I followed, Hap followed me. We trundled up a white-painted plank ramp and there it was.
The beach.
The ocean.
Beautiful.
Sam didn’t slow to drink in the view and around he went to a long deck that had two tall flagpoles at each end. One flew an American flag and under it was a black flag and on that there was what looked like a yellow diamond from which two wings jutted out the sides. On the other pole was a black flag with a gray skull wearing a forest green beret with an insignia on it, neon green fire shooting out the sides and crossed rifles at the skull’s jaw.
I stopped and stared at it as Sam went on and Hap came up behind me.
“Rangers,” Hap said and my eyes moved from the flag to him.
“Sorry?”
He extended his head to the flag. “Rangers. Army Rangers,” he stated then his head jerked to the other flagpole. “Airborne.” Then he grinned. “Figure you know the one with the stars and stripes.”
I stared at him a second then I looked at the flags.
Rangers?
I could not say I was hip on all the elite training a man in the Army could do.
What I could say was that I knew what a Ranger was. Everyone did.
They were the baddest of the badasses in the world.
And I’d read the book about Sam and it said not one thing about Rangers.
I looked back at Hap, my brows knit. “Was Sam a Ranger?”
His face changed. The grin stayed in place and he was wearing sunglasses so I couldn’t see if it still lit his eyes but I could tell he was no longer committed to it.
“Maybe I should let Sam tell you about that,” he muttered over the waves crashing against the sand.
Right. Like that would happen.
Woodenly, I turned toward the house, taking it in. It was shingle-sided, the shingles painted gray with gray-ish brown shingles on the roof. The woodwork was white. The deck had a plethora of white Adirondack chairs with curved footstools that, pushed together, made the chairs more like lounges. There were also a couple squat round tables. It led to a deck-long screened porch that, when I walked through, I saw had a rough wood picnic table with two benches on one side of the porch and wide wraparound bench on the other side covered in dark gray cushions strewn with huge, fluffy light gray and bright yellow pillows.
Through the double front doors I was in the house.
I wanted to take it in but I also needed to let Memphis free so I got out of Hap’s way, shoved my sunglasses back on my head, set down her crate, crouched by it and turned her loose. She burst out, emitted a couple of yaps then put her nose to the floor and commenced her voyage of discovery.
I straightened and did the same but with my eyes as Hap moved up the stairs that were in the middle of the space.
To my right, a big seating area. Lots of windows. To my left, another big seating area that included a big flat screen TV. More windows. To the right back, over a bar with stools, a huge, modern, clean kitchen with white cupboards, a big island and lots of gray, dark gray and black speckled, shining granite countertops. Then there was a wall on the other side up which were the stairs with a white wooden railing on their open side and dark wood steps (the same wood as the floors underfoot) leading up to the second floor. On the other side of the stairs was the dining room that had a long, rectangular dining room table, more windows and a low chest.
I was surprised to see it didn’t look expensive, posh or like it had been crafted by a designer’s hand. It looked comfortable, welcoming and very, very masculine. There was a lot of space and there was also a lot of furniture. Then again, there was so much space there could be a lot of furniture and it still seemed airy and roomy and not cluttered. Blacks and grays abounded. Some hints of yellow, army green and red. The furniture was fluffy, wide-seated and invited you to hang out. Any tables were attractive but utilitarian, they were meant to catch keys, mail, books, beverages or a consumed plate of nachos. Decorative touches were minimal.
There were some framed photos and two framed flags that were much like the flags outside. One black with the word “Ranger” in yellow in a banner partially covering a star and under it was a gray skull over wings coming from a sword with blue curved embellishments all in a gray circle. The other was white with a black badge that had the profile of a white eagle’s head in it over a banner that stated “Airborne” in yellow.
And that was pretty much it. No Colts or Bruins jerseys pinned on mats and framed. No shrines to Sam’s life in football, trophies, plaques, team pictures or shots of fabulous plays to be remembered. And no shrines to Sam’s life in the Army, pictures with buds wearing fatigues and casually handling massive, scary automatic weapons or frames displaying patches or medals.
