Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4
T ony climbed the stairs to the deck and grabbed a beer from the cooler. “Anyone need a beer?”
“I’ll take one,” Quinn said.
Ry and Josh gave him the thumbs up, but Doc was too busy stuffing his face with desserts. Tony grabbed the bottles and knocked off the caps on the edge of the cooler.
The guys were sitting around the fire pit, and Quinn dragged another chair over for Tony.
“Thanks.” He passed out the beers and shook his head as Doc shoved another half doughnut into his mouth. Fergus “Doc” O’Brien put away sugar like the rest of the team ate meat. It was crazy, or maybe he was. Either way, the SEAL passed all his medical tests every year. Tony hoped he was around when it all caught up to him, though. Then they could all say, “I told you so.”
“Have a nice lunch?” Ry grinned.
Let the razzing begin. He didn’t care as long as it didn’t bother Providence. If it did, he’d put a stop to it faster than they could say extra PT.
“Yup. The burgers were excellent, Lucky. Thanks for the invite.”
Lucky tipped his chin, and his eyes crinkled with amusement. “I’m glad you enjoyed them.”
“The salads were excellent, too.” Tony hid his grin behind the beer bottle before taking a swig.
“We’ll let Harmony and Grace know. Or you could tell them yourself when they’re done planning inside,” Josh said.
The guys laughed. “Oh yeah, I can’t wait to see what they come up with this time. I’m sure they’ll drag Providence into it with them,” Lucky said.
“Trouble?” What trouble could they get into? Sure, Tempest and Grace could be a hand full. But Harmony was so sweet she should cause cavities, even if she was the biggest klutz he’d ever met.
Instead of answering him, Quinn raised an eyebrow. “So, Providence, huh?”
Tony shrugged. “I’m playing nice. She’s new to town.”
“And single, close to your age, and drop-dead sexy,” Doc said, after finally coming up from his sugar-laden plate.
It was Tony’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“Bullshit.” Lucky chuckled. “We all saw the way you checked out her ass as you followed her. You can’t shit a bunch of shitters.”
Tony laughed. He hadn’t tried to hide his interest, but maybe he should have. “I’m old, not dead. Grace would have killed you if you’d done it. But Quinn and Doc weren’t immune to her either. Obviously.”
Doc nodded.
“Nah, but she’s not my type. Not that I don’t appreciate older women…” Quinn said before taking a long drink of his beer.
Ry elbowed his team lead in the side. “You not interested in a woman? Are you holding out on us, Falcon 1?”
“Nope, but if I was, you’d never know, would you?” Quinn grinned.
“Probably not.” Ry nodded. “But the women would love it if you two hooked up with someone. Harmony tells me all the time that she feels so bad you’re alone.”
Tony smiled. Ry’s words reinforced his thoughts about her. They were perfect together. She softened all his rough edges. But Tony would break a woman like her. He needed someone who’d been through hell and after sitting with Providence, he’d read that in her eyes.
“She’s worried about us?” Doc asked.
“Yeah, she is. She’s been trying to find women to invite to meet you. I told her no matchmaking allowed.”
“For fuck’s sake, really?” Lucky laughed.
“Whatever, you don’t have to be a dick about it,” Ry said. “She’s softer than anyone I ever met, and I refuse to ruin her view of the world. Hell knows she’s been through enough already.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it. Just took me by surprise.” Lucky ran his hand through his hair, making it stand on end.
Tony leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on a boulder at the edge of the fire pit. Watching the guys give each other shit was like being part of a huge family. It reminded him it had been too long since he’d touched base with his brother. He’d need to remedy that soon. The anniversary of their parent’s death was coming up, and it was always a hard day for Bob.
Cutting into their teasing, Tony said, “I want to hear more about this trouble they get into. How come you’ve never mentioned it before?”
“Eh, it’s usually nothing more than plotting something to give us a hard time. Usually, it backfires on them,” Josh said.
