CHAPTER THREE
Charley stepped out of the gangway and into the bustling terminal of San Diego International Airport. As she made her way through the crowd, a mix of emotions suddenly hit her—nervousness, anticipation, and a faint flicker of excitement. She couldn’t wait to see her aunt and uncle.
When she reached the baggage claim, she stood by the carousel, watching the suitcases drift by.
When she spotted her blue-and-tan striped roller bag, she grabbed the handle with a firm grip and set it upright on its wheels.
She picked her backpack up from the floor, slung it over her shoulder, and headed for the exit.
As soon as she walked through the automatic doors, she was met with the cool sixty-degree evening weather. She took a deep breath, willing herself to be strong. She was there to make a difference, and she wasn’t going to let the past define her.
She was pulled from her thoughts when her phone pinged with an incoming message. When she opened it, she started laughing as she read her aunt’s text.
Aunt Bea: Sorry we’re late. We’re pulling into the airport now. You know how your uncle is directionally challenged.
What made her laugh harder was the eye-roll emoji her aunt added at the end of the text. It was no secret that her Uncle Glen was horrible with directions, and her Aunt Bea made sure he never forgot that. She was always busting his chops about it, but always in a playful banter kind of way.
She typed a message back.
Charley: No worries. I’m outside the last set of doors by the baggage claim.
Charley tucked her phone into her backpack. Moments later, she spotted her uncle’s dark gray Chevy Silverado making its way toward her.
Her heart started to beat a little faster. She loved her aunt and uncle very much. Even though they spoke on the phone and FaceTimed, this is the first time Charley has seen them in person since she left California.
Her Uncle Glen shared so many traits with her dad and brother, from their brown eyes and deep voices to the funny, lopsided smile they all had in common.
As the truck slowed, she could see her aunt waving through the window, which brought a smile to Charley’s face.
Surprisingly, her uncle was the first one out of the truck.
“There’s my favorite niece,” he shouted, pulling her into a tight hug.
Smiling, she hugged him back. “I’m your only niece,” she reminded him, which made him chuckle.
He winked. “As I said, you’re my favorite.”
When she pulled away, her aunt was right there, hugging her.
“It’s been too long, baby girl.”
Charley couldn’t argue. It had been a long time since she had been back home. God, she missed them.
“I know. But I’m here now.”
“I’m glad. We’ve missed you. Phone calls just aren’t the same as seeing you in person.”
“I’ve missed you guys, too,” Charley whispered as her emotions started to come to the surface.
“Are these your only bags?” Her uncle asked, pointing to the suitcase and backpack.
“Yep. I only packed enough for a few days. The rest of my stuff, along with my car, should be here in a few days.”
“Alright. Let’s get you home. Your lovely aunt here has been cooking up a storm all day in preparation for your arrival. Hop in the truck. I’ll get your bag.”
Charley smiled and slid into the back seat, placing her backpack on the seat next to her.
“What delicious food did you make?” Please be my favorite.
Aunt Bea turned in her seat to look back at her. She smiled. “What else would I make for my niece’s welcome home dinner? Shake-and-Bake pork chops, mashed potatoes, and green beans. And for dessert, chocolate mousse pie.”
Charley smiled widely and mentally fist-pumped.
As they pulled away from the airport, Charley sat back in the seat and watched the city roll past through the window.
Even though she had only been gone a few years, the area had changed drastically.
She noted that many trendy new restaurants now occupied buildings she remembered as mom-and-pop shops, not to mention the number of new buildings and subdivisions.
However, it warmed her heart to see a few businesses and restaurants she used to visit. Being back felt both familiar and foreign. It was like stepping into a memory she hadn’t visited in years.
“It’s grown a lot, huh?” Uncle Glen asked, catching her gaze in the rearview mirror.
Charley nodded. “It has. It’s still beautiful, though.”
“Wait till you see the neighborhood,” Aunt Bea said, twisting around in the seat. “You’ll recognize it, but there are some new faces, too. It’s a good mix.”
About fifteen minutes later, they turned onto the familiar tree-lined street where her aunt and uncle lived, and a wave of nostalgia hit her.