I thought this was interesting but I didn’t know why.
Memphis wandered into the kitchen.
I wandered to the table by the door.
In a frame sitting on the table was a younger Sam wearing a suit, smiling his blinding, trademark gorgeous smile. He had his arm around a handsome man nearly as tall as Sam wearing an Army uniform. The man was also smiling a blinding smile much like Sam’s. His brother Ben. On Ben’s other side was an attractive, older woman with a proud smile and clear Hispanic ancestry, her arm also around Ben but her body was turned to him, tucked close to his side with his arm around her. Sam’s mother, Marisela.
My body jumped and I turned when I heard Sam’s voice saying, “Baby, gonna hit the store.” I watched his long legs then the rest of his body coming down the stairs as he continued, “Hap’s gonna stick around. I’ll get enough to cover us and we’ll go back out tomorrow.” He made it to me and wrapped his arms loosely around me, his chin tipping down to hold my eyes. “I’ll get some beer, coffee, milk and dog food. We’ll get takeout tonight. Hap’s gotta get back to the base so he’ll leave after dinner. You need me to get anything else?”
“Breakfast?” I suggested.
“Got oatmeal. Got granola. I’ll get some fruit and yogurt. Anything else?”
I shook my head.
Sam dropped his and kissed my nose.
He pulled back an inch and I saw the warmth in his eyes when he whispered, “Make yourself at home.”
Make myself at home.
That was nice, so nice.
Boy, I wished I wasn’t pissed at him.
I nodded again.
He gave me a grin.
Then he let me go, walked into the kitchen and disappeared behind the stairs. Thirty seconds later, I heard a garage door go up then the growl of what had to be a truck or SUV (a big one) then a few seconds later a garage door going down.
It hit me then I didn’t even know what kind of vehicle Sam drove.
Then it hit me that everything that was hitting me about Sam was a surprise.
Then it hit me even more than it had been hitting me that I didn’t know anything about my boyfriend.
“Yo!” Hap called, my body jolted again and I saw he too was downstairs and grinning at me. “You’re in a different time zone, babe, but you didn’t fly to China. You okay?”
No.
I wasn’t.
My boyfriend was a Ranger and I didn’t know.
My life was in danger and I had no clue what was going on with that.
My mother was closing on my house in four days and, after that, I’d be homeless.
I had no job and I had no idea what I was going to do with the rest of my life.
And I’d just flown to North Carolina with my boyfriend who I knew was a gentleman, he had a great sense of humor, my family and friends liked him, he was loyal to his friends and family, he was phenomenal in bed, he liked me and he also liked my dog.
But other than that, although I’d spent a month with the man nearly nonstop, I really didn’t know a thing about him. Or, I should say, nowhere near what I should know, nowhere near what he knew about me and not enough of what I knew was important.
So no.
I wasn’t okay.<
br />
“Great!” I chirped my lie then asked, “After I get Memphis a drink, can we take a walk on the beach?”
Hap approached, still grinning and answered, “Yeah, but only if I go with you. It’ll be a hit to my street cred, takin’ that rat for a walk on the beach but I’ll get in a bar fight or something this week, make up for it.”
I smiled at him.
Yes. Hap was carrying. I didn’t know where considering his dark gray t-shirt was skintight but he was wearing black cargo pants and they had a bunch of pockets so maybe he had his weapon skillfully hidden somewhere there.
Whatever.
That was his gig. My gig was getting my dog some agua, finding her leash and clearing my thoughts by walking the beach.
“Cool,” I grinned back. “Let’s go.”
* * * * *
“Drive safe,” Sam murmured, shaking Hap’s hand. “Owe you,” he finished.
“You bought dinner and beer and think you still got markers, dude,” Hap returned intriguingly, grinning up at Sam then he turned to me and engulfed me in a bear hug.
