Carla, on the other hand, had found it extremely difficult to get to know the commander's wife. Although the four had gone out for dinner occasionally, Carla had gotten the feeling that Carol didn't like her. The Carters had been assured that the assignment would take only six months, which seemed an inordinately long period of time for them to complete such a task. But time and again, the assignment had been extended because of Carla's difficulty. It was only a couple of months ago that she had been able to get Carol to agree to a shopping trip, followed by a girl’s night out a few nights later. Ever since those events, Carla felt that they had become close friends.
But now they were going home.
Danny received the sealed envelope containing the commander’s orders by special courier the day before, and it was his intention to give them to him at the party.
Carla stood on her toes and kissed him. Then her mood dimmed a bit. “It's kinda sad, in a way.”
“What is?”
She turned to pick the bags of soda up, but Danny beat her to them, making her smile again. It's nice being married to a gentleman. “Carol and I have gotten pretty close. I'm gonna miss her. And I’ll miss those kids. They're adorable!” Looking coyly at her husband, she gave him a wink. “Kinda makes me want one.”
“Okay, do you want Christian or C. C.?”
She slapped him lightly on the chest. “You know what I mean.”
He struggled to open the door, then stepped out into the warm, bright sunshine in the breezeway.
“Danny,” she almost shouted, stopping him in his tracks.
He turned to see her standing in the doorway, hands on her hips and wearing a pout. “How come every time I start to talk about kids, you clam up?”
He put the bags on the walkway, then walked to her and threaded his arms through hers and around her waist. When she didn't immediately return the embrace, he took a deep breath and asked, “Do you know how much I love you?”
“How much? And don't forget, I can tell if your lyin'.” She draped her arms over his shoulders.
“I love you so much … and I'm enjoying it just being us for a while. We've only been married for three years. I don't wanna share you with anybody else yet.”
She smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips.
“Besides,” he added, “I haven't gotten tired of you yet. I don't need anything new in my life.”
Danny kissed her a little harder, and she melted into him in response. “We can be a little late …”
Carla pulled away and gazed into his eyes. “Tempting, but we’d better get this done.” After one more quick kiss, she pulled away from Danny and turned to lock the door. He gave her backside a couple of pats, then bent to grab the bags.
“The thing that's gonna suck is telling them what we've been doing here. Rob and I have gotten pretty close, too.”
Carla laced her arm around his, taking his hand as they made their way into the parking lot. Opening the driver’s door of their red Jeep Wrangler, Danny placed the bags of soda in the back and closed the door as Carla got into the driver’s seat.
As he trotted around to the passenger’s side and climbed in, Carla asked, “Do you think they'll forgive us?”
Danny sighed. “Would you?”
She looked at him thoughtfully but said nothing.
“Oops. Hold on a minute,” Danny said suddenly.
“What is it?”
“I forgot Rob's orders.” He jumped out of the car. “Be right back.”
She watched him as he ran back into the townhouse, and then she locked eyes with herself in the rear-view mirror.
I wonder if that was a Freudian slip.
10 Repentance
CAROL CRINGED AS C. C. sailed up and out of the water, screeching as she went and splashing down a few feet away from where Uncle Stacey had thrown her. The big man let go a gravelly laugh as he watched her. Christian was already lined up to be launched next and Becca, Sack’s latest girlfriend, was waiting her turn behind him.
Carol wasn't concerned about the children as much as she was Sack. Rob had taught the kids to swim at an early age, and they were quite adept at it. But Sack’s large solid frame displayed the many scars he had collected over his years in the Navy. He was standing waist deep in the pool. His bare barrel chest, muscled back, and tree-trunk arms were no strangers to a surgeon’s scalpel. His hair was white as snow, which struck Carol as odd, since he was the same age as Rob. There wasn't much left of it though, and he kept it closely cropped. But his mustache, while it was the same color as the hair on his head, was as thick as it was the day Carol met him fifteen years before. Sack’s past injuries were always a concern for Carol when he roughhoused with the twins.
