Page 8 of All The Way Under
“If she gets bit, that’s another unfavorable mark against me.”
Nolan cracks his knuckles on the table and picks up the check the waitress dropped off. We always take turns, and it’s his turn today.
“I know Grimace well. He loves me because I look and sound like you. He does get sad for a few days, but he gets used to my amiable personality quite quickly. I bring him to the office, and the receptionist keeps him in a heated bed under her desk. He lives the life. I’ll make sure no one touches his paws.”
I smile, thinking about Grimace in a heated bed in Nolan’s office.
“I’m glad I don’t have to worry about him while I’m gone. You’re the only person I trust, you know that?”
“That’s the first real smile since you sat down,” Nolan points out. “And it wasn’t because I told you I love you, and I’ll miss you. It was because of Grimace. What needs to happen to give you a different life perspective? So you’ll see what’s important in life?”
He’s always a little philosophical. Nolan looks at life differently than I do. There’s no arguing he has it right, and I should conform, but Ican’t.I don’t know how. Not yet. It is coming time that I’m going to have to face my past head-on and forgive myself, though. Time is passing, and I do understand that.
“Eventually, I’ll come around. You said it yourself. Probably need more time to figure it all out,” I say, standing after our check is taken care of.
We make our way to our trucks. Mine is black and tinted, and his is white, and the windows are still standard.
Stretching when Nolan faces me, I wrap him in a hug. He holds me for a long time, and I hold on just as tight. I don’t care what people think or what it appears as. I do love my brother. I will miss my brother.Just say it, my subconscious whispers, but nothing comes out. I just close my eyes and will him to know.When he pulls back and looks me in my eyes, the same blue eyes I own, I know he knows my heart. Without saying a word.
He ruffles my hair. “I’ll see ya, McBrode,” Nolan says, eyes glassing over.
I push the emotion down, as far as it will go, but I still feel it leaking from my eyes.
“Yeah, I’ll see you, McLan.” I ruffle his hair back, and then I get into my truck.
I wait for him to pull away first, making sure he’s safe on the busy road before I head for home.
Grimace is sitting on the back of the couch, staring out the window when I pull into my driveway. I smile at him, and he hops down to greet me at the door. I scoop him up and lock my door. We’re going to head to base, and he comes with me when he can.
I transferred to the SEAL base in Southampton a few years ago to be close to my family, and so far, they haven’t asked me to transfer yet. I’ll admit if they do, I will be upset. This is the most settled I’ve felt in a long time. I like my little cottage house and the fact that Nolan and my parents are close. I like that it feels like home when I’m not deployed or on a training trip.
“All right, Grimace, we need to make sure I have everything I need, and you need to guard the high bay while I do it,” I explain, petting his head at a red light.
He sits in my lap, his tiny paws on one thigh and his butt on the other.
“You can’t be mean to Catherine, Grim. You hear me? You’re going to meet a nice lady, and you need to be sweet to her. Sweet like you’ve never known how to be. If she doesn’t like us, we’re in trouble, okay?”
He looks at me, and I swear he has an understanding.
“We need to blend in, Grim. We need to be good. Nolan deserves it.” I say the last sentence quieter. “He deserves it,” Irepeat. “I’m going to miss you so much. I am going to miss him so much. I love you.”
I whisper the words to my dog that I couldn’t bring myself to say to my brother.
CHAPTER THREE
saylor
“The hydrofoils are failing,”I say to myself as I check the gauge for the tenth time.
Hydrofoils are underwater wings that lift the hull out of the water and lessen the drag, allowing me to sail quicker.
“Sea Tracker is also failing,” I whisper in absolute horror.
That’s the newest mod Dad and I installed before I set sail. Sea Tracker is an AI GPS that sails autonomously, so I can sleep with more regularity. Sea Tracker makes real-time adjustments for weather conditions and the wind. Without it, I’m completely self-reliant. It’s still doable, but it’s much harder. This is something I didn’t anticipate doing without a crew.I can do hard things,I remind myself.
I’m crouched down in front of the control panel, sweat pouring down my face as I stare at the worst-case scenario unfolding. I’ll be facing the toughest, most powerful current in the world, the Agulhas current, without the equipment I’ll need for safety. Even though I can see land, it’s not friendly territory. I pulled up the charts of my friendly ports, and I’m still a few days away from being close to a port that I’d be comfortable docking at.
There was a storm last night, and while I didn’t think it was anything concerning at the time, I now realize it did more damage than I thought. My VHF radio is working, though there seems to be a jam in the lines. Channel sixteen, which is only used for emergency situations, would work, but this wouldn’t qualify as life-threatening. Not yet, at least.
