Page 31 of Grunt: A Marine Romance

“Hooked up? Selena! Did you sleep with him?”

Selena nearly dropped the Chardonnay bottle. “Yes! It was amazing. He’s incredible.”

“You are such a tart,” she finally said. “Just kidding. Oh My God—I need details! What are you going to do now?

“I don’t know. You can’t tell a soul until I figure this out. No one can know. I don’t want the tabloids to find this out and ruin Bret’s life.”

There was a big sigh on the other end of the phone. Selena tightened her towel and looked longingly at her bath.

“Are you going to tell Bret about the miscarriage?”

It was Selena’s turn to sigh. “Yes, of course I am. I just need to find the right time.”

There was no talking Jenny down a tree once she’d climbed it high enough. “Fine, Selena. But you need to tell him soon if you want this to work out.”

“I know. I’ll figure it out.” Jenny, Dima, and Selena’s mom were the only people who knew that Selena found out she was pregnant weeks after Bret went to boot camp. Selena was unable to call him. She could’ve written him a letter but had decided to wait to tell him in person at his graduation. She had every intention of turning down Dima’s offer to dance with her and starting a life with Bret. Then she miscarried. She was devastated over the loss of their child. Her mom convinced her that the tragedy was an opportunity to begin a new life with Dima and achieve her dancing goals. Maybe the situation would’ve been different had she been able to talk to Bret but his communication with her was limited to a scripted phone call the day he arrived at boot camp and a weekly letter. She had promised him that she would wait for him but she thought seeing him would remind her of their loss. Dima dumped his partner and offered her a chance to dance with him, one of the best professionals in the world. She didn’t have the strength to say no.

“Selena, are you still there? You realize your career is over, don’t you?”

She was such a drag. “No, Mom, I didn’t.” Selena didn’t need this lecture right now. She considered dropping the phone in the bath and pretending she got disconnected.

Luckily, Jen’s tone changed. “I’m happy for you, Sel. But you better make sure there are no paps around or it will be all over TMZ.”

Selena’s bubbles were bobbing in the tub. Enough waiting! She took the phone to the bathroom and slipped into the foamy heaven. Ah, bebita. This was the life. “Don’t worry,” she said, settling in, “we’ll make sure to keep a low profile.”

“Sounds good. I’ll let you know if Dima starts running his mouth. You need to get Dima to agree to release a statement. And you need to tell Bret as soon as possible.”

“Okay, okay.” She lifted a pile of bubbles on her palm. She briefly considered mentioning the fact that she and Bret had already professed their love to each other, but decided to keep it to herself. She didn’t even know what it meant yet. “I’ll catch you later. Love ya, kisses.”

“Yeah, love you, bye.”

Selena turned on the tap to let in more hot water then sank lower into the glorious warmth. She let her mind wander to Bret. He was probably just caught up in the moment. They always used to say they loved each other when they made love, so it was just natural. She wasn’t sure if he meant it.

She blew the bubbles off her palm and watched the glistening cloud float to the water. She was so glad she did this show. Not that it was all bubbles and baths. She was starving. She would practically kill for a heaping plate of chorizo nachos with mounds of guacamole, sour cream, olives, and cheese, not to mention chicken mole verde and her mom’s fresh homemade pumpkin empanadas. Her nana made the best empanadas ever. The meal-plan Dima had her on was horrible: Egg whites, spinach, tofu, and veggies. That was it!

“And I chose that?” she muttered to her bubbles. “What an idiot.” Maybe Bret was right? How ‘bout a normal life? What would that be like? Falling in love and not worrying about choosing between him and her career. And starting a family. She would love to spend her days playing with her kids at the park. Ooh, and drinking Starbucks Venti Caramel Frapaccinos with whipped cream, and eating plates and plates of Round Table’s King Arthur Supreme Pizza with shrimp and anchovies, and inhaling chocolate pecan pie a la mode and Pina Coladas without reporting to step classes five minutes later. And letting her natural hair color grow out. That would be something. She hated being blond! She was Latina—it wasn’t right. She could stand not being a tanorexic. And how about saving the lives of the minks who had died for her fake eyelashes. And a vacation, what was that like? Selena wanted to find out. She wanted to live her life her way. She wanted a life off camera, period!

She scooped up bubbles with both hands and lifted them to her face, staring into a billion sudsy prisms. She loved the glimpse into this world that Bret had. She wanted more.

Hell, she deserved more.

The bathroom light twinkled in the suds.

Yeah, I could stand this life.

She closed her eyes, made her wish, and blew hard.