Three days passed before Cal stopped fighting Molly about going back to work. The woman was as bullheaded as any Ranger he’d ever met. Chris had made good on his threat to take a few days off and help out at the pub. Chief had recovered from his bout with the flu and had made it back to work by Tuesday. And Molly fought him every waking moment about getting back to her normal schedule.
Thankfully, her waking moments were limited since Sunday. She routinely expected to make it through the day, only to fall asleep every couple of hours with a book in hand or curled up with Bo on the bed.
Having her in the apartment, even arguing with him on the regular, left him content. Coming home from a deployment, moving into regular life, was never an easy transition. No one ever talked about it, but they all felt the friction when life at war met life at home. His unit was due to deploy again within the next couple of months, so his time doing normal was limited. But, damn, it felt good right now.
It had been easy to think about settling down as something in the far distant future. Ten years after completing college he was an elite soldier that’d been deployed to war zones no less than three times. Soon to be a fourth. He was staring the future in the eye and he wasn’t sure he liked what he saw.
He thought about Noah, settling into civilian life with a new bride and his own business. Then about his sister, starting fresh in a new town without looking back, and reaching for happiness with both hands. Lainey hadn’t discussed with him what really prompted her move, but he’d called his Pops and got the lowdown. As soon as he tied things up here, he’d be taking a trip home to visit Lainey’s ex. Some men needed a lesson on what happens when you put your hands on a woman.
Rubbing a hand across his scalp, Cal glanced at Molly, sleeping on the couch with Bo curled up at her feet. He thought about the strength it took for her to leave everything she knew behind to be closer to her brother. A brother that spent a mere few weeks a year on base.
Bravery came in all shapes, circumstances and in every size.
After all this introspection he needed a damn cup of coffee. Leaving Bo to keep an eye on Molly, Cal headed down to seek out Chief’s mighty fine brew. By the time he hit the bottom of the landing he could hear Chief stacking bottles of beer in the coolers under the bar. The soft clink of glass on glass was both a familiar and soothing sound.
When Chief stopped his routine to pour two cups of joe for them both, Cal was reminded—again—of how civilian life was suiting him just fine. “Thanks, Chief.”
The older man nodded in response, then leaned on the bar sipping his own coffee. “Never seen Molly so happy. Girls like family, you know.” The retired Naval officer was a man of few words, but when he spoke, you listened.
Cal bobbed his head and downed his coffee. He wasn’t quite sure where Chief was going with this, so he was keeping his mouth shut.
“You ever given any thought to leaving the military, son?”
Well, hell. A direct question. “Someday. I thought I’d know when the time was right, down the road.”
Chief set his coffee mug down with a distinct thud against the mahogany bar. “This is what ‘down the road’ looks like, son. A grizzled old man without a family, and a government pension for company.”
Cal really looked at the retired Master Chief for the first time. Looked beyond the steel grey buzz cut, the old school naval tattoos, and the tough exterior. And he saw a soft-hearted man working at a pub so he could surround himself with those he chose as family.
“Talked to your sister the other day. Got her working on a new tattoo design for me. That girl’s damn talented. Gonna be nice having her around.”
Cal knew exactly what Chief was getting at, but he couldn’t bring himself to discuss it. Was it time to think about leaving the Rangers? He had to wrap his head around it a little bit longer. So, he nodded and said, “You’ll keep an eye out for her when I’m not around?”
“Didn’t I just say that? ’Course we will.” With that the old guy pushed off the bar and went back to stacking beer bottles in the cooler.
Cal was staring at the rim of his coffee cup when a small hand fell on his shoulder and Molly gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Hey, soldier.” She took a seat and addressed Chief. “Can I get a cup too?”
Molly leaned into his arm and waited for her cup of coffee to be poured. When she closed her eyes and gave a contented little sigh, his chest felt tight. Ten days. Ten days and his entire world had tilted unexpectedly.
He was staring at her when she finally sat up and picked up her mug.
“What? Is my hair sticking up funny?” She patted her hair awkwardly, looking a bit embarrassed.
“No. You’re perfect.” And he wasn’t sure he ever wanted to fix the tilt of his axis.
Cal was looking at her funny, but she didn’t think she had anything on her face. Maybe she had pillow creases from her nap. She was forever embarrassing herself in front of the man. Last night she’d fallen asleep during a movie, only to wake up and find she’d been drooling during her nap. On his shirt. Not her finest moment.
