This particular time, Rex used what he called his “stealth approach.” With both girls on their backs “sunny side up”—as Rex would say—and eyes closed, he eased up close enough to block the sun, casting a shadow on their faces. He then stood quietly while looking out at some imaginary object in the ocean.
“Hey. You’re blocking the sun,” the blond said.
“Oh. I’m sorry,” Rex said, stepping aside. “I thought I saw a shark’s fin about a hundred feet offshore. It looked big!” The brunette sprang up, shading her eyes as she searched the surface of the ocean. Rex squatted next to the blond and pointed, trying to show her where to look.
“I don’t see it,” said the brunette. Rex stood and walked over beside her. Pointing with one hand, he placed his other hand on her shoulder and guided her to move over a few steps. A good head taller than the girl, Ryan could see Rex was more interested in his bird’s-eye view, than the imaginary shark.
“I still don’t see it,” she said.
“Maybe it’s gone. It was a big one. They’ve spotted great whites out there before. They love the cold water and the seals. I don’t think I’d go swimming.”
I
don’t
believe
it
, Ryan thought.
As
easy
as
that
,
and
we’re
in
.
How
does
he
do
it
?
“I’m Rex, and this is my buddy, Ryan.” The brunette returned to her towel on the sand.
The blond said, “Hi. I’m Emily and this is Kate.”
“You girls from around here or just visiting?” Rex asked.
“We live in the area,” Kate said. “How about you guys?”
“We just came out to the beach for a little sun,” Rex said. He worked his way over by Kate and sat down beside her on the sand.
“You work here in San Diego?” Emily asked.
“We’re Navy pilots. Based over at NAS Miramar,” Rex offered.
“Pilots?” Kate asked, seeming to be impressed.
“Yeah. We’re both fighter pilots,” Rex said.
“Wow. That’s cool,” Kate said.
Seeing Rex favor Kate, Ryan knew his job was to entertain Emily. Both girls were stunning and Ryan was more than happy to pair up with Emily. Her blond hair, shapely figure, and bubbly personality captivated him. She didn’t appear to fit the stereotypical “party animal”, but was a far cry from the “cute-homely” type he often had to babysit after one of Rex’s “YOYO” calls.
Rex stood and helped Kate up. “We’re going up to the hotel and grab something to drink. You guys want to come?” Rex asked.
Ryan defaulted to Emily. “I think I’ll stay down here and work on my tan,” she said.
“We’ll be back in a few,” Rex said. He waited for Emily to turn her head, then lifted his glasses and winked at Ryan.
Rex and Kate walked off through the sand toward the hotel. “Your friend is something else,” Emily said.
“Yeah…he’s a real piece of work—good guy, though.”
“How long have you known each other?”
“Almost five years.”
“Where do you boys call home?”
“Rex is a California boy and I’m from Atlanta.
“I
thought
I detected a Southern accent.”
“Yeah. Can’t seem to shake it.”
“I think it’s cute.” She reached over and squeezed his leg.
Her flirtatious giggles and little touches attracted him almost as much as her stunning physical attributes. “Where are you girls from?”
“I was born here in San Diego and Kate is from Iowa. We were roommates at San Diego State. After we graduated, we got jobs with the same company and decided to get an apartment together. A year later, here we are.”
“Think you’ll stay in the area?” Ryan turned to put the sun more behind him, giving him a better view of Emily’s face.
“Hope not,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“What’s wrong? You don’t like paradise?” He laughed.
“California’s home, but I want to travel and see the world.” She looked out at the vast ocean and proclaimed with outstretched arms, “I want to see it all!”
“Here comes Rex,” Ryan said.
“Hey, guys. You seen Kate?” Rex asked.
“Maybe the big shark swallowed her up,” Emily said. She glanced at Ryan and smiled.
“What’s wrong, you lose her?” Ryan said.
“Dude, she vanished. I went to the bathroom and when I came back, she was gone. No sign of her anywhere. I thought she was out here.”
“She did say her brother was coming to the hotel later,” Emily said. “She planned to get a ride home with him. Maybe he showed up early.”
