Chapter 12
"So your date with Burk go very well?" Azima asked as Daniela had been practically floating on air since she came over to Sasha's with a salad to add to their potluck girl's night. Sasha's oversized coffee table was laden with delicious food and wine.
"What? Oh no, he ditched me to be with Wolf." Daniela told them before she snacked on some nachos. Azima and Sasha frowned at her, which wasn't surprising given how happy Daniela was at that moment. They also expected her to be pissed about Burk not being interested.
"What? Didn't he ask you out?" Azima asked confused, she took a sip of her wine wondering and kind of hoping to crack open a bottle of tequila she had gotten her hands on while on the last deployment.
"Yes, well- no- "Daniela paused as she had to think about it. "He asked if I wanted to go out but I think now, it was as friends but it's ok. I still went out to Lobo Plantation and I meet a new man." Daniela said with a grin, she felt a zing of excitement just thinking about how she had danced with Meylan, the rhythm of their bodies, the feel of his arms. Then the kiss; it was so tempered and sweet. So unlike majority of kisses she'd experienced. She felt treasured instead of like a rushed happy meal.
"Oh la la, did you break your dry spell?" Sasha asked as she poured out more wine to the glasses on the table.
"No, but oh my god, the man could dance! and he kissed me at the end of the night. It was so good." Daniela shared enthusiastically with a girlish squeal but what Sasha and Azima was the lack of details given they knew the social security numbers and inseam sizes of her other dates.
"Who is he?" Sasha asked her, Daniela mimicked the gesture of zipping her lips.
"I'm keeping this one close to vest. Just in case it doesn't work out." She told them.
"It's someone we know." Sasha said to Azima.
"Who do we know who dances?" Azima asked Sasha, they both mulled over it for a few seconds but came up empty. They ruled out Slattery as he wouldn't give any woman the time of day given he was still dedicated to finding his wife and daughters. They couldn't think of anyone else on the ship being game to take on Daniela's past and personality.
"Well, it's somebody but I'm not telling because I don't want to jinx it like I did with Burk." Daniela told them with a roll of eyes. She was worried that if she did say something about Meylan that he might be judged. Wolf had explained to her why Burk had completely backed off her. She had lost interest in Burk the second Meylan spun her out on the dance floor and the kiss sealed the deal.
"I'm sure if we ply you with enough alcohol you'll give us more clues." Sasha said in good humour.
"4 years in a black site. Not one word." Daniela reminded them.
"Bet they didn't ply you with $4 dollar wine." Sasha pointed out as she held up the bottle like it was a prize. Azima chuckled at Sasha; glad she was here to witness a drunkenfest and enjoy some girl time..
"No, they didn't." Daniela said with a grin.
"You guys can have a beer. I'm not going to break down." Tom told them as he, Mike and Meylan sat in Outback Steakhouse. The restaurant was fairly quiet but then it was 6:30pm, the hostess had offered to give Mike and Tom the senior discount. Damn, if that didn't sting a lot but then the hostess looked like she was barely 16.
"I know that." Mike said as a beer was placed in front of him, he'd obviously ordered his drink when he'd disappeared to take a phone call earlier. The waiter placed down water for table before he took Tom and Meylan's drink orders.
"I drank my quota of alcohol for the week." Meylan told Mike and Tom as they gave him a weird look for ordering a club soda and lime.
"You have quota?" Mike asked him.
"No more than three drinks a week. It's a health thing." Meylan told him.
"You have a lot 'health things'." Mike informed Meylan in a dry manner before he took a pull of his beer.
"That is why I'm svelte while you're stout." Meylan said. Tom snorted a laugh at them.
"Boys, play nice." Tom said mockingly, he was a little envious of how the two acted like a married couple. Something Tom and Mike used to be in a work capacity.
"So, how does it feel to be out in the world again?" Mike asked Tom.
"It's ok, it's also only been over 24 hours." Tom said, he picked up the menu ad looked over his options.
"A lot can happen. Given Meylan doesn't have a secret with Wolf's twin sister." Mike said looking to Tom while Meyla looked confused and mildly annoyed.
"What? How?" Meylan asked Mike.
"I saw the text when it flashed on your screen outside." Mike told him.
"That is an invasion of my privacy." Meylan told him with a glower. He didn't care about the guys knowing he was dating Daniela but would've liked to have had the opportunity to share it himself.
"You looked at your phone in public place, care to explain what's not a secret?" Mike asked.
"I met up with Daniela last night. We had a couple drinks and dinner." Meylan said.
"Really? I thought she was all about climbing Burk." Mike said with a frown, Tom made a face as that wasn't something he wanted to know nor did he need the mental images.
"Burk wasn't up for the challenge." Meylan said with a smug smile.
"So she climbed you instead?" Mike asked with a mocking smile.
"I'm not dignifying that with an answer." Meylan told them.