I hugged him back saying, “Text Sam when you get home.”
He pulled slightly away, didn’t drop his arms but did give me a big smile. “Babe, I don’t check in.”
“Practice,” I replied. “You ever land a fine piece of ass, she’ll expect that.”
His smile got bigger. “Killer. I get how to take care of a hot chick lessons from Sam’s new pe… I mean, woman. I like it.”
“Maybe you should take notes,” I suggested on a head tilt and a grin.
His smile didn’t waver, his arms gave me a squeeze then he let me go, turned away and flicked out two fingers as he moved to his SUV.
Sam moved to me, sliding an arm around my shoulders then curling me so my front was in his side.
Hap swung in, fired up his truck, backed out of the drive and through this, Sam and I didn’t move. Sam also didn’t wave but I did. Then when Hap was out the gate and on his way, Sam’s arm came up, he pressed the button on the remote he was carrying and the gate started to swing closed.
That was when Sam turned us and headed us to the walkway. He kept his arm around my shoulders and we walked side by side.
We made it to the deck and Sam muttered, “Gonna drop this inside and get another beer. Want one?”
I looked up at Sam and shook my head. Sam tipped up his chin slightly and let me go. He headed inside. I headed to the railing of the deck.
The sun was beginning to set, it was late. Sam had come back from the grocery store before we got back from our walk on the beach. This was because Memphis loved the beach so I let her have a lot of time there. This was also because I needed that time to clear my head. I knew this because, even with that amount of time, I still hadn’t cleared my head. Hap had walked with Memphis and me but he did this mostly silent. I didn’t know what to make of this, whether he was sensing my mood or whether he was trying to take a read on me.
We arrived back and beers were opened. Hap partook but sipped since he was going to be getting in a vehicle. We sat on the deck and chatted or, I should say, Hap and I chatted and at this juncture it was clear Hap was trying to get a read on me mostly because our chatting consisted of Hap asking jovial, amusing questions that were jovial and amusing to disguise that they were nosy as all get out.
I didn’t have anything to hide so I answered them.
This was clearly satisfactory to both Hap and Sam and I knew I’d earned Hap’s approval when the guard he actually did disguise came crashing down and Hap, who seemingly was as happy as his nickname, became seriously freaking happy.
We ordered takeout. Sam went to go get it. We ate it with more beers and then Hap declared he had to go home.
Which brought me to now.
I heard the screen door bang shut then I heard Memphis’s claws clicking on the wood of the deck and I turned to see Memphis and Sam approaching, Memphis a lot quicker.
I bent and she jumped into my arms.
As I straightened, I told Sam, “I don’t want her out off her lead. Not until she gets used to her new space. Your deck is open. She could take off and not know how to get home.”
“She’s fine,” Sam replied, leaning into the railing and giving Memphis’s head a rub before dropping his hand, lifting his other and taking a drag off his beer.
Memphis began to struggle to get down and really, she’d been there all of a few hours. I didn’t want her out without a lead until she knew the lay of the land.
I started to the house. “I’m gonna take her back in.”
Sam’s fingers curled around my arm, halting my progress. “Baby, like I said, she’s fine.”
“She doesn’t know the lay of the land.”
“She knows your call, she knows mine. She’s fine.”
“She’s my dog, Sam!”
Yes, that was what I said. And yes, it came out with a lot more heat and volume than befitted our current conversation. And I knew it surprised Sam because he let me go and his chin jerked back.
I decided to go with it. Fuck it. I wasn’t pissed about my dog but I was still pissed and so what? I had a hot guy boyfriend. So he was rich. So he was great in bed. So he was famous. So he was a lot nicer than my husband. That last, frankly, was not hard to do.
That didn’t mean I couldn’t get pissed and act like a bitch even when the situation at hand didn’t warrant it. I was a woman. Women, as far as I could tell from my girlfriends’ conversations, did that all the time.