“Seems funny she wouldn’t, at least, hang around to tell me she was leaving.”
“Yeah, that’s not like her. I’m sure there’s an explanation,” Emily said.
“No big deal,” Rex said. “Ryan, you ready to go?”
“I guess.” He turned to Emily and asked, “You ever been up to the Old Lighthouse on Point Loma?”
“Many times.”
“Think I could hire you to give me a tour. I’ve read about it, but haven’t made it up there yet.”
“My services don’t come cheap, you know.”
“How about dinner anywhere in San Diego?”
“I’ll have to check my schedule. You got a pen?”
Ryan pulled a pen from his bag and handed it to her. She took his hand, flipped it over, and wrote her number on his palm. “Call me.”
CHAPTER 9
The warm sun, the rhythmic pattern of the waves lapping against the shore, and the smell of salt air drifting across the sand lulled Emily into a near hypnotic state. She’d never met a man so attractive, yet without an attitude. She felt relaxed around him, comfortable.
“That was creepy,” Kate said.
Emily opened her eyes and saw Kate spreading her towel, preparing a place next to her.
“What happened?” Emily asked.
Kate sat down on her towel. “Typical, egotistical jerk.”
“I figured when you asked him to go back to the hotel you were going to dump him. He was a bit much, if you ask me.”
“Yeah, I’m glad we had a plan.” Kate peeled-off her T-shirt and rubbed lotion on her front.
“With all the military guys around here always hitting on us, we’d be stupid not to have an escape plan.”
Both lying on their backs with their eyes closed, they continued to talk. “This guy was your typical fighter jock,” Kate said. “But I’ll have to hand it to him, he had balls. You won’t believe what he did!”
“What?”
“First, he made sure I knew he came from money—born in La Jolla…USC grad…you know the type. He played down the Navy, saying the only reason he joined was for the free ticket to an airline job.”
“What’s so bad about that?”
“Then, he started getting touchy-feely”
“
Really
? What did he do?”
“We were sitting on one of those sofas. You know, the ones just off to the side of the bar?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s where he made his move. First, he put his arm around me. Then, he tried to kiss me, right in front of a woman and her three kids. I had to practically shove him off me.”
“Good Lord! You just met the guy, like…thirty minutes ago.”
“When he went to the bathroom I left. I hid out by the pool like we had talked about. I had a great view of the beach. When I saw the guys leave I came out.”
“Dogs with one track minds—all of them,” Emily said.
“Yeah, isn’t that the truth?” A calming silence allowed Kate to catch her breath, and then she said, “But isn’t it great?” They laughed.
“And how about that shark thing? What a loser.”
“I actually thought it was a nice touch.” Emily said. They laughed again.
“What did you think of Ryan?”
“He’s dreamy. A little on the shy side, but that makes it easier. At least I don’t have to worry about him trying to grope me on the first date.”
“So, I guess you’re planning to see him again?”
“Why not? I figure he’s good for at least a couple of free dinners. He asked me to show him the Old Lighthouse up on Point Loma in exchange for a free dinner—I get to choose the place.”
“Go girl! Give me five.” Kate raised her open palm in the air and Emily slapped it. “If you need any help thinking of a nice place for dinner, just let me know.”
“I’ll try to be easy on him the first time. I don’t want to scare him off, too fast.”
“Rex was prime, but I can’t imagine trying to hold him off for an entire evening.”
“I’m not sure I would write him off so fast. From what you say, he sounds like he’s worth more than a few dinners. You know the guy is a trust fund baby—probably loaded. He’s hot, too.”
“I don’t know,” Kate said.
“Listen, it’s hard to find ‘the perfect package’. I don’t even know if it exists. They either come from money and are spoiled brats, or they’re great guys and broke. You have to decide if you’re going to marry for money and tolerate the man or marry for love and hope for the money. I personally think it’s easier to go for the money. You can always find love on the side.”
“Whatever. I don’t think I’m ready yet to sell myself for a free dinner.”
