food at your apartment? You always go out to eat.”
Tristan shrugged innocently. “I have some chocolate chip cookies.”
“Tell you what. You go get the cookies, and I’ll make some sandwiches,” Riley suggested. “We don’t need more than that for a picnic.”
“Deal.” Tristan opened the car door for her as Taylor approached. “I’ll pick you up in half an hour.”
Riley nodded and watched him walk to his truck. She didn’t realize she was staring until Taylor snapped her fingers in front of her.
Taylor laughed. “Oh yeah. You’ve got a definite case of falling head over heels.”
“Oh, stop it,” Riley said, quickly climbing into the car to hide the blush rising to her cheeks.
Taylor got into the passenger’s seat and tried to keep a straight face. “He stares at you, you stare at him. You’ve spent practically every waking moment with the guy over the past couple of days. I’m seeing definite potential here.”
“Don’t tell me you’re trying to marry me off too,” Riley pleaded.
“I’m just stating the facts,” Taylor insisted. “It’s not my fault it’s only taken you five days to figure out that this guy might be someone worth hanging onto.”
Riley didn’t answer, couldn’t answer. Was she really falling for Tristan? And if so, how could this be happening so quickly? As she watched Tristan’s truck pulling out of the parking lot, she wondered if she would see him again once this assignment was over.
7
The red-and-white picnic blanket was spread out beside a flowering dogwood tree that had already traded most of its blossoms for leaves. White petals were scattered on the grass, occasionally lifting in the gentle breeze. Riley had chosen this spot, just a short distance up a popular hiking path near campus.
True to her word, Riley had made sandwiches and had also taken the time to mix up a jug of lemonade and grab some leftover macaroni salad. The sandwiches were turkey and cheese on croissants, and Tristan had to admit that the spur-of-the-moment lunch was better than anything he could have thrown together.
After they had finished eating, they had walked up the trail for a few minutes before returning to their picnic spot. Now they were drinking the last of the lemonade under the evening sun, and Tristan was already trying to figure out when he could be with Riley again.
“Do you and Taylor normally have family home evening together on Monday nights?”
“We try to do something together when we can, but tomorrow she’s heading to Charlottesville. Our aunt who lives up there invited her to stay for a few days. Taylor’s trying to get some shopping done before she leaves for Venice in August.”
“How about letting me make dinner for you tomorrow night then?” Tristan suggested.
“Can you cook?” Riley asked skeptically.
“As long as you like spaghetti.”
Riley grinned. “I love spaghetti.”
“Good.” Tristan grinned back. “I should probably warn you that Quinn and Seth might join us—especially if Amy offers to cook again.”
“What’s wrong with Amy’s cooking?”
“Honestly, she just can’t cook.” Tristan shook his head and laughed as he thought of her most recent attempt at chocolate chip cookies. He supposed someone should have told her to cream the butter and sugar together before trying to add the flour. “She keeps trying, but I don’t think it’s going to be long before Brent bans her from the kitchen.”
“She can’t be that bad,” Riley insisted.
“You’re right,” Tristan agreed reluctantly. “She does have an occasional success, but we’re all holding out for some consistency before we volunteer to be her guinea pigs.”
“I think it’s great that you’re all so close. It’s like having a second family.”
/> “It’s the only family for me,” Tristan admitted. He hadn’t meant to speak the words out loud, but once he’d said them, he didn’t know how to take them back.
“What about your parents? Brothers? Sisters?”
Riley waited for his reply, her dark inquisitive eyes trapping him. He normally sidestepped questions about his family, but he wasn’t sure that would work with Riley, and he knew he didn’t want to lie to her. “My dad took off when I was little. I guess he got tired of playing househusband to a career naval officer.”
“Your mom’s in the Navy?”
Tristan nodded ruefully. “She made admiral last year.”
“Are you serious?” Riley’s eyes widened. “That’s incredible. There can’t be more than a dozen women who have achieved that rank.”
