“Lance? Hell, man, this is an honor,” Aiden declared as many of the American Legionnaires walked to Finn’s Pub after the meeting.

Brogan cuffed Aiden on the back of the head, “Shut up, bro.” Looking over at him, he just gave an approving chin lift.

He nodded in return, appreciating Brogan’s stoic demeanor, not making a big deal about it. He had never gone to an after-meeting, preferring to avoid public gatherings.

Aiden, never losing his grin, opened the door as they arrived and the whole group poured through the door. Heart pounding, Lance stopped just inside, taking in the crowded space. He had never hated crowds earlier in his life—it seemed to develop about the same time the nightmares began. One more thing to talk to someone about when I finally make that appointment. Shaking his head slightly, he walked toward the back where it appeared the group was gathering. Katelyn brought pitchers of beer over and other servers arrived with platters of wings.

It did not take long to see many of his friends pairing off in their natural couples. Gareth tucked Katelyn underneath his arm as Mitch slid in next to Tori, his hand immediately going to her stomach. Grant’s lips were already on Jillian, and Ginny had found Brogan’s lap.

The others quickly settled all around. Callan and some of his Coast Guard buddies made their way to the dart board, a rousing game ensuing. Aiden checked with the bartenders to make sure everything was in order and then made his way to a table nearby with Jason and Zac, who waved him over, pointing to an empty chair.

Taking it, he nodded at the server who poured him a beer and drank quietly, listening to the multitude of conversations flowing all around as music played in the background. Slowly the nerves decreased as he found that the situation was not as awkward as he always assumed it would be.

Jillian, leaning her head around Grant, asked Lance about some of his artwork she was displaying, Mitch was organizing another beach cookout for everyone, and most of the others were in quiet conversations and checking their phone calendars for Mitch and Tori’s party.

Tori touched his arm and said, “Lance, I hope you’ll come.”

With a short smile, he nodded, “I’ll try.”

He noticed the looks shared amongst the group, intuitively knowing they were stunned at his attempts to be sociable. He heard a roar of cheering from the front and looked up toward the dart game, observing a few women standing nearby, clapping for the winners.

“Belle! Jade!” he heard Callan call out. His gaze shot to the front door, seeing the two women walking in, both wearing huge smiles. Belle was pretty, but it was the dark-haired, green-eyed beauty that snagged, and held, his attention.

Tonight, she was wearing make-up—not heavy, but just enough to illuminate her eyes and giving her cheeks and lips a bright color. And was standing right in the middle of a bunch of single guys. He wanted to look away. Tell himself it did not matter. But he could not—on either account. He continued to stare, uncertain if he wanted her to look over at him and possibly frown when she saw him, or keep her eyes on the dart game where the smile was sure to remain on her face.

He did not have to wait long for, in a moment, she turned and shifted her perusal over to the back of the bar where most of her friends were. He felt the instant her eyes met his…the widening of surprise followed by an immediate blush as she ducked her head. Turning away in haste, she leaned over and whispered something to Belle, whose face immediately fell before she nodded and gave her a hug.

Without a look back, she moved toward the door and walked out into the night. Belle, her name called by one of the other women, smiled her shy greeting as she approached. Even from way in the back, focused as he was, he could hear their conversation.

“Where’s Jade?” Jillian asked, looking toward the front.

“Oh, she said she had a headache and decided she needed to get home so she could take something for it,” Belle explained, as she slid into a seat next to Katelyn.

She left because of me, he thought, remorse filling him. Having had enough socialization for one night, plus the overwhelming desire to check on Jade, he stood, excusing himself. Slipping out the door, he looked up and down the street, dark except for the lights above casting faint illumination down on the sidewalk. No Jade. Hearing a car engine start, he looked over, watching as she drove by. He stood, staring, until her taillights were no longer in view.

Walking back to his vehicle, he climbed in but instead of putting the key into the ignition, he sat for a few minutes, his decisions now coming to haunt him. I came to Baytown to start over…but have I really? Or am I still stuck in the same shitty place I was when I got out of the Army?

Later that night, lying on his back watching the ceiling fan slowly turn as he did every night, he made two decisions. Call the Eastern Shore Mental Health Center for an appointment, and next, see if he could repair whatever he fucked up with the beautiful teacher who just wanted to share her sea glass.

He remembered her words as he drifted to sleep…Sea glass is proof that things can change…for the better. Life can break us into pieces, but we can change, become more beautiful than we were before.

* * *

Feeling foolish for having left the pub early, Jade walked into her apartment, kicking her shoes off at the door and tossing her bag onto the kitchen counter.

“I didn’t even stay long enough to get a beer,” she grumbled to herself. Grabbing one from the refrigerator, she moved over to plop onto her sofa and downed half the bottle at one time.

Sighing heavily, she started to turn on the TV but soon recognized there was nothing interesting on. Plus, I’ve got morning bus duty, she remembered, accepting that she did not need to spend half the night channel surfing to try to drown out the memory of seeing Lance sitting with their friends.

He had never been there before, at least not that she had seen. She had heard his name mentioned occasionally, but since he did not frequent their gatherings, nor hung out at the pub or other town establishments, she had never seen him until their run-in on the beach.

Why does he have to be so gorgeous? It would be so much easier to push him out of my mind if his looks didn’t draw me in. The first time she met him he wore sunglasses and, when he took them off, the anger on his face kept her from focusing on his unusual eye color. On their second fateful meeting, he stood in the shadows of his doorframe and it was difficult to discern much about his eyes. But tonight, even across the bar, she had been able to see his hazel eyes piercing hers. As usual, no smile, but just a stare that scorched right through her.