Their pale green house stood just as she remembered.
It was quaint and inviting, with its white picket fence and carefully tended rose bushes in large white pots out front.
The home was only a ten-minute drive to the beach, which she was looking forward to visiting.
Charley stepped out of the truck and looked around.
“It’s like time stood still,” she murmured.
Her aunt placed a hand on her shoulder. “Come on inside, sweetie. Your room upstairs is ready. Dinner will be ready shortly.”
Charley smiled and followed them inside, taking in the warm, familiar interior of the house.
The creak of the floorboards, the smell of homemade bread lingering in the air, and then all the pictures of her and her brother scattered about the house.
It all felt like a piece of her childhood waiting to welcome her back.
After getting settled into her temporary room and freshening up, Charley found herself at the dinner table. Aunt Bea hadn’t been kidding. She had made Charley’s favorite pork chops, buttery mashed potatoes, southern-style green beans, and her famous homemade rolls.
“So, Charley. Tell us more about this foundation,” Aunt Bea said as she passed the basket of bread to her. “Are you excited to get started?”
Charley set her fork down and wiped her mouth with her napkin.
“I am. It is such an incredible organization. There’s so much potential to help people, especially those waiting in the backlog of scheduling to get into the VA.
Alex really created something wonderful and much needed for veterans, military personnel, and their families.
It’s not all medical. The Foundation also assists families who are struggling financially.
Just this past Christmas, Alex was able to give Christmas to twenty-two military families. ”
Aunt Bea smiled. “She seems like a lovely woman.”
“She’s amazing, not to mention she is a total badass. She used to work for the NSA and was then recruited by a private firm. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I heard that during an operation she was involved in a few years ago, she almost died. In fact, that’s where she met her husband.”
“Her dad was a SEAL and was killed in action when she was a little girl, right?” Her uncle asked.
Charley nodded. “Yeah. Her dad’s teammates all banded together to help raise her.
Commander Derek Connors is her adopted dad.
Alex named the Foundation after her biological dad, Jacob Hardesty.
It means so much to her, and I just want to make sure that I don’t drop the ball. I really want to give this my all.”
Uncle Glen studied her carefully, his warm eyes understanding. “You will,” he said. But Charley sensed there was more he wanted to say.
The rest of the dinner conversation centered on the neighborhood and what had changed there.
After dinner, Charley tried unsuccessfully to help her aunt clean up the kitchen. However, after clearing the table, she was shooed out of the kitchen and warned not to come back until dessert was served.
Taking her aunt’s warning seriously, she spotted her uncle out on the back porch. When their eyes met through the window, he waved her out. As she stepped out onto the deck, her uncle smiled at her.
“Come on over and take a load off,” he said, motioning to the seat next to him.
The evening air felt nice. Charley settled into the old wooden porch swing, its chains creaking as she leaned back. Her uncle handed her a mug of coffee.
She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, silently asking how he knew she’d be out there.
He grinned. “I know my wife. She doesn’t let anyone in the kitchen when she’s cleaning.”
Charley laughed. “You got that right. She chased me out, threatening to snap me with a dishtowel.”
Her uncle chuckled. “That woman’s got a mean snap,” he joked.
They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, sipping their coffee. It was peaceful and also brought back memories of when she and her dad used to sit on their porch and just stare at the stars.
She glanced at her uncle as the porch light cast a soft halo around them, catching the silver now lacing her uncle’s close-cropped hair.
Finally, he let out a low grunt as he set his mug down on the table next to him. “Alright, kiddo,” he said, stretching his legs out. “You’ve been quiet since dinner. What’s going on in that head of yours?”
Charley tried to deflect with a smile, but the second their eyes met, she knew it was pointless. That was another thing he shared with her dad. They both could read people as if it were an everyday skill they had been born with.
“Nothing gets past you, does it?” she murmured, taking a sip from her mug.
“Not when it comes to you.” He repositioned his body so that it was angled toward her as his arm rested on the back of the swing. “Talk to me, Charley.”