“Does doing that hurt him?” she asked Rob from her lounge chair next to the kidney-shaped pool in his father’s back yard.
Rob was standing next to her, a croquet mallet in his hand, as he watched his twins in the pool with Sack and his young girlfriend. Three kids and an old man, he mused. He glanced at Carol and then back at Sack as he watched the big man propel Christian through the air to splash down noisily next to C. C. “If it does, he doesn't care.”
The fourth of July had turned out to be a beautiful one. Wispy clouds could be seen here and there, punctuating the bluest of skies. The temperature had remained in the mid-eighties throughout the afternoon. A light breeze blew just enough to make the trees whistle and sway, like ballet dancers keeping time with the music playing in the background.
“It's your turn, Rob.” It was Melissa, Carol’s mother. Rob was amazed and often commented that the older Carol got, the more she looked like her mother. And that was a compliment to both women. They both had the same auburn hair and petite build. And they both had those dazzling green eyes, though Rob teased his wife that his mother-in-law’s were a smidgen brighter than hers.
“C'mon, son, times a wastin'.” Carol’s father, Andy Carney, was a retired CPA. Over the years, his girth had grown right along with his retirement fund. His thinning salt-and-pepper hair was hidden beneath a Carolina Panthers baseball cap.
He and Rob had grown to be friends. Andy had been skeptical at first. Not of Rob's love for his daughter, but for her future. SEAL snipers had a way of turning wives into young widows, often leaving them with children to raise alone. When Rob reported to his post at Naval Weapons Station Charleston, his father-in-law had, literally, thrown a party. He was as thrilled with Rob's career change as he was with their move back home.
Andy nudged Rob's father, retired Master Chief Petty Officer Theodore Tyler, standing next to him. “Ted, can you light a fire under that young man?”
Their host was five foot six with a solid athletic build. He hadn't varied more than three pounds away from what he weighed when he was twenty-two. In his youth he had sported thick, wavy, jet-black hair, but it had long since turned silver. He was clean-shaven with piercing blue eyes, a feature he used to disarm the most disagreeable of sorts. A golden glove in the welterweight category in his younger days, he was still light on his feet. His fighting record was twenty-four wins, two losses and one tie. He had been a force to be reckoned with.
“Acabe-se aqui, o filho,” Ted said. It was Portuguese for “get yourself over here, son.”
“I'm comin'. Keep your pants on.” Rob approached, trying to remember which way to hit the ball. He didn't know the rules, but he figured he had to be a part of any game that used something called “wickets.” The others goaded him as he walked back to the game field that had been set up in the back of the yard between the pool and the encompassing six-foot privacy fence.
“I hope you’re a better teacher than you are a croquet player,” Ted commented in his typical deadpan manner.
“He must've gotten some smoke in his eyes when he was grillin',” Andy chimed in as he put his mallet over his shoulders, draping his arms over it.
“Don't pay any attention to them, Rob.” It was Melissa's turn. “They're just jealous because croquet seems to be
the only thing you’re terrible at.”
“Thanks, Mom. I knew I could count on your support,” Rob said with a smile.
“No problem whatsoever. Would you like me to get you some eye drops?” she added, building on her husband’s remark.
Carol smiled. “Good one, Mom.”
“Hey.” Rob looked back at Carol. “Comments are only accepted from people who actually play the game. Not from people who wuss out.”
“Hey Rot, do ya want me to paint targets behind the hoops for ya?” Sack shouted from the pool.
Becca screwed up her face. “Okay, are y'all sayin' Rob or Rot?” she asked in her thick Texas accent.
“Rot, darlin',” Sack answered.
Becca's expression didn't change. “Well, why are y'all callin' him that? That ain’t very nice.”
Sack smiled. “It's a long but interestin’ story, baby.”