“All fun and games until someone gets demoted?” Tony winked.
“Yeah, something like that. Tempest is usually the voice of reason, unless I’ve pissed her off about something. Her plans are the most devious.” Josh rolled his eyes. “The last time she convinced Pam at the Ready Room to put extra cayenne pepper in our nachos.”
Ry groaned and rubbed his belly. “Yeah, we were fucked. It was a good thing we didn’t deploy that week. I spent most of it shitting my brains out.”
Tony snorted, then drained his beer, setting it down on the patio. "I bet Harmony was upset.”
“Oh yeah. She vowed never to pull another prank with the girls again. That lasted about a month.” Ry laughed and the rest of the guys joined in.
“I could guarantee that if one of us goes into the kitchen, they’ll look guilty as sin,” Lucky said.
“No doubt about it,” Josh added. “It’ll be all over Harmony’s face. The other two will hide it better. Lucky for me, I haven’t pissed off Tempest lately.”
“I wonder what they’ll come up with this time?” Doc mused.
“Who knows, but I’d suggest we be on alert,” Quinn said.
“Probably for the best.” Ry nodded and chuckled.
They were still laughing when the women opened the sliding door and stepped out. Grace was carrying Hope, who started wiggling in her arms as soon as she saw Tony. He didn’t know what he’d done to earn the little one’s attention. He loved how it pissed off her father, Lucky.
“What’s so funny?” Grace asked as she handed Hope over to Lucky.
Lucky reached for his squirming daughter and sat her on his lap. “Nothing, love. Just giving each other shi… uh… a hard time.”
Tony loved seeing how the men had softened around their women. It was the same with the Black Eagles and the Gray Hawk teams. Doc was such a clown. Tony didn’t think a woman would ever get him to settle down, but then Murphy, from the Black Eagles, had been the same. Sky tamed him quick enough. Quinn was a different story entirely, and from what he’d said earlier, he wondered if the Red Falcon lead might already have fallen for someone.
Tempest sat on the arm of Josh’s chair, and Harmony did the same to Ry.
“Do you know if you’ve got a mission coming up?” Tempest asked, her gaze rotating between the men and stopping when she came to Tony.
“Nothing pending, but you know how that goes.”
“That’s great,” Grace said.
Lucky smiled. “What’s up? You guys planning your girls’ night?”
“Actually, no, we’re thinking a girls’ afternoon at the salon over on Pacific. But only if you can watch Hope for the afternoon,” Grace added.
“Sounds good. Unless something pops up.”
“Perfect. Now I need to cross my fingers that my schedule stays clear, too,” Tempest said as she glanced at Tony again.
“I haven’t heard anything.” It was the best he could do. Tempest didn’t report to him, and she didn’t take part in their missions unless her specific skills were required.
“I’m excited. It’s been forever since I’ve had any pampering,” Grace said excitedly.
Lucky yanked on her and pulled her into his lap next to Hope. “I guess I’ll have to do better.”
Grace kissed his cheek. Hope watched her parents and then planted a big, chocolaty kiss on Lucky’s cheek. The collective aww made Tony chuckle.
“I think I need to work you guys harder next week. You’re all getting soft.”
Doc’s jaw dropped. “He… uh, no way. You can’t loop Quinn and me in with these, uh, I don’t even know what to call them.”
“More like you don’t know what to say without dropping an F-bomb,” Grace said.
Lucky smirked. “Yeah, what she said, because then I’d have to kick your behind.”
Providence leaned close to Tempest and asked, “Is it always like this?”
“Pretty much, but it shouldn’t be a surprise for you. Not after so many years at sea on a floating manopolooza.”
Tony snorted. “What did you just call a naval destroyer?”
“Um, nothing. You were supposed to hear.” Tempest grinned.
“I’m sitting right here. You act like I’m one step from the grave.” It was his turn to stop himself from cursing. Having a little one around definitely curbed their use of profanity.
