CHAPTER NINE
“Thank you for taking the time today to speak to me, Dr. Lockland. I’m looking forward to your visit.”
“Likewise, Charley, thanks for taking my call,” Dr. Lockland said before saying goodbye.
Charley ended the call, setting the receiver down gently. She leaned back in her chair, a smile spreading across her face.
For a moment, she sat there, staring at the phone like it might ring again to have someone tell her that it was all just a joke.
Dr. Lockland, whose work with PTSD patients was respected nationwide, was interested in joining the volunteer rotation at the foundation.
Excitement rushed through her so fast that she was left a little breathless.
Of all the names she’d hoped might one day be connected to the foundation, his had never felt like one she could realistically reach for this soon.
Yet here she was, grinning like a fool in the middle of her office, because not only had he called her back, he’d sounded genuinely interested.
She couldn’t wait to tell Alex.
Still smiling, Charley looked around her office, and for the first time in weeks, she allowed herself to really take it in.
It didn’t feel like a construction zone anymore.
It felt like an actual office. Everything was coming together nicely.
The final inspections had gone better than she’d hoped.
A few minor issues to address, but nothing catastrophic that would push back the grand opening.
The contractors were on top of it, and John had already texted her a punch list.
A soft knock sounded at the open door, and Charley glanced up just as Alyvia stepped inside.
Tall and effortlessly put together, Alyvia Jackson was kindhearted, a self-confessed workaholic, and despite only knowing Charley for a short time, had quickly become one of her closest friends.
She had the kind of calm confidence that made people trust her almost instantly, and Charley had learned very quickly that Alyvia was one of those rare people who could walk into chaos and somehow make it manageable.
She worked full-time at the city’s main VA center as a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist, helping veterans rebuild their lives and find their footing again, which made her a perfect fit for the foundation’s mission.
She’d also been one of the key volunteers involved before Charley had even arrived in San Diego, assisting with the early renovation plans and helping keep things moving on the building.
Over the last couple of weeks especially, Alyvia had been an absolute lifesaver, stepping in wherever Charley needed her without ever making it seem like a burden. A few times, she had also helped Charley avoid a meltdown.
“There’s that smile,” Alyvia said, leaning one shoulder against the doorframe, holding a mug of coffee in one hand and some papers in the other. “I’m guessing the call with Dr. Lockland went well?”
Charley nodded. “Better than well.”
Alyvia walked in and took the seat in front of Charley’s desk.
“When you say better than well, does that mean he accepted?”
Charley grinned. “He is definitely interested.”
Alyvia’s bright blue eyes widened. “That’s incredible news. I mean, if he’s half as impressive in person as he is on paper…” Alyvia raised her mug in a mock toast. “We might’ve just hit the jackpot.”
“Between the final inspections being nearly clear, the furniture almost all moved in, and now getting Dr. Lockland to join the team, I might actually sleep a full five hours tonight.”
Alyvia laughed. “You won’t. But I like your optimism. Oh! And before I forget, this is for you,” she said, handing an envelope in the stack of papers she was holding to Charley.
“What’s this?” Charley asked.
Alyvia shrugged her shoulders. “Beats me. When I came back from lunch earlier, some guy stopped me in the parking lot and asked me to give it to you.”
“Me?” Charley asked. “Did he say who he was?”
Alyvia shook her head. “No. He just asked me if I could give that to you.” Alyvia chuckled. “He actually made sure to repeat your name twice.”
The hair on the back of Charley’s neck stood at attention as she thought about the encounter she had had with the stranger last week—the one who had left her with that odd warning about the building.
“What did he look like?” Charley asked, keeping her voice steady.
Alyvia appeared to think. “Tall. Slim. Maybe late fifties? His face was scruffy. He was also wearing a hat, so I couldn’t really see his hair or eyes.”
That definitely sounded like the guy. Charley’s fingers trembled slightly as she looked down at the envelope. There was no name or markings on it.
She slid her finger beneath the flap and pulled the paper out. Her heart was pounding as she unfolded it.
Charley scrunched her eyebrows together as she looked over the paper. There were only three names written, scrawled in sharp, uneven handwriting—Calvin Henderson, James Davis, and Rodney Butler.
Alyvia leaned in a little, looking at the paper. “What is that?”
Charley swallowed, forcing herself to keep her expression neutral. “Looks like just a list of names,” she said softly as she studied the names.