“And it's not a very nice story, either,” Carol added from where she sat. She picked up her cell phone and checked the time. It was 6:22.
* * * * *
CARLA AND DANNY had volunteered to go inside and prepare the desserts. Danny took the opportunity to retrieve the envelope from the Jeep that contained Rob's orders. Carla was in the kitchen just starting to scoop the wedges of apple, blueberry, and cherry pie onto paper plates when Danny came back through the front door. He looked at his watch. “It's almost six-thirty already.”
“I know,” Carla acknowledged as she dropped some cherry pie on the counter. “Dang it,” she said.
“Rob's dad’s nice, isn't he?” Danny asked as he wet a sponge to clean up the mess. “A little reserved at first, but nice.”
“What about that Stacey character? The one Rob calls Sack?” Carla asked. “He's a monster! I'd hate to meet up with him in a dark alley.”
“I'd be cool with it,” Danny said confidently.
Carla looked over at him doubtfully, thinking he was being a little cocky. Danny smiled. “As long as he was standing next to me and not in front of me.”
“Uh huh,” Carla grinned. She thought a minute. “He sure likes ‘em young. His girlfriend looks half his age.”
Danny rinsed the sponge off and ignored that comment. I’m not opening that can of worms. “Rob has a heck of a nice family. His dad, Carol, the kids …” He let the words trail off.
Carla winked at him. “Changed your mind about one of our own yet?”
Danny only smiled at the comment. “I just hope the assignment we've been evaluating Rob for isn't a dangerous one. That's all.”
Carla laid the spatula in the sink. “I don't wanna think about it. It's not our responsibility. After tonight …” She paused as her expression turned to sadness. “After tonight, we probably won't ever see them again anyway.”
Danny didn't speak as he helped Carla with the desserts, but he couldn't shake the feeling that his relationship with the SEAL-turned-instructor would continue. Over the months he had spent with Rob, he found a friend in him that he truly admired.
Maybe we can still be friends after all is said and done.
* * * * *
CAROL WAS TALKING with Mary, Ted’s friend, as they watched the children play Marco Polo with Becca and Sack. She was impressed that the older woman always managed to keep her silver hair in some sort of stylish fashion.
Rob's father had withdrawn socially following the death of his wife. He’d stayed at home for days on end, sitting in his recliner with the television as his only companion. He’d avoided people, interacting with as few of them and as infrequently as possible. Rob’s mother had died in a car accident while Rob was deployed with his SEAL team. He had been unable to attend her funeral. It took several years for him to come to terms with that fact. Some time later, he and Carol had met Mary Calhoun at the church that they now all attended. She was an outgoing woman in her sixties, around his father’s age. It wasn’t long before the prayers started flowing. Rob and Carol repeatedly invited Ted to church, but he had always declined. He would cite a laundry list of things around the house that needed his attention.
Finally, on Easter Sunday three years ago, they enlisted the aid of C. C. and Christian. Ted’s twin grandchildren were encouraged to beg and plead with their Papa to come to church. He finally agreed. Rob introduced him to Mary, and they were soon inseparable. Carol even believed that the master chief might propose marriage to Mary sometime in the near future.
Carol and Mary were startled by a blood-curdling scream as Sack threw Becca’s bronze bikini-clad body nearly halfway across the pool as easily as he had thrown the seven-year-olds before her. Her blonde head came within inches of the side of the pool.
“Be careful, Sack! You're gonna kill the poor thing,” Carol admonished. She immediately cupped her hand over her mouth, realizing too late that she had used his nickname. She closed her eyes, hoping that no one had caught the gaff.
She should have known better.
From the croquette field, Rob shouted, “Who's Sack, Button?”
Picking up on the game, Ted nudged Andy, who hadn't a clue what it was all about and asked, “Sack, who's Sack?” Andy simply shrugged and joined the others looking at Carol questioningly.
Mary couldn't contain a snicker as she turned her attention back to the Southern Living magazine she had been flipping through.