"Oh you must really like her given you won't kiss or tell and you drank your weekly quota of drinks with her." Tom said with a grin, he didn't know Meylan well but when a man was tight lipped about a woman it was a sure sign; he liked her.
"Great, I'm going to get it from two sides now." Meylan said shaking his head but was nonetheless amused.
"You wouldn't have known from how little the two interacted on the ship." Mike told Tom ignoring Meylan's comment.
"I was working, and it's none of your business." Meylan told Mike.
"So it is a secret." Mike countered, baiting Meylan.
"No, we had a good evening and I asked her out again." Meylan said making sure he chose his words wisely.
"On a date?" Mike asked for clarification.
"Yes, Detective. It's a date, I'm dating her. Is it a problem? Do you want to come back to mine and make sure I have adequate protection?" Meylan asked him.
"No, I think I'm good." Mike said as he took a pull of his beer.
"No issues? You're not going to warn me off?" Meylan asked Mike.
"Oh, I think you know what you're doing." Mike said comfortably, he didn't care as Daniela proved herself and kept her word. She was living as a law abiding citizen, as long as she kept doing so he was not going to judge her on unsubstantiated crimes.
"She has a questionable past." Tom pointed out.
"So do many people, she helped save you and has changed her ways. I really don't give a fuck if people want to judge me. I do my job, and I'm damn good at it. And that is all that should matter to the higher ups." Meylan told him.
"You won't make admiral with that attitude." Mike commented in a mocking tone. Meylan just laughed as they both knew that they'd both make Admiral just on the basis that there wasn't anyone else to fill the positions.
"I didn't stay over." Sasha confessed, Daniela's jaw dropped. It was possibly the tequila that made everything seem more dramatic but Daniela couldn't help but be shocked.
"I can't believe it. I burned all my bridges and was exiled to sharing a tiny flat and you're not getting laid for all that?" Daniela asked incredulously. Getting drunk with Azima and Sasha was just fun, more fun than sweating it out in a Muay Tai class that was for sure. Plus, it gave Daniela time to learn who Azima was and what a light weight drinker she was in comparison to Sasha and Daniela.
"No, and it's none of your business." Sasha said blushing furiously before she took a huge gulp of her wine. It was just too rich seeing Sasha; a strong and capable woman blushing like a school girl with a crush.
"It's ok. It's probably good that you're taking slow." Daniela said.
"Yes, you know we should go dancing." Azima suggested and half slurred as she poured out fresh shots for Daniela and herself. Sasha was sticking to her wine. Daniela was mixing both as she was too tipsy to remember which one tasted better.
"I'm not worried." Sasha said with a dopey smile.
"No, you're just horny." Daniela said with a salacious grin.
"I think that you're imprinting on me." Sasha slurred a little.
"The word is projecting." Daniela corrected, Sasha waved a dismissive hand at her which only made Daniela chuckle.
"Whatever, my lady parts are fine." Sasha told her.
"Oh no more wine for you." Azima said with a giggle.
"Yes, have tequila." Daniela told Sasha.
"She didn't stay over." Tom admitted as Mike had asked how things were with Sasha. Dinner passed well with good conversation and food. Now they were just enjoying a coffee before they called it quits.
"I wouldn't stay over at your house if I were her. You're an ugly asshole who farts a lot in his sleep." Mike told him, Tom shook his head in amusement as they shared quarters a few times in their history. If anyone snored and could stink out a room mate it was Mike. But there was no point in arguing it.
"It wasn't that. It was the house that put her off. Everywhere I look there's a photo of Darien and the kids. I need to change some things, at least pack away Darien's things" Tom said, he'd been thinking about it for a while but now it seemed more important than ever before. Just for himself to feel like he could move forward.
"You ready for that?" Mike asked him.
"I love Darien. A part of me always will but I can't carry her ghost with me." Tom said, Meylan and Mike looked thoughtful as his words sank in.
"Well, If I were you; I'd probably pack away the wedding photos in the front hallway." Mike remarked before taking a sip of his coffee.
"What about you?" Meylan asked Mike. Mike sat back his chair and shook his head.
"Nope, until I find out what has happened to Christine and my girls; there's no moving on." Mike told him.
"Any updates?" Tom asked, he knew it was a sore subject as it had been years since Mike had seen his family. Part of it was due to his duty to the Navy and the other half was due to poorly kept records and scam artists who pretended to be private investigators. It wasn't fair but Tom admired Mike's dedication to the Navy.
"No, but then records are dodgy. I think Christine might be gone but I'm holding out that maybe the girls were lost in the system. That I will find them or one of the P.I.s I hired will." Mike said.
"Maybe you should ask Daniela to look into it." Meylan said.
"Her resources are in Europe. What I need is the American version of her; who I have leverage over to do my bidding." Mike said, he frowned as he realised what he'd just said. "That came out wrong." he added while Tom and Meylan looked amused.
"No kidding." Meylan quipped.