Grace snickered. “If the shoe fits…”
Harmony giggled and buried her head in Ry’s shoulder. Whiskey even sat up and grinned. They were giving Tony a complex. He looked over at Providence, and their eyes met. Amusement glittered in her gaze. It should have been a warning.
“Mercy. Y’all shouldn’t be so mean to an old man. Stress is hard on his heart, and he could keel over.” Providence’s attempt at seriousness was ruined the instant she winked.
Damn woman. A heart attack. “Really? Et tu, Brute? I suppose I should count myself lucky there’s a doctor in the yard.”
Providence grinned. “Yes, sir, you absolutely should.”
“Indeed. It would seem that’s my cue to get going before my poor ancient heart stops beating.” Tony grabbed his empty beer bottle from the deck and stood. “It’s been fun, but I’ll leave all you young’uns to it.”
Providence placed her hand over his wrist. “I’m sorry if I offended you.”
“Not at all. I have some errands to run.” Then he leaned closer and whispered so only she would hear. “I’ll text you later to set up dinner this week. I hope you’ll take me up on the offer.”
A hint of pink colored Providence’s cheeks, and she nodded. He really hoped she wouldn’t decide not to give them a chance. There was something about her that drew her to him, and he wouldn’t give up without a fight.
“I’ll see the rest of you yahoos at zero five hundred Monday.” Tony schooled his expression to one of command and tipped his chin.
As he stepped into the house, he heard their groans and chuckled. He was still grinning as he made his way to his car and got his first look at a bright red Alfa Romeo. It hadn’t been in the driveway when he’d arrived. Tony checked out the tiny sports car, taking his time hoping Providence would follow him out to share a more private goodbye. Not that there was any reason for her to do that at this point. They didn’t have a relationship. Yet.
The car gleamed like a ripe cherry in the afternoon sun. He didn’t remember the car at any of the other parties, and he would have. The car was gorgeous. He’d bet money it was Providence’s since this was the first time she’d attended one of the team parties. Tony’s grin grew as he checked out the car she’d kept in pristine condition. There were so many facets to the sexy woman. He couldn’t wait to reveal all of them. If she let him.
With a sigh and one last look at the front door, he swallowed down his disappointment. They’d just met. There was plenty of time to get to know her, he told himself as he climbed into the Commander and backed out of the driveway. He hadn’t lied. His to-do list had reached critical levels. He could have put it off until the next day, but they all relax without him there.
I t was after six by the time Tony got home. As he finished putting away the groceries, his stomach growled. If he’d been able to keep his mind off his lunch with Providence, he would have remembered to pick up a couple of ready-made meals. She was something else—soft and sexy, but tough as nails. His mother would have called her a badass wrapped in cotton wool. The memory was bittersweet. If his mom was still alive, she would have loved Providence. But he was jumping ahead of himself. They hadn’t even been on one date yet. Hell, she hadn’t technically agreed to a date, just a friendly dinner. He’d have to fix that.
After making a sandwich, he poured a glass of iced tea and carried them into the living room. He rarely ate at the small kitchen table; it reminded him too much of missed family dinners. With a sigh, he grabbed the remote and flipped to a news channel on the monster TV screen.
The turmoil in Eastern Europe grew daily. Tony could just about guarantee the team would deploy by the end of the month. Twenty-five years in the Navy—a lifetime, really. Yet, he couldn’t remember a time when the unrest had been this bad. They were one step away from an implosion. Just thinking about it soured his appetite. Putting the plate on the coffee table, he leaned back against the soft, tan leather couch and propped his feet on the edge of the coffee table. He clicked through channels and looked for something less aggravating.
A documentary about sharks on the Nat Geo channel caught his eye. Predators of the Ocean. Yes, they were, but at least they didn’t wipe out an entire species. Nope, only mankind would do that shit.