“I’m sure my mom could tell you exactly how many women made it before her.” Tristan gave a shrug, but he couldn’t quite hide the bitterness in his voice.
Riley’s eyes narrowed, and Tristan could tell she was trying to understand the source of his bitterness. “Where were you while she was busy making admiral?” she asked. “I mean, after your dad took off, where did you live?”
“I bounced around a lot. Grandparents, aunts and uncles,” Tristan told her. “Most of my mom’s family was in San Antonio, so I moved from house to house. Whenever Mom came home on shore leave, it was usually so she could convince another relative to take me in.”
“That sounds awful.” Riley reached for his hand and gazed at him sympathetically. “Didn’t she realize how unhappy you were?”
“If she did, she didn’t say.” He gave a shrug. “Anyway, when I was fifteen, she had a year stint up at the pentagon. My grandmother decided it was high time her daughter took some responsibility for the son everyone else had been raising, so she sent me out to Washington to stay with my mom. But it didn’t take long before Mom was heading out on temporary duty and leaving me alone to raise myself.”
“She left you home alone when she went TDY?” Riley asked incredulously.
“Pretty much. She’d leave me grocery money and call every couple of days.” Tristan leaned back on one elbow. “The next-door neighbor was great about checking in on me when Mom was gone. He’d asked me to help tutor his son, who was about my age. I was a whiz at math back then, and the kid was really struggling. It started out as a weekly lesson, but before long I was hanging out at their house all the time. They took me to church with them and came to cheer me on at my basketball games. They even taught me how to drive.”
“They sound like incredible people,” Riley said softly.
“Yeah, they really are.” Tristan smiled now—really smiled. “When my mom’s tour was up, she tried to farm me off again, but the Lamberts insisted they wanted me to stay with them. I had already decided I wanted to join the Church, and they wanted to give me a chance to finally have some stability in my life.”
“Lambert? As in Quinn’s family?”
Tristan nodded. “Quinn was the kid I was tutoring.”
“That’s amazing.” Her eyes went soft with understanding and sympathy. “Is that why you’re not an officer? Because you didn’t want to follow in your mom’s footsteps?”
“In a way, I guess.” Tristan had never really put his reasons into words, but Riley had summed up his feelings pretty accurately. “I just know that I’m glad I don’t have to deal with the politics Kel has to face everyday.” He studied her a moment, surprised that he didn’t feel the least bit embarrassed about what he had told her. “You know, besides the guys in the squad, you’re the only person who knows about my mom.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “I guess we’ve spent enough time together lately that we were bound to tell each other some of our secrets.”
“I guess so.” Riley’s shoulders tensed, and she motioned with her free hand to the trail. “I suppose we should be getting back.”
Tristan nodded in agreement, his senses suddenly heightened. He watched her gathering up the remains of their lunch, and he knew she was still holding something back. He wasn’t sure exactly where their relationship was headed, but he knew it couldn’t go much further until she learned that she could trust him completely.
* * *
Taylor was stirring chicken and vegetables in a frying pan when Tristan and Riley got back to the apartment. When Tristan had revealed that he didn’t have plans for dinner, Riley had invited him home with her for their evening meal.
“Hey, Tristan,” Taylor called out. “I hope you’re hungry, because I made enough for an army.” She looked up at him and grinned. “Or a navy.”
“How did you know I was going to show up for dinner?” Tristan asked, wondering if he had been taking advantage of the girls’ hospitality.
“Lucky guess,” Taylor said. “It will be ready in about half an hour.”
“Do you need any help?” Riley asked, moving toward the kitchen.
“Nope. It just needs to simmer.” Taylor put the lid on the pan and then wiped her hands on a hand towel. “I’m going to go pack for my trip. Holler at me when the timer goes off.” With that, she disappeared into her room.
“Did you want to watch something on TV?” Riley asked as she sat down on the couch.
“Whatever you want to do.” Tristan took a seat next to her, suddenly struck by Taylor’s expectation that he would come over for dinner. He had turned into Riley’s boyfriend without even realizing what was happening. As he glanced over at her, he decided maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.
