A SEAL's Return

by Grace Alexander

  He glanced down. “How so?”

  “Charlotte.”

  The word hit him like a bomb. He rolled his lips together.

  “Grieve, Jake, because grief never goes away until it’s ready, but treat it like unspent love that’s collecting in the form of pain and unshed tears. You’re keeping it to yourself, but whether you realize it or not, you’ve found a way to lavish that in the form of love on that little girl who feels the same way you do.”

  He dropped his gaze to the kids and back to her, then he looked over the horizon, past the church, over the green landscape of Vermont trees fed by powerful rivers and a community of good people. What was he doing? Remembering everything that he’d had growing up. Patient conversations. Meaningful moments. He was always with his cousin and extended family and those who made him feel confident and cared for—all similar to how he was raising Charlotte, just as her mother had.

  Jake had already told Nora his intention for the long term, but not until that moment did he understand the gravity of what that meant—family.

  This was his story. Tidings was how it all came together, and Ally and Davis’s tragedy wouldn’t end there. Exactly the way Ally would want.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Nora gathered the kids. Their attention spans had long flittered away, and she held Graham and Charlotte in each hand so they could go for a short walk and leave Jake for a few minutes. Kids were resilient and terribly honest, and she didn’t know if they would have questions about life after death or maybe why she and Jake were holding hands.

  Over the years, Nora had advised plenty of parents on this very topic. The question of introducing new relationships to kids was one that had to be handled with care. Adults could easily have many friends. But kids of all ages noticed special friendships and relationships, when they started and if they ended, and how they were handled and how they were communicated best determined how well a child reacted.

  She and Jake hadn’t said much, but they had been honest.

  Still, there might be questions. With Charlotte, there were always questions or a comment more suited for an adult.

  “Why don’t we have a Thanksgiving parade?” Graham asked.

  “Yes, how come? We could have the floats and giant balloons travel down Sugar Maple Street.”

  Nora laughed. She was so focused on serious topics that the wave of relief that washed over her nearly made her woozy as they bantered back and forth about the need for another major Tidings community event. “We just had the Halloween parade, you two. I don’t think I could handle another extravaganza.”

  Graham tugged on her arm. “You could hold the string so the hot air balloons don’t fly away.” He swung one way and Charlotte the other. “And that way Santa would have to come at the end of the parade, and we would all get to talk to him.”

  Charlotte froze as though she’d just realized the perfect gift to ask for, her eyes wide and her mouth open, then she jumped in the air with Nora’s hand still knotted to hers. “Yes! We need a parade.”

  “Don’t be silly,” Nora said. “We will see Santa, with or without a parade. You know that.”

  “But we need to see him now,” Charlotte pleaded as Nora looped them around and headed back toward Jake.

  “Let’s make it through Thanksgiving before we talk about any other holiday.” She squeezed both of their hands and spun them in a circle. “Deal?”

  Both kids chimed in with their agreement as Jake strode forward and met them, and Charlotte took off to jump into his arms.

  He tossed her over his shoulder as if she was his High Beam bag then ruffled Graham’s hair. Her son roared, darting ahead, and Jake hooked his arm around her. Such an odd location to find a peaceful moment, but as they walked back toward his dually, Nora listened to their laughter as the cool breeze lifted her hair, and she knew all was right in her world.

  “How about we meet back up for an early dinner?” Jake asked as they pulled out of the church driveway.

  “Hey, Mom?” Graham mumbled, half talking to Charlotte also.

  “Oh, that’s a great idea,” Nora told Jake. “I actually want to try this new dish with butternut squash and pine nuts. If you drop us off at the organic market, I think they’ll have everything that I’ll need.”

  “Can I show Charlotte that game on your phone?” Graham followed up.

  “We’ll wait, or go in with you,” Jake said.

  “I have to use the restroom. And I’d rather use my bathroom. Can we go there first?” Charlotte asked. “I have to go very badly.”

  “Can I show Charlotte now?” Graham asked again.