“One thing is for certain, I’m not going to sit around and do nothing. Who knows, after I finish with Georgia boy, I might even take the Trojan for a spin. I could do a trustee…no problem.” She turned to Kate. “Assuming you’re not interested.”
“Go for it, girl. He’s all yours. Good luck.”
CHAPTER 10
Rex was stone quiet, but Ryan could tell he was pissed. After storming off the beach and tipping the valet, he burned rubber back to the interstate. Rex rarely got snubbed by the ladies. However, if he did, he was quick to slug an overdose of denial and return to his place of control.
With each exchange of clutch and accelerator, he pushed the RPM to the red-line. Jerking the shifter from “second” to “third”, “third” to “fourth”, and “fourth” to “fifth”, the Porsche launched out ahead of light traffic, cruising well above the posted speed limit.
With the powerful engine purring and Rex hopefully feeling some sense of restored control, Ryan wrapped himself in the solitude of the steady rush of wind and drone of the engine. He couldn’t get her out of his mind. Everything about her was perfect. He imagined how she would look the next time he saw her, and how she would act toward him. Would she still be interested?
I
wonder
if
she
felt
the
same
way
I
did
.
He tried to recall the tone in her voice, the way she’d laughed, her attentiveness, and the way she’d touched him freely. It gave him assurance she must have felt something. He glanced down at his hand. One of the numbers on his palm had smeared but was still legible.
Don’t
lose
that
number
.
It’s
all
you’ve
got
.
He looked around for paper, but remembered the pen was in his bag, in the trunk.
Keep
your
hand
open
and
don’t
touch
anything
.
Then a horrid thought crossed his mind.
Maybe
it’s
a
bogus
number
.
She
could
have
given
me
the
number
to
her
hair
salon
,
or
even
a
pizza
delivery
service
.
He replayed the scenes from the beach.
She
wouldn’t
do
that
.
What
am
I
thinking
?
They arrived back in Del Mar faster than he had expected. The electric door on the garage was already on its way up when it came into view. Rex timed it perfectly. It was a game he played. Just prior to the door being fully retracted, he would press the button to lower it. The car had to be sufficiently in the garage to ensure the door didn’t hit it. Rex often referred to it as the “bat cave.”
Once the front half of the car rolled into the garage, with one fluid motion, he reached up, tapped the button on the transmitter, and turned the ignition off. Still rolling, the Porsche swallowed its growl and the garage door started down.
“One day it’s gonna bite you,” Ryan said.
“I don’t think so, Robin.”
“Are you ever going to grow up?”
“Probably not,” Rex said, closing the door to the Porsche.
Rex wasted no time heading to the bathroom, while Ryan was more interested in dialing the number written on his palm.
The nicely furnished luxury apartment was not typical for a couple of Navy pilots who spent most of their time at sea. Well beyond Ryan’s budget, Rex had worked out a deal to rent him a room at a relatively low price, splitting the utilities. They each had their own bedroom and private bath with a smaller third bedroom they shared as an office.
Returning from the bathroom, Rex said, “Wow! That feels better.” He walked over to the refrigerator, got a beer, twisted the top off, tossed it in the trash, and headed for the den. “You call Blondie yet?” He plopped down on the sofa and took a long draw from the bottle of beer.
“Yeah, but no answer.”
“Dude. Probably not her number.”
“The answering machine message sounded like her. Must still be at the beach. I left a message.”
“She’s pretty hot. I knew I should’ve taken her and given you mystery woman, but what are friends for? I told you I’d take care of you today.”
“By the way, how
did
it go with Kate?”
“It was going great until she disappeared. I think she had the hots for me.”
“How could you tell?” Ryan sat in the soft leather chair by the sofa.
“Just instinct. I sensed her sending me signals. You saw how she reacted when she heard we were fighter pilots; she dug it.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“I might hook-up with her later, or, better yet, once you get to know Blondie, you can get her to set us up. Then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if she calls me first. They usually do.”
CHAPTER 11
“Georgia boy beat us home,” Emily said, seeing the flashing red light on her answering machine. She hit the replay button on her way to the kitchen for a bottle of water.