Amy flipped a cardboard coaster in front of her.“He thought he was going to live the dream life.Hit that adrenaline high every week.Be the star.”
“Like your brother.”Emily’s gaze remained fixed and studious.
“That was different.Doug had a job.Ray had a dream.How can any real job live up to the dream?”
“Oh, Amy.First, being part of an EOD team was more than just a job or even a dream to your brother.That was his family, his world.And second, if you’re worried about Ray, I’m sure Doug would be glad to talk to him.”
Setting down the coaster, Amy faced Emily and her need to tell someone what had really been bothering her—ever since that moment when Ray had confessed that he hadn’t held a steady job since college.“Only knowing each other a few days on top of living half a country apart is a lousy way to start a relationship.”And, like it or not, whatever this was, she didn’t want to lose it.“I’m afraid, no matter what obstacles we overcome, I’ll never be enough to make him happy.My sensible world seems like a poor substitute for the lost dream of being a football star.”
“I see.”Emily took a slow sip of her massive margarita, then settled her gaze on Amy once again.“Maybe you’re the one who should talk to your brother.He’s been there, done that.”
“What?”
“I said, your brother has been there, done that.”
“No.”Amy shook her head.“I heard you.I just don’t see the connection.”
Emily’s head bobbed back in surprise.“You seriously haven’t noticed how alike those two are?Two competitive men.Two overprotective brothers.Two career-ending injuries.Two men living for the next rush.Doug never wanted to leave the navy.He loved it.Your brother was king of the adrenaline junkies.He still is.He just doesn’t need to blow things up anymore to get his fix.Doug understands more than you give him credit for.”
“I don’t know.”When she was a little girl, her Doggie fixed anything.Not that four-year-olds had much to take care of.But how was he supposed to fix her broken heart when Ray moved on and left her in the dust?
The grave way Doug stared at Ray had him wondering if he should duck and take cover—all the way back to Oklahoma.
“You had fun today,” Doug said.
Even though Ray wasn’t sure if that was a statement or a question, he nodded.
“There’s something to be said for working with teens.I help Emily at the high school.This summer I spent most of my free time working with her students to build sets for the school play.”
Again Ray nodded.He didn’t have a clue where this was going, but, if it meant his nose wasn’t about to be broken, he’d listen.
“When you’ve seen as much as I have, it’s easy to think you’ve seen it all, that nothing could surprise you.”He smiled.“But let me tell you, those kids surprise me all the time.You never know what to expect from them.”
“You mean, like when Yoshi was so surprised he’d caught the ball that, instead of running for a touchdown, he came infield to show us the ball?”
“Yeah, something like that.”Smiling, Doug raised his glass for the bartender to bring him another.“Ever think about volunteering to coach football?A lot of kids out there could benefit from team-building skills.”
Kids?“Can’t say that I have.”But he did have a good time this morning.More than he had expected to.He’d always thought that being involved in his favorite sport and unable to play would hurt more than the dream-ending injury.But maybe there was something to this.Football was football.Sort of.
“You were really good with those teens.”
“Those polite teens.”
“Not all American teens are future Juvenile Delinquents of America.Emily has some great kids in her classes, and it’s been interesting watching how she interacts with them, how she encourages them to stretch their horizons.”
Stretch horizons.Like maybe all the way to San Francisco.Ray’s heart did a sudden somersault in his chest.Though it probably had nothing to do with San Francisco and everything to do with the woman he loved, who just happened to live there.Woman he loved.Did he love her?His heart rate kicked up a notch, just thinking about Amy.Holy touchdowns.Somehow he’d fallen in love with Amy.Head-over-boots, sing-through-the-lobby in love with her.
“You’re smiling.”
“What?”Ray had forgotten he was sitting next to her brother.
“If you smile any wider, you’ll knock your ears off.And if that Cheshire grin has anything to do with my sister, I’ll tell you two things.Girls like her and Emily are special.They come from wholesome families where everyone has your back, and they expect nothing but the best from people, and that makes us want to be better men for them.”
Ray nodded.He could see that.Already his head was spinning with ways to be the kind of man Amy could fall in love with.
“And second…”
Ray nodded again.