  Nora fished her phone out of her purse and handed it to Graham. Very badly were bathroom code words she didn’t like to hear, so she was up for anything to use as a distraction. “Sure. Here.” She handed it to Graham then faced Jake. “Drop us on the way, and you two go straight home. No biggie. We’ll see you soon enough.”

  “Thank you,” Charlotte said in a very petite, very adult way over the sound of the game in Graham’s hand. “I appreciate that.”

  “Sure thing,” Nora said.

  Jake smiled. “Then we’ll just swing back and pick you up.”

  “I’ll be so fast in the store, you don’t need to. The walk and the fresh air?” She shrugged. “We can hoof it, no problem.”

  They crossed Sentinel Bridge, made their way down the street, and pulled in front of the market. She leaned over and kissed Jake on the cheek, feeling a blush rise to her cheeks as his innocent looking hug gripped her tightly, then she let Graham out and they waved goodbye.

  It took only a few moments to find the pine nuts and butternut squash and then check out. Walking down the street, swinging the heavy bag between them, Graham asked, “Are you sure that you like kissing Jake?”

  She blushed, caught off guard by the directness and timing. “I’m sure. I like him a lot. And thank you for checking.”

  They continued down the block as Graham explained fun facts about dung beetles, but she circled back to his kissing question. “Hey, sweet pea. Are you okay that I kissed Jake on the cheek?”

  It wasn’t the first time she’d asked him that type of question, though maybe she hadn’t opened the conversation like that before. But she and Jake had already talked to both kids ad nauseum, just to be sure, though a couple of their follow-ups had been scripted, intentionally indirect and super sly.

  “Sure,” Graham said. “I just want to make sure that you’re happy before we do something that we shouldn’t.”

  Be still my heart. She melted into a puddle of mush and dropped to her knees, pulling him into a hug. She couldn’t love Graham any more for grouping him and her together into a we. All of their conversations had paid off, and he understood that she’d move forward with a relationship only if he was on board.

  A million factors were in play, and all of them revolved around him. But that he referenced we, as though they were the ones pulling the strings for the relationship with Jake, really hit her in the feels. “You make me so proud. Thanks for looking out for your mama.”

  She stood up and let him wriggle away, changing the conversation back to dung beetles and mealworms. Graham trotted ahead, and she floated for the rest of the walk home.

  They came onto their block and arrived at their house. He waited impatiently as she searched for her keys, and once the door was unlocked, Graham burst inside and Nora stepped in, dropping her grocery bag and purse while kicking off her shoes. She glided into the front hall on cloud nine, pausing at an unfamiliar stench of… dirt and tobacco.

  “Who are you?” Graham’s surprised voice faintly called from the hallway upstairs.

  And Nora’s blood ran cold.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  “Graham!” Nora rushed up the stairs. “Graham!” she sputtered, tripping over herself to pull her son behind her as she stared at the end of the hallway. “Sean? What are you doing in here?”

  “Sean?” Graham repeated, now more curious th
an scared. He knew his father’s name. He peeked around her. “Is that—”

  “Hold on.” She pushed Graham behind her, backing them both against the wall as two other men stepped out of the hallway bathroom. They stank of cigarettes and sweat, along with something else. A fine dust tickled her nose, tinged with the scent of home repairs, and Nora studied one man who was covered in white dust. “Graham, go downstairs.” She walked them along the wall, hanging onto Graham. “Go next door and play with—”

  Voices and boots coming from her kitchen stopped her cold.

  At the base of the stairs, a new man stopped mid-step as he saw her at the top of the landing.

  “Who are these guys?” Graham’s whisper shook because even a five-year-old could sense evil.

  “They’re just friends of a friend,” she said lightly, turning back to Sean. “My old friend stopped by with his friends.”

  Her light tone did nothing to ease the aggressive nature of the men surrounding them, and she silently pleaded with Sean.

  “Why are they here?” Graham pushed.

