Chapter 9
"Are you sure this is enough?" Olivia carefully climbed out of Bruiser's SUV with the bowl of broccoli salad in her arms. "Maybe we should get some chips or something."
Bruiser chuckled. Opening the back window, he lifted out a cooler, placed it on the ground and locked the hatch. Picking it up, he joined her in front of the vehicle. "You're fine, sweetheart. I told you that's all you are supposed to bring. Be careful and don't trip on the sand."
They walked to the large tent erected on the sandy beach. As they approached, Bruiser's fellow teammates waved in greeting. She placed the side dish on the already overloaded table and relaxed. Apparently, he had been right. They would have plenty of food.
"Olivia, you've met all of the guys except for Toad." He pointed to a man lounging in a chair with a beautiful blonde wearing a string bikini draped over his body. The man lifted a hand in greeting.
"This is Rachel," Toad said. Poking the woman in the rib he murmured, "Baby, say hi to Olivia,"
"Hi, Olivia," she giggled then curled up against him again.
"Nice to see you again, Olivia," Cowboy stood up. He motioned toward a brunette wearing a one piece bathing suit sitting beside him. "This is Cassedy. Over there with Railroad is Arnetta. Finch is bacheloring it today, and Hick should be here anytime now. He went to pick up his date."
Bruiser pointed toward the parking lot. "Speak of the devil."
Olivia glanced behind her and saw Hick approaching them carrying several grocery bags in his good hand with the other secured in a sling. Beside him walked a shorter woman with flaming red hair shoved under a wide brim hat and wearing a bright green tankini under a white gauzy sarong. The woman had some serious curves and wasn't afraid to show them off.
Dropping the bags on the table, Hick took what looked like an apple pie from the woman's hands and placed it carefully on top. Clutching the woman by her elbow, he quickly introduced her as Annabeth Switcher. Once he finished, she dropped into a chair, pulled her hat off and started to fan herself. "Lord, it's warmer than my granny's girdle in August. Ya'll have to excuse me; I have too much insulation for this hot California weather."
Chuckles sounded out around the area as Hick pressed a cold bottle of water into her hands. "Can't have you melting away, just yet." He smiled at her. He touched her face with his fingertips before turning away, leaving a glistening trail of condensation in their wake.
She shook her head, "Then you best behave. You're enough to make me melt into a puddle right here, Levi."
"You know it, babes," he smirked.
"Shouldn't you bunch be out saving the world instead of stuffing your faces?" A new voice called out from the direction of the parking lot.
"River! When did you get into town?" Toad grinned and waved.
The men all hurried over and did the whole manly handshake and fist bump routine with the newcomer.
"We've been here a couple of days taking care of some things before the convention starts. Guys, you remember my wife, Joselyn?"
Cowboy piped up, "Good to see you again, Joselyn." Each man gave her a gentle hug. Once again introductions were made, and things settled down. River stood near the grill, talking with his former team members as the women gathered to get better acquainted.
"You look familiar," Cassedy said to Joselyn. "Have we met before?"
Joselyn took a drink of her water and shook her head. "I'm from New Orleans. I haven't been to California before. We are here for the writer's convention."
"Wait. You're Joselyn Chambers!" Cassedy squealed. "I can't believe it."
Joselyn blushed, and beside her, Annabeth chuckled. "See, I told you."
"Yeah, yeah, Annabeth, you're awesome." Joselyn turned back to the woman who was obviously fangirling over the famous author. "Please, call me Jos."
"Can I get a picture with you? My sister will never believe me," Cassedy told her. "We are both big fans."
"Sure." She moved over to sit beside the woman and smiled as Annabeth took the picture with Cassedy's cell phone.
As they finished, her husband handed her a small woven bag with The Deidre Files in bold letters across the side. "I brought one with us one just in case," River said with love showing in his piercing blue eyes.
She smiled at him gratefully and pulled out a couple of copies of a book. "What's your sister's name?"
"Cheryl."
Joselyn autographed the books and handed them to the brunette who clutched them to her chest protectively. "Thank you," she gushed.
