Waves
CHAPTER ONE
The wind shifted and a mist of salty waters caught the gentle breeze. Land ho.
Lieutenant Commander Alex Rivera almost smiled, but the familiar scent made him restless, and the thought of land made the muscles in his legs tighten in rebellion.
Think positive. He inhaled deeply. Yes, indeed. Beyond those waters he smelled paradise, offering second chances.
He’d rather be turned out to sea on a lifeboat. For months.
From the glorified crow’s nest, known as the island superstructure on the USS Harper, Alex scanned the shimmering San Diego Bay. It had been a long six months out, and though he was more than ready to dock at the Naval base on the island of Coronado, he didn’t have to like it.
Hot white sands, swaying palm trees, blooming lavender Jacaranda, and vibrant bouganvillea of fuschia and purple brought the picture-perfect postcard to life. The gunmetal gray of the Harper couldn’t hold a candle to that vibrancy, but it served its purpose. Like an impenetrable fortress, it offered seclusion and safety, the opportunity to bury himself in work, earning medals and honors that everyone forgot about within days.
Today, his comfortable uniform would give way to shorts and a polo shirt. He touched the black brim of his cap. The close-knit, quaint community would give him what the Navy couldn’t.
“Home,” he whispered, and meant it this time. San Diego may have been his hometown once before, but that had been a lifetime ago. The sea had lured him far away, pulling up his roots, seducing him with other promises, making him forget simple, land-locked pleasures.
It was time to remember. His sad existence was about to change.
For fifteen years, he had thrived on every minute he spent in the Navy and his place within the complicated infrastructure. But there was more out there. He could taste it on the wind, wanted it so badly he would jump overboard to find it.
Alex looked up to get a better glimpse of the two-mile-long Coronado Bridge that spanned the bay. Connecting the bustle of San Diego city life to the island, it was more than a work of art. The blue engineering masterpiece curved gracefully in eye-catching beauty. It served as the entrance to heaven on earth.
“San Diego’s hot.”
Alex jumped at the intrusion.
First class Jimmy Burns, his right hand man, stepped next to Alex, slapping a manila folder against his palm. His white cap askew, he pushed up his black-framed glasses. “I can hardly wait to touch land. Ain’t she a beaut, sir?”
If nothing else, Jimmy’s timing was perfect. Wallowing in so much unproductive introspection was dangerous to anyone’s health. “Almost as pretty as the Harper,” Alex responded.
Jimmy snorted and then straightened. “Sorry, sir.”
“It is a joke, Jimmy.”
“I knew that, Commander.”
He hadn’t. A little guy who always moved fast on any given order, Jimmy sometimes missed the beat, especially with Alex’s lame jokes. Jimmy made up for it in the brain and efficiency departments. Talk about needing to get a life, though. “Got a girlfriend in port?”
He actually blushed. “Nah. I mean, no sir.” He fingered the knotted black tie at the V-opening of his white uniform. His face brightened. “Chuck wants to set me up with someone, though.”
Chuck Sanders. That boy spelled trouble. Ice water seemed to trickle down Alex’s spine at the mention of the name. “Jimmy . . .”
“Yessir?” Jimmy glanced at the folder in his hand, his fingers nervously running along its edges like a harpist’s delicate movements.
Alex didn’t want to see someone like Jimmy swayed by the likes of Chuck, but proper protocol kept him from getting too personal. Alex held out his hand. “You need me to sign something in that folder or are you planning to fan yourself to death?”
Jimmy perked up instantly, opened the folder and searched for his pen. “Orders you need to sign. Last tour for half a dozen men.”
Chuck on the list? Alex wanted to ask hopefully. The thorn in his side, his peacebreaker, his hell on earth. He took the folder and scanned the papers inside. Chuck’s orders weren’t there. It could be a long, long stay in San Diego, keeping watch over him. He took the pen from Jimmy’s outstretched hand and began signing.
“Where are you headed?”
