Sailor Proof (Shore Leave 1)

Chapter Six

Arthur

Alone with my mom was a dicey proposition. I loved her more than all my instruments combined and I’d swim across the Sound for her, but somehow the last few years I never had good answers for all her questions. No matter how much I achieved, I still felt like something of a disappointment.

“I’ve always liked him.” Mom glanced at the door to the restaurant, as if that might make Calder and Derrick hurry up. Ha. I had a feeling Calder was getting chewed out for not giving Derrick a suitable excuse for the prospect of being saddled with me in the middle of nowhere for a week.

“Me too.” My sigh was genuine because he truly was a very nice and likeable guy, but that didn’t mean I was okay with my mom acting like he was the best decision I’d ever made. “You know I’ve dated before.”

She made a dismissive gesture. “Musicians. You need someone stable. Solid.”

“Musicians are great people. And stability is overrated.” My voice was even firmer than usual thanks to that moment I’d shared with Derrick earlier when he’d seemed to understand why someone might choose music. I was so tired of being the odd one out in this family of do-gooders and public servants.

“All I’m saying is that I’m happy for you.” She patted my hand. “Very happy. And I want you to both come to the reunion. It will be fun.”

“Your tenacity and inability to take no is why opposing counsel fears you.” It was also why she’d managed to graduate at the top of her law school class while being over forty with four kids, and why she’d never given up on her dream of being an environmental attorney even with move after move thanks to the navy.

“Come on, Arthur.” She laughed but there was a weariness there too. “You’re not literally allergic to the outdoors.”

“Not literally. But we’ve never been friends either.” I kept it light, trying to ignore the heaviness in my chest from knowing I was testing her nerves yet again.

“Bring Derrick, and I’ll make sure you get one of the more private cabins.”

“Oh?” I sat up straighter. This was an unprecedented offer, one I needed to hear more about. “No sharing with the nephews?”

“Nope.” Her grin was easier now because she knew she had me. “A couple of the private cabins have renovated bathrooms too.”

“Awesome.” Great. Now I had a serious incentive to talk Derrick into going, and judging by his face when he and Calder had left, that wasn’t going to be easy. Sure enough, he came back into the restaurant with his muscles all tense like he was trying to outrace a rainstorm and failing.

“Find your phone?” I asked after Mom had been called away to deal with something involving the kids. I knew perfectly well that his phone had been in his pocket because I’d felt it when we’d been squashed together in the back seat.

“What?” Derrick blinked before his eyes went wider. A flush spread across his cheeks. “Oh. Yeah. We did.”

“Did you find out about leave?” I kept my voice down, letting the other conversations swirl around us. Calder was back talking with his friends, and I had Derrick all to myself.

“I’ll have to look into it.” He was surprisingly cagey, not the outright refusal I’d been expecting at all.

“That’s not a no.” I bumped his shoulder.

“Do you actually want me to come?” He peered at me intently.

His intense gaze was freaking me out, making it hard to be anything other than honest. I shifted in my chair. “If you come, I get a private cabin and don’t have to bunk with the older nephews.”

“Don’t like being a built-in babysitter?” Derrick laughed. God, I could listen to that sound all night. As it was, I was going to drive myself nuts trying to capture its essence in a future composition.

“Nope. Don’t get me wrong, I love kids.” I glanced down the table where Ollie’s younger two appeared to be having some sort of heated conflict, with my mom and their mother functioning as intermediaries for peace. “And I always help out with the kid activities. But I’m almost twenty-five. I’m ready to be done with the kids’ table, so to speak.”

“So I’m your ticket to cushier accommodations?” Stretching, Derrick sat back in his chair.

“And better sleep.” I grinned at him because he still hadn’t said no. “None of the kids seem capable of actually staying in their beds. Someone else can get up with them at dawn.”

“Not sure anyone’s ever wanted to spend the night with me to improve their sleep.” Derrick grinned back. Was he flirting? Was that why my pulse was speeding up and my brain was full of sexy thoughts? I couldn’t tell, which made my back tighten even as my body hummed.