Sailor Proof (Shore Leave 1)

“Quit laughing at me,” I grumbled as I glanced around to see if any of the uniformed event coordinators were herding people toward the buses yet.

“It’s all love, baby.” She gave me an air kiss.

In my pocket, my phone vibrated, and I shifted around my armful of stuff so I could fish it out of my skinny jeans. I was waiting to hear about a big freelance job, so I was more eager to check the messages than I might otherwise have been.

But I should have saved my enthusiasm.

Guess what? We caught an earlier flight! We’ll probably miss the buses, but we should see you at the docks. Can’t wait to see Calder. And you, of course.

And me. Of course. Calder got the bulk of my mom’s enthusiasm, as always. And damn it, this was a complication I hadn’t counted on. All I’d told Mom was that I was going to greet Calder and Derrick. Calder had sworn me to secrecy on the fake homecoming plan, not that I would have fessed up to Mom under any circumstances. Telling Sabrina didn’t count in my estimation because we operated in a judgment-free zone of total honesty. Unlike my parents.

“Fuck,” I muttered.

“What?” Sabrina deftly saved the balloons as I juggled things to pocket my phone.

“My parents are gonna be here.”

“Oh.” She blinked her thick lashes a few times. “This should be interesting.”

“Very.” There was nothing I could do other than hope they missed the whole playacting-with-Derrick thing. I stepped aside as a pack of dressed-up kids zoomed between us. Then one of the personnel from the community liaison office signaled that it was time to load the first bus. I hurried to make sure Sabrina and I were in that line. Any distance from my parents would help.

“So... Derrick?” Sabrina waited to speak again until we were seated on the navy bus, which was essentially a school bus made over for military use. “Tell me what he looks like so I can help you spot him. Is he gorgeous? Why is it that all the gorgeous guys are the ones who get cheated on? You’d think they’d have better luck.”

“Quit trying to write a romance novel, Sabrina.” I moved my sign to let a family pass as more people filled the bus. “He’s quiet, but when he does talk, people tend to listen. That sort of commanding voice. Tall. Not as tall as you in your heels, but taller than me. Big shoulders. Dark brown hair. And a face like one of those old Hollywood heroes. So, yeah, he’s hot. But this is a favor. Nothing more. Honestly, I’m not sure he even noticed my existence previously.”

“Aw.” She patted my shoulder. “The big bad sailor squashed your tender feelings.”

“Save it for your fan fic. I was a kid last time I saw him in person. And even if I wasn’t, I don’t do military.”

“And yet here you are.” Gesturing at my sign and balloons, she gave me a pointed look.

“Here I am.” I adjusted my balloons so a teen girl with an even bigger bunch could settle in behind us. “As a favor to my brother.”

Who had loaned me money on more than one occasion while I’d been in school and broke, but even Sabrina didn’t need to know everything.

“Uh-huh. And this hot, older, silent man whom you might get to plant one on.” Sabrina braced a hand on the seat in front of us as the bus got moving.

“I feel sorry for the guy, that’s all.” Sure, teenage me had found Derrick beyond attractive, but even then I’d known better than to get a crush on a man in uniform. “He got a bum deal with his ex. I met the guy once when they first started dating. The sort of high-maintenance dude who tries too hard to be hot and comes off fake instead. Terrible voice.”

“You can’t keep picking men simply because they have the right pitch of baritone.”

“You never know when a musical number might come up.” I laughed.

“With you? That probability is higher than it should be. I’m still not over you leaving that fine hookup simply because inspiration struck for your latest composition.”

“Eh. He wasn’t that hot. Kinda nasal. And the composition won four awards, which is more than I could say for his kissing.”

“And this level of picky is why you’re still—”

“Hey, look, we’re on base.” I could usually handle Sabrina’s teasing and give as good as I got, but I didn’t need to be reminded exactly how pathetic my love life was right before I went and rescued Derrick from his.

“Oh my gosh, the ships are huge.”

It was always fun watching a civilian see the big ships for the first time, and Sabrina’s face as the bus turned onto the road that rimmed the docks was no exception. Her wide eyes and slack jaw reminded me of my excitement as a kid, waiting for my dad or uncles to return and taking in all these ships the size of a small city. As always the docks were bustling with activity. Uniformed sailors were everywhere, dwarfed by the giant equipment like cranes and the boats themselves.