“Into town to hear some live music and watch girls who aren’t in uniform.” Jimmy’s voice went up a notch.
Ah, si. Simple pleasures.
A smile started to form on Alex’s lips, but the sight of Chuck on the flight deck below laughing obnoxiously and ribbing other sailors stopped it cold. “Are you going with Sanders?”
Jimmy cleared his throat and shifted his weight from foot to foot. “Yes, sir.”
“Stay out of trouble. I wouldn’t want to get wind of any more unbecoming conduct reports to stick in his file. Or yours.”
Long speech for a man who usually gave one-word directives, Alex thought disgustedly. Alex was tougher on Jimmy than he should have been, but Chuck left whirlwinds in his wake without trying, sweeping others right along with him. “Dismissed,” Alex said.
Jimmy saluted and waited for the return salute.
Alex brought his hand slowly to the brim of his cap. “Jimmy, I was out of line. I have no right to interfere.” He completed the salute and dropped his hand to his side. “Have fun and be safe. That’s an order.”
Jimmy’s face beamed. “Yes, sir.” He took off with long, ostrich-like strides, the folder fluttering at his side like a malformed wing.
The ship dipped with the rolling waves. For no good reason, Alex braced his stance. Born with gunmetal in his veins and a compass in his hands, he moved easily with each gentle sway. It would take a hell of a windstorm to jar Alex or the sixty-ton aircraft carrier. The bay wasn’t a likely place for that to happen.
He leaned on the railing. Men and women gathered on deck. His pride in them had grown daily while on the WestPac tour. Their communications capabilities exceeded his expectations, their confidence and enthusiasm matched his own. If truth be told, even Chuck lived up to his expectations when he didn’t mess around.
Alex tilted back his cap, the black brim decorated with gold crests reassuring at the touch. He inhaled again. The subtle repercussions of the slight wind shift created a domino effect not many appreciated.
But Alex did.
The wind skittered over the spotless slate-gray deck, teased the waves into more frequent whitecaps, and lightly swirled through the crowd standing on the dock waiting.
It was just enough to make summer dresses cling to the legs of the women standing there. Molded against visible curves that had been denied a man’s touch for six long months, the wind carried their yearning like whispered sweet-nothings.
It brought his crew to the brink of insanity. Their impatience was nearly palpable. They jostled each other on the uncluttered deck. Nervous laughter rode the tails of the breeze, and eyes glimmered with hope.
It eased the sun’s heat off Alex’s tense body and he relaxed his grip on the railing. He scanned the backs of hundreds of his men leaning over the side of the ship, desperately searching for familiar faces, not caring they were still too far from dock to recognize a single feature.
As if in response, the women on the dock raised their hands just above their brows to ward off the mid-day glare. They stared upwards at the daunting Harper. Many shifted babies from hip to rounded hip.
Alex pushed away from the railing and set his jaw against the sight, a sight that left him empty, a sight he wanted to be a part of, not just observe.
Dressed in crisp white uniforms, the crew looked sharp. At sea, they were his men. They took up the reins of running a ship like they’d performed the tasks a hundred years. In San Diego they were someone else’s men. They had lives beyond the metal casing that served as home.
Alex could learn a thing or two from them.
He wanted a home that served as more than a rest stop. He could barely remember his last date, the last time he shared a couple of beers with a friend, the last time his father had sat down to dinner with him.
Instead, he’d overseen hundreds of men and women in his division with ease. His work defined him, made him focused, but Alex knew he was in trouble when he could recite daily routines, business procedures, and the two hundred and fifteen compartments on board in just under three minutes. He kept telling himself his obsession with detail was for the good of the ship and his crew.
He believed that like he believed in mesmerizing mermaids. There was something to be said for running a ship too smoothly.
He headed toward the main deck, straight for Chuck and away from brooding thoughts. “Sanders.”
Chuck turned slowly away from the railing and squeezed between two sailors to face Alex. He came to attention, saluting. “Sir.” His blue eyes glazed over, turning icy and piercing.
“Heading out on liberty?”
