Avoiding the inevitable wasn’t going to solve the problem. Nick had to call his sister, he had to talk to Tony, and he had to call his parents. None of the conversations were going to be easy, but there was no getting around them.
He also had to tell them about his change in work status, and he expected he wouldn’t get a lot of sympathy. His job had always been a sore spot. He’d missed birthdays, holidays, many important events. Josie would say it was a blessing, or some such shit. Now he would have time to be in a relationship, to be an involved parent, and she’d be right.
But that didn’t make it any easier. His entire life was going through a seismic shift. Not that he didn’t love the idea of having a kid, which he surprisingly did, he just didn’t have any idea what he was gonna do with himself.
He’d gone on a run yesterday, wanting to see if he still had enough stamina to wear the uniform. He’d been able to do push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups, so in spite of the condition of his shoulder, he was still fit enough to be a Marine. “But not in good enough shape to do the dirty jobs,” he muttered to himself.
Thinking about it, the doctor hadn’t really given him a straight answer about what was still wrong with his shoulder. Nick was starting to think maybe his unit wasn’t so worried about his shoulder, but what was going on inside his head. During the debriefing, even he couldn’t believe what he was describing.
He should be dead.
He figured there was time to get a second opinion, really push back against the decision, but where would that leave him and Lila and the baby? It left them nowhere.
It had been two days since he’d gotten the news and already he had offers for command positions at bases, work at the Pentagon, and the last one, which actually interested him, was working for the director of the NSA. It would mean a move to DC, but at least he could try to have some kind of life.
He’d heard about those things—lives. It might be time to try one out.
But first, he had to talk to his sister, who was going to tear his head off.
Good times.
His phone chirped. He guessed the text message was from one of the three women in his life—Lila, Josie, or his mother. If it was Mom, he was in a shitload of trouble, because on top of the whole getting married thing, he hadn’t told her he was back in the country. The last thing Nick needed was her hovering as he figured out where his life was going. Of course, she wouldn’t see it that way.
Once he looked at the screen he saw he’d been right. Josie. Probably ready to give him hell. The text, however, was simple, just a request to call.
Pressing the button, he figured he’d get one out of the way. The phone rang once and she answered.
“It’s about damn time you called.”
Nick should’ve had coffee before he talked to her. “Good morning, or afternoon where you are. I guess you’ve heard?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I talked to Lila. I got a million texts that you two were engaged. I’m getting my head around it, but something is obviously up with your job. What’s going on? Are you okay?”
“Lila didn’t tell you?”
“No,” Josie said. “She said I needed to talk to you about it. Which tells me something bad happened.”
Lila didn’t tell his sister. She respected his privacy. Other than his unit, no one had ever done that before, and he had no idea how much it would mean to him until it happened. If she had told Josie, he would’ve understood. But she didn’t, she left that to him.
There was something intimate—powerful—when someone kept your secrets.
“Nick,” Josie prodded. “Tell me what happened so I can change the subject back to Lila. But you first.”
“I was captured, and I can no longer be part of the unit I was with. They say it’s my shoulder, but I think they’re worried about other things.”
“Other things? How badly were you hurt?” The tone in his sister’s voice was deep concern. “Nick, we didn’t know anything.”
“And you wouldn’t. That was the nature of the work. You knew that.” For the first time, the truth of that statement hit home. No one would know what happened to him. If something had gone wrong on a mission, he would just vanish. Dead in a ditch, as his mother used to say.
How did he ever think it was okay for the people he cared about to have to go through that uncertainty? He didn’t like not knowing Lila was pregnant. He hated that his sister dated his best friend, and he hadn’t been told. But he was content to let his family wonder forever if he would return someday.
God, he was a shit.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call. I knew you were with Tony in Marinbourg, but…” He stopped. There was no excuse. “I should’ve called you as soon as I was able.”
“Yes, you should’ve called. I’m just glad you’re okay. Can you tell me anything?”
“Not much. I will tell you it was not my best moment.”
“You’re not going to do that anymore are you? All that spy stuff?”
He chuckled. “I wouldn’t call it ‘spy stuff’, but no. I’m out of that line of work. Still have my commission and I do have offers. I’ll have to figure it out.”
“You mean you and Lila will have to figure it out, right?”
She was right about that. “Thanks for the reminder. So, not going to get on my case about the baby?”
“No, but you can’t know each other that well. Marriage? That’s a huge step.”
“It’s complicated, but she and the baby will be protected. I care about her, and I’m not going to let anything happen to her. Lots of marriages start out with less. I think we’ll be okay.”