Tension pulled his shoulders tight. Where was this coming from? It seemed to happen more and more lately. Frustration. Anger. He’d always been calm, stoic, the perfect commander who could keep his men from losing their shit. But for the last few months, he’d been struggling. Maybe it was time for him to consider his “what’s next” plan. When he’d joined the Navy as a young officer, he’d always figured he’d serve until they forced him to retire. At forty-seven, he had plenty of years left. There was something missing, though. He needed more.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he focused on the television in time to see a shark attack a sea lion. It was quick and no chance of escape from the hunter with the razor-sharp teeth. Like the enemies who taunted the US, the shark took one bite at a time from the helpless mammal. Fuck. He was getting downright morose. This needed to stop. It was definitely time to think about making some major changes in his life.
Meeting Providence today had lifted his spirits like a bright light in the dark. She’d made him smile more today than he had for the last few months. Feeling some of the darkness recede from his thoughts, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened his contacts. After updating her name from Dr. Providence Sheridan, he tried to figure out what to write. Hi? Nah, that seemed more like a teenage girl or a spammer. Hmm. Good evening? Nope, too formal. Fuck, he was terrible at this. He’d lost all ability to be cool. Shit. Did they even say cool anymore? He’d been out of the dating game too long.
Trying again, he decided to just go for it.
Tony: Hey it’s Tony. How’s it going?
Before he could change his mind, he clicked send. She’d probably laugh her ass off. He put the phone on the couch next to him and dragged his hand through his short brown hair. Maybe he should have just called her instead. Why didn’t anyone call anymore? They all carried their phones everywhere, but no one actually used them to talk to anyone.
The phone lit up with an incoming message. Tony reached for it and knocked it off the couch. Taking a deep breath, he scooped the phone off the floor and rolled his eyes. Get a grip, old man .
Providence: Hi. I’m good, just got home. Did you get all your running around done?
He could do this. For fuck's sake, he commanded three SEAL teams. He could talk to one gorgeous doctor.
Tony: Yup. Got home a bit ago.
Shit. If the guys saw this, they’d tease the fuck out of him.
Providence: Great. It was nice meeting you today.
Nice meeting me? Is she brushing me off already?
Tony: I enjoyed our lunch. I’m hoping we can do dinner this week?
That was better. At least he didn’t sound like a total dork.
Three dots blinked at the bottom of his screen, then stopped. Then started again. Was she going to blow him off? It was entirely possible. Maybe he’d come on too strong. As a SEAL, his training taught him to be fierce in pursuit of his mission. Not that Providence was a mission, but he wanted her. There was just something about her that called to him—even if he had to settle for just being friends for now.
Why wasn’t she answering? The longer he watched the three dots blink and stop and blink again, the more his confidence waned.
Providence: As friends right?
Tony: It’s just dinner. I’m not gonna try to get you into bed.
Ugh, can you unsend a text? Dammit. Why had he typed that last part?
Providence: LOL I’m not worried. I could take you down.
Tony: You think so?
Providence: Just because I’m a doc doesn’t mean I don’t know how to hurt people.
He hated this texting shit. How was anyone supposed to know if someone was messing around? Or maybe it was just with this woman. He texted others daily and had no issues. Shit. He needed to get a hold of himself.
Tony: About dinner?
This time, the dots appeared, and a message came right through.
Providence: I’ll have to let you know after I get to work on Monday and can check my schedule.
She wasn’t outright turning him down, but it felt like a brush off. He knew where she worked, worst-case scenario he could drop in on her.
Tony: OK That works. Have a good night.
Providence: You too.
The smile emoji made it better. Tony debated on texting one back or if he should ask to meet for coffee in the morning. It probably wasn’t the best idea, considering her reaction to dinner. Quinn would say he needed to slow his roll, and he’d be correct. Damn. Maybe his brain had melted when he’d met her, because he never had trouble acting like a grown ass man, and now he felt more like a pubescent teenager.