27. Mark
“Hey, Dad. Can you grab that pool noodle?” Lanie asks the moment I walk into the indoor pool at Lizzy and Cameron’s home.
“The green or the purple one?” I clarify, scooping them both off the concrete floor and walking toward the water.
“The purple one.” Candace grins. “Vanny can have the green one.”
Tossing the noodles toward each of the girls, I take a seat next to Lizzy on a lounge chair.
Settling back against the headrest, I slowly look around the active pool. As I watch my grandson dive and swim under the water as easily as he glides down the promenade on his skateboard, I can barely contain my excitement over how much improvement he’s made. “Way to go, Jay!”
To Lizzy, I add, “One thing about Cameron purchasing this home is we’ve turned these kids into fish. Look at how much Jason alone has learned this summer.”
“No kidding,” Sloane muses from the other side of her. “Unlike last year, both Josh and Jason are begging to attend lessons each week because they want to beat the pants off Milli in the pool someday.”
“Ah, the power of peer pressure.” Lizzy chuckles. “Don’t I know the blessing and the curse of it well.”
“What curse?” Lanie scoffs, clearly not understanding.
“Said the oldest…” Raven deadpans. “Between you and Sloane, Liz and I never had a chance.”
As I tune out my daughters’ playful banter over the merits of peer pressure and birth order growing up, I focus on my grandkids playing in the pool.
The kids are on their way to becoming great swimmers, but we always keep a sharp eye on them.
With Lizzy’s two youngest inside taking a nap and all four of my girls suited up to be in the pool should the need arise, I take this moment and settle further into my chair to do something I seldom do—relax.
Raven’s girls, Vivy and Vanny, are so much like their mom and Sloane growing up, it’s uncanny.
I love their closeness. Somehow, their personalities are polar opposites, yet they always remain connected at the hip.
My heart melts at the way their vibrant faces light up as they play with Milli and Candace in the shallow end of the pool, trying to synchronize their dance moves above and below the water.
Ever since they all started gymnastics, we see their feet as much as their heads rise above the water at times like this.
The boys are zooming from the deep end to the middle, where they can touch. Carter’s showing off, and Jason and Josh are eating up the new techniques he’s teaching them from his lessons earlier this week.
These carefree afternoons are the things I missed so much when my girls were younger.
As a dad, I was always in the thick of things.
Between work and caring for the girls, there were many days I hardly knew which end was up.
Since I shared visitation, I went out of my way to make every moment with them count when we were together.
Gah, those were wild times.
When I wasn’t deployed or stationed abroad, I was always on the move and going to their next thing.
I swear, there was never time to just be in the moment and simply exist. But this, right here, is what I love most about being a grandparent.
Their parents get to do the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and I just get to tag along and enjoy the ride.
I wonder what Faye would think of this beautiful chaos.
Knowing her, she’d likely be in the pool and a part of the action, just like me.
If I hadn’t just helped get the littles down for their naps, I’d already be waterlogged and zipping around the pool with the boys. I love the wild and crazy times as well as the calm ones with these kids.
Speaking of calm, I can’t believe how sweet Everett was when I put him down for his nap.
He reached up to cup my cheek and just stared into my eyes adorably for the longest time.
Thinking he wanted to be tucked in tighter and given a good night kiss, like his mother usually does, I tried to kiss his cheek.
But he just held my face and blinked, then whispered so his brother in the other room wouldn’t hear, “Papa, can I come for a sleepover by my lonesome soon? Maybe we can play trucks and watch Paw Patrol .”
Knowing Everett is a master of pulling at my heartstrings and trying to get me to talk, especially at nap time, I quickly told him I’d check with his mom. Then I promised we’d plan a Papa Date, as I like to call my one-on-one time with my grandkids.
I started these dates before my retirement.
It not only gave each kid a break from their siblings, but it was the perfect opportunity for me to build close bonds with them.
I watched my mother make a point of doing it with my girls, and it’s something they cherish to this day.
Now that I’m living in Seaside, it’s much easier to plan dates with them around their busy schedules.
Speaking of dates, I wonder if Faye will reach out soon before she heads to bed.
Gah, I can’t believe it’s been nearly three weeks since I’ve seen her in person.
I miss her like crazy and find myself jumping every time my phone buzzes like a lost schoolboy, hoping like hell it’s her. I know this is a great opportunity for her and her business, but selfishly, I hope this job ends soon, and she’ll return to Seaside.
“Look at us, Papa,” I hear from the other end of the pool.
Bringing my attention to the present, I proudly watch as all four of my granddaughters count out their performance, then twist, turn, and dive into the water in different directions, only to stand on their hands, then twist and come up for air.
By the time they get to the end, they each pop up from the water at different times, and nothing about their well-practiced routine is remotely synchronized.
