Seriously, why was she even worried? How bad could it be? Not as bad as getting fired.
Maybe the woman needed a dog walker or a house sitter or something. She could handle that.
“Uh, sure. You can ask me,” Tessa said with new confidence.
Susan Sinclair bit her lower lip and drew in a breath that audibly rustled the cape draped over her. She let it out on awhooshof air while saying in one quick burst, “I want to hire you to date my son.”
Tessa’s jaw dropped open. When she could speak again, she only managed, “Um, what?”
Chapter Two
Dean Sinclair didn’t know much for certain in this life but he knew one thing without any doubt. He was damn tired of the Houthis taking shots at the aircraft carrier he’d been stationed on in the Red Sea. Even if the Yemeni’s airstrikes did miss hitting the Carrier Strike Group by miles, enough was enough already.
After too many months at sea, he’d grown tired of being a floating target. Not to mention the close quarters, lack of privacy and all the other inconveniences that made life aboard ship less than ideal.
That might be one reason he’d never looked forward to heading to New York for a visit home as much as he was looking forward to this upcoming leave.
Not only were he and his unit finally off that damn aircraft carrier and back at Naval Station Norfolk. They were also in the first hours of the Labor Day “96”, what civilians would call a four-day weekend.
He was on his way out of town… and he was leaving not a moment too soon after last night’s text exchange. It had devolved quickly into a pointless heated argument lasting late into the night with his on-again, off-again hook-up.
It was more than obvious now was the perfect time for Dean to get out of town for a little while.
Most of the other guys were staying local for the 96. There was talk of barbecues and plans for visits to the club near base. They would no doubt fill their leave with late nights followed by lazy days. They’d drink too much, sleep late, get up and do it all again.
But not him. At least not this time. For Dean it had seemed like the perfect time to extend those 96 hours they were allotted for Labor Day and use up at least some of the weeks of leave he’d accrued.
He was flying home to New York for a visit with his parents after what had been way too long.
Only two other guys from the ship had the same idea. Both sat with him now at the airport in Norfolk, enjoying a cold one while they waited to board their respective flights out. And both were looking at him with various degrees of amusement as his phone vibrated its way across the table.
“That your girl?” Gus asked, his Texas drawl strong after the two beers he’d had since they’d first arrived.
Dean glanced up from the phone, having already made the decision there was no way in hell he was answering that call.
“I don’t havea girl.” He’d grunted out the vague answer, hoping to avoid the ensuing discussion that his shipmate’s question was sure to spur.
It didn’t work.
Lara, the aforementioned on-again, off-again hook-up, was relentless. Her incessant texting, followed by calls that he didn’t answer, and now a new voicemail, had caused too much of a disturbance for the guys to ignore, even with the cell set on vibrate.
Skip snorted out a laugh. “That’s code for he dumped another one.”
“Yup.” Gus nodded, looking amused at Dean’s scowl as he added, “Don't you frown at me, bubba. Go on now. Tell me I’m wrong.”
Dean opened his mouth to deny it but couldn’t. “I had good reason."
"Good reason, he says." Skip chuckled.
"I did," Dean defended. "She was getting too… clingy. And besides, she wasn’t evermy girl. It was always casual right from the start.”
"She know that?" Gus asked.
"Yes." And if she didn't it wasn't Dean’s fault.
He hadn't misled her. If she assumed things were more serious than they were, that was on her. And why the hell was he defending himself to these guys anyway? His relationships were none of their business.
They didn't seem to realize that though.
