Chapter 14 #3
“Right?” Elodie said. “I have no idea what his whole story is, but he’s definitely got demons.
I mean, I owe the man everything for making sure no more hitmen would come after me, and he still kind of scares me.
There’s something in his eyes that makes me want to keep my distance, while wanting to hug him at the same time. ”
“Why is that such a lethal combination?” Ashlyn asked. “I mean, women in general should run from men like that, but instead we’re drawn to them like moths to a flame.”
“You interested?” Elodie asked.
“In this old surfer guy? No,” Ashlyn said firmly.
“I don’t think he’s old,” Lexie mused.
“So who are you interested in?” Elodie pushed.
“No one,” Ashlyn said, staring into her drink.
“Wait…so there is someone,” Elodie said cheerfully. “Who?”
“No one. I’m done with guys,” Ashlyn mumbled.
“But you said you missed sex,” Lexie teased. “We all know sex is possible with a vibrator, but it’s not nearly as good. Trust me, I know. When did you meet him? Come on, tell us!”
“I’ve only seen him once…” Ashlyn admitted.
“Spill!” Elodie exclaimed.
“If you can’t tell your best friends, who can you tell?” Lexie asked. The alcohol had loosened her tongue for sure. She felt extremely close to these women. Saying they were best friends was more wishful thinking than anything else.
“Slate.”
Elodie and Lexie stared at Ashlyn with wide eyes—then began screeching in excitement.
“Yes!” Elodie crowed.
“That would be awesome!” Lexie agreed.
“But he’s pretty grumpy,” Elodie added.
“Guys, I don’t even know him,” Ashlyn said.
“Ashlyn would fit against him perfectly, since she’s so tall,” Lexie said. “He’s what, only a few inches taller than her?”
“Something like that. But those muscles of his are so freaking huge,” Elodie said.
“Maybe Ash can curb his impatience,” Lexie teased.
“You guys—” Ashlyn started, but the other two women ignored her.
“I mean, there’s something to be said for impatience,” Elodie responded with a smirk.
Lexie nodded. “Oh, yeah,” she agreed. “And they—”
“Enough!” Ashlyn shouted, making both Lexie and Elodie look at her in surprise.
She sighed again. “Sorry. But seriously, I shouldn’t even have said anything.
I literally saw him once, and he was annoying.
He was all hulk-like and arrogant when he came into Food For All.
He also tried to keep me from approaching you,” Ashlyn continued.
Lexie nodded.
“And after Franklin, I’m done with older men. No, thank you.”
“I think Midas told me he’s our age, thirty-two,” Lexie told her. “Which isn’t much older than you. And you were the one who brought him up.”
“Which I regret,” Ashlyn muttered.
“Okay, okay, we’ll shut up,” Elodie said.
“But real talk here. I was intimidated by Scott and his team when I met them, but there was just something about my husband that caught my attention the second I saw him. And I don’t think it was just because I was scared out of my mind either.
Yes, Slate is older than you. Yes, he’s a bit grumpy and, from what Scott tells me, a lot impatient.
But I don’t think you’ll find anyone who would be more respectful than Slate. ”
“Do not set me up,” Ashlyn said firmly. “I mean it. I recently got out of a bad relationship, I don’t need to jump into another one.”
“Fine, but it doesn’t sound like you had much of a relationship at all with that Franklin guy. And it’s been almost a year,” Elodie pointed out.
“Maybe you could see if he’s interested in something casual,” Lexie suggested. “Don’t SEALs have a reputation for being ladies’ men?”
Ashlyn shrugged, but not very convincingly. “I saw firsthand how many women threw themselves at the Navy SEALs at Aces, back in California. It was disgusting. I’m not like that.”
“Of course you aren’t,” Lexie told her. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t date him.”
“I just…is it too much to ask for a man who will support me, but not suffocate me? Who will love my outgoing personality, but understand that I want to sit at home and not be social every once in a while? Who actually knows where my clit is without me having to point the damn thing out?” Ashlyn asked.
Lexie and Elodie shared a smile at her last question.
