Chapter 4 #3
The second he was out of earshot, Aleck whistled long and low. “It sounds as if we need to have a conversation with our commander,” he said needlessly.
“I’ll come in and talk to him tomorrow,” Mustang said immediately.
“Appreciate it,” Pid said. Then he turned to Monica. “You ready to go?”
“I’ll stay in a hotel off base,” Monica said stiffly.
“Go with Pid,” Jag urged. “You’ll be safer with him.”
Monica’s spine straightened. “I can take care of myself. I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Of course you don’t,” Aleck said. “You’re a grown-ass woman. But based on how our commander is acting, something’s up. Something big. I’m not sure it’s the best idea to be on your own right now.”
“That asshole saw you,” Slate threw in. “He’s likely got connections. The last thing you want is him coming after you to make sure you can’t ID him.”
“Besides, you’re in Hawaii,” Mustang said. “Maybe against your will, but you’re here. You might as well enjoy it as much as you can before you leave. Staying on base or in a hotel without a car means you won’t see much of anything. At least if you’re with Pid, you’ll see some of the island.”
“And Pid’s place is quiet…even if it is messy as fuck,” Midas added.
“Shut up,” Pid groused. He knew he wasn’t the best housekeeper, but he didn’t appreciate his friends letting Monica know that before she agreed to stay with him.
“I’ll talk to Lexie tonight about the situation. I’m sure she, Elodie, and Kenna will be more than happy to pick up some clothes and stuff and drop it by your place tomorrow,” Midas said.
“El will probably want to whip up some meals too, so don’t be surprised to see her tomorrow with a ton of food,” Mustang added.
“If you get a chance, bring her down to Duke’s. Kenna will be happy to comp you a meal,” Aleck added.
“Thanks, guys, but can we maybe not overwhelm Monica on her first day? Besides, I’m not sure how long she’ll be here anyway.
The last thing Elodie will want is for her food to go bad in my fridge because she made too much,” Pid warned.
He was aware that while his friends had been talking, Monica’s head was on a swivel, looking from man to man as they spoke.
“I’ll try to get El to control herself,” Mustang said with a smile.
“Thanks.”
“I’m headed home,” Aleck said. “See you all later.”
“Me too,” Jag agreed. “Drive safe, everyone.”
Within a minute, Pid was standing alone with Monica in the nearly empty terminal. He stuffed his hands into his pockets to make sure he didn’t reach out to touch her. “Come on. It’s late, and I know you have to be exhausted.”
She didn’t agree or disagree, just fell into step next to him as he headed for the exit. Without a word, they walked through the parking lot toward the back, where he’d left his car.
Monica stopped abruptly as he clicked his remote to unlock the doors and the lights blinked on and off. “You drive a minivan?” she asked in disbelief.
Pid was used to getting shit about his choice of vehicle, but he didn’t care. The Honda Odyssey was awesome for hauling all sorts of shit around. It could fit all five of his teammates and still have room for gear in the back. As far as he was concerned, a minivan was the perfect vehicle.
He grinned. “Yup,” he replied with no embarrassment whatsoever.
“You’re constantly surprising me,” she admitted quietly.
Pid had never heard such welcome words. “Good.” He opened the passenger door for her and saw surprise flash in her eyes once more. She didn’t comment, merely climbed up into the seat.
When they were on their way to his house, Pid said, “If you want, we can stop and grab some stuff for you tonight. Though, I’m beat, and I know you have to be as well.
You can borrow a shirt and sweats tonight, although you’ll swim in both, and we can do your laundry while you’re sleeping.
I’ve got soap, shampoo, conditioner, and an extra toothbrush to tide you over until you can get the brands you like.
But if you really want to stop tonight, it’s not an issue. ”
“I can wait,” Monica said. Then she surprised him by adding, “You have conditioner?”
Pid chuckled. “I know, it’s not exactly manly…just like my minivan. But my hair is thick and conditioner makes it softer.” He shrugged.
“I wasn’t judging, just curious,” Monica said.
They rode the rest of the way to his place in silence. Pid thought about attempting to point out landmarks, but it was dark and she wouldn’t really be able to see them anyway, so he remained silent and enjoyed not having any traffic on the roads, since it was so late.
He pulled into his driveway and was relieved the security lights he’d installed were working.
They lit up the front of the house, giving them plenty of light to see the small bungalow.
He’d lucked out by finding the place to rent.
It was a perfect size for him, and he loved the fact that it was tucked back into a corner of the property.
On one side, a large field separated the bungalow from his landlord’s house, and there were trees all over his backyard, blocking much of the sun.
Elodie complained about his backyard being dark, but that was one of the things Pid loved most. He’d grown up in Alaska, where sunlight in the winter was scarce, maybe only a few hours a day.
He liked the dark; it reminded him of home.
Having the sun blasting into his windows long into the evening wasn’t something he enjoyed.
And it was quiet, like Midas said. The older man who owned both homes never had many visitors himself, and he didn’t bother Pid.
As long as he paid his rent on time, his landlord left him alone.
