“Hey Player. What’s up?” I answered, clicking onto the call. I forced enthusiasm into my voice and a smile onto my face as the call connected.
“Hey, Boomer!” Rosen’s cheery face filled my screen. “Let’s see if we can get your favorite blonde in here.” He whistled over his shoulder and my smile warmed at the sight of Princess wandering into the background.
I laughed at her casual strolling pace. “Don’t tell her, but she’s been demoted to my second favorite blonde.”
Aaron chuckled. “Secret’s safe with me.”
“Hey girl,” I called, catching her ear. She ran to the computer and jumped up, putting her front paws on the desk next to Aaron’s hands. “How’s she doing? Settling in?”
Aaron stroked her head and I caught the sight of her tail fanning out behind her. “Yeah. I put up a box of doggy biscuits on the check-in desk for guests to give to her. Not surprisingly, she never wants to leave the museum.”
I laughed at his answer and gave a sarcastic eye roll. “I hope you’re taking her out for long runs to work all that off.”
“Naw. Her name might be Princess, but I’ll tell ya, she’s pretty content kicking’ it like a bachelor, pizza, beer, and late night TV binges.”
I shook my head. “Dude…”
“We’ve hit the beach too,” Aaron replied, shaking his head. ‘Damn, Boomer, when did ya turn into such a soccer mom?”
Princess looked up at Aaron and then back at the screen as though she were waiting for the answer too.
“You look like you could use a pizza and beer night too,” he continued, one hand still stroking Princess’s head. “What’s going on?”
I shrugged. “You know, the same old drill. Endless meetings and briefings. It’s all good though, I’m just ready to get up in the air, take out the bogeys, and get home.” I smiled weakly. If only it were that simple.
Aaron grinned; he knew from years in the service that it was far from reality. “And by get home, you mean go to Irvine and fuck your girlfriend.”
“Shit, man,” I scoffed, shooting a look over my shoulder at Lions, who was still reading—or at least pretending to read. “Is that necessary?”
Aaron only laughed. “When did you get so straight-laced? Next thing I know you’re gonna be making babies, driving a minivan, and your idea of living on the edge, will be drinking anything other than light beer on a Friday night.”
My fingers went to the trackpad and dragged the cursor up to the end call button. “Player, chill or I’m hanging up.”
He chuckled and shrugged. “Just callin’ it like I see it.”
“Yeah, well just because you’re allergic to any woman who wants to stay more than a night, doesn’t mean the rest of us have to be that way. I don’t call you out for your shit, so what the hell?”
Aaron held up his hands in surrender, a grin still pulling at the corners of his mouth. “All right, all right. Uncle, man. I’m happy for you, I am. If you wanna trade in the single life for a khaki colored existence in suburbia, I got your back, but don’t expect me to follow suit.”
I couldn’t even remember the last time Aaron had been with a woman longer than a night or two. He was a habitual player and had zero desire to ever settle down. I’d had a few years like that, wild and free, not caring what happened in the morning, but those days were far behind me, almost like a ghostly memory, as though it had been someone else wearing my skin. The idea of going out to a bar, picking up a random woman and taking her home for a night, was not only unappealing, but I couldn’t grasp the sensation of why that had ever excited me. Aaron, on the other hand, lived for one nighters, maybe allowing for a full weekend if he really liked the girl.
Even before Holly had come into my life, I’d been ready for a change of pace for some time. Up until that point, I hadn’t found anyone that was on the same page, and willing to deal with the military life, which often involved periods of separation, large doses of stress and anxiety, and secrets that couldn’t be shared.
Holly and I hadn’t been together long enough to see if we could make it over all the obstacles, but I was holding out hope that what we’d found on the shores of Holiday Cove, could translate to the everyday and beyond.
“Listen, Player, I gotta get some shut eye,” I said, circling back to my conversation with my oldest friend. Even when he annoyed the shit out of me, he was still the guy who’d always have my back. My brother.
“All right man, stay safe.”
I clicked off the call and rolled back to my bed with a long sigh.