Page 93 of Keeping Guard
“All kinds of activities. Fishing, rock climbing, hiking, a shooting range, stuff like that. Maybe down the road, equine therapy. I’ve been reading up on that, and I think it has potential. I want a full-time therapist or two on staff.”
“Sounds like a big investment financially.” He was aware there were some places like that around the country, but Asheville would be an awesome location for the kind of activities Jack had in mind.
“I’ve got an investor group lined up. If you sign on, I’ll tell you who they are.”
“Sign on?”
“Yeah, I want you to head it up. That means working with me on finding a suitable site, making recommendations on how we need to build it, and hiring staff. Your job title will be center director.”
“I don’t—”
“Don’t give me an answer now. I get that training dogs isn’t your thing, but this might be something you could sink your teeth into. You have what, another month before you have to re-up or opt out?”
“About that.”
“Okay, take that time to think about it. If it’s re-up, let me know as soon as you make the decision so I can look for someone else.”
“It’s a lot to think about for sure.” Did he want to leave his team? Or was the better question could he go back? What if he screwed up again? Got someone else killed? Being a SEAL had been everything until the day he wished he could erase from his memory. Now? When he let himself think about returning to his team, he had to push the panic away.
If he took the job, it would mean no more deployments, one less obstacle standing between him and Peyton.
“Let’s go out to dinner. If we sit at one of the sidewalk restaurants, we can take Lucky with us.” At hearing his name, the dog’s ears perked up. Noah was going to miss the silly thing. Not a fraction as much as he was going to miss a princess.
“That would be nice.” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “It’s going to be a beautiful night, perfect for patio dining.”
He was delaying the inevitable. She wasn’t going to be so happy when he told her he was leaving on Sunday. Then again, maybe she’d be glad to see the last of him. It would be best for her if that was true.
Him, though? He was going to miss the hell out of her. He’d intended to tell her on the way back to her loft, but she’d seemed preoccupied, maybe a little sad about something. She’d said nothing was wrong when he’d asked, but she wasn’t her chatty self.
She glanced down at herself. “I’ve got dog hair all over me. Give me a few minutes to shower and change.”
“Take your time.” He’d almost offered to join her in the shower, but she seemed off, almost as if she was distancing herself from him. Maybe she was tired of him, and now that Dalton was no longer a threat, she didn’t need him. That thought hurt more than he’d expected it to. He rubbed his chest, at the ache there.
Since he smelled like dogs, he headed for the shower in the guest room. While he cleaned himself and then dressed, he thought about Jack’s offer. It was intriguing. But he was a SEAL and was everything that defined. Was he ready to walk away from the only thing he knew?
Since he didn’t have an answer to that question, not today, anyway, he filed it away for later consideration. Tonight, he had a dinner date with his princess. They had a few days before he’d leave. After he told her that he’d been called back, he’d give her the choice of spending his last days with her or he’d get out of her life if that was what she wanted.
He rubbed his chest again. Lucky whined as he peered up at him, his eyes full of worry. “What?” How did the dog know there was a rock sitting in Noah’s chest? “What do you think I should do?” Lucky had no words of wisdom for him. He finished dressing, then went out to the living room to wait for Peyton.
When she walked out, he blew out a long breath. She had on white jeans that hugged her curves like no one’s business, a sleeveless red top, and red sandals. With her black hair, red was her color.
“You trying to drive me crazy, princess?”
She frowned. “What?”
“You’re sexy as hell.” He stalked to her. “I’m going to be glaring all night at the men checking you out.”
“Oh.” She smiled. “You want me to change into a potato sack or something?”
“Wouldn’t make any difference. They’d just be fantasizing on how to get you out of it.” He curled a lock of her hair around his finger. “The song that’s rumbling around in my head right now is Clapton’s ‘You Look Wonderful Tonight,’ butwonderfulisn’t even good enough.”
“You could sing it to me if you want.”
“Maybe I will later...if you still want me to.”
She gave him a funny look. “Why wouldn’t I want you to? I love when you sing to me.”
“Come, dinner awaits.” Ignoring her question, he held out his hand. He grabbed Lucky’s leash as they headed out.
