I studied the readout and smiled. “If it isn’t the road warriors!”
“Hi, honey! It’s your Mom and me, we’re on the speakerphone,” my father announced. For a guy who trained Navy SEALs for over twenty years, he sounded quite impressed with the capabilities of his cell phone.
“Hi, Dad. Hi, Mom. Where are you today?”
“We’re in the Anza-Borrego Desert, in the mountains outside Palm Springs. Amazing country up here. You’d love the hiking.”
I snorted, imagining myself tumbling down the trail and landing in a bank of jumping cholla cactus. My brothers liked to say I tripped over dust. It wasn’t that I was clumsy—ten years of gymnastics and competitive cheerleading proved I could control my body—it was that I managed to stumble at inopportune times, and those times were typically when I was nervous.
Or distracted by the dress shirt pulled tight across Matt’s chest, and the thought of peeling it away and tasting him just beneath his collar.
“And the views for miles!” Mom added. “The natural landscape is gorgeous. I can’t stop taking pictures.”
“How long are you staying there?”
“Well…” Dad released a good-natured chuckle. “We’ve scrapped the itinerary for the moment. Your mother has persuaded me to follow the good weather.”
“That sounds reasonable,” I said.
“But we’ll be spending some time in Palm Springs to visit with the Rosses. And then down to Mexico. I’d like to stop in Rosarito, and then Ensenada. Along Highway One. Probably ending in Cabo San Lucas around Thanksgiving. Maybe later. I want some sunny holidays this year.”
“You’re welcome to join us anytime, honey,” Dad said. “Just say the word, and we’ll have a ticket waiting for you. I hope you’re not worrying about money.”
He trusted me with firearms, yet doubted my ability to balance a checkbook. Was it a protective dad thing? An only daughter thing? Or was it that he truly doubted I had my shit together?
Not that my shit was remotely together, but still.
“I know, Dad,” I sighed. “I’m doing fine. You don’t need to worry about me—”
“I know you can handle yourself, but I’ve seen more than enough evil out there. You’re still carrying that pepper spray, correct?”
It was always a matter of time until he went there. Commodore Halsted and his “the world is brimming with danger and therefore my daughter needs a thigh-holstered k-bar to walk around the corner” speech. He liked to spice it up with stories cherry-picked from his missions, although I was fairly certain he tossed in plotlines from spy novels and war movies.
I also believed at least half of what he said, although it was more than likely the spy novel half.
“Yes, Dad. Please remember I’m twenty-eight and I’ve lived in the city for—”
“None of that matters. Predators strike the moment you drop your guard,” he said. “Think about a Krav Maga refresher course. You need to keep those skills sharp. You never know what’s lurking when you least expect it.”
“Bill, stop with the dramatics. What’s new with you, sweetheart?” Mom asked.
“We’re having a party for Steph and Amanda this weekend, before they leave town. I’ve been busy finding a building, and meeting with an architect to get it ready for kids. I have meetings lined up for tomorrow with donors interested in funding some of the classroom research we’ll be conducting.”
“Be yourself, Lolo. They’d be fools not to donate,” Dad said.
“I know, Dad, but sometimes it’s a little more complicated than being friendly.”
“You tell me if you want me to make some calls,” he continued. “I have a lot of buddies from the service who want to see kids off the streets and getting a decent education. We’ve seen plenty of soldiers who coulda used a teacher like you to set them straight.”
“Thanks, Dad. I don’t want any favors, though—”
“Not a favor, Lauren. That’s how it’s done. It’s all about who you know and calling in the right contacts at the right time.”
“Bill, let me talk to my Lolo. Go play with your new binoculars,” Mom said. The speakerphone connection clicked off. “He’s outside now. Probably being a weirdo and spying on the other campers. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, Mom, everything’s fine.”
“Are you sure? You sound a little ruffled, Lolo, a little off. It must be rough on you, with Stephanie and Amanda moving away.”
