For the first time she thought about Jay as someone who lived life on the edge, as someone who protected those he cared for. Yet she wasn’t entirely sure he was going to be able to watch over her for any longer than his leave.
Chapter Ten
JAYWAS nervous.
He’d agreed to go with Alysse to the volleyball tournament and watch Toby play, which was no big deal, except that he’d also be meeting her mother.
“Ready for today?” Alysse asked as she and Jay headed for her car. The Saab convertible was perfect for the sunny California weather.
“I guess so. Why wouldn’t I be?” he asked.
“My mom is coming today,” she said. “I didn’t mention it before because I didn’t think anything of it until Staci texted me this morning that she was looking forward to the fireworks.”
Great. “I guess your mom will be like your brother then?”
“What does that mean?” she asked.
“That she’ll be angry with me,” he said.
“Well, yes. That’s her in a nutshell. She’s very protective of my brother and me. When we were in school we could never let her know if someone teased us on the playground or gave us a hard time after school...she’d head right into the principal’soffice and defend us.”
“Sounds perfect to me,” Jay said.
“I can see how you would think so given how your mom was,” Alysse said. “But it was embarrassing.”
“I get that. I...how should I handle her?” he asked. He wasn’t too happy with the way that Alysse mentioned his past with his mom as if it was normal and okay. But her acceptance of it and of him made things easier on him.
“Just be yourself. Once she sees that you weren’t out to hurt me she’ll ease up,” Alysse said, holding the key ring up and dangling it from one finger. “Do you want to drive?”
“Yes,” he said. “You are a speed demon in this car.”
She chuckled. “It’s not my fault that it has really good pickup.”
“No, but it is your fault that you like going fast,” he teased, giving her a quick buss on the lips before opening her door. She slid into the passenger seat and he went around to the driver’s side.
He was trying to behave normally, as if this was going to be fun, while truthfully, he was dreading it. Over the last week they’d done more things with her friends than he would have thought himself capable of. He’d chipped away at his defenses and, frankly, he believed it was making a difference.
“What exactly is the Cal King Tournament?” he asked once they got on the road.
“It’s a series of semi-pro beach volleyball games. Toby and Paulo are on a team. Each team has two people and they play all day. There is a final at night. The matches can be really competitive and a lot of fun to watch.”
He wasn’t convinced that going to an event that had all of Alysse’s family at it was going to be fun. But he’d agreed mainly because he was test-driving normal life. He’d been working every day for the last week at Company B and spending most of his nights at Alysse’s house.
There was a certain comfort to the days but every night hewoke in a cold sweat. Since that first night when he’d woken Alysse up, he’d managed to get out of bed and leave her sleeping.
Today was a Sunday and the bakery was closed and Jay was helping Alysse cater for her family at the volleyball tournament. He wasn’t looking forward to meeting Alysse’s mom given the way Toby had reacted toward him, but he wasn’t a coward and would do his best for Alysse.
“Thanks for coming today,” she said as they started unloading the trunk of her car.
“No problem,” he said, watching as she stacked items on her cooler with wheels. He was impressed at how well they all fit on there until he realized that she normally had to carry everything herself and she’d devised this method to move stuff quickly.
He felt ashamed at that. But set it aside. He was here now and he wanted to make up for the past, but that wasn’t enough. He’d realized that at Dana Point. She did need a man who was there. Not someone who was off fighting in a war halfway around the world. So, he factored into his decision that if he wanted a future with Alysse he couldn’t go back into the Corps.
She started to tow the cooler with all the stuff and he stepped around her, brushing her hand away and taking over control of the contraption.
The sun was warm and the crowds were heavy when they got to the beach. Alysse took her cell phone out of her pocket.
“I’m going to text my mom. She’s been here since six saving a spot for us,” she said.