Her chest tightened. She looked out toward the yard instead, staring at the old oak tree she used to climb as a kid.
How was she supposed to say this without sounding fragile or weak?
She’d spent so long holding it together, pretending that leaving California had scraped her clean of everything she had carried. But it didn’t.
“When Alex first approached me about this opportunity, I thought coming back here would feel different,” she finally said. “Like a clean slate. But lately…” She swallowed. “I found that I keep second-guessing myself and my decision.”
Her uncle didn’t speak. He just waited, patient as always, knowing there was more she had to say.
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m excited about this opportunity,” she went on, forcing the words out.
“And grateful. Alex trusted me with leading something near and dear to her,” she huffed a small laugh.
“She offered me a leadership position, something I’ve always wanted.
But being back here…” Her voice softened.
“It stirs up things I worked really hard to bury. I don’t want to fall apart or look weak. I also don’t want to fail.”
Glen blew out a slow breath. “Charley, look at me.”
She lifted her head and looked into her Uncle’s eyes.
“There is nothing weak about you,” he said, voice steady, carrying the weight of decades in uniform. “You survived losing two people who meant the world to you. But you built a life after all of that. Coming back here doesn’t erase that progress.”
Her throat tightened again, but this time in that familiar, painful-comforting way that came when someone saw her too clearly.
“I’m proud of you, kiddo,” he added. “Your dad and brother would be too. Just remember that it is okay to feel sad and nervous. But you can’t let the past keep deciding your future and holding you back. You’ve got too much left to do.”
A small, trembling breath escaped her. “I try to remind myself that sometimes.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe I just needed to hear it from someone else.”
“That’s what I’m here.” He nudged her shoulder lightly. “And hey, nervous is normal. It means you care. It also means you’re about to do something big. You are a lot stronger than you think.”
Charley blinked back tears and gave him a small smile. “Thank you. You always know what to say.”
He reached over and patted her knee. “That’s because I’m old and wise,” he said, leaning back with a dramatic sigh.
She shook her head, smiling for real this time.
They sat there a little longer, listening to the squeak of the swing and the rustle of the wind in the trees.
After a while, her uncle broke the silence.
“I spoke with my buddy, and he said that whenever you want to use his boat, it’s yours. He just had back surgery, so the boat is just sitting there.”
Charley felt her chest tighten, but she nodded. Both her dad’s and her brother’s final wishes were to have their ashes spread in the Pacific Ocean. It was a place where they were always happy. She already had all the special permits to make it happen. All she needed to do was decide when.
“Thank you. Do you think he would mind if I used it the day after tomorrow?”
He tilted his head to the side as he looked at her. “That soon?”
“Yeah. I think it’ll be best for me if I take care of that sooner rather than later.”
“Would you like some company?”
“Would you be upset if I said I wanted to do this alone?”
He smiled. His face was soft with understanding. He placed his hand over hers. “Not at all. I know you need the closure.”
With tears in her eyes, she squeezed his hand. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Aw, come here, kiddo,” he told her as he pulled her into a comforting hug.
The warmth of his arms reminded her of the kind of strength she hadn’t realized she needed. Tears pricked her eyes as a wave of bittersweet emotion swept over her. It was a mixture of grief for her dad and brother and gratitude for the unwavering support of the family she still had.
When she pulled away, she wiped her eyes before looking at her uncle. His eyes were a bit glassy as well.
“Feel a little better?” he asked, his voice a little gruff with emotion.
She smiled. “Yeah. I actually do.”
“Whatever happens, kiddo, just know that your aunt and I are damn proud of you.”
“Thanks, Uncle Glen.”
“Well, why don’t we head inside and see if your aunt has your favorite dessert ready?”
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” she joked as they both headed inside.
Later that night, after taking a shower and winding down from a hectic and emotional day, Charley climbed into bed. She felt a surprising sense of peace. Her nerves weren’t completely gone, but for the first time in a long time, she felt a little stronger.
As her head hit the pillow, she closed her eyes. Sleep came easily, carrying her into dreams of calm waters and new beginnings.