“Yeah. Tomorrow is supposed to be bad, but tonight will be gorgeous.”
“Ms. Thomas! Ms. Thomas!” one of the waitstaff called out, rushing toward her. “We need to go get more champagne flutes. One of the caterers just knocked over the entire cart of them.”
“Oh good grief,” Caitlyn muttered. “The party starts in two hours.”
“Can I do anything?” Harper asked.
“Nope, I’ve got it covered. There’s enough staff to assist with getting the rest of the things set up, and I’m sure they’ll have someone drop off more stemware. Hopefully they don’t flake out like your delivery person, but one of them can go pick them up if need be.”
“All right. Text me if you need something,” Harper said, blowing her a kiss as she turned and left. Caitlyn watched her for a moment then followed the waiter across the yacht’s deck. She already had a feeling it was going to be a long night.
***
Troy tipped his longneck back and took a swig, his eyes roaming the bar, Salty Sunset, where he and his teammates were hanging out that Saturday night. It had been a while since just the guys had gone out. Too long. Not that he minded hanging out with his buddies and their women, but it was nice to have a guy’s night for a change.
Blake grinned as he took a seat beside him, setting his own beer bottle down on the table. “Damn. I forgot how crowded this place gets on Saturday nights.”
Ghost shook his head. “You serious? We used to hang out here every weekend.”
Blake lifted a shoulder. “Things change. How’s Hailey feeling these days?” Ghost’s fiancée was pregnant, and she’d just started having some awful bouts of morning sickness. Which apparently lasted all day. Troy felt bad for the woman. When the team had met up a week ago, she’d looked almost green, and she and Ghost had left early.
“Not great. She’s almost through the first trimester, so she’s hoping to feel better after that.”
“Damn. That’s rough. I know Clarissa’s been worried about her,” Blake said. He grabbed an onion ring from the basket the waitress had set on their table. They’d all ordered burgers, planning to feast on an unhealthy meal for a change. The team kept in good shape and generally tried not to overindulge, but a night out was cause for celebration.
“And we found a house,” Ghost said. “We’ll just be renting for a year, but we’ll have room for the baby. Things would’ve gotten too crowded in our apartment.”
“Are you still by the beach?” Troy asked.
Ghost shook his head. “Not within walking distance, which sucks. But we’re saving up for a down payment, so what can you do? It would’ve been a hell of a lot more expensive to rent right by the ocean. It worked for my apartment when I was single, but….”
“I hear ya,” Troy said. “Prime real estate is steep in this town.” Troy owned a townhouse and had encountered the same thing when he’d been looking at places. Homes by the beach were damn expensive. He made a good living as a Navy SEAL, but San Diego was an expensive town. He’d never afford a beachfront home on his own. Hell, probably not even if he got married. He didn’t mind driving down to the ocean though.
Briefly, he wondered where his redhead lived. Since she’d been working, it might not have even been anywhere near that beach. He’d taken to jogging on that same beach Sunday evenings on the off chance he’d run into her again. It hadn’t happened. Yet. One way or another he wanted to find her. He’d even looked up a few local wedding planners online, hoping to see her face splashed across the website. No such luck.
Troy watched as Logan came walking back over to their group with his arm wrapped around a woman’s shoulders. “Who’s your friend, Hurricane?” Ethan asked with a smirk. He tipped his beer back and took a long pull, eyeing Logan in amusement.
Logan chuckled. “We’re taking off to go for a walk down by the water. Catch you guys later.”
“Damn, he moves quick,” Blake said as Logan left with the woman. “We haven’t even gotten our dinner yet.”
“Says the man who’s engaged and living with his fiancée,” Troy said. “Logan is single and on the prowl.”
“And he didn’t tell us her name. I’m guessing he didn’t know it,” Ethan said.
Troy’s phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket to see a message from his sister.
“Everything okay?” Blake asked.
“Yep. My sister. She’s just stressing about her final semester of college. Classes just started, and she graduates in May. She’s always been a straight-A student, so she’s basically worried about nothing.”
“And she’s studying on a Saturday night?” Jackson asked, taking a pull of his own beer. “That’s dedication. I have to admit, after I graduated high school, I was happy to be done with that part of my life.”
“Touché,” Troy said. “She’s the smart one in the family. I can’t say I was sad to leave school behind when I joined the Navy. I signed up after I graduated.”
“How come we haven’t met your sisters?” Jackson asked.
“They’re young. Brooklyn’s only twenty-two. When I first joined the teams, she was just a kid. I’ve been trying to convince her to move down this way after college. We’ll see. My youngest sister is still in high school.”
“Taryn’s going back to college,” Jackson said. “Online only. She wants to finish her degree in graphic design.”
“Good for her,” Ethan said. “I saw some of those websites she made when Kim and I were over at your place.