“Do you recognize any of them?”
Charley shook her head. “No. I have no clue who they are.” She looked at Alyvia. “Did the guy say anything else when he gave you this?”
“No. In fact, he seemed pretty antsy, like he didn’t want to be there. As soon as he handed me the envelope, he bolted.”
Charley wasn’t sure what to think. First, this guy just shows up out of nowhere and spouts off some random comments about how their building should have been demolished years ago.
And then, a little over a week later, presumably the same guy leaves an envelope for her with three names on a piece of paper, and she has no idea who they are.
She debated telling Alyvia about the weird encounter with the stranger, but decided to hold off for now. She wanted to see if she could find any information before she sounded any alarms.
Charley set the paper aside, face down on her desk before looking at Alyvia. “I’ll do a little research and see if I can find anything out on those names.”
Alyvia nodded, then changed the subject. “All that is left to be done in the exam rooms is to stock the cabinets, which we have a few volunteers coming in this weekend to help with.”
“Perfect! After that is done, all that is left are some small tasks,” Charley said, excitement building in her voice.
“You’ve done a great job, Charley.”
“Hey, I couldn’t have gotten through the last couple of weeks without you. We make a good team.”
Alyvia smiled. “Alright. If you don’t need anything else today, I think I’m going to head out.”
Charley shook her head. “I think I’m good. Any fun plans this evening? Maybe a date with that doctor you met a few weeks ago?”
Alyvia’s smile quickly disappeared. “No. I’ve got too much on my plate to even think about dating.”
“Seriously? You even said that the doctor was hot. You could have your very own Dr. McDreamy.” Charley said, wiggling her eyebrows.”
Alyvia was gorgeous, with her long, beautiful brown hair and caramel highlights. She was about five-eight and very fit. The woman loved working out and competing in obstacle course races.
“What about you and your Navy SEAL?” Alyvia countered, turning the attention back to Charley.
It didn’t slip past Charley the way Alyvia deflected the question, and something told her not to push it. Just from the short time Charley has known Alyvia, she has never talked about men—nothing from her past and no current guys she has her eye on.
But Alyvia’s mention of Pierce’s name had Charley fighting the heat that rushed to her cheeks.
She hadn’t heard from him since they parted ways at Ray and Jessica’s a couple of nights ago. Not that she was expecting him to drop everything he had going on just to call her. But she also didn’t think he was the type to ghost her either. He was most likely busy with training.
Alyvia grinned. “Judging from your pink cheeks, I’ll assume things are still moving in the right direction between the two of you.”
Charley let out a quiet breath and reached for her coffee, more for something to do with her hands than because she needed the caffeine.
“It’s still early, but so far I have no complaints.” Well, except for the tiny detail that he was still active duty, though that wasn’t really a complaint. But she would keep that part to herself.
Alyvia cocked one of her eyebrows, looking entirely too pleased with herself. “I don’t hear you denying anything.”
Charley shot her a look over the rim of her mug. “We haven’t even gone out on a date yet.”
Alyvia’s expression said she wasn’t buying that for a second. “Mm-hmm. Key word there is ‘yet.’ And yet here you are blushing like I caught you sneaking out of his bedroom.”
“Alyvia!” Charley exclaimed.
“What?” she asked, laughter in her voice. “I’m just saying, for someone trying to play it cool, you’re making this very easy on me.”
Charley shook her head, but the smile tugging at her mouth gave her away. “There’s nothing to tell.”
“Yet,” Alyvia teased.
Charley huffed out a laugh. But she then got serious. “I really enjoyed his company at the cookout.” The words came out quieter than she intended, honest enough to make her feel exposed.
Alyvia’s teasing softened, just a little. “I figured that,” she said gently.
Charley looked up. “Was it that obvious?”
“To me?” Alyvia shrugged. “A little. Just the way you spoke about him told me that you were interested.”
“Great,” Charley groaned under her breath as she dragged a hand through her hair.
Alyvia smiled. “You deserve something nice, Charley.”
That simple statement hit harder than it should have. Charley swallowed around the sudden tightness in her throat and forced a small smile. “You make it sound a lot more serious than it is.”
“Maybe,” Alyvia said, giving her shoulder a slight shrug. “Or maybe I just know what it looks like when a woman’s trying very hard not to be excited about a man.”