SEAL the Deal(25)
“I understand. Too painful.”
“No. Too classified.” Mick gave himself a little shake. “So anyway, that house means so much to me, probably more than it should. I’d hate to see her give it up for herself, of course. But I’ll admit, a lot of it is selfish.”
Not as selfish as crashing her husband’s funeral hoping she might sell her house, Lacey thought, realizing that even a friendship with Mick was tenuous. If he ever learned the true circumstances of their meeting, he’d never want to see her again.
Lacey couldn’t shake the hurt of that thought for the rest of the evening.
CHAPTER SEVEN
As companies of midshipmen marched by the bleachers to the triumphant rhythm of Anchors Aweigh, Mick’s right hand snapped up in perfect unison with the other officers as the American flag passed.
Lowering his arm, he muttered through barely moving lips, “There’s no way I’m seeing her again.”
“Coward,” came the tight-lipped reply from Jack standing at his right. “You should have joined us at O’Toole’s that night instead. There were a couple redheads guaranteed to make you forget any real estate agent—I don’t care how great her legs are.”
“Next time, count me in.” Mick was sweating bullets under his whites. The heat today was unseasonably oppressive. Hell of a day for a bunch of Four Star Admirals to visit, with all the required pomp and circumstance.
Watching the rows of midshipmen in their starched white uniforms, his mind drifted inevitably to his own Academy years and the stress of marching the parade fields under the scrutiny of senior officers.
Had it really been ten years since he was that young and fresh-faced?
Jack must have read his thoughts. “Makes you feel old, doesn’t it?” he commented as the crowd finally began breaking up.
Mick nodded gravely. So much had happened since he graduated. The Navy had taken him to places he never thought he’d get a chance to see, and war had shown him things he wished to God he could forget.
Jack continued as they headed toward their office. “Makes you feel so old that you might want to settle down with a nice, hot-looking real estate agent and spawn some young.”
“Shut up, Jack. I’m not asking her out again.”
“Why not? I’ve never seen you so hung up on a woman before.”
“You haven’t known me that long.”
“Okay, so I’ve never seen anyone so hung up on a woman before.” Jack shrugged carelessly. “You brought up her name five times since zero-nine-hundred hours.”
“She’s not looking for anything serious.” Mick picked up his pace as they headed along the pathway toward Dahlgren Hall.
“Who needs serious?”
“She’s not looking for anything, period. Just friendship.”
Jack mouthed the word friendship simultaneously with Mick. The dreaded “F” word. “That sucks, man.”
“Yeah,” Mick agreed. “She hot, and I’d do her in a New York minute—”
“I’d hope you’d last longer than that,” Jack interrupted with a snort.
Mick’s glare was deadly. “—but she drew a line that I won’t cross.”
Jack rolled his eyes, as they cut through the Officers’ Club parking lot. “Yeah, whatever. But you better not back off.”
“Why not?”
“Because she’s like all women. They think they don’t want a relationship, but that wears off. And the guy who wins is always the one who’s lurking around waiting to move in at a vulnerable moment.”
“More stuff you learned from your sisters?”
“Oh, yeah. My youngest sister got married to a guy she met two days after she had supposedly sworn off men. He just kept hanging around, and then moved in for the kill when the timing was right. Nice guy, though,” he continued. “Or I would have turned him into fish food for the bottom feeders of the Atlantic.”
“Of course,” Mick agreed, thankful he never had sisters to protect. He’d probably be in jail by now. “Lacey’s nice, don’t get me wrong, but I couldn’t handle an evening with her again. I’m just not into torture.”
“Group date then,” Jack offered up as the solution, punching Mick’s arm with his fist. “That’s what you need. You said she has housemates. So, we meet them for a drink. Real casual. Just friends. You get to keep her on your radar screen, and I get to meet her friends who hopefully won’t have the hang-up with dating men that she does.”
The idea had some appeal.
Jack’s eyes brightened. “Even better, we wear our uniforms. Go to some overcrowded bar downtown. Bump into some mids. They have to be all deferential and salute us. We boss them around and make them do push-ups. Women love that. You’ll get laid.”