And anyway, the situation not at hand definitely warranted it.
Therefore I turned and marched to the door to the porch, through that and into the house where I let Memphis down. She yapped then her head tilted to the side. She’d read my tone and was doggie confused.
I didn’t think I could explain it to her in a way she’d understand so I didn’t.
“You got a problem?” I heard Sam ask and I turned to see he’d followed me.
He looked displeased, not exactly angry but definitely not ready to break out into a smile.
I was suddenly uncertain of my commitment to my tantrum. This was because Sam being displeased bothered me. Sam was not moody. Sam was pretty laidback. This wasn’t to say he didn’t have emotions or hesitate to show them but mostly he was mellow.
And tonight, he’d been mellower than I’d ever seen him.
Clearly, for Sam, it was good to be home, down his private, homeowners only drive, behind his gate, in his house with its kickass security system and spending time with his friend. He had been relaxed to the point it could even be completely relaxed, though I couldn’t know that but that was how it seemed.
Now, I’d shattered that.
Shit.
“Kia, I asked you a question,” Sam prompted when I stared at him and didn’t answer.
“She’s my dog, Sam,” I repeated.
“No argument from me on that, sweetheart,” Sam returned.
Great. He was calling me sweetheart.
Yes, displeased.
He went on, “But she’s also smart and she’s a people dog. She’s with you or me constantly when we’re in the house. She didn’t wander all day yesterday when she was out in your front yard during the sale. And she’s smart enough not to wander now, especially not knowin’ the lay of the land.”
“You’re probably right but I’d rather not take any chances. She was a puppy when we got her, except for staying at Dad and Mom’s house she’s never been anywhere else so I don’t know how she’ll behave in a new environment,” I replied.
“All right then why the fuck didn’t you say that instead of biting my head off?” Sam asked.
“Because you stated in your ‘Sam Way’,” I gave the last two words verbal quotation marks, “that she was fine. In other words, she was fine, I should shut up and do as you say.”
Uh-oh.
His brows drew together over narrowed eyes and he asked, “My Sam Way?”
“You can be bossy,” I informed him.<
br />
He took in a breath and studied me. Then he crossed his arms on his chest.
Then he invited, “Right, Kia, tell me what’s really up your ass.”
Uh-oh again.
And not uh-oh that Sam was getting more pissed.
Uh-oh because I was.
“What’s up my ass?” I asked quietly.
“Yeah,” Sam answered immediately.
“Were you a Ranger?” I returned and his brows snapped together again, this time in confusion.
“Come again?”
“Were you a Ranger?” I repeated.
He looked to his right at the flag on the wall then back at me and answered, “Uh… yeah.”
“I didn’t know that,” I told him.
“So?”
“You didn’t tell me.”
He studied me again then said, “Sweetheart, you internet stalked me. How could you not know that?”
“Is it common knowledge?” I asked.
“Uh… yeah,” he said again.
Really? How on earth did I miss that?
“It is?” I queried, surprised.
“Yeah, Kia, Jesus. What’s the big fuckin’ deal?”
“It’s not in that book about you,” I stated.
“No, it isn’t. There’s shit in that book that’s true and very few people knew, until that book came out. There’s shit in that book that’s missin’. And there’s shit in that book that’s conjecture and all that isn’t true. Whoever wrote that piece of trash missed me bein’ a Ranger. Don’t know how, it’s one of the few things that isn’t a secret that they didn’t include. I also don’t care. It was a hack job. They knew just enough to get a payday and made up just enough to make that payday big.”
“What parts were missing and what parts were conjecture?” I asked.
“You don’t have the clearance to know the first and I don’t have all night to explain the last. Now, what I’d like to know is why you not knowin’ I was a Ranger made you turn bitch?”
Oh man.
I didn’t like that.
“Don’t call me a bitch, Sam,” I whispered.
“You got another way to describe how you’re actin’?” he shot back.