Chapter Two
Amy looked down at her phone once again.Doug was in the cab and on his way.The urge to squeal almost won out over her sense of decorum.Even though there was no chance in hell of him arriving for at least a few more minutes, she focused on the front doors, watching the people mill about the lobby.Most were on their way to or from the beach.One couple stood surrounded by bags.New arrivals.
Another ping.This time from Linda.She was packed and counting the hours until her flight tomorrow.Amy answered with a smiley face, then looked up to the front doors again.Her gaze collided with a handsome man by the suitcases, tall and blond.He smiled.He had a very nice smile.And he also had a very pretty wife.Sighing, Amy told herself she would find her match someday.
Her phone pinged again, this time from Doug.Where are you?
Almost kicking her chair out from under her, she sprang to her feet, scanning the front door.Terrace Café corner table, she responded.
And there he was, walking through the triple glass doorway, a small bag in hand.She knew the second he spotted her.A broad smile took over his face, and his pace quickened to a near trot.Scooting around the table, she felt herself scooped into a strong bear hug.For a few long seconds she just held on.All the memories of her brother holding her tight, telling her everything would be all right, rocking her back to sleep when she’d had a nightmare, came flooding back.“Doggie,” she mumbled in his ear.
“You realize”—he lessened his hold and leaned back—“you can’t keep calling me that.”
Water pooled in her eyes.
“Okay, never mind,” he said in a rush.“You can call me anything you want.”
She swiped quickly at the escaping tears.“No.It’s not that.I just can’t believe you’re here.”
“In living color.”
Once again they drew together in a comforting embrace before she pulled back, making one more pass at brushing away the joyful tears.“You must be hungry.”
“Always.Let me check in and drop off my bag, then we can head out to the base.There’s a great restaurant by the shore.You can even watch the airplanes landing and taking off.”
Not really wanting to retreat from him, Amy forced her feet to move and to retrieve her belongings from her table.Her brother, however, hadn’t budged.His stance went from casual to stiff.Removing his Ray-Bans, he stared at the water, his brows creased in a deep frown, reminding her of a guard dog on alert.
“What’s wrong?”
He shifted his weight forward, like a cat preparing to pounce, then, just as suddenly, he relaxed and smiled.“Nothing.Everything appears under control now.”
“What?”
Once again her brother’s eyes narrowed, and he took a step forward.Following his gaze, Amy spotted a beehive of activity where a crowd had gathered by the shore.She could barely make out a young boy, sitting hunched on the sand, coughing.Soaking wet, the handsome man she’d noticed earlier in the lobby, kneeled over the child.Somehow the guy had become the target of one very petite and clearly very angry woman, who, yelling in a foreign language, whacked him repeatedly with an umbrella.“Oh my.”
The crowd chimed in, and, just when Amy thought her brother would leap over the railing to help the guy, the tiny irate woman threw her arms around the now-standing man and, still hollering, clung to him.
Amy shadowed her eyes with her hand.“I wonder what’s going on.”
“My Japanese is a little rusty.”The tension in Doug’s shoulders slipped away, even as his gaze remained fixed on the hubbub of activity on the beach.“But, from what I can tell, the fireball is the boy’s mother.She didn’t see the blond guy pull her son out of the water.All she saw was him doing compressions—to expel the water from her son’s lungs—and freaked.”
“Do you think the boy will be okay?”
“If he’s strong enough to sit up, he’ll be fine.I’d be more worried about the kid’s rescuer.It wouldn’t surprise me if the way that woman was attacking him, he has a concussion.”
“Never underestimate a mama bear protecting her cubs.”Amy tried for a hint of humor.
“I’d rather face a band of terrorists.”Doug smiled as he spoke, but the words left Amy cold.From anyone else the statement might have been funny, but she’d heard enough about her navy brother to know he knew exactly what he was talking about.
Wringing the water from his T-shirt, then waving at the crowd of women who now seemed to have crowned him King Ray, he trudged up the beach to the hotel.Despite his better judgment, he couldn’t help stealing a glance at the corner table of the terrace restaurant.The woman and her husband were gone.
Carrying his shoes and socks, his only dry items of clothing, a dripping Ray stepped onto the cold lobby floor.His sister and her friend were still chattering away.When they saw him, Tish laughed.“I guess you couldn’t wait to dive into the Hawaii experience.”She looked up at his face.“What the heck happened to your head?”
Ray felt the growing knot at his temple.“It’s nothing.”He glanced down at their suitcases.“Our room’s not ready yet?”
“Why don’t you use ours to change into dry clothes?”Lisa reached into her pocket and held out her room key card.“Room804.Matt’s gone to play golf.Feel free to use the shower.”
Ray would have politely declined but for the soggy clothes sticking to his skin.“If you’re sure you don’t mind…”
