Chapter 3
They stood staring at one another, neither knowing what to do, what to say. Their hands were still clasped in an endless handshake, eyes locked and questioning the next move. What Harm wanted most was to pull her into his arms and kiss her senselessly, to show Mac he still wanted and loved her now more than ever.
What Mac wanted was to run away from the party with Harm in tow and confess that too many pieces of her life just weren't the same without him. She wondered what it would feel like to kiss him again, if those feelings that once swirled each time Harm's lips met hers were just as exciting.
As her mind finally reset she noted he wasn't well dressed, not how Harm usually was for such gatherings. It wasn't that he looked bad, in other circumstances his outfit would be quite appropriate and sexy. In fact, he merely wore a soft denim shirt with the top two buttons undone and faded black jeans.
He noticed her scrutiny and pulled at one of his lapels. "Movers haven't arrived with my clothes. yet. Thankfully a certain Marine taught me to always carry a seabag. It just doesn't include dress shirts or slacks."
Movers? Is that why he had driven the Corvette? Was Harm back in town? And why did that concept give her a little thrill? "Did you-"
Her question ceased the second a not so little AJ spotted her. "Hey Mac, you made it." At the age of twenty, he'd grown into a tall, strapping young man who had decided to forgo the Navy in favor of the Marines. He would attend OCS in the Spring and continue to law school as well. "I told you she'd make it."
She noted the conspiring expression between both men but decided to ignore it. "Work took longer than expected. Where's your mom?"
AJ motioned towards the general vicinity of the kitchen. "Fighting with the oven. I'd stay out of there if I were you."
Mac grinned. "You're a Marine, first to fight. A sailor shouldn't scare you."
"This Marine picks his battles, Ma'am. And a pissed off Navy woman is terrifying." AJ winced
"There's that. I'll catch you boys later, excuse me." She thanked the Lord for the interruption, it gave her the moment to breathe, the space to get her bearings back on track. When she walked away Mac felt Harm's eyes on her. She always knew when he looked because his gaze branded her like fire. He wasn't subtle about it as he had been when they worked together. It was a blatant, lingering stare and as she glanced over her shoulder Mac caught a hint of that sexy flyboy grin.
She let out a breath once she pushed the kitchen door open, the loud woosh caught Harriet by surprise. "Mac, hi...Oh...You saw Harm." The younger woman grimaced as she turned to fully face her boss and friend. "I didn't know he was coming. I would have said something. I would have warned you. I-"
Mac cut her off with a wave of her hand. "It's fine. It'll be a long night but it's fine. We're fine, I think. Odd but-"
"It's fine?" Through the years Harriet learned quite a bit about Sarah MacKenzie and 'fine' meant things were nearly off the rails. "You can be upset, you know...Hell, I would be."
"See, I'm done being upset. It took the both of us to end things...Neither of us fought. I blamed him once and that isn't fair we both messed up." Maybe they didn't deserve each other?
She went to the refrigerator, grabbing A bottle of water which she downed and just a few gulps. The feel of him touching her was still making her skin tingle. The smell of his cologne, so clean and masculine reminded her of the times that scent lingered on their sheets.
Mac was crazy about him; much more than she had been before they became a couple and she ached at knowing that her feelings for him couldn't just be ripped away. In her case, absence did make the heart grow fonder but when it came to Harm, Mac was trying to use her head. "Shit, Harriet. Every time I see him I...I feel something. Every time. Even if it's just his name in print when he got promoted...In person, it magnifies but-"
"But? But what?"
"I still hurt." She said slowly as if the confession cost her something. "It hurts like hell to love someone this much and watch them walk away." Mac's hands grabbed the edges of the counter, gripping so hard it hurt. "It hurts even more to know that I didn't stop him…I didn't fight... burned every chance we've been given."
Harriet dried her hands on her apron and quickly made her way around the island to wrap her friend in a hug. "So all those times you said you were over him?"
"I lied. Or maybe I wanted to believe my lie?" There was no getting over the love of her life. She may have found happiness with someone else but never that sense of completeness she felt with Harm. "Why is he here? Why now?"
"Because he's retired." Bud chose that moment to step into the kitchen. He'd caught bits of their conversation enough to make him feel marginally better than his friends and mentors were both under the same roof, if even for a few hours. "Not sure about all the details, we were supposed to talk last week and it never happened."
"So he just showed up?"
Bud nodded. "Harm didn't know about the party. He should have been at sea, I didn't think to invite him but, I'm happy he's here."
Of course he would be, although Bud was the same rank as both of them, he would always look up to Harm like a little brother to an older sibling. "Just so you know, the first thing he did was ask about you. And if there's anything I learned from the both of you was to never back down and fight for what I believed in."
He came around and kissed his wife on the cheek before grabbing three containers of eggnog out of the fridge. "I'll see you in a bit. You look lovely, Mac."
"He asked about me?"
"He did." Harriet nodded. The younger woman stared at the Marine, noting how her breathing was erratic, how her cheeks were flushed. She bit her lower lip and sighed heavily yet again. "Mac, I know this is probably an awkward moment. I remember how apprehensive I felt to see Bud at work when we split up that one time but...this is fate smacking you upside the head."
Fate had never once served them well other than that meeting in a rose garden. Still, Mac couldn't deny her feelings that came to life when he was near. "I don't even know what to say to him."
Mac felt like a giddy school girl searching for her crush as she stepped out of the kitchen. She found Harm standing by the fireplace chatting with Tiner who served as a Lieutenant under Bud's command.
She knew once he sensed her presence because his eyes found and locked onto hers - their silent conversation hummed stronger than ever. It made her smile.
