Present Day
Kate leaned back against the palms of her hands, sinking them deeper into the sand as waves crashed against the shore. It was close to dawn, the sky just starting to turn pink and lavender as the sun crept toward the horizon behind her.
At the shoreline, her father's golden retriever was splashing around, chasing the water back into the ocean. Nor'easter, or East as they all called him, was a very pale shade of silky gold, but at the moment he was more of a sandy blond.
There weren't many people out on the beach yet. A couple surfers were sitting on their boards out in the water, waiting for the perfect swell. In the far off distance, a runner was jogging along the hard-packed sand.
Kate pressed her toes down. The uneasy feeling that had driven her out of her parents' house was sticking around, gluing itself to the inside of her chest. Her mom had called a week and a half ago to ask her to come home for a while. An impromptu family reunion.
But there had been something in her mom's voice and the suddenness of everything that put Kate on alert, no matter how calm her mom seemed. She had been in-between traveling nurse practitioner jobs, so it had been easy to pack up her apartment in Atlanta and head to Miramar, settling in with her parents while her stuff stayed in storage.
Her parents said everything was fine, but she knew they were lying. Dot had taken leave off work to spend her days at the house, her kids running around in the backyard, and TJ had somehow gotten sent home by his admiral. It wasn't fine. Her dad's voice was so weak; it had already been ravaged by throat cancer a few years ago, but now…he could barely talk. They weren't telling her the truth about why they had asked her and her siblings to come home, but Kate was a nurse. She knew deep down inside that it might be that. Still. She was having trouble asking the question that she already knew the answer to.
Asking would make it real.
For now, living in willful ignorance felt better. Besides, she worked in ERs. She was good at shoving down her worries. Taking a deep breath, she tried to compartmentalize the unspoken dread and focus on East and the waves. The dog was her father's constant companion, which struck her as funny. Tom Kazansky had always been more of a cat guy, but East had won him over.
The steady crash of the ocean started to soothe her tension. In and out.
East's sudden wild barking broke her concentration. He tore off down the beach, hurtling toward the runner, who was much closer than before but still hazy in the early morning heat. That was California for you. Something in his movements, even at that distance, picked at her sense of familiarity, but she had to deal with the dog first.
"East!" Kate shouted, scrambling up from the ground, sand scattering around her. She rushed after him, yelling at him to stop, but he was too excited.
The golden bounded up to the runner and began to whine happily and bounce in circles. The runner crouched down to ruffle his soft ears. He was bowled over by East's enthusiastic greeting, and Kate slowed down as she recognized his laughter. His dark brown eyes lit up as he met her gaze. The uneasiness inside her was tamped down to something more manageable as she flopped down in the sand next to Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw.
"I thought you weren't getting in until tonight," Kate said, shoving her wild blond curls back, acting like it was totally normal finding him out on the beach. She didn't bother to save him from East. She knew he liked being lovingly attacked.
"Hey, buddy, good buddy, who's a good dog?" Bradley said to East. A smirk popped across his face as he looked up at her, squinting. "And I thought you didn't do mornings."
Kate bumped her shoulder into his. "They're still not my favorite. How's life in Virginia?" That was where his strike fighter squadron was stationed when they weren't deployed. The Golden Warriors had been overseas for a while, but they had returned to Virginia a few weeks ago.
"Hot as hell," he said with a grin as he bumped her back. He picked up the edge of his tank and wiped the sweat off his face, exposing his abs for a moment. Glory… Kate locked her wide eyes on the ocean as he dropped his shirttail. "How was Atlanta?"
"Also Hades," she said, "And don't worry, you won't have time to miss the heat because it's exactly the same here."
"Yeah, sort of figured," he said. He gently shoved East away and the dog whirled around and trotted back toward the water.
"Did you drive all night?" Last she had heard, he had been halfway there, driving across country in his beloved blue Bronco. He could've gotten a flight, but nooo, he couldn't leave Bertha behind.
"Not the whole night. I parked at a rest area and slept for a few hours. Then drove here."
"And decided to go for a run?" Kate rolled her eyes. "Self-torture shouldn't be a lifestyle, Rooster." Once upon a time, calling him Rooster instead of Bradley had been weird. Now it seemed natural, because of course he was a rooster. Proud and protective and unafraid to speak up when he had something to say.
And he definitely had a strut.
He snorted. "Says the woman who climbs cliffs for fun."
"Are you saying it's not fun?" Kate turned toward him, sitting crosslegged in the sand. She leaned forward, teasing, her elbows on her knees. For the first time since her mother's phone call, she felt like truly smiling. "Did you miss me? Come on, you can say it, it's been two months since you last saw me, you missed me. That's why you got here early."