"You're welcome. Arnetta, would you or Rachel like one?" Joselyn asked. Arnetta agreed while Rachel gave her a blank stare. Something told Olivia, she wasn't much of a reader.
Olivia was impressed at how Joselyn carried herself. She took the women's fawning in stride and didn't seem to let it phase her.
When the impromptu autograph session was over, River took the bag from his wife, and placed it underneath the table, out of the way. "You want to tell them the news or should I?" he asked cryptically.
"Are you pregnant?" Toad burst out loudly. "River, my man with the super swimmers! Congrats!"
"Oh my Lord, no. At least not yet," Jos finished with a blush. She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I got an offer to make 'Murder With A Side of Mayhem' into a movie." She grinned. "We signed the deal yesterday."
There was silence a moment as everyone absorbed the news before Cowboy jumped up and hugged her. "Congratulations!"
Hick grinned. "You need a male lead? I happen to know someone who would be perfect."
Joselyn laughed as he struck a pose, flexing his uninjured arm like a body builder. "That's not up to me," she quipped. "I think they may have someone in mind. I know they are going to use Demma St. John for Deidre. I met her yesterday."
Railroad whistled appreciatively. "She's an A-lister for sure. Are you doing the screenplay?"
River curled his arms around his wife tenderly before speaking. "They offered, but she turned them down."
"I'm working on a book that's a little emotionally wearing on me. It's based on my own..." Joselyn hesitated a moment before finishing. "Experiences."
"Ouch," Railroad said quietly.
"I'm still a little pissed you didn't tell us what was going on," Bruiser glared at River. "You know we would have come help."
"And that's why I didn't call. Uncle Sam still owns you. I wasn't going to pull you away from duty. I had it all under control."
Hick snorted. "Yeah, sure, under control. You almost died, bro."
River pointed toward Hick's sling. "You're one to talk. How's the shoulder?"
Hick shrugged and winced. "It'll be alright. Doc has me on medical leave for now. He said three weeks, but I'll go nuts before then. There's no way I'll wait that long to get back out on the mountain bike trails. I've got a new ride I'm itching to try out."
Beside him, Annabeth shook her head with a disapproving glare. "Boys and their toys," she muttered. "Adrenaline junkies, all of you. You're nuts; you know that right?"
The guys all laughed with Toad throwing in a "hell yeah" for good measure.
When the laughter died down, Arnetta asked Hick. "You were hurt?"
He dropped his chin in a nod. "Yeah, it's just a little knife wound. I'm alright now. The team had my back, not like Riv. He should have called us. Once a SEAL always a SEAL."
Cowboy smacked River on the back of his head. "Don't do it again, old man," he exclaimed only partially joking.
Olivia watched the interaction with the same amount of confusion as was currently displayed on the faces of Rachel, Arnetta, and Cassedy. Only Annabeth seemed to be in the know. Leaning over, she whispered conspiratorially, "Jos had a stalker last year; a nut job serial murderer, no less. River almost died saving her life. He did lose a kidney in the process," Annabeth supplied with a nonchalant shrug. "She's writing a fictionalized version of the whole thing now."
Arnetta gaped. "Wow. I had no idea."
Joselyn coughed. "Yeah. The life of a writer - who knew?"
Seeing the look of discomfort on Joselyn's face, Olivia steered the conversation into another direction. "I'm a little warm. How about a dip in the ocean?"
The women agreed and soon yells, and splashing ensued. After a bit, several of the men joined them with only Hick standing on the sideline with Annabeth tucked into his side, egging them on. They made the cutest couple ever. "Thank you," Joselyn whispered to Olivia when the others weren't looking. Olivia simply winked.
As the afternoon waned, the overly crowded beach slowly emptied. Olivia noticed several women eyeing the jaw dropping team of SEALs with appreciation. She couldn't help but smile proudly. The guys didn't seem to notice the heated stares and concentrated on their ladies. That spoke volumes about their characters.
Later, after everyone finished eating and a huge campfire was lit, they all sat around talking and laughing. Each of the men sat on the sand with his chosen lady pulled into his arms. Finch, being the solo man out, sat alone, strumming a beat up old guitar.