“If you can stop the harpies at school from going after her, that would be great.”
“What is she up against, Jojo?”
“She’ll have plenty of people on her side. Mimosa High is a great place, and the staff is wonderful, but it only takes a couple of people to cause a lot of trouble.”
His work taught him that. “I’ll watch out for her.”
“For what it’s worth, I think you’re going to be great parents. And now that you’ve dropped out of the macho spy game, I think you could be good for Lila.”
“Thanks for that.” He had no idea how much her approval would mean to him, until she gave it. “You’ll be happy to know I made our plane reservations. We’ll be there in three weeks.”
“I can’t wait to see you. I’m going to smack you, but…”
Nick could tell his sister was getting choked up. “I know, Josie. I know. It’s okay now.”
There was a long sniff, and a deep breath before she spoke. “You could’ve died.”
“But I didn’t. And I’m out of the game. Please don’t cry. Tony will kick my ass.”
Another sniff, and then a watery laugh assured him she was calming down. “He might do that anyway. See you in a few weeks. Tell Lila I’ll call her later.”
“Will do. I have to call Mom now. Wish me luck.”
“You’re going to need it,” Josie said.
* * *
Faculty rooms had personalities. Some days they were quiet, reflective places where teachers discussed theory, and how best to serve their students. Other times, they were raucous and fun, a place to celebrate, joke, and blow off a little steam. But there were times when faculty rooms were treacherous.
That’s how it felt today, and Lila sensed it the second she walked in the door.
“Am I being stared at?” Lila asked as she sat down with Georgia.
“Maybe a little.” Georgia got the stink eye from a person sitting at the next table. Her friend didn’t give a whit. “What?” Georgia shot at the person. “She’s one of my best friends, and she’d not stupid. Do you all think she doesn’t know you’ve been gossiping like old women?”
The teacher at the next table, Dixie Sanders, had been the choral director at Mimosa High since the school was built. She was an old woman…anywhere between 65 and 104 years old, she’d never married, and she claimed her students were the only family she needed. Unfortunately for Dixie, her students hated her. The faculty wasn’t far behind.
“We were having a private conversation,” Dixie sniffed. “Perhaps you should give up on eavesdropping. It’s not very polite.”
“Eavesdropping?” Georgia had strapped on her badass—she was pissed. No one accused a southern lady of being impolite. “Dearie, maybe you could keep your voice down then, because they could hear what you were saying in the next county.”
“No need for a fit. Your friend certainly doesn’t need any more attention, Georgia. She gets enough of that on her own.”
Lila never imagined a person would act like this in the workplace. But, plain as day, it was happening. Over Lila’s five years at Mimosa, there had been disagreements here and there, but one teacher had never directly insulted another. Until now. Dixie just threw it out there and Lila was angry.
“You can just kiss my go-to-hell, Dixie,” Lila snapped. “That was uncalled for.”
“I’m sorry if the truth upsets you, Lila, but you’re the one who’s behaved badly.”
“Am I now?” Humiliated, but still whipping mad, Lila picked up her things and headed for the door. But before she left, she threw caution to the wind and spoke her mind. “You are, without a doubt, the nastiest woman I’ve ever met. You hide behind a holier-than-thou attitude while judging and gossiping about anyone and everyone who doesn’t meet some arbitrary standard.”
“I’m not the one who sleeps around, Missy,” Dixie hissed.
The room went so quiet you could hear people breathing. That was a cheap shot, even for Dixie.
“No, you’re not,” Lila said calmly. “But maybe you should try it sometime, it might make you nicer.”
Slamming the door behind her, she heard the room erupt in applause, restoring at least some of her faith in her colleagues. She, however, was wrecked. Nothing upset her more than fighting with people. Even if they deserved it, and even if she won.
Georgia was right behind her with a hearty pat on the back, but then Dixie stormed out of the room in a rage. “This is not over. You will not get away with that humiliation. You may think you dodged any disciplinary action, with a fiancé you trapped, but don’t get too comfortable.”
“Is that so? Thanks for sharing,” Lila responded. It killed her to be polite, because Dixie didn’t deserve it, but there were kids in the hallway, and Lila wasn’t going to feed the rumor mill.
Once she and Georgia were alone, Lila collapsed against the wall, spent.
“She’s going to make my life miserable, isn’t she? How does she know about the suspension?”
“I don’t know. But she’s heading toward the office.”
“Off to make my life a living hell.”
