CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Ace grabbed a table on the patio of the Voltaire Beach House and knew he was going to like living in Ocean Beach. Not only because he had a bunch of friends living in town, and they had a string of great restaurants, but because it was the place where Lisa wanted to live.
And that’s all that really mattered.
Seeing Caid walk in, he waved him over as he pulled out a stool and sat. “Hey, brother.”
Clapping Ace on the back, he nodded and then waved a waitress over. Giving her their order, he then sat and looked around. “So, this place meets your exacting standards?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You and your obsession with food.”
Shrugging, he leaned back and grinned. “Seems I’ve found something else to obsess about and food isn’t quite as important as it used to be.”
Caid snorted. “Never thought I’d see the day, but I guess that’s what finding the right woman does to a man.”
“Truer words were never said.”
“Speaking of women…is Courtney showing up tonight?”
“Lisa said she was along with this guy named Wayne. He’s been hanging out with the ladies all week, and I think he wants to move in with Court.”
“No. Fucking. Way,” Caid said as he sat forward and fisted his hands. “We have a date tomorrow night.”
“Relax, brother.” The waitress dropped off their beers and Ace watched his friend drink half his down. “The kid is gay.”
“All the way gay?”
“I don’t know,” Ace replied with a laugh. “I didn’t ask where he was on a scale of one to ten, but he just broke up with his boyfriend and is all torn up. Lisa, Carissa, and Court have taken him under their wing.”
“Doesn’t answer my question, though.” He scrubbed his hand down his face and groaned. “He could be bi, and if that’s the case, he doesn’t need to be living with my woman. ‘Cause she’s too fucking attractive for any man to resist.”
Ace studied his friend and wondered if the hit he’d taken in the head during their training exercise was a lot worse than he thought. “You know you’re sounding a little crazy.”
“You would too if you were in my shoes. I’ve been chasing this woman since we got back, and it’s taken me two months to get a fucking date. I’m sure as shit not going to let some asshole slip in and mess with the hard work I’ve put in.” He drained his beer and then wiped his mouth. “Do you know what it was like waiting for her to get singled up?”
“No, can’t say that I do.”
“Fucking torture is what it was. So, excuse me if I’m questioning how gay this Wayne kid is. Because if he’s ever thought about being with a woman, he’s not hanging with mine.”
Ace sat back and couldn’t think of a reasonable response that Caid would listen to, so he decided to nod his head in agreement since once he got something in his mind, it stayed there. “I’m going to need your help moving next week because the landlord let me out of the last two months of my lease.”
“No problem,” he replied as he rolled his neck. “Fill me in on the latest with Victoria and the whole baby thing.”
“I talked to Dean the other day, and he was torn to shit since his brother is the baby’s father. He was definitely blindsided, and I’m guessing this is something that’s going to take years to repair.”
“Bet Victoria doesn’t give a shit that she came between two brothers and is causing family problems that might never be healed.”
“I’d have to agree.” Running his hand over his jaw, he shuddered. “I’m so unbelievably lucky to have escaped being tied to her for the rest of my life.”
“You know, she reminds me of that character from that movie, Fatal Attraction.”
“The one from the eighties with the dead bunny?”
“Yeah,” Caid replied, snapping his fingers. “My mom made sure my dad watched it, so he knew what could happen if he strayed.”
“Did it work?”
“For a while.”
“What was the point of bringing that movie up?”
“Victoria is like the Glenn Close character. All sexy times on the outside and dark psychotic shit on the inside.”
“I would’ve just said she was a narcissist before the whole brother thing came up, but I’m going to agree with your assessment.”
“Never a bad idea,” Caid replied.
“I guess it’s important to focus on the fact that I escaped relatively unscathed and not on what the hell was I thinking in the first place.”
Caid nodded and signaled the waitress for another round. “Let go of the idea that it could have been any different.”
“Wise words, man.”
“Don’t say it like it’s shocking. I’ve got a lot of Buddha shit in my brain and only pull it out when I think it will do some good.”
“I know, man, trust me I know.” Hearing his phone buzz, he looked down and read a text from Lisa. “The women are on their way over, and Lisa told me to get rid of any women who were trying to kiss me.”
