Page 14 of Love and Other Trials
She fell back on the bed, knowing she was exhausted. But her thoughts just wouldn’t settle. Her dream wouldn’t die. Because her grandma’s house!
Somewhere in hell a Deverell ancestor was laughing at her conundrum. The man who could ruin everything was the man she was attracted to. Really attracted to. Not just a passing fancy, as Grandma liked to say. Because if Rob decided to call off the wedding after talking to Dax, her time with the best man could be over. Even if it wasn’t, by some miracle, how in the hell was she supposed to date the man who’d stopped her sister’s wedding?
The trials were swirling like killer bees, and Ariel closed her eyes as her mind continued to spin images of the possible wreckage ahead.
FOUR
Today might as well be calledRuin Your Best Friend’s LifeDay.
Dax sat up in bed and grabbed his watch. Six a.m. His internal clock was as consistent as his flying stats, even after hitting the hay as late as he had. Would Rob be up and about too? Maybe they could take a run? Talk on the beach? Surely it would be best to have this out away from the property.
When he picked up the phone, his gut tightened. Rob had texted ten minutes ago.
Rob
Hey dipshit! You up? I need to talk to you.
His already tense stomach dropped to the floor. Had Tiffany struck first? He could see her spinning a tale to suit her interests. Her hard looks last night had portended bad things.
He rubbed his morning scruff, wishing for once he was back on an aircraft carrier where trouble like this didn’t happen. But that wasn’t his reality, so he texted Rob back.
Up and ready for a run. Meet you in ten on the beach.
Rob
Dax hauled himself out of bed and did a hundred pushups before throwing on an old Navy T-shirt with a pair of gray shorts. After pulling on socks and running shoes, he headed to the bathroom. Normally he wouldn’t check his hair for a run, but if Ariel was awake, he didn’t want to greet her with bedhead. Or bad breath. After using a comb and a toothbrush, he opened his bedroom door and ducked into the hallway.
Her door was still closed, but as he tiptoed to the front, Sherlock rose and shook off his sleep and headed to the front. Dax wondered about letting the dog out, but he couldn’t deny him.
He grabbed the leash from where she’d laid it on the entrance table, clipped it on, and opened the door. “You take care of things and then it’s back inside. I don’t know you guys well enough to take you with me.”
Bloodhounds were good dogs, and Ariel had trained this one well, but they were like every other dog. Presented with the chance to be outside, they’d want to stay there. He waited for Sherlock, stretching. Sunrise was breaking out in reds and oranges, and God, what a sight. As a man used to being on carriers and in planes, he saw more sky than most, but this sunrise was a doozy. The ocean was still black and navy in spots, the undercurrent visible.
Sherlock trotted over to him and nudged him as if to say thank you. He rubbed him behind the ears. “You’re a good boy. I’m promising myself right now that pretty darn soon I’ll have my own dog. Let’s get you inside.”
Opening the door, he unclipped Sherlock’s leash and stowed it before exiting and heading to the beach. Rob was a dark form only a few meters up, jogging toward him like he had since they’d first met at the Naval Academy as roommates in Bancroft Hall. They’d run together nearly every day afterward. Those rituals of brotherhood had seen him through his homesickness, and their friendship had only deepened.
While Rob had always pulled Dax away from the books when he was hitting them too hard, Dax had returned the favor by helping his buddy buckle down for schoolwork. They’d helped each other meet girls, too. Dax was the one who’d helped Rob make a move on Erin at a local Annapolis hangout, which had led to a two-year relationship. Until she’d cheated on him and broken his heart…
Now he was about to have it broken again. God help him.
“Did I just see you take Ariel’s dog out?” Rob asked quietly when he halted in front of him, also sporting morning scruff.
A leading question if he’d ever heard one. He looked his friend in the eye, which was easy since they were the same height at six-two. Whether he’d be a few inches shorter after Rob tried to knock his block off would be another story. “You know dogs.”
Rob jerked his dark head toward the ocean. “Come away from the house. We have some things to discuss.”
His clipped tone would have made plebes pee their pants back at the Academy. As his friend, Dax usually didn’t take it personally. But today it felt personal.
The tide was low, so he followed Rob out closer to the water’s edge, crunching seashells in his wake as they started jogging. The seagulls cried out. He caught sight of two black shapes leaping in the distance and usually would have smiled at seeing porpoises. Not today.
He came abreast of his friend and wondered if he should stop so they could have it out. Best to keep moving, he decided. Rob had a fiery personality, and when he got going, he was like a bottle rocket. Better to let him erupt and burn out.
“I didn’t want to believe Tiff, but when I saw the dog, I knew. What in the hell were you thinking, inviting Ariel to stay with you?” Rob shot out.
He was getting the riot act for being a good guy? Really? “She was exhausted and needed a bed. She’d wanted space for her and Sherlock, and dammit, she’d just finished working a tornado site. I had a free room. Seemed obvious to offer it.”
“I know you like to be the good guy, but you shouldn’t have butted in.” Rob pumped his arms harder as he picked up his pace, which Dax matched. “Tiffany woke me up right after you left with her sister, upset as all get-out. She and her sisters had everything planned with Ariel staying with the boys, and you screwed that up.”
