Page 46 of Love and Other Trials
Rob
You up, dipshit? I’m going for a run. Heard you and Ariel went out for dinner alone last night.
Since you didn’t answer, I’ll assume you aren’t up. Ran by the house. Closed up tighter than Rambo’s headband. Which means you got lucky. This is me being pissed.
Dax stared out at the ocean. He wanted to text his friend back a simpleWTF, but that didn’t seem like a great idea. Sherlock had handled business and was standing tall, his sad expressive eyes looking up at Dax.
“Any idea why friends can up and become assholes?” Sherlock only continued to stare at him. “No? Me either, buddy. What to say. What to say. Okay, I’ve got it.”
I’m up now. You need something, princess? Because I hauled a buttload of sand for your wedding yesterday and I need a good shoulder rub.
His friend’s response was immediate.
Rob
Dax didn’t laugh, but he was glad for the smile he felt touch his lips. “Now that’s how best friends talk to each other.”
He would ignore Rob’s asshole comments about Ariel. Unless they got out of line. He would finish his duties as best man and get out of this looney bin.
The thought blindsided him. He didn’t want to leave Ariel. Not yet. Maybe not at all. Yeah, they’d only just met, but he wanted to see where things could go. He needed to think about making some plans.
With that in mind, he decided to text his new boss, former Naval Captain Jim Kennedy. While Dax’s general discharge had been accepted, he was still going through the routing process. That was the Navy for you. Discharge could take anywhere from thirty days to six months. As of today, he was technically at one month out. He appreciated Jim’s flexibility, but as a former naval officer, he knew the deal. He had no trouble waiting for good pilots.
Hey Jim! Checking in from Charleston. Ever been? So far so good. Look, I haven’t checked the airport out but wanted to add this to my list of possible plunk-down sites. I know you wanted my thoughts.
He saw ellipses right away and counted himself lucky.
Jim
Know Charleston well. My wife’s family is from there. Good airport. Good people. My wife’s sister is in real estate if you’re looking to rent or buy. She’d take good care of you. Just saying. Have a good time. Check in when you hear back from those paper pushers. I don’t miss that one bit.
Dax lowered his phone in a daze and glanced down at Sherlock. “Well, I’ll be damned. My new boss’ sister-in-law is in real estate! How lucky can one guy be?”
“Pretty lucky,” he heard a familiar voice say. “I heard you got laid last night.”
He spun around. Ariel was walking toward him in nothing but little denim shorts and a white tank top, her hair mussed, her lips a little swollen. “I did, and it was pretty spectacular. Good morning to you too. Don’t you look absolutely delicious.”
She struck a pose, her bare feet already coated with fine sand. “Maybe not the chicken and waffles of your dreams but at least blueberry pancakes.”
Sneaking a quick hand around her waist, he pulled her against him and kissed her soundly before gentling the touch. “Do I need to show you the Ariel bar again?” he whispered huskily. “I’d have to stand on a ladder after last night.”
“A stepladder, right?” She had both her arms wrapped around him, her cheeky smile contagious. “Because itwasreally good.”
He chuckled naughtily. “It surely was, and it’s going to be really good again. Beat you back to the house.”
She gave him a playful shove and started running. “Not if I beat you first.”
She beat him, but he didn’t care. In the end, they both won.
After they’d showered together, enjoying a new place in the house, he made them some coffee. They were both in the kitchen when someone pounded on the door.
Wincing, she ducked low in her chair. “Do you think we can pretend we aren’t here? Is it terrible to say that?”
“I’m thinking the same thing, but I have a feeling they aren’t going to stop.” The pounding grew more insistent, so he headed to the door. “I can tell them you’re still asleep.”
“They’ll never believe you. I never sleep in.”
“Me either.” He sent her a wink. “Unless there’s good cause. All right, put on your game face and let’s continue with our mission.”