“Oh, for God’s sake, I don’t want to hear about both of your awesome sex lives,” Ashlyn said, balling up a napkin and throwing it at Lexie.
“Hey, guys talk. And since Scott has no problem finding my clit, I’m guessing that Slate wouldn’t have a problem either.”
“Okay, I’m officially changing the subject,” Lexie said. “I can’t think about any of Midas’s friends that way.”
“Fine. Ashlyn, I have a question,” Elodie said.
“Shoot.”
“You said that you loved working at the bar, so how’d you know you’d enjoy what you do now?”
“What do you mean?” Ashlyn asked.
“Well… I used to love being a chef. But then my world kind of blew up in my face and I can’t imagine doing that as a career again.”
“You don’t enjoy cooking anymore?” Lexie asked.
“It’s not that. I do. I mean, I had a great time cooking for tonight, but it was for you guys.
Not a bunch of strangers. And I love hanging out with Scott and the rest of the guys and grilling and stuff.
But I’ve struggled to figure out what I want to do with my life.
Obviously being a charter fishing guide is out…
since being out on the ocean hasn’t been that good to me,” Elodie said.
“I’ve been thinking…” Ashlyn started.
“Oh, Lord,” Lexie blurted.
“No, seriously. You know how many people we help at Food For All. But there is so much more food that gets wasted. Grocery stores throw away expired bread and wilted vegetables. And cans that are dented get tossed as well. Restaurants throw away tons of food. We try to get some of that stuff to give away, but we’re only talking to the places close to where we are.
And think about all the families who travel down from the North Shore or out east, to where we are, just to get food.
It has to be expensive, not to mention how much time it takes to drive all the way downtown. ”
“What are you saying?” Elodie asked. “And what does it have to do with me?”
“I was thinking of talking to Natalie about starting up a satellite location of Food For All, but with a slightly different focus,” Ashlyn said.
“And while it’s not exactly cooking, many of the lunches we put together aren’t that healthy.
It’s just chips and an apple thrown in with a not-very-appetizing sandwich.
What if we could tap into more stores to get food they’re going to throw away?
Restaurants too. It would help if we had someone who could turn those donations into more appealing and nutritious meals. ”
“How old are you again?” Elodie asked.
“Twenty-eight. Why?” Ashlyn asked.
“Because you seem a lot older. And…that sounds like a huge challenge,” Elodie said. “And a lot of hard work.”
Ashlyn merely lifted an eyebrow. Then she turned to Lexie.
“I was thinking there are probably a lot of military families who live here who could use some assistance. And elderly people. I’d considered maybe starting my own charitable organization, but I like working for Food For All, and there’s some comfort in working for such a well-known and established organization.
The Barbers Point area would be a good location to start with.
To see if we can make this work. And if I could convince Natalie to talk to the Food For All people, and if they gave me the go-ahead, I’d need help.
You know, with getting it up and running, talking to managers at stores and restaurants, getting the word out.
And I know for a fact that it’s a hell of a drive for your man every morning to bring you to work downtown. ”
Lexie felt excitement well up inside her. She loved helping people, and the idea of being able to bring assistance to more of those in need seriously appealed.
“Shit, she’s good,” Elodie whispered.
“So, you in?” Ashlyn pushed. “We could use a professionally trained chef to help us.”
“I’m in,” Elodie said with a smile.
“Lex?”
“You know I’m in too,” Lexie promised.
“This calls for a toast!” Ashlyn said, lifting her bottle.
They all clinked their drinks together and took long sips.
Then Elodie asked, “So what’s up with this Theo guy?”
“Jeez, you’re taking lessons from Midas with the abrupt change of topic,” Lexie said wryly.
“Not really. I was thinking about Food For All and the people we could help, which made me think about the homeless men and women around here, and how many are on the streets through no fault of their own. Which made me think about Theo. Scott told me about him after the altercation the other week. Is he still around?”
“He is,” Ashlyn said. “And he watches Lexie like a hawk.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Lexie protested, trying to downplay the issue.
