Sailor Proof (Shore Leave 1)

But it wasn’t Calder who had made me gasp.

Wasn’t Calder who had me call out.

Wasn’t Calder who had me racing down the hill to make sure he was okay.

I didn’t do panic. Like, seriously, any tendency to panic had been trained out of me in sub school, and the fact that I didn’t panic in tense moments was in large part why I had been chosen. But then I’d seen Arthur tumble and I’d...

Panicked. And even now, a few hours later, I still couldn’t decide who I was most upset with—Calder, Arthur, or myself.

“You take as long as you want in the tub. Use all the hot water,” I commanded Arthur as we disembarked from the bus back at the camp.

“Okay.” That he readily agreed only underscored how miserable and hurting he likely was. He looked a wreck—mud caked in his hair and smeared across his face and limbs along with multiple minor scrapes and bruises. He was so messy that it was a wonder they’d let him back on the bus. And a wonder he hadn’t been more seriously injured.

“I’m going to find you an iced coffee if it means making it myself,” I promised him as I steered him in the direction of our cabin. “You go relax. I’ll handle this.”

“On a mission for coffee?” the bus driver asked after Arthur had lurched off down the path.

“Yup.” My attention was still largely on Arthur’s retreating form.

“There’s a place back off the highway, closer to Port Angeles. That’s probably your closest option. The kitchen just closed after lunch and won’t reopen until dinner unless you want me to hunt down the dregs of what we have in the staff room.”

“No, no dregs.” I’d likely had way worse over my years in the military and also before then, with plenty of bad retirement center coffee too, but Arthur was worth way more than some leftovers. “I’ll go into town for the coffee.”

“You’re going for coffee?” Stacey, Oliver’s wife, eyed me with an intent that made me shuffle my feet. “Could you bring me back something?”

“Oh, hey, me too.” Looking more like his father every year, Roger had a twin under each of his beefy arms. As the oldest, he’d probably been born with a chief’s bearing.

Before I could reply, Taylor stepped in front of his mother. “Can I ride with you? I can hold the drinks.”

“Well...”

“Dad showed me your car in the parking area. It’s sweet.”

“It is,” I had to agree.

“We’re coming too.” The twins escaped their father to flank Taylor, three identical pleading expressions. “We’ve never ridden in a real hot rod.”

“Do you have seat belts?” Stacey eyed me more critically.

“Yes, ma’am,” I assured her, realizing too late that a lack of seat belts would have saved me the three eager copilots.

“His driving record is even cleaner than his room,” Calder chipped in.

“Good.” Roger nodded like everything was all settled, and maybe it was because somehow I ended up in short order with a fist full of cash, a ripped notebook page with coffee orders, and my pint-sized passengers racing ahead to my car.

“Hey, can I add something to your list?” Calder jogged up next to me as I headed after the kids.

“How about a reminder that you’re thirty and not nineteen?” I shot back. “Quit antagonizing your brother.”

“Whoa. Way to stand up for your man, but the audience is gone now. You can’t tell me you’re actually enjoying this boyfriend gig?”

“I don’t hate it,” I said evenly as I stalked toward the car. “He’s a good guy.”

“He is. Big heart, like Mom always says.” Calder chuckled fondly. “But it sure was funny, him covered in mud.”

“For you, maybe.”

“Wow. You really can be such a—”

“Little ears,” I took great delight in reminding him as we reached the car, where the boys were running in circles around it.

“There’s volleyball later. You better not be too busy with nursemaid duties to play.”

“We’ll see.” Honestly, the chance to serve a ball into my friend’s thick skull sounded pretty darn amazing. But I didn’t want to keep the fight going either. I’d said what I wanted to say. “Add your order to my list quickly while I load up the boys.”

After I unlocked the car, I double-checked the backseat seat belts. “Everyone gets buckled up and no one messes with the windows or doors.”

“I’ve never seen windows with a crank before,” Taylor marveled.

“Look at you, the honorary cool uncle,” Calder teased as he finished scrawling his order on the piece of paper.

“Thought that was your role.”

“Nah. Arthur’s got cool uncle on lockdown. Me, I’ve got no clue what to do with kids.”

“Better watch it or the universe will send you ten.” After I took the paper back from him, I pocketed it and the cash.

“Shut your trap. You know damn well that I’m married to the navy, same as you. No one’s thinking of either of us as daddy material.”