“Yes sir, but I promise we’ll be back by dawn.” He started to laugh but Alex stopped him.
“Don’t embarrass the Navy, son, or me. Understand?”
“Perfectly.” Chuck frowned and crossed his arms defiantly.
Alex raised an eyebrow, waiting for any excuse to keep Chuck on board in solitary confinement.
Chuck straightened. “Sir.”
Tension rose between them like the suffocating air in the boiler rooms. “Permission to speak, sir?”
Alex nodded.
“This is liberty, sir. I intend on having a good time. You should try it sometime. Lighten up. San Diego rocks.”
Chuck’s brashness didn’t surprise Alex. He rather admired that he spoke his mind. “There’s always a fine line, Sanders. Don’t cross it.”
“I’ll try my best, sir.”
Alex held his challenging glare. “You do that. I expect nothing less while you’re in town. You still report to me until the transfer to shore duty is complete.”
The gleam in Chuck’s eyes flickered. “Yes, sir.”
“Dismissed.” As soon as Chuck was out of sight, Alex rubbed his hand over his face. Madre de Dios but he wanted to dismiss Sanders from the service forever.
When they docked, Alex disembarked behind the captain. A parade of gleaming white followed them.
They reached the bottom of the gangway, saluted the Naval base commander and stepped aside. Like a surging tidal wave, the men and women of his crew rolled past him, gathering speed and strength at the sight of spouses, children, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, friends.
The area became a free-for-all of hugs and kisses, shouts and playful jabs. What would it be like to hold a chubby baby, to feel a toddler slip his tiny hand in his, to kiss a woman with the passion he’d built up the last six months?
Alex swallowed the lump in his throat and pasted on a smile. Protocol first.
“Rivera!”
Alex turned toward the deep, familiar voice. As if synchronized, the crowd parted, allowing Alex a glimpse of the man that belonged to the baritone.
Leaning on the squat stone column where ships’ lines were secured, in an army green flight suit, was his old high school buddy, Victor Fontana. “Come on over when you get a minute!” He stood and saluted. Alex’s smile threatened to break, but then he looked at the man standing next to Vic.
Salvador Trevino, the third of the trio, stood in dark contrast to Vic. A scowl like that wouldn’t work on anyone else, but it worked like magic on Sal, giving him a mysterious, dangerous edge. Women had always flocked to him, more than intrigued, but he had never let his defenses down for any woman as far as Alex knew.
Men knew better and kept their distance unless Sal ventured forth first. Of course, that didn’t apply to Alex and Vic. Somehow they had always been the life link that kept him from a self-imposed death wish.
Sal jerked his thumb at Vic and then circled his finger near his temple, indicating what they already knew to be true. Of the three of them, Vic was the craziest.
Alex squinted to get a closer look at the medal that glinted in the sunlight. Sal wore the insignia of a SEAL. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
“Excuse me, Rivera?” The captain looked at him, his eyebrows raised.
“A friend just surprised me, sir.”
Seemingly unimpressed with the docking of a most impressive ship, Sal moved out of the limelight when Vic began juggling three colorful balls in his hands. A growing group of children gathered around Vic, watching the smooth movements of hands that easily handled the powerful Blue Angels fighter jets in air shows touring the world.
After the crew disembarked, Alex sauntered over to Vic and Sal, breaking up the party surrounding them. The kids laughed and pointed at Vic, wanting more, the teenage girls darted appreciative glances at an oblivious Sal.
Some things never changed.
Vic caught the balls in one hand and hopped back on top of the column in one fluid motion. “Sorry folks. Show’s over. Your dads and moms are waiting, but we’ll see you in six months.”
They high-fived Vic and saluted Sal, who merely winked without moving another muscle in his body.
When the last of the kids left, the three friends stood silently observing each other. Vic, as usual, broke the silence.
“A scary sight–all three of us hermanos in uniform at one time.” Vic tapped the black epaulets with gold stripes on Alex’s shoulders. “And rank. Who would’ve thought?”