Riley turned on the television, but after flipping through the channels for a few minutes, she turned it off again. Tristan could feel her tension rising, and he laid a hand on hers. “Are you going to be okay tomorrow?”
She looked at him, and he knew she was well aware that he was talking about returning to Sedgely Hall. “I’ve been trying not to think about it.” She sighed. “I know that’s the coward’s way out, but I keep hoping that maybe I can just forget.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“I . . .” Riley hesitated, clearly debating.
“Riley, just tell me.”
“Could you maybe give me a blessing?” Her eyes were so dark just then, her face so serious. “I was going to ask my dad when we were at my cousin’s wedding, but I was afraid he would try to get me to quit this project if he knew how hard it’s been.”
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I’d be happy to give you a blessing.” Tristan gave her hand a squeeze. “Do you mind if I ask Quinn to come help me?” He saw her hesitation and continued. “He isn’t going to think any less of you that you want the Lord’s help to deal with a tough situation.”
“I’m just not sure I want everyone to realize I was a student at Oswell,” Riley admitted.
Tristan wasn’t sure how to tell her that everyone already had their suspicions anyway. Instead, he took a different approach. “I know you’ve only been working with us for a week, but one of the reasons our squad is so successful—the reason SEALs have such a high success rate in general—is that we trust each other enough to share our weaknesses. We learn how to help each other so that we can capitalize on our strengths and lift anyone who struggles.” Tristan looked at her intently. “Besides, it’s up to you whether you tell Quinn why you want a blessing. He isn’t going to ask.”
Reluctantly, Riley nodded in agreement.
Tristan pulled out his cell phone and called Quinn to ask him to come over right away. Quinn’s response made him grin, and he saw Riley furrow her brow in curiosity. He was laughing by the time he hung up the phone. “You just made Quinn’s day,” he told her.
“Why?” She was clearly confused.
“Amy was just serving the pot roast. It sounds like that recipe wasn’t foolproof after all.”
Riley’s laughter joined his. “Poor Amy. It’s so frustrating to put in so much effort and have it not turn out.” She considered for a moment. “Do you think she would be insulted if I of
fered to help her?”
“Amy, insulted? Not likely.” Tristan brought Riley’s hand to his lips, and humor lit his eyes. “But the rest of us may create a medal in your honor if you’re successful.”
“Really?” Riley laughed. “If you’re that desperate, I’m sure you’ll be willing to at least sample what she makes after I teach her.”
Tristan grimaced. “You drive a hard bargain.” Then he considered the alternative of Amy continuing to learn on her own and found himself nodding. “But you’ve got a deal.”
8
Riley slowed her pace, regretting her decision to go into work early on Monday morning. She had given herself a few extra minutes to avoid the rush of the first day of the summer semester, but traffic and parking hadn’t been nearly as bad as she had anticipated. Now she was debating whether to divert over to the cafeteria to get something to eat or to just get this over with.
Though she had found a sense of peace after Tristan and Quinn had given her a blessing the night before, she was still anxious about walking back into Sedgely Hall. When Quinn had arrived the night before, she still hadn’t decided whether she was ready to confide in him. But as the two men laid their hands on her head, the Spirit had been so strong that she suspected Quinn knew the source of her fears without any words being spoken. After the blessing, she had looked into his eyes and asked simply, “You already knew I went to Oswell, didn’t you?”
Quinn had nodded, and Riley had realized that she hadn’t been fooling anyone over the past week. She hoped Tristan had spoken the truth when he’d said that everyone would help her overcome her weaknesses, but then she wasn’t really a member of their unit. She was just a consultant, and a temporary one at that.
As she approached Sedgely Hall, she wasn’t surprised to see Tristan waiting for her outside. What she hadn’t expected was to see the rest of the squad waiting with him. She pasted a smile on her face and struggled to sound cheerful when she greeted them. Tristan gave her a quick wink before Kel stepped forward to meet her on the steps.
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