“She’s going to try.” Georgia was always objective, and Lila could count on her for the truth. “What you did in there was awesome, and people have waited years for the windbag to get her due. But that doesn’t mean they’ll stand up and fight with you. We’re facing cuts, and no one wants to stick their necks out.”
Nothing like being left to twist in the wind. Looking at her phone, she saw a text from Nick. Simple, all it said was, How ya doin’?
She smiled, but the amusement was short lived. Pretty crappy, she responded.
After reading the string of text messages from Lila about what happened at school, Nick was ready to jump in his car and go find that Dixie bitch and tell her what he thought of her. Who dumps on a pregnant woman like that? Who calls a colleague a whore in front of a room full of people? Who does it AT ALL? What a piece of work.
But Lila told him she’d handled it, and dragging his “macho self” to school would only cause more trouble. He didn’t want to do that, so he stayed put.
It drove him crazy.
He stepped outside and spotted Mrs. Vandenberg coming in from a swim. She hadn’t asked him about the engagement, which was all over town by now, or the baby. Maybe she’d have an idea about how he could help Lila. He felt guilty about the way he left her, even though he had no choice in the matter. And the pregnancy, well, she shouldn’t have had to go through that alone. Even for a few months.
Whatever Nick decided to do next, Lila had to be a part of it. He just didn’t know if she would be willing to leave Barefoot Bay. She’d built a life here, had friends here, a good job…
“Penny for your thoughts.” Looking to his right, Nick saw Mrs. Vandenberg headed for him.
“Just a penny? No accounting for inflation?”
“You’re fresh, Nick DeMarco. What’s going through that pretty little head of yours?”
He grinned. “You’ve an interesting way of putting things.”
“And you have an interesting way of not answering my questions.”
That made him laugh. “Fair enough. I’m wondering if Lila would be willing to leave Mimosa Key. I had a job offer in Washington.”
“Well, aren’t you important?” She draped her towel over her arm, and looked at him expectantly.
“Nice guns there, Mrs. V,” he said. The woman was in her late 70s, but there was nothing frail about her, mentally or physically.
She smiled and flexed her right bicep. “Open water swimming. Keeps me young. Now stop changing the subject.”
The Gulf was smooth as glass today. And as Nick stared out into the distance, he thought about how to answer. He’d never had to worry about anyone else when making career decisions. Now he had to think about two people.
“The job is with the NSA. I’d be working at the White House. I might have to travel out of the country, but it wouldn’t be dangerous, and most of my work would be done locally. I could be around.”
Mrs. Vandenberg raised an eyebrow. “The NSA? The White House? That sounds intense. My late husband worked at the Pentagon. He was an assistant to the Secretary of Defense; he did good work there, but we didn’t see him much.”
“I hear ya, but I need to find some way to make a contribution. And other than going back in uniform and pushing pencils at some military base, I don’t know what else I can do.”
The sound of the sliding door opening startled both of them. Lila stepped out and sidled right up to Nick, brushing his fingers with her own in silent greeting. Encouraged by the gesture, he laced his fingers through hers and held on.
“Hi Lena. What are we talking about?”
Mrs. Vandenberg blew them a kiss. “Nothing, sweetie. I’ll talk to you lovebirds later. Lila, you look wonderful.”
After Mrs. Vandenberg disappeared into her own house, Nick gave Lila her welcome home kiss. “I got a job offer, that’s what we were talking about.”
“You did? That’s great! It was so quick.”
“It was. Here’s the thing, we’d have to relocate.”
She went quiet. He couldn’t read what she was thinking. Couldn’t tell if she was furious, upset, or scared.
“Nothing to say?” he asked. “I guess it wasn’t really fair to drop that on you.”
“No, it’s okay. Where is this job?”
“It’s in DC. The White House.”
She dropped his hand, stepping to the corner of the deck before running her finger over a hot pink hibiscus flower. “Would anybody be shooting at you?”
“No. Not likely.”
“I guess we have to think about it. I wasn’t planning on moving, and working in the White House sounds like a huge commitment.”
“It is,” he said. “I won’t lie to you. It would be a huge commitment. Most things worth doing would fall into that category. Including babies.”
“I’m aware.” Her voice was empty of emotion, but she let him know what she thought loud and clear. “I guess you have some decisions to make.”
“We have some decisions.”
Considering the day she’d had, Nick probably shouldn’t have brought the job up just yet. The last thing Lila needed was to feel pressured. He knew he’d made a serious mistake when she went in the house without a word.
Not a single word. He was screwed.