The highway was far enough away that there was no road noise, only the sounds of the many animals that made the area their home.
He climbed out with the idea of opening Monica’s door, but she was already out and walking around the van toward him.
And all of a sudden…Pid was nervous. He wondered if he’d made a mistake.
Monica might’ve been more comfortable in a hotel after all.
Or maybe he should’ve asked Aleck to put her up in the guest room in his penthouse.
She’d probably enjoy the view from his balcony much better than his small, dark house.
And she would’ve had Kenna to keep her company.
But it was too late now. There was no way he’d do anything to make Monica think he didn’t want her around. He unlocked his door and gestured for her to enter before him.
She walked into his house and he followed, closing and locking the door.
Pid flicked on the lights—and winced at seeing the condition of the main living area.
The team knew that he wasn’t exactly Mr. Clean.
They joked about it all the time. But seeing his home through a stranger’s eyes made him realize exactly how long it had been since he’d thoroughly cleaned his space.
The bungalow was small and compact. The main living area was an open space with the kitchen along one wall.
A long counter separated it from the rest of the room.
He had a leather sofa with an oval coffee table, and a suede recliner with a small side table in the living room.
The TV was mounted on the wall, a long skinny table sitting under it that held his video game console, DVD player, and his modem for the internet.
There was a hallway to the right that led to the two bedrooms and the bathroom. He hadn’t mentioned the fact that they’d have to share a bathroom, but it was too late now.
It wasn’t his furniture or the quaintness of the house that was causing Pid to mentally wince, it was the general messiness of the place.
It wasn’t dirty, per se, even though there were a few dishes sitting in the sink from before he’d left on the mission to Algeria.
It was more that his shit was everywhere.
He spotted at least two T-shirts—one on the floor and one on the couch—two pairs of boots and a pair of sneakers strewn around the space, and there were too many coffee mugs and plastic cups on the tables to count.
Junk mail was sitting on the counter separating the kitchen from the living room, unopened, and the laundry he hadn’t bothered to finish folding was piled in a laundry basket next to the couch.
He was embarrassed—and vowed to never leave for deployment again without at least doing a preliminary clean-up of his place.
“Yeah, um…I obviously need to clean a bit,” he muttered.
Monica merely shrugged. “I’ve seen worse,” she said.
Pid figured she was just being polite, but was happy to change the topic.
“Help yourself to whatever you want in the kitchen. Though I’ll warn you, I need to go to the store.
There’s probably some questionable greens in the drawer in the fridge.
Don’t touch it,” he joked. “But I’ve got lots of granola bars and stuff to make protein shakes.
The laundry room is there,” he said, pointing toward a small room to the left.
“And the rooms are this way.” He gestured to the hall.
She walked in that direction, and Pid pushed open the guest room door. “I’ve got some clean sheets in the closet in the hall. I’ll make the bed for you.”
“I can do it,” Monica told him.
“Okay. Anyway, this will be your room. It’s not much, but I promise you’ll be more comfortable here than in the barracks.”
“It’s fine,” Monica said.
Pid wished there was more to the room than a double-size bed, a bookcase overflowing with the historical fiction he loved to read, and a small desk piled with computer parts.
“The bathroom is out here to the right. There’s only one, but I won’t go in if the door’s shut.
There are clean towels and stuff in the cabinet over the toilet.
And the extra toothbrush I promised is in the drawer to the right of the sink. ”
“Thanks.”
She certainly wasn’t saying much, but Pid didn’t push. She had to be out of her element, and he was essentially a stranger. “Do you need anything?”
“No.”
“Okay. I’ll just go and get you a shirt and sweats. Monica?”
“Yeah?” she asked, finally looking up at him.
“I’m sorry about everything that’s happened…but I’m not sorry you’re here. I wouldn’t have offered my guest room if I didn’t want you here.” Pid didn’t know why he wanted to make sure she understood that, but he did.
Monica nodded, and Pid couldn’t read the expression on her face. Knowing he couldn’t stand in the guest room and stare at her all night, he backed toward the door. “I’ll be right back.”
She didn’t respond as he turned and headed for his own room. He gathered a shirt and an old pair of sweats and brought them to her. Their hands brushed as he passed them over…and Pid swore he felt a jolt move through his fingers.
“Feel free to use the washer when you’re changed,” he said, feeling awkward again.
“I will.”
“Okay. Then I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”
Monica nodded once more, then walked toward the door. Getting the hint, Pid left, wincing when the door clicked shut behind him.
“Shit,” he mumbled. He didn’t know why he wanted the prickly woman to loosen up and talk to him, but he did.
It was likely she’d only be there a couple of days, three or four at most, before she’d be headed back overseas to continue her job.
It didn’t matter if she talked to him or not… except it did.
Sighing, Pid ran a hand through his hair.
He was exhausted and needed to get some sleep.
He also didn’t want to make Monica feel awkward when she came out to put her clothes in the washer.
The best thing he could do to help her feel comfortable was make himself scarce.
So after checking the back door and the windows to verify they were locked and secure, he headed for his bedroom.