Danny slid the glass door open and stepped out on the patio, followed closely by Carla. They each carried a tray of desserts. They heard the twins shout in unison from the pool, “Who's Sack, Mama?”
Sack, who had been swimming underwater, emerged from behind them and, placing one hand on the top of each of their heads, proceeded to dunk them.
Becca was laughing. Melissa was looking from Carol to the children to Rob, who was trying to maintain his composure while grinning clownishly. Sack and the master chief shared a knowing look before the big man turned to Carol, who was still holding her hand over her mouth. He held his arms out wide. “I'm just a big ole' sack o' taters,” he said, just after the twins popped their heads out of the water and proceeded to climb him.
Carol, relieved that Sack had found a way to cover for her mistake, was impressed with the improvisation. She dropped her hand, smiled, and winked at him. “Nice.”
Their croquet game turned into a tournament as different players were periodically exchanged and substituted. As the sun began to set, Danny shot a defeated look at Carla. They had only planned to stay long enough for dessert, confess the news about their having observed Rob and Carol for the past ten months, and give Rob the sealed envelope containing his orders. Carla simply smiled and shrugged. Her-always-make-the-best-of-it attitude had kicked in.
But the Carters weren’t the only ones who had a task to complete before the night was through. Rob saw that the daylight was fading fast, and he still had a conversation to have with Danny.
Carol scanned the scene. The pool was empty. Sack, Becca, and the twins had long since toweled themselves off and gone inside the house. She could see through the patio door that the twins were draped over them on the couch, half asleep, watching television. Her parents were saying their “good nights,” citing Andy’s eight o’clock tee time as the reason for their departure. Rob was helping his father put the croquet set away and Mary, Danny, and Carla were busily cleaning up.
“Danny and Carla,” Carol said softly to herself. She really appreciated that they were helping with the cleanup. But as she watched, she wondered what their true intentions were. She, Rob, Sack, Ted, and Mary all knew that the couple had ulterior motives for their friendship. She also knew that Rob had been more than patient, going along with the charade. He said earlier in the day that he would get to the bottom of the situation tonight. She had no doubt that he would, one way or another. But as much as she tried to keep her distance from the two, she had really grown to like Carla and had begun to enjoy the time that they spent together. They shared, or at least seemed to share similar interests. They had a similar sense of style and
humor. They enjoyed the same kinds of books, food, and movies, and Carla was wonderful with the twins. She seemed to be the type of friend that Carol could come to appreciate. But was it all just an act?
“What is it, Doll?” It was Ted. Over the years, Carol had gotten used to the man suddenly appearing out of nowhere. He had sidled up to her during her musings as silently as a church mouse and was following her gaze toward Carla, who was wiping down the tables where they had eaten.
Without looking at him, Carol answered, “Rob's gonna confront them tonight.”
“And?”
“And, I'm not looking forward to it.”
“Because?”
This time she looked him in the eye. “Because they came here and invaded our privacy, offered us a false friendship and—”
“And you and Rob knew before they got here that they had been sent by the brass. You didn't have to play along with them. You could have confronted them from the beginning.”
“That was Rob's idea.”
Ted squared his shoulders and faced her. “As much as you tried to fight it, you and Carla became friends in spite of the fact that they were ordered here to do … whatever it is that they’ve been doing. Now, how'd that happen?”
Carol didn't have an answer that she was willing to speak out loud. She wanted to be angry with them so that she wouldn't feel the pain of loss she was sure was about to happen. She was trying to make herself mad at the Carters, and her father-in-law wasn't making it easy.
“They came here on orders,” Ted reminded her. “People in the military do things every day that they wouldn't normally do, because it's their job. Rob understands that and so do you.”
“But, Dad—”
She began to protest, but the master chief cut her off without even blinking. “They had no control over the situation.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “You did.” Then he turned and walked toward the house just as silently as he had when he joined her.