  “Sean?” Nora bugged her eyes.

  “Looking for something?” a man with a cigarette tucked behind his ear offered.

  “Right.” Nora swallowed against her dry throat. “I’d be happy to help. Could we do this in a less invasive manner?”

  He shook his head.

  Sean didn’t give so much as a long look at Graham, who tugged her shirt. “Is that my dad?”

  “Um, I—” She had no clue how to handle this real-life unfolding disaster. “We’ll figure out who everyone is soon enough.” She straightened and glared at Sean with every ounce of anger that she could launch his way. “Can Graham go next door and play? Please.”

  Her ex-husband shook his head. “He can stay put until we have what we need.”

  “And that is?” she prompted, finding a whole new level of eyeball anger to level at Sean.

  “I allowed a business partner to store a few things for safekeeping before we—er, anyone moved in, and, well…” Sean shrugged. “He owed my friends here a great deal of money. Plus interest, and we're here to recoup.”

  “A few things for…?” She blinked, unable to spit the words back at him. “Well, get them and go.”

  “I don’t know where exactly he stashed them.” He squinted. “And since he’s no longer with us, I can’t ask. Otherwise, we would’ve split ten minutes after you took off. I’d been trying to do this with less theatrics, but apparently the time for that search method has passed.”

  Her teeth sealed. “Well, thank you.” Nora couldn’t have pried her molars apart for a pleasant conversation if she had to, and she growled the rest. “For trying to be considerate.”

  “No longer with us.” The other man behind Sean gave a good snort.

  “You think this is funny?” she snapped. Maybe she didn’t have lockjaw after all as she failed to see the humor in breaking and entering then joking about people dying in front of Graham, even if he was too young to read between the lines.

  “Easy, Nora. No one else needs to get themselves hurt,” Sean said.

  She swung toward him. “What? Me?”

  “The diamonds are worth more than you. Don't slow them down.” He glanced at her vents thoughtfully. “They're in the walls somewhere. We've found some, but not all, and none were where I thought they’d be.”

  “Diamonds?” she shrieked. Sean had never told her! Wasn't that the entire point of his treasure hunting career?

  “Blood diamonds.”

  “In my house?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “They were an investment. We’d grab it when we needed them, and now, babe. I need them now.”

  She couldn't take it anymore. “Get out of my house!”

  “Yeah, it’s not going to work like that.” He motioned behind him to the man with a sway back. “Some friends are pushier than others.”

  The man at the base of the steps took a heavy step up.

  Tension stormed in her chest as Graham fidgeted by her side. “Let’s find what you need to, and you can be on your merry way.”

  “Nora, don’t be difficult.”

  The pressure in her head was too much. Nora was going to explode. She should be scared, but instead it was white-hot fury like she’d never experienced before. The audacity! For him to speak to her like that in front of her child! She shrieked, her hands balled into fists. “Don’t break into my house!”

  Sean laughed. “Used to be ours, and I was more than fair to you in the terms of our divorce. All I needed was access. I just need it earlier than I realized, babe.”

  Babe? “Get out!”

  “Mom?” Graham touched her back. “What if they hurt him?”

  Nora’s breath came in pants, and she needed to calm down, not wanting to say anything in front of Graham that she’d regret. “He can sit in his room, and I’ll help you find whatever you want. Deal?”

  Sean turned to the other men then asked, “He got an iPad or anything?”

  “Can I have an iPad?” Graham jumped to life, not realizing the gravity of the situation.

  The men laughed, and Nora wanted to hurt them one by one. “Go to your room, baby. I’ll check on you soon.”

  As though he didn’t understand that thugs—or whoever Sean was in a bind with—were standing in the way, Graham politely said “Excuse me” as he slipped past and into his room.

  “Nice kid,” the other man said. “My old lady’s all the time on our rug rat about ‘cuse me.”

  What world was she living in where criminals were complimenting her kid’s manners? “Thanks.”

