Dwayne punched his shoulder. “Hey, get a room.”
“That’s what I intend to do.” Donovan shifted back to the driver’s seat and moved into traffic. “I couldn’t wait to kiss my woman. You know how it is.”
Yeah, Dwayne knew how it was. He instinctively took Marla’s hand and leaned in for a kiss.
She whispered in his ear. “Can’t wait to get in the pool? I had something else in mind.” Didn’t take any more than those few words and he went hard.
Time to take a breath and do some recon, soldier.
Were they moving too fast? Heading for a flameout? He sure as hell hoped not.
He leaned close to Donovan’s seat. “How long till we get there?”
Donovan’s shoulders bounced. “What is this? An are-we-there-yet-daddy moment? Relax. Enjoy the scenery.”
Charlene stared adoringly at his brother. “I’m enjoying the scenery, Donnie.”
He smiled back. “Me too, sweet thing.”
Dwayne faced Marla and waggled his eyebrows. “Think we’ll be seeing much of them this weekend?”
“Nope. Could get lonely all by ourselves.”
The heat of her gaze went right through him. Front to back. Head to toe. He could be in very deep shit in no time.
Chapter Eighteen
Saturday morning the four of them lounged around the pool after breakfast and took advantage of the warm sun and clear blue sky. A soft breeze ruffled the palm fronds over Marla’s head, and two gulls danced in the air above them.
She pointed to the birds. “Look. I wonder what it would feel like to be a bird. Do you think birds have fun?”
Dwayne’s gaze followed her hand. “Never doubted it for a minute.” He sat up and threw his legs over the side of the lounge. “Think I’ll go for a swim. You game?”
She stood to follow and the thought of him swimming with his prosthetic foot puzzled her. The mystery was solved when he sat at the edge of the pool and removed it.
A small boy wearing inflatable water wings paddled to them. “What happened, mister? Are you a soldier?”
Without a hint of embarrassment, Dwayne leaned forward on his hands. “I used to be a soldier. Got it blown clean off in the war.”
The child’s eyes widened. “Did it hurt?”
“Not when it happened, but it was pretty sore while the doctors were patching me up.”
“Can I touch it?” The boy’s innocence touched Marla’s heart.
Dwayne’s relaxed attitude with the child was wonderful to behold.
The little boy’s mother ran to them just as he reached tentatively for Dwayne’s stump. “Logan! What are you doing? Get out of the pool and leave this man alone.” She turned her red face toward Dwayne. “I’m so embarrassed.”
Dwayne lifted the boy from the pool and set him on his lap. “Don’t be. He’s curious. A normal kid.” He ruffled the child’s hair. “My daughter touches it all the time, Logan. She even helps me put my wooden leg on once in a while.” He winked at the kid’s mother.
Marla touched the woman’s arm. “It’s okay, really.”
Donovan strolled to the pool’s edge. He smiled at the woman and went down on his haunches. “My big brother is showing off for the kids again, I see.” He picked up the boy and handed him to his mom then shoved Dwayne into the pool. “I’ll see if I can drown him for you.” He jumped in.
When Dwayne’s head surfaced, he shook the water out of his eyes and pounced on Donovan. Marla was afraid they’d have to call the lifeguard to save both of them at this rate. She scooched back from the edge. The last thing she wanted was to be in the middle of their splashing and horsing around. Let them drown each other. Men! Did they ever grow up?
Charlene stood next to her. “Is your Dempsey trying to kill my Dempsey?”
“Can’t tell who’s ahead yet. Let’s go to the bar and get a Bloody Mary. We’ll come back and claim the bodies later.” She picked up the hat from the lounge and wrapped her sarong around her hips.
Char lowered her sunglasses and made squinty-eyes. “Starting early aren’t we? Who are you and where is my sister?”
Half an hour later, the two dripping men joined them at the poolside bar. Once they got the shoving out of the way, they squeezed onto barstools between her and Char.
Charlene made goo-goo eyes at Donovan. “Did big bad Dwayne hurt you, sweetie?”
Donovan laid a kiss on her. “Nah.” He signaled the bartender. “A Corona and a Dr. Pepper over here when you get a chance.” He kissed her again. “You already on the hard stuff?”
Marla giggled when Charlene replied, “Don’t worry, we won’t drink enough for you two cavemen to take advantage of us.”
She leaned into Dwayne’s wet shoulder. “Speak for yourself, Char.” She wrinkled her nose when he poured the Dr. Pepper into his ice-filled glass. “Did you hold your own in the pool?”
“Donovan can beat me in a foot race, but he’s no match for me in a swimming competition.” He reached across Charlene and smacked him on the head. “Right?”
Donovan picked up his beer bottle and raised it in a salute. “Right.”
And that’s the way the weekend went.
Marla wondered about all the fun she’d been missing over the years. She peered at her sister through different eyes. Maybe Char was on to something.
Dwayne and Marla stepped off the train mid-day on Monday. Charlene stayed in San Diego for a couple of more days.
On the drive from Simi to Spring Grove Marla asked him, “Do you think your brother will deploy to the Middle East again?”
“I doubt it. If he re-ups, he’ll probably go to K-Bay on Oahu. He’d like to be a drill sergeant. He’d be good at it.”
“How long would he be there?”
“Until they send him somewhere else. When you’re a Marine you go where they tell you.” He’d probably still be in if it wasn’t for the RPG that
