Love of a Marine (The Wounded Warriors Series Book 2) (12 page)

Cluny blew a perfect smoke ring, watched it float then dissipate. “I met a woman.”

“What else is new? You’ve had more women than any man has a right to.”

“This time it’s different.” He slid back in the chair and propped his feet on the porch railing. “Amber didn’t tell the whole story. Shit hit the fan today. I nearly went nuts when I hit the water to pull that guy out. I thought he was you.” Sharp chagrin lingered over the public spectacle still fresh in his mind. “I was back in the Sandbox in full combat mode.

“Amber jumped me after we dragged the guy out of the water, and told me he wasn’t you. I heard enemy fire and landed on her and told her to stay down.” He sighed, and thought the foul curse word rather than saying it.

“Whoa. What did she think of that?”

“She got up, brushed the sand off her face, and suggested we go sit on our blanket away from the action. Not much ruffles our Amber’s feathers. You’re a great dad, buddy.”

“I won’t take all the credit. You were there from day one. Two young, torn-up vets without the first clue what to do with a newborn girl.” Gunny smiled ruefully.

In Cluny’s opinion, Francine Dempsey hadn’t been good enough to scrape shit off the bottom of Gunny’s boots. She’d deserted him three days after Amber’s birth because she refused to tie herself down to a
cripple
and a baby she never wanted.

Cluny pointed his cigar. “We figured it out though.”

“We did. Now I have Marla, the love of my life, and a son I know how to be a father to.” He turned his head and blew a big puff of smoke away from his baby. “You were telling me about a woman. Not that you ever share any juicy details, but different, how?”

“Instead of freezing up and backing away, she followed me down the beach and sat with me. She asked me to talk about what had happened.”

“Would this be the widow of Marv, the SEAL?”

“Yep.” Cluny nodded. “Graciella Jefferson. I asked her if she was afraid, and she looked me right in the eye and said, ‘Yes.’ Honest, straightforward, no hesitation. Then she stuck right by my side. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. I’m scared shitless I’ll mess up before we get a chance to know each other. Her kid is something special too.”

Dwayne was quiet for several seconds then asked, “When are you going to bring her to meet me and Marla?”

“I invited them to the July 4th barbecue.” He propped one ankle over the other and puffed the cigar. “I sang to her, Gunny. She made me feel so damn good that I sang a love song to her. Jesus, the last woman I sang love songs to was Esther Grossman when I was seventeen, back in Wyoming.”

Dwayne chuckled and punched his arm. “Sounds serious, McPherson.”

Serious, yes, but he told himself to slow down. Slow down.

Around ten thirty that night he asked Queen, “What do you think, girl? Is it too late to call?” He paced for a moment then stared at the phone. Queen offered no opinion. He pressed call and heard the smile in Graciella’s voice the moment she answered. His chest expanded with a heady mixture of desire and hope.

“Am I calling too late?”

“No, I’ve been waiting for you.”

Her words sent his heart racing. He’d rather have been holding her hand than the phone, but this would have to do for now. “What are you doing tomorrow night?”

“Marvin’s mother and father are coming for dinner.”

Disappointment burned in his gut. He needed to hold her. “Do you like them?”

“Yes, very much. They think of me as a daughter. Santos loves Grandpa Earl. I asked Lillian if they’d come without Krystal. I want to talk to her, find out if she has any idea what’s going on with my sister-in-law. I could tell from the tone of her voice she’s troubled too.”

“I hope you’re not walking into a minefield.”

“I’ll take my chances. I can’t have Krystal influencing Santos with her racist rants. I have no idea what’s changed her. She was a sweet child Santos’s age when Marvin brought me to California.”

“Dwayne’s mom told me family was both a blessing and a curse, when I lived at their cattle ranch. She was Mom to me when I needed one. She did a great job raising three good men, especially Amber’s dad.”

“I’m anxious to meet this paragon.”

“You’ll meet him and his wife the day of the barbecue. You’ll like them. They’re good people.” He gave her some details about the annual party and who would be there.

“Oh, my, do you have any idea what time it is?”

“Midnight. I don’t want to, but I’ll let you go.” How was it possible they’d talked for so long? “Queenie is wearing out the carpet in front of the door. I didn’t take her for a walk when we got home.”

