Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
After leaving the beach, they walked a few blocks to a beachside grill, grabbing a table on the outdoor patio. They ordered burgers, fries, and shakes, and Hunter couldn't remember when he'd gone all-in on the favorite foods of his childhood. But he felt hungrier than he had in months.
While they waited for their food to arrive, Olivia colored on the kids' menu and Emmalyn checked her phone for messages. He sat back in his chair, glancing out at the water that was shimmering in the sunlight. It had been a successful morning, and he could almost feel the warmth of Gary's smile watching over them, hearing his voice telling him he'd done good getting his daughter in the water and teaching her something new. Gary had always had an appetite for life, which made it all the more cruel he was gone so young.
But his daughter was here, and Olivia was Gary's legacy. And Hunter would do everything he could to ensure that Olivia had the life her father would want her to have.
The distant whump-whump-whump drew his attention skyward. Two CH-53E Super Stallions from Pendleton were moving in tight formation across the cloudless blue sky. Another formation followed, this one lower—a pair of sleek AH-1Z Vipers on a training exercise, the thunder of their engines vibrating in his chest. The attack helicopters banked sharply, executing a textbook tactical maneuver he'd done himself many, many times, and he felt a wave of longing for the life he'd once led.
"You miss it," Emmalyn said, drawing his gaze to hers. She tipped her head to the helicopters fading in the distance.
"Yeah," he admitted. "I do."
"When will you go back?"
"When someone tells me I can. I have to pass a lot of tests before that can happen."
"What kinds of tests?"
"I have a basic physical next Wednesday. If I pass that, I move on to the psych evaluation, followed by combat fitness tests. If I clear those, I'll get into a simulator to test my aviation skills. After that, there will be a flight evaluation where I'll have to run through a lot of maneuvers and various training scenarios."
"The Marines really want to make sure you're in perfect shape, don't they?"
"They do. And even if all those tests go well, I'll still have to go before a review board."
"It almost feels like they're punishing you for getting hurt on the job."
"Sometimes, it feels that way to me, too. But logically, I know the tests are necessary. They want to be certain I'm fit for duty. They don't want to put me back in the sky and jeopardize someone else's life if I can't do the job."
She met his gaze with a curious gleam in her golden eyes. "Do you feel ready to do the job?"
"Physically, I've completely recovered from my injuries, and I'm working on getting even stronger than I was before."
"And mentally and emotionally?"
"That's a little trickier, but I'm getting there."
"It can't be easy getting past everything you've been through."
"It doesn't matter if it's easy or difficult. I'm a pilot. I'm a Marine. It's my life. I don't know how to do anything else. I have to get back to my job."
"I'm sure you could fly outside the Corps."
He tipped his head in acknowledgment. "I probably could, but I don't want to. I want to get back to my unit, do what I'm good at. I know it won't be the same because…" His voice drifted away as his gaze moved to Olivia. "It just won't be the same," he finished. "But life goes on."
She gave him an empathetic nod. "Yes, it does. And staying in the present is the best thing you can do. Today has been a good day."
"It has been good," he agreed.
"Thanks for pushing me to get in the water, Hunter. Liam has been trying for weeks, but I've always refused."
"Why did you say yes to me?"
"I guess I didn't want to look like a coward."
"I wouldn't have thought you were a coward even if you said no. Fears are fears, and I respect them."
"I have too many fears, too much anxiety, but I'm working on it. Staying in the present helps me with that, but my aunt is pulling me back into the past."
"Are you worried about your meeting tomorrow?"
"I'm trying not to think about it." She paused as two servers delivered their meals. "And this is perfect timing."
He was happy to eat but not as happy for their conversation to end. He'd been so isolated the last seven months, he'd almost forgotten what it was like to talk to someone besides his physical therapist or his doctor. And Emmalyn was an interesting woman. She was smart and thoughtful, and she spoke with a candor he found charming. She also seemed to understand and appreciate the complexities of his life over last several months, which had made it easier to share his thoughts with her than anyone else. She could listen without making suggestions or judgments, which was something the very few other people he'd spoken to had been able to do, but that was probably because they were all military men: his father, his brother, one of his team members. They'd looked at his situation from the perspective of how fast he could get back.
Pushing that thought aside, he encouraged Olivia to stop coloring and start eating. Of course, she couldn't do anything without talking, and as they ate, Olivia asked them random questions about things he had no answer for, like why the ocean was salty, if the fish slept at night, and where the sun went when the moon came out. He tried to come up with answers, but he was often stumped. Thank goodness, Emmalyn was there. She either answered the question or turned it around so that Olivia had to think of an answer herself. She must be a hell of a teacher, he thought, and he wasn't surprised the kids loved her. What was there not to love?
Em was a sweetheart, someone who truly did have a heart of gold, and he hated to think about what she'd gone through in her life. He couldn't imagine how her mother could have let her go when she was twelve years old. It seemed insane. But then, he also had trouble understanding why Bree had dropped Olivia off with him, a man Olivia had only met a few times in her life. He hadn't even had much contact with Bree the last few years. When Gary had gone on leave, he'd gone home and Hunter had gone elsewhere, because he didn't have a home to go to.
He'd always thought it was easier not to have anyone waiting at home for him. He'd seen the guys in his unit worry about their loved ones, stressed about not being around for important personal events: birthdays, weddings, and graduations. Not that anyone had been unwilling to serve to the best of their ability, but it had put a burden on them he didn't have. The flip side was that they had spouses who cared about them, kids who welcomed them home, and lives that existed outside the military.