Alex shrugged. “You underestimate yourself. I never had a doubt about any of us.” Alex took a deep breath, realizing just how much Vic and Sal grounded him. Getting a life would be a lot easier with them around. “It’s good to see you two. Almost enough to hug you, but you know the rules.”
The unspoken rules. Distance, physically and emotionally, when in uniform.
“Screw the rules, buddy boy.” Vic grabbed Alex in a bear hug and released him before he knew what hit him. Sal took a step backwards, but not fast enough. Vic grabbed him, too.
Sal pushed him away. “You walk a thin line, fly boy.”
Vic snorted. “You? Talking about safety?”
At a quick glance, Sal didn’t seem to have any broken bones today. Always the peacemaker, Alex wasn’t about to feed fuel to the fire. It didn’t take long for the air to heat up when the three of them got together. “Vic, count yourself lucky we’re on your side. You’re going to need us to defend you one day when you bend the rules beyond their breaking point.”
“Until then, how about a beer?” Vic looked at him innocently.
“After I inspect the ship.”
Vic laughed. “Ah, of course. Where are the white gloves?”
“Very funny. A beer sounds good, though. How about tonight after I’m all checked in?”
“We’ll swing by and pick you up at six.” Vic wiggled his eyebrows. “Are you staying at the BOQ?”
“Just until we move Sandra to her new place.” Alex was blessed with a sweetheart of a sister. Her offer to house-sit had been perfect timing. He’d been spared any renter horror stories. Even so, reality struck. “I’m getting too old to live in bachelor officers’ quarters.”
“Says who?” Vic’s eyes gleamed in amusement.
“Certainly not Vic.” Sal cracked his version of a smile.
Alex turned toward Sal. “He speaks.” Alex tapped the medal over Sal’s shirt pocket. “When were you going to tell me about this? You’ve been holding out on me.”
Sal fished in his pocket, pulled out Icebreaker gum, and popped a stick into his mouth. “Just moved two weeks ago. I was a lump on a log after the last promotion. I got tired of overseeing a bunch of soft newbies and revising one too many reports.”
“If you’re a lump on a log, I’d hate to think what I’ve become.” Alex stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Seal training’s brutal.”
Sal shrugged. He was hard and lean and ran ten miles without taking a deep breath. Alex and Vic had never been able to hold a candle to him athletically. In school, he’d been nonchalant about his capabilities, would wow the crowds, then disappear until the hubbub subsided.
“Uh-oh.” Vic’s quiet statement instantly raised Alex’s antennae. “Radar up. Storm coming in at oh-two-hundred hours. Correction. More like a typhoon.”
Even without a uniform, Alex’s dad looked ominous. He stormed through the crowd with an air of authority that rivaled General Colin Powell.
“Geez, Alex. I thought retirement would loosen Pops up. I guess I was wrong.”
Sal raised an eyebrow. “Is the ship secure?”
Vic jumped in. “Is it spic and span from top to bottom?”
Sal leaned closer and whispered, “All your reports done?”
Alex patted them both on the back harder than necessary. “Thanks for the support, guys.”
“Now you’ll know what to expect. It’s a father’s duty.” Vic slapped him on the shoulder.
“Then I’m glad I didn’t have one.” Sal moved away from the two.
“Admiral Rivera was enough dad for all three of us,” Vic yelled after him. “Kept us in line. You wouldn’t be here without him.”
Sal’s stormy gaze raked over both of them. “Jerk.”
Alex shook his head. “Don’t you know when to quit, Vic?”
Vic waved him off. “Hey, hey, hey. Who’s the babe trying to keep up with your dad? You been keeping something from us, Rivera?”
“I’ve never seen her before in my life.” Alex would certainly have remembered a sight like her.
The long-legged, young woman couldn’t keep up to his dad’s brisk pace, but she was definitely a part of his welcoming troupe. Her mouth was moving as fast as her feet. If it had involved anyone other than his dad, Alex might have laughed.
