“I know,” Charley said, glancing at the small sea of people chatting with each other. “I was just hoping for a decent local showing, but it looks like we made the front page of the community calendar.”
“Word gets out fast when something like this opens its doors,” Alex said, pride clear in her voice. “You’ve done a hell of a job.”
Charley was about to thank Alex for the compliment when she felt a presence at her back. She didn’t need to look to know who it was. She recognized the warmth of his touch as soon as his hand pressed gently against her lower back.
She leaned into his touch and looked up, her eyes locking with Pierce’s. She smiled, and he shot her with that smile of his that brought out his dimple.
Turning back to Ace and Alex, Charley went to introduce Pierce when Ace cut in, stepping forward with a grin.
“Pierce Hutchinson!”
Pierce’s mouth curved as he clasped Ace’s hand. “Ace! Good to see you again, man.”
The handshake between the two SEALs turned into one of those solid, shoulder-gripping back slaps that men seemed to understand instinctively.
Charley stood there, her eyes darting between the two men. “Wait, you two know each other?”
Ace grinned. “Know him? This guy was in my BUD/s class. We froze together, nearly drowned together, and somehow managed to graduate together.”
Charley looked at Pierce, stunned. “You didn’t tell me you knew Alex and Ace.”
Pierce just shrugged with that easy confidence of his. “Didn’t want to name-drop too early. I was trying to impress you on my own merit.”
Charley rolled her eyes, heart still thudding, and tried to ignore the way her pulse jumped every time he smiled like that.
Pierce stepped back and slid his arm back around Charley’s waist, pulling her in just a little closer this time, and she had to resist leaning into him fully.
When she finally tore her attention away from him, she found Alex watching them. Her gaze went to Pierce’s hand at Charley’s waist, then up to Charley’s face. She quirked one of her eyebrows as her lips twitched upward. The message was clear as day:We are absolutely talking later.
Charley felt her cheeks warm and tried to school her expression, but she knew she failed.
“Oh! I hope you don’t mind, but we picked up a few hitchhikers on the way here,” Alex said, her eyes full of excitement like she couldn’t wait to unveil a surprise.
Charley scrunched her eyebrows together, but before she could even ask, the back door to the SUV opened again, and Sienna’s head popped out.
“Aunt Charley!!!” Sienna shouted as she slid out of the big SUV and barreled into Charley.
For half a second, Charley just stood there in stunned disbelief as a blur of curls and hot pink launched at her. She bent down just in time to catch Sienna before the impact knocked them both on their asses. Charley laughed as she scooped the little girl up into her arms.
“Sienna,” she gasped, squeezing her tight. “What are you doing here?”
Sienna wrapped her arms around Charley’s neck like she had no intention of ever letting go. “Surprise attack,” she announced proudly, and everyone laughed.
Charley pressed her face into Sienna’s hair, breathing in the familiar scent of sunscreen and strawberry shampoo. Her heart felt too full all at once.
Charley looked over Sienna’s head and saw Irish and Bailey step out of the SUV next. Irish gave her that sheepish grin of his, and Bailey smiled as she watched her daughter cling to Charley.
“I thought you guys were camping,” Charley stated.
Bailey laughed and walked closer. “We were.”
Irish shrugged. “Technically.”
Charley narrowed her eyes. “Technically?”
Bailey pointed a thumb toward Alex and Ace. “These two masterminds stopped by yesterday and convinced us to cut the trip short.”
Ace lifted both hands. “We prefer the term strategic extraction.”
