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Surprised she admitted as much so easily, I pressed. “So this is really about your rowing program. Surely we could find another spot for that.”
“Like I said—”
“I know, there isn’t time to move it this summer. But what if the sale included a stipulation that you had access to the shed and dock until your rowing season was over?”
I’d managed to surprise her. “Would the buyer agree to such a thing?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But if all went well, the sale probably wouldn’t even go through until June. I can’t imagine it would be a deal-breaker.”
When Natalie’s lips pressed together, I could tell the idea I’d been considering all day wasn’t very impressive to her. One thing I’d learned about her was that Natalie could be stubborn.
Took one to know one.
“Think about it,” I said. “Maybe we can all get what we want here.”
With that, I got up to clear the table. Natalie immediately stood too.
“I got it,” I said. “Will meet you in our regular spots.”
As soon as that was out of my mouth, I realized how familiar it sounded. As if we had spots, which, to be fair, we did.
If she thought my statement odd, Natalie didn’t question it. By the time I cleared off the table and joined her, Natalie was sitting as she always did, with her legs crossed, staring out at the lake. Only difference was that this time she held a wine glass between her legs instead of a coffee mug. And, of course, it was dark. White bulb lights from the dock and a few boats still trolling the water, plus the light from inside, prevented it from being pitch black.
“You never answered my question,” she said, as I sat down.
“Which one?”
“Who the hell are you, Jaxon Hayes?”
“Ahh, that one. Like I said, there’s not a lot to me.”
“Bullshit. I looked up the whole Army Ranger thing. Most regular people do not make the cut.”
“You looked it up, huh?”
Natalie shrugged, as if it were no big deal. But it was a big deal. She was as curious about me as I was her.
“Like I said, the Ranger thing was just me being a typical middle child, trying like hell to stand out with two brothers who got all the attention. My older brother because he’s perfect, and my younger brother because he’s such a pain in the ass no one could ignore him, even if they tried.”
She laughed. “I have a perfect older sister too, so I totally get that. Although I’m still not buying the ‘no big deal’ thing. Seems to me like a pretty big deal. Your parents must have been really proud.”
Didn’t matter if it had been years. Thinking of my dad was like a gut punch every time. “They were. Especially my dad.” I looked over at her. With Natalie’s typical animosity toward me gone for the time being, I added, “I lost him a few years later. Was stationed in Afghanistan when he had a heart attack, so I never got to say goodbye.”
“Oh Jax, I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks. I think about him every day. But yeah, he was so proud. Told all his friends.” I smiled at one particular memory. “One year I was home for Christmas, and my dad, brothers and I went to a local bar. An old friend of his complimented the three of us, and my father for being such a good role model. My father put his hand on my shoulder and began to regale the poor guy with a story I’d been able to share without compromising OPSEC.”
“OPSEC?”
“Sorry. Operational security. Probably ninety percent of my time as a Ranger can’t be shared, despite my family begging for details.”
“Got it. So why did you get out?”
“Mostly for that reason. Every time I went dark it took years off my mother’s life, or so she told me. Then with Dad...I just couldn’t do that to her anymore. Plus, being deployed? It just felt like my time was up.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Being deployed, no. The other guys? Yes, I do. We stay in touch, but...” I trailed off, my mind wandering back to the first time we’d gone outside the wire in Somalia. Of all the memories, I wasn’t sure why that one popped into my brain.