He would have never had a day like this, playing in the ocean with a six-year-old, teaching Emmalyn how to body surf, or having lunch with what felt like a family if he was still living his former life. It was a strange feeling, both good and bad. This wasn't a life he'd ever thought he wanted, but it wasn't really his life now, he reminded himself. They were just taking care of Olivia until Bree got back. The three of them weren't an actual family, but he had to admit this picture, this moment was more enjoyable than he would have imagined.
As Emmalyn laughed at something Olivia said, her whole face lit up, and he found himself fascinated by her sparkling eyes, her pretty features…especially her soft parted lips. His chest tightened as the urge to lean across the table and kiss that sweet mouth was suddenly overwhelming. But he couldn't do that. This wasn’t a date, and they weren't alone. He couldn't confuse everyone, including himself.
Emmalyn gave him a questioning look. "Everything okay, Hunter?"
"Fine," he muttered as he averted his gaze, then picked up his glass of water and took a long sip.
"Can I be done?" Olivia asked.
He glanced at her plate. She'd eaten half her kids' burger, all of her fruit, and some of her carrots. He had no idea how much she was supposed to eat, but he'd always hated it when his father had insisted he clean his plate, so he said, "Sure." Then he turned to Emmalyn. "Do you want anything else?"
She smiled as she finished her milkshake. "Nope, I'm stuffed. I can't remember the last time I had a milkshake. It was so good."
"I can't remember the last time, either. I don't eat a lot of sweets."
"Do you eat much at all?" she asked dryly. "I've seen your refrigerator and your cupboards."
"Haven't had much of an appetite until very recently, like yesterday," he said with a grin, feeling like he also hadn't had much of an appetite for smiling until recently, either.
When the check came, he pulled out his wallet, waving away Emmalyn's request to split the bill. "You've been helping me a lot," he said pointedly. "This is on me."
"Well, thank you, but next time, I pick it up. I mean, if there is a next time," she added hastily as if she were getting ahead of herself.
"Deal." He definitely wanted a next time. Although, he shouldn't want that at all because he was heading back to a life that could take him away from Oceanside, and the last thing he needed was to get involved with anyone.
But as she'd suggested, he was going to stay in the present, because he had no idea what the future held for him. He was going to worry about that later.
After paying the check, they headed back to Ocean Shores. As they neared the entrance, he said, "What are you up to the rest of the day?"
"I need to put together my lesson plan for next week. I'll probably work on that. I need to distract myself from tomorrow."
When they entered the courtyard, he saw an excited puppy jumping up between Lexie and Josie that immediately drew Olivia's attention.
"Can I go see the dog?" Olivia asked eagerly.
"He's friendly," Lexie said, overhearing Olivia's question. "We're just watching him until Frank gets back from having lunch with his daughter."
As they moved closer to the table, Olivia dropped to her knees to pet the puppy, who started licking her. She laughed in delight, and he smiled at the happiness on her face.
He looked over at Emmalyn, who gave him a soft smile. "It's the little things, isn't it?" she said. "That bring us the most pleasure."
"It is," he admitted.
"Where are you three coming from?" Lexie asked.
"Just got lunch," Emmalyn said vaguely. "I have to get some work done. I'll see you all later."
As she moved a few steps away, he quickly followed. "Wait, Emmalyn."
She paused, giving him a questioning look. "What?"
He looked back to make sure they were out of earshot, then said, "You're meeting your mom and aunt tomorrow at a farmers' market?"
"Yes. Why?" she asked, stiffening at his question.
"Do you want company? Not for the actual meeting," he added quickly. "But for the drive, for moral support? Olivia and I could come with you. We can check out the market while you're having your meeting."
She stared at him, genuinely surprised. "Why would you want to do that?"
"Because it seems like a difficult situation and maybe you'd want some company?"
She hesitated for a long minute. "I feel like I should say no. I don't know what's going to happen. And Olivia…" She shook her head. "It's too complicated."
"Olivia will be fine. She'll love going to a farmers' market. You can have your meeting and we'll be there when you're done. I assume if your mother agrees to go, she will leave with your aunt. Or were you planning to go with your aunt to the market?"
"No. We're coming from opposite directions, so we're meeting there."
He nodded, not sure why he was pushing so hard, but he hated the idea of her facing a potentially painful situation on her own. Since she hadn't told any of her friends about this, he was the only one who could offer to support her, and she'd been helping him so much, it seemed the right thing to do. "Why don't you come with Olivia and me? I promise we won't get in the way."
"You're very persistent." She gave him a puzzled look. "I don't get it, Hunter. You've tried to stay out of everything. Now you want to get into the middle of my crazy situation?"
"I don't want you to do it alone."
"Says the man who has been recovering alone for months. It worked for you."
"Maybe not as much as I would like to think it did," he said candidly. "I've actually felt a lot better since I started talking to people, since I started talking to you, in particular."
She met his gaze with surprise. "Really?"
"I'm as shocked as you are," he said with a shrug. "But apparently being forced to parent a six-year-old has been good for me."
A smile slowly curved her lips. "I think it has been, Hunter."
"You've played a big part in helping me be a good temporary guardian. Let me help you."
She let out a sigh. "I don't know. When it comes to my past, I don't like to involve anyone else in it."
"I'm already involved."
"I shouldn't have told you the story."
"But you did. So, what do you say?"
"All right," she said with a helpless shrug. "I'll need to leave by 9:45."
"Not a problem."
"Okay. Thank you."
"You're more than welcome." As she headed up the stairs, his gaze followed her all the way to the landing. He finally turned around and moved back to the table. When he rejoined the group, he caught Lexie watching him with a curious gleam in her eyes, and he had a feeling he'd just given far too much away. But to her credit, Lexie didn't say a word, and for that, he was grateful. Because if she asked him how he felt about Emmalyn, he really wasn't sure what he would say.