The moment their hands rise into the air to show their performance is finished, my hands are ready to fill the room with thunderous applause. Raven whistles, and their mothers cheer on their performance.
Once everything has settled, my mind returns to Faye for the millionth time today.
Reaching for my phone from the table beside me, I unlock it, then hesitate. Clearly, there are no notifications, but it doesn’t mean I can’t reach out and share this moment with her.
Opening my camera app, I quickly shoot a few pictures and a short video and send them to Faye, along with a message.
Me:
Hey, sweetheart, thinking of you. Hope your meeting went well earlier.
I barely set my phone back on the table when it buzzes with an incoming text.
Within seconds, I’ve got my message app opened, and I find myself grinning at the beautiful face before me.
Damn, she’s stunning.
Faye:
This is a selfie from my walk when I visited Suviana Lake instead of taking a lunch. I’m done for the day now and just got back to my hotel. I wish I were there, swimming with you. The kids look like they’re having a blast.
For someone who’s never had a family of her own, Faye’s done remarkably well being around them. She never fails to ask about them and loves hearing the silly antics they get themselves into.
Me:
You’re welcome to join us anytime. After your meeting today, do you have an ETA for returning stateside?
Faye:
Unfortunately, I’m still waiting on a few parts. This hardware is really outdated and can’t handle the bandwidth for the amount of data we need it to transfer.
My heart sinks when I read this. I’d really been hoping she’d finish it sooner than later, as she’d planned. I’ve never thought or cared about sufficient hard drives more than I have since she started this job.
Faye:
On a positive note, I’m finally taking the weekend off. I’m thinking about traveling to Sienna and San Gimignano and just being a tourist.
Me:
That’s great. You’ll finally get a small break. You need it.
That’s the understatement of the year. This woman puts me to shame when it comes to her work ethic. From sunrise to sunset and beyond, Faye grinds on for hours to complete her projects. I’m proud of her for taking some much-needed time for herself.
Just as I’m about to text her this, another text comes through.
Faye:
Mom is calling. I’ll call before heading to bed. XO
I’m not sure how long I stare at my phone, but suddenly, Lizzy shakes my arm to get my attention. “Dad, everything okay?”
“What?” I ask, looking around to ensure I haven’t missed anything.
“Are you okay? You were smiling, then looked like you got some bad news.”
“Faye has to stay in Italy for another week or two,” I say before I can censor my thoughts.
“Is she working around the clock?” Lanie asks with interest.
“No,” I huff out. “She’s finally taking a break and doing some sightseeing this weekend. She must be at a standstill without the parts.”
“You really like her, don’t you?” Raven states, rather than asks, causing my head to whip in her direction.
“Would that be a problem if I did?” I sound more defensive than I intend.
Raven holds my gaze, then slowly grins. “No. I like her for you.”
“We all do,” Sloane chimes in. “But the question you have yet to fully address, Colonel … is… do you?”
“It isn’t a matter of liking her,” I admit.
“The hell it isn’t.” Raven smirks. “From the way I see it, you’re beyond liking her.”
Looking to each of my girls, I inhale deeply. “Yeah… I do.”
“If you love her the way we think you do,” Sloane chimes in, “then why aren’t you with her?”
“That’s a good question….” I muse more to myself than to her. “Wait, how do you know I love her?”
“Dad…” Raven shakes her head in annoyance. “It’s insulting that you think you can hide things from us.”
Well, if that isn’t a kick in the pants. She’s using one of my old phrases on me.
As I glance at each of my daughters, who stare expectantly at me, I realize there’s no sense in denying it.
“Yeah. I love her… In fact, I’m fairly certain she’s it for me.”
“It?” Sloane’s eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets in surprise.
“Yeah… It for me. As in, I’m hook, line, and sinker in love with Faye.”
“So… I’m gonna repeat myself.” Raven waits until my eyes meet hers before continuing. “What in the heck are you still doing in Seaside, then?”
“Uh, I live here?” I ask, completely confused by her question.
“Obviously.” Lizzy rolls her eyes dramatically. “But what are you doing hanging out with us?”
“Uh… Now that I’m retired, I’m making up for lost time.”
“Dad.” Raven’s disdain is clear. “I love you more than anything, but you’re an idiot.”
“Why? What did I do?”
“You should be with Faye,” Lanie interjects.
“But she’s working, and you all are here.” I point out the obvious.
“Have you told Faye how you feel yet?” Lizzy asks.
“Uh… Not in so many words,” I admit.
“Gah, you’re such a guy,” Raven guffaws. “We love you… you know that. But you should go be with Faye… and tell her how you feel.”
“How? She’s all the way in Italy. It’s not like I can just walk over to her house to tell her,” I point out.
Raven rolls her eyes and lets out a deep breath. “There’s this little thing called a plane, maybe you’ve heard of it?”
Well, shit. She’s got me there.