“He does,” Ashlyn insisted. “The only reason Jack and Pika haven’t kicked him out is because that’s all he does. He hasn’t said anything derogatory about you or tried to talk to you. But he definitely has his eyes on you whenever you guys are there at the same time.”
“Is he dangerous?” Elodie asked.
“No,” Lexie said. At the same time, Ashlyn shrugged.
“He’s just…different,” Lexie said. “Sometimes he seems pretty lucid, and other times he just sits in a corner and talks to himself. He seems more on edge since those guys started shit though.”
“He does,” Ashlyn agreed.
“You need to be super careful,” Elodie told her.
“I will. I am,” Lexie reassured her.
“The guys have been walking us home,” Ashlyn explained.
“Setting up the second location for Food For All is also a good idea for safety reasons. I’m hoping to concentrate on getting meals to people who aren’t necessarily homeless, but are struggling financially and could use some help.
So we wouldn’t necessarily be handing out food to the homeless. ”
Lexie nodded. She’d never mentioned to Midas how uneasy she felt walking home.
If she did, she knew without a doubt he’d do whatever it took to make sure he was there to pick her up, or one of his acquaintances.
And she never wanted to be a burden like that.
Besides, she was a grown adult, she could more than take care of herself. Had done so her entire life.
“Looks like you girls have some talking to do with your boss. And some pretty hefty convincing. But I know you can do it!” Elodie encouraged.
The three women smiled at each other. Tonight was not only fun, but the women had begun to forge a strong bond. Lexie had wanted girlfriends her entire life, and it seemed that she now had them.
“You guys want to take leftovers home?” she asked.
“Yes!” both Ashlyn and Elodie said at the same time.
“And I’m gonna eat all the cookies before Scott gets back!” Elodie exclaimed.
Deciding to let that go, as they had no idea if it would be one day or twelve or more until their men got home, Lexie headed into the small galley kitchen to start preparing the leftover food.
The others helped, then each got another drink and headed over to the bed to hang out and continue chatting.
Five hours later, Lexie’s stomach hurt from laughing and her face was sore from smiling so much.
She’d never had as good a time as she’d had tonight. She was exhausted by the time Ashlyn and Elodie left in a taxi, but happier than she’d been in years. The only thing that could’ve made this night perfect was snuggling up to Midas as she fell asleep.
She didn’t know where he was or when he’d get home, but she had to believe that he’d come back to her safe and sound.
The alternative was unthinkable. Midas was tough, and smart, and he had five of the best SEALs at his back.
Six, if she included the mysterious Baker.
Lexie was fairly sure if Midas and his team needed him, Baker would somehow know, and would do whatever it took to send in the cavalry.
She really needed to meet this guy. He sounded both scary and amazing at the same time.
He was definitely a man she wanted on her side.
Maybe she’d make him a plate of pumpkin spice cookies to butter him up.
The room was spinning when Lexie finally climbed under the covers, but she couldn’t help but smile. She was excited about Ashlyn’s idea for the extension of Food For All. It would make the commute longer for her…unless she stayed over at Midas’s house. That made her grin even bigger.
Yes, it was safe to say that Lexie was more than happy with how things were going in her life. She had an amazing boyfriend, great friends, and a good job. A few months ago, when she was staring up at the stars from an African desert, she never could’ve imagined she’d be this content right now.
Reflecting on being a hostage made her smile dim as she thought about Dagmar. He hadn’t been as lucky. She hated that he hadn’t made it out alive.
Closing her eyes, she sent up a short prayer to the other man. “Rest in peace, Dagmar. And please help your brother heal. He misses you terribly.”
She knew Magnus was struggling by the way he talked about Dagmar in his emails and when they spoke on the phone. Maybe seeing how well she was doing would help him. Would bring some closure to what had happened. That, and getting involved in the organization that Dagmar loved so much.
Turning onto her side, Lexie put Dagmar, Magnus, even Elodie and Ashlyn out of her mind. Her thoughts were on Midas, the boy she used to know who had grown into one hell of a man. And he was hers. “Come home soon,” she whispered before falling into a deep sleep, aided by the alcohol she’d consumed.