"So," Annabeth caught their attention from where she sat snuggled against Hick's good side. "Levi won't tell me how ya'll got your nicknames. I know River's is from being born in Mississippi, but the rest of you are a big ole mystery. Come on, cough them up." She grinned at the man sitting beside her. "You first, Studly."
Hick swallowed the bite of apple pie in his mouth and dropped the fork back into the tin balanced on his knee. "I'm just an old redneck," he said with a shrug.
"Liar!" River threw out with a laugh. "You're from Boston. If you don't want to disclose how you got your name, then say so. Don't lie about it."
"Thanks for outing me, buddy," Hick groused. "Alright, I got mine in BUD/s. At dinner the second night, I ate so fast, I got a case of the hiccups. They wouldn't go away."
"He kept us awake all night," River said.
"How did you get rid of them?" Olivia asked, fascinated.
"I tried everything. I drank water fast, ate a spoonful of sugar, tried to drink from the other side of a cup. Nothing worked. Finally, they went away on their own."
"At three o'clock in the morning. We had to be up at four. That was one long day," River grumbled. "I'm surprised you survived."
"I almost didn't. A couple of the guys cornered me outside the mess hall the next night. They expressed their displeasure at missing their beauty sleep." Hick snorted.
"The next time you have hiccups, put a straw in a full glass of water, put your fingers in your ears and drink as much water as you can through the straw as fast as you can. I don't know why, but it works." Annabeth advised. "I've done it a hundred times, and it always works, without fail."
"I think a lot of those hiccup cures are invented for spectator purposes," Railroad chimed in.
"Alright then, Railroad, you're next." Annabeth snuggled into Hick's arms.
He shrugged as Arnetta laid back against his shoulder. "Not much to say. I tend to get focused and single minded. I have a one track mind. One track, railroad track. There you have it."
"I was raised on a ranch in Wyoming," Cowboy said. "We had horses, and I learned to ride almost before I could walk. Dad said my first word was 'horse,'" He chuckled. "The nic followed me from high school."
Annabeth nodded toward Bruiser. "Your turn, boss man. I'm thinking you're some sort of brawler. Maybe you were a boxing champion in school."
"Fighting, yes. Boxing, no," Bruiser agreed. "Like Cowboy, my name followed me from before the service."
Olivia wasn't surprised he didn't elaborate. She knew how guarded he was about his past and she didn't think he would be divulging anything more. Apparently, Annabeth got the same vibe for she passed on to Finch.
"From my name, naturally," he said quietly. "I've been called Finch since Jr. Varsity football."
"Aw, man, you guys are boring. How about you Olivia? Hick says you were in the Army. Did you get a nickname too?"
Livy was caught off guard by the question but recovered quickly. "No. I mean, I've been called Livy my whole life, but it's just a shortened version of Olivia. Sorry, Annabeth, you struck out again."
"Damn!" Annabeth swore to herself then turned her gaze to the last remaining member of the team. She rubbed her hands together. "And that leaves the star of the night. Alright, Toad. Let's hear it. What did you do to get saddled with that gawdawful name?"
Toad shifted uncomfortably, dislodging Rachel draped over his body like a sheet. "I need another beer," he said and stood.
"Chicken!"
The sounds of clucking filled the night air as his friends ribbed him. Popping the top, he took a long drink from the can and burped.
"Charming," Joselyn yelled out. "Oh wait, is it from you croaking like that?'
He glared at her but said nothing.
"Well, that's a first. Toad's speechless," Bruiser said.
"Next topic," Toad said.
"Aw, come on man, tell the ladies your story," Cowboy called out.
"I said next story."
They cackled anew. Finally, after several minutes, everyone settled down. Shortly after, one by one they gathered their things and said goodnight. As Bruiser and Olivia drove away, she thought how good it had been to laugh with the others. It had been a wonderful night, and she appreciated that none of the others had wanted to talk about the white elephant in their midst. The review was in a couple of days, and she was happy his team had taken Bruiser's mind off things.