Caid barked out a laugh. “You ready to go all in and never kiss another woman for the rest of your life?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. I’m going to wife her up by next year and then work on knocking her up not long after. I want the whole thing with that woman and can’t fucking wait to get started.” Their drinks were delivered, and Ace lifted his glass. “To the American dream, man.”
Caid clicked his glass and grinned. “Why the hell not.”
Looking across the patio, he realized he felt calmer than he could ever remember and knew it was because everything he never knew he wanted was within his grasp.
All he had to do was not screw it up.
***
Lisa held her sister’s hand as they walked toward the restaurant and could tell she was distracted. “Everything okay?”
Carissa twisted her hair and let out a breath. “Yeah, sorry about that. I’m just running through my mental checklist for the wedding I’m coordinating next week. James is letting me run lead on it, and I want to prove to him that I’m more than capable.”
“Who’s getting married?”
“A SEAL, as a matter of fact. The bride is a nurse and the daughter of a retired rear admiral, and they’re getting married at the officer’s club on North Island.”
“I bet that’s the one I’m going to with Ace. I think the groom’s name is Frisco.”
“That’s it,” Carissa replied as she squeezed her sister’s hand. “You should probably take notes in case that’s where you and Ace want to get married.”
“I think I’ll wait on that and see how the living together goes first.”
“There isn’t a thing that man could do or say that would change your mind, so don’t lie to yourself.”
“I will do whatever I want, so I don’t freak out about how fast this whole thing is progressing. I asked a man to move in with me after only dating for two months, so I’m going to take a breath before I do anything else.”
“Well, at least you’re not going to waste a bunch of years dating, only to find out he wasn’t the one,” Carissa replied.
“That’s a great rationalization, and I’m going to hold onto it.”
“What rationalization are we holding on to?” Wayne asked loudly as he skipped ahead of them.
“The one that tells me moving in with Ace so quickly isn’t the craziest thing in the world.”
Wayne spun in a circle and then took Courtney’s hand. “What’s your best-friend opinion on this whole thing?”
“I’ve never seen Lisa happier and more content. Ace can handle her need for adventure and, if the noises I hear coming out of her place are any indication of how he treats in her bed, then she’s a very lucky woman.”
Lisa pinched her friend. “Don’t lie; you can’t hear anything.”
Courtney lifted an eyebrow. “Oh, yes, honey, I can, and it’s only because I’m such a good friend that I haven’t complained.”
“I bet it made you break up with panda man that much quicker because you knew he was never going to give you anything close,” Carissa said.
Wayne stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and rolled his hips and put his hand on his head. “I bet that Caid is going to be a whole different story if you give him a chance.”
“Please, stop,” Courtney groaned. “You can’t copy my dance if you’re not going to do it properly. The hip shimmy is not to be disrespected.”
Wayne jumped up and stood straight. “Then you better give me a lesson again because I plan on perfecting it and taking it to the clubs with me.”
“Speaking of clubs, how was your therapy group today?” Carissa asked.
“How does a dance club make you think of my PTSD support group?” Lisa asked as she pulled her sweater tighter.
“Not sure,” Carissa replied with a shrug.
“To answer your question, it’s going good, and I’m actually getting a lot more out of it than therapy.”
“Let it out, sister,” Wayne called out. “Emotional constipation is not anything to fool around with.”
“Amen,” Courtney called out. “Take us to church, brother Wayne.”
Wayne dropped his head, snapped his fingers, and shoved his hip out. “Don’t think that I can’t.”
Courtney took his hand and swung it back and forth. “You are the piece our little trio was missing. We are now complete with you in our lives.”
Wayne put his hand against his chest and closed his eyes. “That means a lot, Court.”
Lisa kissed his cheek and then started walking. “I’m so glad I picked you up in the donut shop.”
“Me too,” Carissa called out as she took his hand and walked toward the entrance to the restaurant. “And if you’re as good at trivia as you say you are, then it’s going to be even more true. I don’t want to lose to those programmers again and listen to them brag about how smart they are.”
“They’re going down tonight, and I bet we’re about to become the queens of Thursday trivia at the Voltaire,” Lisa said loudly as she spotted Ace on the patio. Feeling her heart turn over, she watched him smile and knew moving in with him wasn’t all that risky. The infatuation that started in Yemen was full-fledged love, and all she had to do was make sure she held onto it with both hands.