Rooster raised his eyebrows at her. "And somehow I magically knew you'd be on the beach?"
"Nah, that's a fun added bonus," she said, "You were probably going to come by the house later, post torture run. Steal our shower because you're nasty sweaty. Use the good expensive soap." She was surprised by how her ears heated up by her own joking and she shook her head before looking out at the ocean again. "Then eat all our food. I've got you figured out."
"You got a part of that right," he said. "I did miss you." He sounded more serious than she expected. She could feel him looking at her, but when she turned back he was watching East, a vaguely roguish look on his face. "But you know, that whole breakfast scenario doesn't sound bad."
"Knew it."
The two of them shared a smile. Around them, the sunlight was growing stronger, and Rooster's bronze-brown hair was starting to catch a glow. Like this, you could see a bit of auburn and copper in there… Anyways. Kate drew her fingers through the sand and whistled at East as the dog wandered farther down the beach.
"So. Did you find out why your mom called you home?"
"I…I'm not sure yet." Kate ran her hand through her hair. "I mean, I think I know. But I'm not sure." She tugged on the ends of her hair with her right hand, tangling up her fingers. "I'm probably wrong." She hoped she was wrong, and until her parents told her otherwise, everything was fine.
He nodded but didn't agree with her. They had talked on the phone the night Kate's mom had called, and Kate couldn't even admit her fears then. And she sure as everything couldn't say it right now. His hand started to lift, as if he might try to untangle her hand from her hair, but instead he made a fist and tapped one of her kneecaps.
She forced a smile and flicked his fist away. "What about you? Find out anything about this top secret oh-so-special mission yet?"
"I was hoping you'd heard something," he said, scratching the back of his neck and sighing. "You're supposed to be my spy on the inside."
"Like Dad would ever indulge me with military secrets for your benefit," Kate said, "Or anyone's."
"Ah, failure," Bradley said, clicking his tongue against the top of his mouth. "I'm going to have to replace you."
"Alas, whatever will I do now. What will my life become. Woe is me."
Her deadpan tone got a snort out of him. "Maybe if you beg, I'll let you have your job back. With a demotion, of course."
Kate gave a gasp of fake indignation and got to her feet. "I don't need to take this from you. You're a terrible boss. You don't even get donuts for the breakroom."
"You never asked." He got up as well, his movements fluid and unhurried. East ran back over to them and butted his head against Bradley's thigh until he started petting the dog. "Did you walk here? I can drop you back home. I'll even get you a donut on the way, as an honorable discharge gift."
Kate faltered, her teeth settling on her lower lip. She brushed sand off her shorts. "You're not staying for breakfast?"
"Like you said earlier, I'm nasty sweaty, and your mom bought really nice furniture, so no," he said, "And I should report in and get assigned a barrack."
"Yeah, yeah, duty first, breakfast later," she said, hands on her hips. She looked up at him, which meant she had to crane her head back. Out of the Kazansky kids, she had somehow wound up as the shortest, so Bradley was almost a foot taller than her. "But don't worry about it. I drove, too, so I can take myself back. Thanks for nothing, boss." She gave his arm a soft smack. "Aaand I'll get myself a whole box of donuts to treat myself." She started to turn to head back to the beach access, the set of warped stairs not far from them. "You better come to dinner soon, my mom will be mad if you don't."
Bradley's hand circled around her wrist and gave a gentle tug, turning her back around. "Kate, wait."
Kate blinked up at him, startled. "What?"
He opened his mouth and then abruptly shut it, letting go her wrist. His serious gaze became more uncertain and he offered a wobbly smile. "What are you doing tonight? I was thinking of stopping by The Hard Deck later, see if anyone else shows up. If you wanted to go, I'll be there until late."
Kate wasn't sure what she had been expecting. "Maybe. We'll see." She pulled away from him, stepping backwards through the sand, East following behind her. "I might be busy looking for a new job."
"I told you I'd hire you back."
Kate shook her head, turned her back to him, and headed for the stairs. "I don't do demotions."
As she reached the steps, she glanced back over her shoulder and caught Bradley watching her. He awkwardly turned and started jogging back the way he had come, lopping along with that ground-eating stride of his. "I'll see you tonight, Kate!"
"I said maybe!"
"I know!" he yelled and sped up, not letting her get in a last word.
Kate surged up the stairs. She wasn't going to go, that'd just prove him right. Or she wouldn't go because he asked.
"If I go, it's because I just felt like it," she told East as they reached the top of the stairs. She turned to watch Bradley jogging down the beach. She shook her head. "If I go at all."
She probably wouldn't go.