His chest expanded at the sound of her sexy, smoky laugh.

“Early classes tomorrow, Cluny, and then house cleaning and laundry. I’ve let a lot of things slide the past couple of weeks. Santos and I’ll see you on Sunday morning. You probably have plenty of pots and pans, but I’ll bring my double boiler.”

“Good. I don’t have one of those. Thanks for staying up so late to talk.”

“I asked you to call me, remember? Good night, Cluny. I hope you sleep well.”

“Queen’s on the job. Bye for now, beautiful.” He clicked off the call, rubbed the dog’s head, and took her outside. The cold June night air did nothing to cool off the desire burning in him.

* * *

Graciella made her way to her bedroom, switching off lights and checking the front door as she went. She paused at Santos’s room, carefully stepped inside, and watched her son sleep. He was beginning to take on a more mature appearance. Where had all those years gone? Not her baby much longer he’d be grown and gone from home before she knew it.

In her room, she slowly slipped out of her amethyst-hued robe and studied her nude reflection in the full-length mirror on the back of her closet door. She scrutinized herself, not as Santos’s mother, but the young woman who’d sat on the beach in the embrace of the handsome compelling man who hadn’t hidden his attraction to her. He’d rocked her in his strong arms and sung a love song. She’d never hear that song again without experiencing the same exciting sensation. When Cluny sang the words to her this afternoon, the lyrics had imprinted themselves on her heart and mind.

This man had problems and flaws she hadn’t discovered, so she’d tread carefully. She had a child whose needs came before hers. But she liked what she knew of Cluny McPherson so far. The way a man related to children said worlds about his true character.

She picked up the book on her nightstand, changed her mind about reading, and snapped off the light. Settling back against her pillows, the bed seemed too big, empty, and cold. She wanted Cluny’s arms around her again. She knew in her heart he wanted that too. Possibilities. She swam in a warm sea of lovely possibilities.

* * *

Thursday evening, Chatsworth

“Santos, get the door! Grandpa and Grandma are here.”

She watched from the kitchen as her son ran to the door and threw it open, let out a whoop and hugged his grandparents. Earl rolled his eyes and reached behind Lillian’s back to take the new fielder’s mitt she’d been hiding.

This brought on another round of joyful sounds as Santos hugged it to his chest and bounced on his toes. “I knew you’d bring it, Grampa, I just knew it!”

Lillian shook her head, clearly amused at their antics, and shoved them outside. “Go! Break in your new mitt. All this excitement is too much for an old woman.” They were gone before she got a chance to close the door.

“Lillian, how nice to see you.” Graciella motioned for her mother-in-law to join her in the kitchen. “Let’s have a glass of iced tea and talk while they work off some of that energy.” She took her mother-in-law’s sweater and draped it over the back of a kitchen chair. They exchanged a hug and sat at the counter. “I have dinner ready and warming and the table is set. How have you and Earl been?”

They talked about trivialities, then Graciella told Lillian that Santos had selected his future bride and was on his way to becoming a full-fledged beach bum. “The girl and her godfather have been sharing picnics at the beach with us. We’ve had some good adventures this summer. Her name is Amber Dempsey, and she helped him conquer his fear of the water.”

Lillian smiled and sipped her tea. “So when’s the wedding?”

“That’s the good news. He’s decided to wait for at least ten years.”

“Dempsey. That sounds Irish.” Lillian’s eyes took on a cloud of confusion.

“I suspect you’re right. Her godfather’s name is Cluny McPherson. Clearly there’re Celts in the family tree.” All she detected in Lillian’s voice was curiosity, not a hint of alarm or concern. She breathed a silent sigh of relief.

“How did you meet them? Through Rio Samba?”

“No, Zuma beach. Santos was curious about Cluny’s dog.”

“He had his dog at Zuma? I’m surprised the beach patrol didn’t ask him to leave.”

“They allow dogs wearing a service vest.”

“Oh! So the man is handicapped?”

“You wouldn’t know it to look at him, but yes, he’s a wounded warrior.” Graciella shifted. “Lillian, I was hoping we could have a few minutes alone to talk about Krystal. There was an unpleasant confrontation in our apartment last Sunday. She came unannounced and walked right in without knocking. She was rude to our dinner guest, and she upset Santos. I was so embarrassed. I don’t understand why she’s changed so much lately.”