“Ugh,” she proclaimed out loud, as she stood and poured the rest of her beer down the drain. Moving into her bedroom, she grabbed her pajamas and headed into the shower, hoping the warm water would wash away the thoughts of him. Later, lying in bed, she had to admit, the shower was cleansing, but no such luck forgetting Lance Greene.

* * *

Another email. That makes one a week for the past three weeks.

Lance stared at the electronic missive, wondering what his mother’s motive was, other than ruining his morning. Always the same. He was selfish, he needed to stop running away and help his father run their business, he needed to see to his trust, take accountability for becoming a soldier, policeman, and then an artist, and recognize how each had only alienated his father more.

His finger hesitated over the reply button before moving to delete. His thoughts slid back to the the American Legion meeting, seeing some of the families represented. Three generations of MacFarlanes, from Finn, the grandfather, to Eric, his son and father to Aiden and Brogan. Mitch and his father, Ed, as well as Ed’s brother, and Jillian’s dad, Steve. Families that shared…cared. A foreign concept to Lance, but one he would have liked to experience.

He knew Ginny was estranged from her family after she left the military, but with Brogan and now the whole MacFarlane clan in her corner, as well as the police department and the American Legion and Legion Auxiliary, she was well connected.

Rubbing his hand over his face, he shoved thoughts of his family from his mind. Looking at the early morning dawn painting the sky, he suddenly moved into action. Pouring a cup of coffee into a travel mug, he hesitated for a moment, then poured a second travel mug full of the steaming brew. Uncertainty crept in, but before he gave into the indecision, he added sugar and cream into one of the mugs. Screwing the lids on tightly, he headed out the back door, hoping his hunch would pay out.

He had walked for almost a quarter of a mile toward the north, when he spotted someone coming south. Too far away to clearly discern who the early morning walker was, he stopped and, moving back slightly from the edge of the water, sat in the sand.

His eyes stayed on the person, satisfied as they neared that it was Jade. The early morning breeze had become chillier and today she wore a green t-shirt with tight, black pants with the legs rolled up her shins. Her head was down as she walked along, occasionally stopping to pick up what must have been sea glass. As she came closer, she still had not noticed him. Pausing to lift her binoculars to her face, she peered out toward the bay. Pulling something from her backpack, he watched as she alternated between looking through the binoculars, looking on her cell phone, and writing on a small pad. After a moment, she put the paper away and picked up her small bag containing her collection of sea glass.

She drew nearer, but still had not noticed anyone else on the beach. He grew concerned, realizing how vulnerable she was, out here alone and, seemingly so unaware of her surroundings, focusing only on the ships or the shore.

Not knowing what to say, he cleared his throat loudly.

Squealing in fright, she jumped back, eyes wide, as she jerked her head around to see him now standing about ten feet away. Immediately her gaze moved from his face to over his shoulder, and she blurted, “I’m not near your property. I keep track of where I should stop. And I—”

Hating that he put such restrictions in her mind, he raised his hands up in supplication. “No, no. It’s okay. It’s no problem for you to…uh…be here.”

Jade sucked her lips in, staring at Lance, wondering what he was going to berate her about today. He slid his sunglasses up on his head, exposing his hazel eyes for her perusal, noting the golden flecks, causing her breath to catch in her throat. Hating that he had a mesmerizing effect on her, she dropped her gaze to his still raised hands, both carrying travel mugs. Before she had a chance to ponder that curious fact, he spoke again, once more drawing her attention back to his eyes.

“I…thought you might want…uh…coffee?” he stuttered, holding a mug out toward her.

Not moving, other than her nose scrunching in confusion, she stared dumbly, first at the proffered drink and then up to his face again.

“I didn’t know if you might be thirsty…you know…uh…from your walk.” His gut tight, Lance realized how rusty his social skills were, cringing at the sound of his own voice.

Staring at him, she tried to ascertain some hidden meaning in his words.

He observed her hesitation, as well as the doubt in her eyes, and rushed to say, “Honest…I just wanted to offer you some coffee.”

“Why?”

Her hand wrapped around her middle, an unconscious act of protection that did not go unnoticed by him. Heaving a sigh, his shoulders slumped at what he knew would be her blatant rejection. “No reason…other than to just apologize.”

At that, Jade visibly started, blinking several times, trying to figure him out. The idea of shutting him down—hard—was tempting, but she knew it was not in her nature to treat him the way he had treated her. “Apologize?”

“We’ve only met twice and both times, I was a complete ass—”

“Agreed,” she quickly interrupted.

“I know I don’t deserve it, but I’d truly like to apologize and hope you will accept it.” Lance watched as she stared at him for a moment and felt as though she was inspecting him as much as the ships out in the bay she was so fascinated with.

“I’m Lance. Lance Greene,” he continued, fear of her rejection creeping along his spine.

Jade carefully observed the man in front of her. Seeing him standing there, so large but so cautious, the coffee still held out in offering, her lips began to twitch into a smile. Nodding slowly, she realized how difficult this exchange must be for him and her heart softened.

“My name is Jade. Jade Lyons. And I accept your apology,” she said, her smile now fully in place. “I’d also love some coffee.”

Reaching out her hand, she took the mug from him, her fingers gliding along his hand. The warmth she felt had nothing to do with the temperature of the mug, but everything to do with the man in front of her. Eyes wide at the tingling exchange, she watched as he snatched his hand back, obviously feeling the same effect.