Hell, maybe he wasn’t even pale. He hadn’t been on suspension, after all. It was entirely possible I’d just been spending too much time on the beach.
Golden skin might just have become the new normal for me. Who knew?
The lieutenant held my gaze for another moment before he gave me a sharp nod. “There’s a plane waiting for you on the tarmac. Suit up, boys. It’s time to get your heads back in the game.”
Eden grinned wide, snapping his fingers to his forehead and waiting for me to do the same before we left the office. Once it was just the two of us striding down the hallway, he turned to me without breaking step.
“I guess this means we’re back, baby.” He lifted his hand for a high-five.
I slapped his palm, but something about this still didn’t feel right to me.
Going on a mission and the sense of purpose was every bit as fucking awesome as always, but there was a pricking in my gut I kept coming back to. However much I was seesawing between exhilaration and trepidation, I knew the lieutenant had been right about one thing.
We were about to board a plane. I needed to get my head in the game.
Eden and I both kept go-bags ready. It took us no more than a few minutes to collect them before we were off to the tarmac.
With black bags slung over our shoulders, we approached the waiting plane. The lieutenant was there waiting for us, aviator sunglasses covering his eyes.
He pressed a thick finger to my chest when we came to a standstill in front of him. “You’re in charge, Dobbs. I’ll debrief you once you’re in the air.”
My eyes narrowed of their own accord behind my own sunglasses, but I looked him in the part of his eyes I could see and nodded.
Come hell or high water, I’d keep this team safe. Just like I always did. Once we got back, I’d figure out what the hell my gut was feeling so damn uncomfortable about.
Chapter 18
Sofia
Lincoln was being uncharacteristically quiet today. In fact, the last time I’d heard anything from him had been over twenty-four hours ago.
We’d gone for another long walk on the beach after midnight and had only ended up crawling into bed at some godforsaken hour of the morning. As had become usual, he’d dropped me off near my dad’s house and had texted when he’d gotten home.
After that, I hadn’t heard a word. I’d briefly wondered if he was hitting the brakes because of how much time we’d spent together after the failed attempt at attending a beach party but had decided it wasn’t that.
Lincoln was the one who had initiated contact first after that, and after I’d reciprocated, we had fallen into an easy rhythm. I wanted to believe that we knew each other well enough by now that if he had decided to slam on the brakes, he’d have told me.
The only thing that made sense was that he’d gotten caught up in something else, which I was totally fine with. One of my main goals this summer had been to spend some time with my father after his retirement, and I hadn’t done nearly enough of that so far.
It wasn’t only because I’d been spending so much time with Lincoln and Haley. Dad had also been busy, retirement or no. There had been a lot he’d had to wrap up on the base. Apparently, the handover after having been the head instructor at BUD/S for so many years was no picnic, either.
In addition to all that, his fellow retirees were trying to get him into golf. He’d always detested the sport, but it seemed to be growing on him now.
Today was the first time we were both at home, both seemingly without any plans. Dad read the paper in the kitchen but looked up when I walked in.
“I thought you’d be gone by now,” he commented, sipping from his khaki-colored mug. His dark brows knitted together. “Don’t tell me Haley has finally remembered she has a business to run and can’t spend all the time gallivanting with you.”
I pressed a kiss to his temple before going to fix myself a cup of coffee. “You know, if I wasn’t used to your extremely unfunny sense of humor, my feelings might have been hurt right now.”
He guffawed, dropping his gaze back to the article he’d been reading as I moved away. “Good thing you know not to be offended by my hilarity.”
“Your hilarity,” I placed emphasis on the word as I spooned sugar into my mug, “is very well known around these parts. Talk of the town really.”
“Shows you how much people really have to talk about these days,” he remarked, then flicked a curious glance in my direction. “On a serious note, what are you doing today? Do you finally have time to get some studying done?”
“I don’t have anything to study, Dad. It’s summer, remember?” I filled my cup to the brim and let out a soft moan when the bitter aroma hit my nostrils.
Dad frowned at me, setting the paper down on the table and crossing an ankle over his knee. “Couldn’t you be getting ahead of the work for next semester?”
“That’s not really how it works.” I blew on the surface of the drink, sighing as I wrapped my fingers around the mug. “What are your plans for today?”
A slight smile quirked the corners of his lips, which gave me the answer before he did. “I’ve got some work to do on the boat.”
“Want some help?” I offered. “You always used to let me help when I was growing up. It feels like it’s been forever since we last worked on it together.”
My father’s hazel eyes flashed with surprise, but his expression remained stoic. “Sure. Are you sure there’s nothing else you’d rather