To be fair, the last couple of days had not been her proudest. Being sick turned her into a grumpy bitch that fell asleep at the drop of a hat. Cal was probably counting down the days until he could bolt for his real life, far away from her demanding ways and all the responsibilities he’d taken on for Noah.
“Hey, Chief. I can take over after I get a shower, let you get out of here early today.” Finally feeling normal after three days, it was high time she got back to work.
“It’s been quiet this week. The rain’s keeping everyone off the water. No need to rush back to the grind. Besides, Chris is in tonight. And I’m pretty sure Cal’s pretty sister will be in for dinner, and he wouldn’t want to miss the chance to chat her up.”
Molly slid a glance at Cal’s frowning face. Throwing an elbow out to catch him in the ribs, she laughed at him. “I told you Lainey liked the pretty boys.”
“Not gonna happen. I threatened Chris with severe bodily harm.”
She watched his face break into a broad grin before she said, “I don’t think your sister would appreciate you managing any aspect of her life. Seriously, she’ll date Chris just to spite you.”
And with that comment the grin slipped away to another vicious scowl. “Like hell.”
Chief took the opportunity to interject, “That girl is as headstrong as they come, son. Can’t recognize yourself in her, I reckon.”
Molly had to laugh when Cal snapped his mouth shut, obviously thinking about what Chief had said. He was a bit blind about his sister, but it really did come from the heart. The big bruiser would do anything to protect Lainey, even if it was misguided.
Men. They really had no clue about women, even their sisters.
They drank their coffee in silence for a few minutes before Cal finally spoke. “We could catch a movie, maybe even lunch, since you’ve got the day off.”
Chief was watching her as intently as Cal. From across the bar he gave a brief, sharp nod and a wink. Her mouth fell open. Was the old man matchmaking? Holy shit, he was.
“Sure. I’ve got to shower and find some clean clothes.”
“I did the laundry this morning, so everything you’ve got here is clean and stacked on the dresser.”
“You did my laundry?”
“Yeah. Why? Is that weird for you?”
Yes. Yes, it was weird. “Nope.” No one had done her laundry for longer than she could remember. And why did it make her want to jump his bones? She would not melt for a guy because he did her laundry. Absolutely not happening.
As she slid off the barstool and headed for the shower upstairs, she berated herself. Not freaking happening. She was not falling for Callum Eversman. They had four more days until Sunday.
Four days to enjoy him and prep for the final goodbye. Because she was not falling for his bald head, hot tattoos and sexy smile.
No.
When Bo greeted her at the top of the stairs, she said it again. “No. I’m not falling for him.” Maybe the dog believed her.
Their date had been a success. Chief had casually mentioned that Molly loved sushi and even directed him to her favorite place over in Mumford. Cal didn’t mention to either of them that he’d never had sushi, but he was game for anything if it meant Molly enjoyed their date. And to be honest it wasn’t too bad.
They caught a movie that suited them both and then headed back to the pub for dinner and a beer. They joined Lainey at the bar and passed the evening bantering with Chris.
Now he was wide awake, next to Molly, in the big king bed. She’d made good on her promise to take full advantage of him in the shower earlier that night. A memorable event to be sure, but he was currently going back over the conversation with Chief in his head.
“Hey, soldier. You’re thinking awful damn loud for someone who should be sleeping.”
“Am I?”
She curled into his side and rested her head on his chest. On a yawn she said, “Hmmm…definitely.”
“Molly, you know I’m headed back to base in a few days.” His chest tightened, just thinking about her response. “I’d like to date. After I leave, I mean.”
She stiffened. There was no way for her to hide it, tucked up against his side, but she didn’t move away. “Cal, we talked about this. You know I can’t date you.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
This time she did pull away. Sitting up and pulling the sheet closer to her chest she said, “It’s the same thing for me. I can’t get more attached. Your life is far away from mine, so different from what I live. You’ll go away, overseas again, and you’ll be fighting a war without end. How do I survive that if I fall in love with you?”
She took a deep shuddering breath before going on. “One of two things will happen. You’ll get tired of me and it will end. I’ll be heartbroken and curse the day I ever met you. Or you’ll die at war. And I’ll never get over your loss.” She didn’t speak for a moment. Then she said, “Never.”
He pulled her close, rubbing her back gently while she fought back tears. “Okay. It’s okay.” When he felt them fall on his bare chest, he pulled her closer until she finally relaxed and drifted into sleep.
She cared. Unwillingly and not without a fight. Even though she was turning him down, actions always speak louder than words, and her tears soothed the sting of rejection. Because she cared as much as he did.