Lillian lowered her forehead to her hand. “We don’t know what to do.”

“What’s happened to her? Why is she throwing around racial epithets?”

“We believe it’s the man she’s seeing. He’s got her convinced she’s a victim of racism. That only reason she’s been unable to get her modeling career advanced beyond department store catalogs is because of her color.”

“Do you believe that?”

“No, of course not! The competition for the few available slots at major modeling agencies is fierce. We’ve tried to reason with her. I pointed out that some of the most famous faces in major advertising are women of color, but she doesn’t want to listen to us.”

Graciella sighed and rested her hand on Lillian’s shoulder. “I would think this attitude works against her efforts to advance. This is all so recent. It sounds as if the man has poisoned her perspective.”

“Absolutely. He’s convinced her to go to court to have her name changed.”

That startled Graciella. “Changed to what?”

“We’re not sure, but she’s told us she refuses to be known by a ‘slave name.’ We’re broken-hearted over her decision. Jefferson has been the family surname for over two hundred years. Earl is proud of his ancestry. Marvin always joked to his fellow SEALs that he had the most American name in their team.” She shook her head. “It’s very sad.”

Shocked over Lillian’s revelations, Graciella asked, “Where did she meet this man?”

“Through an online dating site. I told her she was asking for trouble. You never know what kind of person you might meet. But, she signed up anyway. She’s headstrong, just like Marvin. Shortly after they first went out, she brought him home to meet us. Jamal was very courteous at first, then little by little he began to draw away from us. After a while he stopped coming inside the house. He comes to collect her in his car, and she leaves without a word about where they’re going. We’re at our wit’s end.”

Hair on the back of her head prickling, Graciella turned the name Jamal over in her head. “What’s his last name, do you know?”

“Mujahid, but Earl and I suspect it isn’t his birth name.”

Graciella had become interested in Arabic names when Marvin deployed to Iraq. Krystal’s boyfriend’s name translated roughly to Beautiful Man Fighting. “This is unsettling, Lillian. Especially today, when we read so much about the radicalization of young American men.”

“We don’t know what we can do.” Lillian’s lips trembled. “Earl doesn’t want to ask her to move out because we’re afraid he might be abusing her. Two weeks ago, she came in very late. We’d already gone to bed and didn’t know she was home. Earl heard angry voices and scuffling sounds so he got up to investigate. Jamal was storming away from Krystal’s room. Earl asked him what he was doing there, but he pushed past him and left. The next morning Krystal had bruising and swelling around her eye. She had to cancel a photo shoot.”

“My God, Lillian, this is terrible! Why haven’t you spoken of this to me before?”

“I’m glad we’re finally talking about it.” She lowered her head and rolled it from side to side then took a tissue from her pocket and dabbed her eyes.

Graciella moved closer and put an arm around her shoulder. “How did she explain what happened?”

“She made up some story about falling. We didn’t believe it. When Earl pressed her, she flew into a fury and bolted from the house.” The woman’s eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “She’s had every advantage we were able to provide for her. She excelled in school and was popular with her classmates. Where did we go wrong?”

“Don’t blame yourself, please. You—”

They were unable to continue the conversation when Earl and Santos returned. She was relieved and at the same time she wanted to know more, but Graciella wouldn’t discuss it in her son’s presence. “Is anybody hungry?” She hopped off the barstool.

“Something smells wonderful in here, daughter.” Earl pecked her cheek and turned to Santos. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starved. Let’s get washed up so we can enjoy whatever wonderful dish your mother made for dinner.”

“What can I do?” Lillian asked.

“If you’d get the salad from the refrigerator and toss it with the dressing I made, that would be a big help.” She put on a pair of oven mitts and opened the oven door. “This ham is just perfect. I’ll set it in front of Earl’s place so he can serve us.”

During dinner Graciella asked Earl if he’d drive Santos to Spring Grove Park three days a week so he could join the baseball team at the beginning of the summer season.

“I’d love to. I’ll get a return on my investment in that new glove.”

“Oh, boy! I’ll tell Macfearsome I can come.”