CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Monday, April 16th
Daphne stuck her head in the fridge and tried to decide what she felt like eating. When nothing came immediately to mind, she decided to make a stir-fry and pulled a bunch of veggies out. As she put everything on the counter, she heard her phone. Sliding the bar, she put it on speaker. “Hello.”
“Hi, darlin’.”
“Hey, handsome, what are you doing?”
“I’m about to leave for a two-day training exercise; we just got the call and we’re wheels up in forty minutes.”
“So, your platoon is the lucky one that got chosen for the readiness drill.”
“Seems so, not even sure where we’re headed, but gear is loaded, and we’re waiting on our ride.”
“Have fun and be safe.”
“Always.”
“See you when you get back.”
“Mark your dance card because it’s full for the foreseeable future and I don’t want anyone to try and sneak in while I’m away.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“No seein’, there is only doin’.”
“Bossy man, you know that giving me orders never works.”
“You want me to beg? Because if you say the word, I’ll do what I can in the next fifteen minutes.”
“No begging, only asking.”
“Honey, I want you for my very own and I’m asking if that’s possible.”
“Sure.” Hearing his laughter, she felt a smile break across her face.
“Damn, you had me worried for a minute.”
“Ask nicely, Bryce, and I’d probably give just about anything.”
“Get yourself ready because when I get back, you’re going to be drowned in nice ‘cause I won’t be satisfied until we’re bound in every way.”
“That sounds promising.”
“You have no idea.”
“Go on then, so you can come back and show me what binding myself to you is going to feel like.”
“Miss you already, Daphne.”
“Me too.” Hearing the call end, she set the phone down and looked out her small kitchen window. How had he become so important to her in such a short amount of time?
Hearing the door open, she looked up and saw her sister walk in. “Hey, sister.”
“Hey.”
“Are you off tonight?”
Yeah, it’s Monday, so it’s dead at the shop.”
“I’m about to make some stir-fry; do you want to stay and have dinner together?”
“Sure, why not.”
“How bad did that hurt?”
Letting out a snort of laughter, she hitched her shoulder. “Not as much as you’d expect.” She dumped her bag next to the bookcase and then slid onto a bar stool. “Where is Captain America tonight?”
“He’s got a training exercise and is about to be wheels up.”
“Is he a Navy poster boy?”
She rinsed the veggies and then set them on a paper towel. “No, why would you ask that?”
“He’s so clean-cut and perfect, so it seems he’d be the perfect guy to be on the recruitment posters.”
“Yeah, his looks are a little over the top and the only thing that saves him is the fact that’s he’s kind of a geek.”
“Then he’s your dream guy ‘cause you love geeks.”
“I know.” She started to slice up the peppers and thought about one of their first encounters. “I thought he was totally buttoned up when I met him, but he said something in a briefing that showed me he wasn’t and, instead of being turned off, it made me like him.”
“He must have some kind of crazy juju for that to happen.” She stood up and opened the fridge. “Wine?”
“Yes, please.” She watched her sister pour two glasses and then hand her one. She lifted it and said, “Cheers.”
“Back at ya’.”
“How’s the place you’re working at?”
“It’s great. The owner is a solid guy and doesn’t put up with any bullshit. He runs a clean shop and has strict rules that everyone has to abide by or they get kicked out.”
“Makes sense since it’s his butt on the line.”
“I’m almost fully booked for the rest of the month, so he’s not making me come in on slow nights to take walk-ins.”
“I’m glad that he figured out your worth quickly and knows the right thing to do.”
“Is that a compliment, sister?”
Looking up, she smiled. “Selah, you don’t have a bigger fan than me and just because we live our lives differently doesn’t mean that I don’t love and support you one hundred percent. I know you don’t like it when I express it, so I usually keep it to myself.”
Selah ran her hands through her hair and then twisted it into a knot. “We’re so damn different that it’s easier to focus on that as opposed to all the things we share.”
She lifted her wine glass and motioned between their faces. “The carbon copy looks have always made us want to differentiate ourselves from one another, but we share the same genes and most of the same experiences, so we’re identical, no matter how much we deny it.”
“We’re the most opposite identical twins there ever were.”
Taking a sip of wine, she nodded. “True.” She went back to her chopping and wondered if the detente they were experiencing was a fluke or a sign they may be ready to forge a new relationship. “Have you kept in touch with anyone from high school?”
“Not really since I’m not into the whole Facebook thing.”
“I don’t spend a lot of time on it, so I haven’t kept up with any of the people we were friends with. Now that I’m back in town, I thought it might be fun to look some of the girls up and get together. I don’t have many friends yet and I want to change that.”
“I can’t really think of anyone I want to see but let me know if you put something together and I’ll think about coming.”
“Really?”
“Don’t pee all over yourself, I said maybe.”
Snorting, she turned and grabbed a container of chicken out of the fridge. “I wonder if you’re a low-reactor because I was always the excited one or if that’s just your natural state.”
“Who knows what my natural state is or was? Our parents did everything they could to mold us into their idealized view of a human and had no interest in who and what we were.”
“When they were around, which wasn’t all that much,” she added as she pulled out the wok and poured a little oil in and turned on the stove. “I told Bryce about our childhood.”
“No shit.” Sitting back on the stool, she gave her a smile. “Didn’t think that’s something you’d do.”
“I like him, and figure he better know who I am sooner as opposed to later because if he can’t handle it, then I’d like to know now.”
“And how did he react to the story of our lovely family?”
“Perfectly. He didn’t judge or over-sympathize and simply accepted it.” Swirling the oil around, she watched it heat as waves started to appear across the surface. “He’s all in and half the time I think he’s too intense and the rest of the time I’m mesmerized by it because I’ve never had anyone look at me the way he does.”
