Chapter 4
To: G.Titus1958
From: O.Parker6511
Subject: Almost there!
Bruiser -
It was so wonderful to hear from you! Yes, the broken toe is almost healed. I still can't believe I tripped on my own two feet in the shower. I swear, I'm normally not this clumsy. It has made for an interesting few weeks; okay, maybe interesting is the wrong word. Excruciatingly painful is probably closer to the truth. Those five mile hikes are bad enough without doing it with two toes taped together!
Thank you for the pictures of Jayden's newest work. He seems to be taking up with airbrushing as he does with everything else - completely and with his whole heart. He was so excited to get the airbrush kit from you for his birthday. I'm sure Auntie has forgiven you by now. It was thoughtful of you to make him a little "studio" in the corner of his room with drop-cloths so he wouldn't destroy Auntie's walls - again. It was also nice of you to get your team to come over and repaint his room. Although she never said as much, I think Auntie was a tad bit upset with all the new additions to his walls even if they were unintentional.
I got my paperwork today. When I get home, I'll have to go to the university and give them a copy of everything. I could email it to them, but I rather put it into someone's hand. I don't want to take a chance on an electronic snafu. So, it looks like I'll be an entering freshman in September! I'm so excited for the possibilities.
I know we didn't have a lot of time to talk when I was home in March, but the time we did have was great. I find myself thinking about you a lot. No, not that way, ya perv! To this day, anytime I see a picture of an elephant I remember the coffee house and laugh. If my platoon weren't so sure of my sanity before, they're convinced I've gone off my rocker now. It's gotten so bad; I've been finding little elephant figurines and pictures in my stuff. I shrug it off. It reminds me of you.
I best go for now. Oh, and of course you can pick me up on the 27th. I look forward to seeing you then.
I miss you -
Livy
Bruiser grinned and turned his cell off. They had moved far enough off the coast that there was almost no service anyway. He stuffed the device into his pocket, sat back, and relaxed. He turned his face up toward the sun to absorb the heat. It was a beautiful day, and Olivia will be home in just two short weeks. He had been thinking about her more and more every day. They emailed back and forth at every chance and had even managed a few Skype calls. At first, he told himself it was for Jayden's sake as most of the calls were while Bruiser was at the center with Jayden. Maybe it had been at first, but now it was for much more selfish reasons. He loved to hear her voice. As normal, the thought of her made him smile again.
"I know that grin. Who's the honey?" Reese "Toad" Harkins dropped onto the bench next to him.
"She's not a 'honey.' Olivia's a good friend. Remember the room we painted last month? She's Jayden's sister."
Toad thought for a moment and nodded slowly. "Oh, yeah. You mean the Army chick. I saw a picture of her on the wall. She's hot." He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. "If you're 'just good friends,' can you hook a brother up?"
Something in Bruiser tightened, and he fought the urge to punch Toad square in the nose. "Not no, but hell no," he ground out. "She's too good for you."
"Who's too good for who?"
Asher "Finch" Finchly held out a couple of beers. "If we're talking about Toad, whoever she may be is unquestionably too good for you. I wouldn't introduce you to an old hound dog."
"Har, har, Finch. You're funny." Toad rolled his eyes and took the brew. "I'll have you know; the ladies love me."
"Frequently," Bruiser and Finch said in unison.
Their retort earned them both a glare. "Don't hate." Toad stretched his arms over his head before lacing his fingers behind his neck. He grinned as he crossed one ankle over the other. "I can't help it if they find me irresistible."
"Hey, you girls going to gossip all day or are we going to get some fishing done?" Alcide "Cowboy" Montgomery growled.
Bruiser leaned to the side and saw him standing against the brace pulling back as his pole bowed almost in half. Beside him, Hudson "Railroad" Houseman attached a lure to his line.
"Yeah, yeah," Finch muttered but flopped back down in his seat, lifted one leg and straddled the pole sitting in its holster. "You need some help over there, Cowboy?"
"Hell, no. I've fought calves with more power than a little fish. You worry about your own business."
Bruiser barked out a laugh. It was good to spend a day with his team and not worry that someone was going to try and put a bullet in their skulls. It had been Levi "Hick" Salter's idea to charter a fishing boat for the day. Although they weren't sure about it at first, it had ended up being a great day.
"Where's Hick?" Bruiser looked around the forty foot charter boat for the last member of their SEAL team.
