“They want to meet me?” Charley asked, pointing at herself.
Jessica grinned. “They want to talk to you about the foundation. I told you that people are excited about it.”
Charley felt her heart jump a little. She was thrilled that people were excited about the foundation. But she was also still adjusting to her new role and being more in the public eye. Again, she wasn’t used to a lot of attention being drawn to her.
As Charley followed Jessica toward the sliding door, she felt Pierce fall into step beside her.
“I hope you like kids because there are quite a few and they are a rambunctious group,” Jessica said.
Charley smiled. The mention of kids made her think of Sienna. “Kids aren’t a problem for me.”
As Charley stepped outside onto the large patio, she eyed two large tables filled with men and women. While the men appeared to eye her curiously, the women all welcomed her with smiles.
Charley smoothed her hand over the front of her shirt and trailed after Jessica as she made her way to the tables. The scent of charcoal from the grill filled the air, along with children’s laughter. A classic rock station played from a portable speaker.
Jessica cleared her throat, getting everyone’s attention. “Hey everyone, I’d like to introduce you all to a new friend of mine. This is Charley. She is the one I told you about who is leading the West Coast expansion of the Jacob Hardesty Foundation.”
Charley smiled and gave a small wave. “Hi. It’s nice to meet everyone.”
She received warm smiles and a few verbal hellos.
“Have a seat,” Jessica said, motioning toward two open seats near the middle of the table.
Before Charley sat down, Pierce asked her if she wanted something to drink.
“Um, I’ll take a water for now,” she told him and then took one of the seats.
A few moments later, Pierce reappeared and took the seat next to Charley.
“Here you go,” he said, handing her a bottle of water.
“Thank you,” she said, smiling at him.
He nodded, then twisted the top off his beer bottle and took a swig.
Charley didn’t miss the few curious glances she and Pierce were getting. While Jessica was running around bringing out more food, Pierce made all the introductions. It was no surprise that all the guys worked together.
Pierce pointed toward the grill. “Over there, talking with Ray are Seth, Cole, and Zane.”
Charley eyed them, thinking they looked familiar. Then it dawned on her.
“They were with you when we met,” she said, looking at Pierce for confirmation.
Pierce nodded. “Yeah.”
“So, is everyone here an instructor, like you?” she asked.
“Most are. Ray actually oversees BUD/s training. He’s kind of like the boss. Seth, Cole, and Zane…” Pierce paused for a moment, his gaze drifting back toward the grill, where the three men stood close together but oddly apart from everyone else. “Those three are helping out while they recover.”
Charley followed his line of sight again, really looking this time.
Seth stood tall but rigid, his shoulders squared in a way that felt more like habit than comfort. Cole kept his arms folded across his chest, shifting occasionally like he couldn’t getfully settled. And Zane had that thousand–yard stare Charley recognized far too well.
It reminded her of her brother when he came home from his last deployment.
“They went through something pretty bad,” she murmured, almost to herself.
Pierce’s jaw tightened. “Yeah,” he said. “A month ago, their team was ambushed. Eight men went in.” He swallowed hard. “Only those three made it out.”