“He definitely has that whole Alpha-I’m in charge vibe, but it seems to be mixed with an uncertainness that makes it seem like he’s not a total asshole.”
Letting out a laugh, she studied her sister. “I wouldn’t put it exactly like that, but I get what you’re saying. He’s one of the most feared warriors on the planet and as domineering as he can be, he’s equally sweet.”
“When he came by the other day and didn’t ogle me in my panties, I knew he was crazy for you.”
“Can’t argue with that.” She dumped the chicken into the pan and added some spices and stirred it quickly. “What about you?”
“I’m not serious about any of the men I’m seeing. Hearts and cupids don’t appeal to me and all I’m interested in is a good time.”
“As long as you’re getting what you want, then that’s all that’s important.”
“Do I hear some judgment in there?”
“No, I was honest earlier and want whatever makes you happy. I just sometimes worry that the guys you hang out with don’t treat you well.”
“Okay, as long as that’s all it is.” She stood up and grabbed some plates and set them on the counter. “Want me to nuke some rice?”
“Yes, it’s going to be ready in a minute.” Adding the veggies, she stirred them in and thought about the guy who had been by the other week and his affiliation with an MC that had known ties to criminal activities. She didn’t want to bring it up and piss Selah off, but she didn’t want to ignore it either.
Looking over, she saw that her sister was smiling and decided to leave it alone. They hadn’t had this long of a conversation in forever, and she didn’t want to bring it to a screeching halt by sharing her worries.
If what she had said about not being serious was true, then maybe there was nothing to worry about. Better to leave things be for now and see what developed.
Hopefully, it wouldn’t be a decision she would come to regret.
***
Daphne lifted the remote and looked over at her sister. “Are you sure?”
“I said yes, twice, and if you ask me again, then I’m going to change my mind.”
Flicking on the TV, she grinned. “This makes me incredibly happy and I can’t believe you’re willing to watch this with me.”
“You must be forgetting all the telenovelas we watched during our childhood and how I was into them a lot more than you ever were.”
Sliding through her on-demand, she found Jane the Virgin and clapped. I don’t think that’s true because I would volunteer to babysit for whoever had the best TV.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s true. I picked my friends based on who had the best satellite dish and could get the best reception.”
“I think watching those novellas actually taught me more about life than almost anything else. When we came to live with Grams and she wasn’t interested in keeping up with them, I couldn’t understand.”
“At least she didn’t forbid it,” Selah added.
“True.” She chose the first season and passed the bowl of popcorn over. “Get ready to fall in love with the abuela because she’s going to remind you of Flora from Nicaragua.”
“Really?” Selah ate some popcorn and then grinned. “She was my favorite person next to Grams. Remember how she saved us countless times when we’d been left alone for days?”
“Yes, and I also remember that she never backed down from mom and dad when they tried to tell her saving souls was more important.”
“I think she’s the reason that Gram came and got us when we were nine. I can’t prove it, but I think she made the call that got us back to the States.”
“You’re probably right because how else would she have known about the guerillas and all the violence?” Looking over, she saw her sister cringe and knew she was thinking about the sound of gunfire that was the soundtrack to their lives at the time. “When I joined the Navy and was first deployed, I finally understood what it took for Grams to do what she did.
“She was a tough bird and, despite our many arguments, there’s no one other than you that I’ve ever loved more.”
“Same.” Bumping her sister’s shoulder, she smiled. Trying not to show how much her sister’s words meant to her, she stared at the TV. “There was a lot of Gram’s spirit that rubbed off on me and, I know, I channeled it whenever I had to stand up to an SOF operator. I think of how she looked anyone and everyone in the eye and held their gaze and didn’t back down. I might’ve been quaking in my boots, but I bet no one ever guessed because I was cool on the outside, just like Grams always was.”
“Does super SEAL Bryce know what he’s in for with you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re spun sugar when you’re getting your way and dynamite when you’re not. He may think that sweet Daphne is all that you are and be surprised when Tasmanian Daphne shows up.”
“Guess we’re going to find out. We’re in that sugar-rush phase of infatuation and are hungry for one another, so I doubt either one of us is seeing things clearly. Soon enough, we’re going to be on the cusp of steeper emotions, and how we handle that is going to be anyone’s guess.”
“If he’s the warrior you say he is, then he’ll probably fight for you and know it’s worth it. If he doesn’t, then you’ve avoided a douche and should be happy.”
“Is it that easy?”
“Yeah, sister, it is. I’ve got a ton more experience than you and, though I’m not into relationships, I can tell the difference between a decent man and an asshole.”
“I believe it.”
“Despite your love of planning, you can’t prepare yourself for what’s about to happen with you and Bryce. If this thing is on, then it’s not some slow process. Love strikes in an instant, anywhere and anytime. One minute, you’re minding your own business, and the next someone is singing out of tune and you think to yourself: I could spend the rest of my life with you.
“Going to tell me the story about the man who allowed you to pick up that bit of wisdom?”
“No, because it turns out he didn’t mean what he said.”
“If you ever change your mind, let me know.”
“Are we going to watch the show or what?”
“We’re watching; don’t get your panties twisted.”
“My only piece of advice is this: don’t confuse a boy who kind of likes you with a man who wants to twist his soul with yours. They may appear to be the same thing for a while, but in the end, they couldn’t be more different.”
“Copy that,” Daphne replied as she pressed the button to start the first show. Knowing there was a man out there that had broken her sister’s heart made her unbelievably angry, and she knew that if she ever found out who it was, she was going to make sure she returned the favor.
People may think she was ice cream and cookies, but she wasn’t when someone messed with her family. And considering her sister was all she had, she could easily let the freaking Tasmanian Devil off the leash when and if she found him.
But with manners.
Or not.