  Sean brushed by and walked toward the master. “Maybe it was the bedroom and we missed it.”

  “I can go downstairs and check for something. Just tell me where.” And maybe that would be by her phone, so she could call 9-1-1 and then Jake. Why hadn’t she kept her purse on her shoulder!

  The other man came up the stairs. “You can stick with us.”

  “I prefer you to leave, if we’re being honest.”

  “We’d prefer your old man didn’t steal from us. But that’s life.”

  Her heart stalled. “You stole from them?”

  “Semantics,” Sean said, downplaying. “Can we focus?”

  She walked into the bedroom. “Oh my…” The walls were sliced open. The wallpaper had been shredded. The vents were unscrewed and torn away, and the light fixtures were ripped down. “My bedroom.”

  “It’ll all fix.” Sean didn’t bother to turn around as he passed a wall that hadn’t been completely mangled. “Maybe I put it in the kid’s room. What was that before? A study? A storage? Something like that?”

  “You can’t do this to his room, Sean. He can’t see this.”

  “Unless you have a couple hundred grand to exchange,” the man from the stairs explained, “yeah, we’re gonna.”

  Tears burned in her eyes. “You’re animals.”

  “It’s business, Nora. Calm down.”

  “Then your business stinks.” She shook, tears brimming on her bottom eyelashes. “You can’t destroy my house because this idiot thinks there are diamonds in the wall.”

  As if on cue, the three men crossed their arms, and Sean rolled his eyes.

  She threw her hands in the air, storming down the hall. “What else have you shredded in hopes of finding it?”

  She stopped and kicked the bathroom open with her toe.

  “Really? Really!” The beautiful turquoise wallpaper that she spent weeks searching for then even longer saving for had been sheared into ribbons and dulled by white drywall dust.

  “Follow her,” someone said. “And keep looking. Not in the boy’s room for now.”

  “Thank goodness for minor miracles.” Nora slammed the door. “Graham, the bathroom is off limits.”

  “Okay, Mom.”

  “Stay where it’s safe and don’t come out.” Maybe she was off limits too because she was getting ready to have a nervous breakdown.

  “I�
��m going downstairs. Who wants to help me destroy that?” Nora shouted then cringed. “Just kidding, Graham. Everything’s fine.”

  Heavy boots clomped behind her. “Don’t follow me too close. I’m up to here—”

  “Look, lady, this ain’t our ideal, either.”

  She stopped on the stairs and screamed, “So get out!”

  The man genuinely seemed as if he appreciated the level of angry she’d reached. “Graham do. Soon as we get what we came for.”

  Nora’s head dropped. Her awful ex had struck again. “And what if you don’t? What if he’s wrong or he’s lying or… what if he’s still the same conniving man who tricked me into marrying him, and there’s nothing more?” Tears slipped down her cheeks, and she couldn’t tell why. Was she angry? Or hurt? Was she heartbroken for Graham? Or exhausted? Violated?

  “It won’t be pretty.” He shook his head slightly. “Let’s only cross that bridge if we come to it.”

  Nora pinched the bridge of her nose. “I hate you, Sean Cabot!”

  Then, depleted, she went downstairs to watch as they destroyed her house for blood diamonds. She hoped that maybe they could find them without ripping the rest of her house apart—or maybe she’d get to her purse and call 9-1-1.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Jake’s head still swam from the time at the graveyard, and he had to shake away the feeling. But that was easier said than done. He sat at his home office desk and tried to make sense of purchase orders. All he saw was a blur of numbers.

  Maybe Jake needed to go watch television or see if he could convince Charlotte to toss around a football with him. As of yet, she’d not been convinced of football’s merits, but he was wearing her down. Eventually.

  Right now, he doubt he could tear her away from his phone. She was addicted to a word scramble game. While he knew he shouldn’t let her play it too much, it allowed for him to work on purchase orders. He wasn’t making any headway with those though. Jake called, “Snuggle bug, where you at?”

  “Right here,” she said a split second later.