"Down in the galley. He's damned and determined to fry up that spotted turbot and eat it. I told him it wasn't big enough to worry about; by the time he finishes, there won't be anything left but a charred, greasy bite." Railroad replied as he made a beautiful cast and settled into his seat. He put the butt of the rod into its swinging holder between his calves and locked it. Glancing at Cowboy, he asked, "You sure you don't need some help?"
"Nope. I got it all under contr..." Cowboy cursed when the pole suddenly popped straight and the snapped line whipped up and wrapped around the rod. "Son of a bitch," he swore harshly.
"You pulled too hard." Hick stepped out on the deck with a paper plate full of something that may have, at one time, resembled fish. Smacking on a bit of it, he grimaced and pulled a bone out of his mouth before tossing it overboard.
"What do you know?" Cowboy groused. Setting the pole back in its holder, he pulled a tackle box out and rifled through the lures.
Hick lifted his plate. "I know I'm the only one eating."
Bruiser wrinkled his nose. "That smells rank! What did you do to it?"
Hick lifted his shoulder in a shrug. "There wasn't any cornmeal or flour, so I coated it in crushed corn flakes and garlic. It's not too bad." He lifted the plate toward Bruiser. "Want a bite?"
"Abso-freaking-lutely not," he mumbled and wrinkled his nose. "Is that ketchup on there?"
"Nah, it's tomato soup. The company we got this boat from should be shot. Who goes anywhere without ketchup? How about you guys? Anyone want a bite?"
A chorus of 'no' sounded out on the boat with Toad adding a gagging sound for good measure.
"Your loss," Hick muttered and turned back to the galley door.
Toad nudged Bruiser in the arm with his elbow. "So, about the sister..."
"That's a big ole 'nope sandwich' with a side of 'not gonna happen' fries. I think too highly of her to hook you up." Bruiser shook his head. "Go peddle your man-ho somewhere else."
Toad wouldn't give up. "If you're not interested in her that way, then why not introduce us?" He hesitated a moment. "You're not interested in her that way, are you?"
"I already told you, it's not happening. Don't you have someone else to bug?" Bruiser wrinkled his brow. He would love to tell himself that it was only a passing concern for a friend that made the ugly knot in his stomach clinch, but he knew better. No, the resident hound-dog was not getting his hands anywhere near Olivia. Yeah, not happening. Ever.
"You like her? Heh." Toad snickered and sat back. "Bruise, you jealous, man?"
"Hell no. Olivia is a nice girl, and her brother comes to the community center. She's worth a lot more than a one night stand. She deserves more. She is a kind-hearted woman with morals and standards. Not only that, she's a sister-in-service. She may not be Navy, but she is out there busting her ass, just like us, trying to make this world a better place. The last thing she needs is some horn-dog panting around her. So, no, I'm not going to hook you up with her. I'm not even sure I like the idea of even introducing you to her." He stopped when he realized the team was staring at him as if he had sprouted horns. He grimaced and turned away. Bruiser could apologize for his harsh words, but the thought of someone getting close to her who viewed Olivia as a means to an end infuriated him. Yeah, he wasn't sorry. Not one damn bit.
A high pitched whine sounded to his left. Hick dropped the plate full of poorly cooked fish and leaped into his chair. Quickly, he turned his snapback hat around until the bill pointed down his neck. Grabbing the pole, he locked it to his waist harness and started to pull. "Woohoo! The Hickster is at it again! Watch and weep boys. This is how you catch a fish!"
The team whooped and yelled advice as Hick fought the fish. Bruiser sat back and watched, glad to have their attention on something else. His love life was none of their business. He stopped. Love life? Did he consider Olivia to be a part of that? Maybe. She was becoming important to him. He decided at that moment when she finally got back in California, he wanted to see where this thing would go.
The image of the caramel skinned beauty fled his thoughts as Railroad tossed him a pair of thick work gloves. "Come on Bruiser; I need help pulling it in. Hick will lose it without us."
Bruiser chortled and slid the gloves on. "Hick lost it a long time ago," he quipped as he grabbed the line.
As they worked as a cohesive unit to land the tuna, Bruiser smiled. It was good to spend time with his team. They were his brothers, his best friends as well as his co-workers. There wasn't anyone he would rather spend time with than his team.
Except, now, maybe, Olivia.