That posture, that speed meant only one thing. He had a mission. And that poor woman was a part of it.
They watched his approach in silence, and saluted in near unison when he stopped before them. “Muchachos, you look quite impressive standing here. I’m proud of you.” He held Alex’s gaze a moment longer.
Vic stepped forward and hugged him. “Thanks, Pops. I mean, Admiral Rivera.”
He laughed heartily. “Pops is fine, Vic.” He turned toward the striking woman beside him, introducing her. “Forgive my manners, Se³orita Buenaventura.”
“Not a problem.” She shifted her notebooks into the crook of her left arm, bent pages sticking out of them like wayward bookmarks.
Alex bowed from the waist and took her slender hand in his. An unusual warmth seeped into his veins, giving him a jolt. “Senorita Buenaventura.”
“Please call me Marissa.”
Her voice floated, light and airy, and the warm, subtle lilt distracted him. “Marissa. Del mar. Of the sea. Maiden of the sea. Like mermaids.” He could have sworn Vic groaned in the background.
Marissa’s low throaty laugh lingered on the breeze. “You’re close. Captain of the swim team, Navy born and raised and now living in Coronado of my own accord.” Her pink lips twitched as if she was dying to tell a secret she could barely contain. He’d give her two points for restraint.
With a brutally direct gaze, she checked him out from head to foot. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Good I hope?” Alex turned to his father, wanting to brush any traces of dust or crumbs from his uniform while under her scrutiny.
“Of course, son.” His father’s eyes narrowed.
“Thank you, sir.” Alex held his tongue from saying more.
A Navy lifer, he was a tough man to please. He’d worked his way through the ranks, leaving his family behind to provide, provide, provide. That he hadn’t even been there when Alex’s mother died proved only one thing.
Navy came first. Always.
Alex would be damned if he’d follow in his dad’s footsteps. He looked at the entry gates to the base and the life promised beyond them.
Marissa glanced back and forth between the two. “Maybe I should come back?”
“No, not at all, Marissa. Excuse me a moment.” Alex’s father sauntered over to Sal. The fierce look in Sal’s eyes registered shock and then softened when Alex’s father hugged him. They spoke in hushed tones.
Vic was blessedly silent. He reached into the deep pocket near his knee, pulled out his juggling balls, and tossed them from hand to hand.
Marissa leaned in close to Alex and her warm breath tickled his ear. “My dad was a lifer, too. Thirty years in the Navy. It’s not easy.”
She stepped back to look at Alex, holding her free hand over her brow to ward off the sun’s glare. “You’ve fared well, though. Your dad talks about you all the time, but his description didn’t do you justice.”
Alex froze. Those almond-shaped eyes seemed to look too deeply already, seeing well beyond his uniform. The sight of her looking at him like that made his heartrate jump as if he’d just finished his two-mile rough-water swim. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“Oh, please don’t. Do I look old enough to be a ma’am to you?”
He chuckled but didn’t dare look at her body again. ‘Ma’am’ wasn’t what he was thinking at all. “No offense intended.”
“None taken but don’t say it again. That’s an order.” She laughed.
The tension left his body. This is what his men felt when docking. Someone searching for them, giving them a reason to come home, cranking up the senses until all they saw, felt and heard was that one woman who made the difference.
Honing in on someone like Marissa wouldn’t be difficult to do.
Reality replaced the slip of yearning. “Here.” He gently touched Marissa’s shoulder and traded places with her.
“Thanks.” She lowered her arm and wrapped it around her notebook. “Actually, I can’t believe I stepped onto these sacred lands again. I promised myself I’d never have anything more to do with the Navy. My father gone all the time and moving constantly was enough for a lifetime. Living in Coronado was as close as I wanted to get to the Navy.”
“I thought you liked Coronado.”
“Coronado, yes. Men in uniform, well, no offense, but no thanks.” Pushing back a lock of light brown hair with golden streaks, she glanced around at the thinning crowd. “Duty calls, though. I just can’t say no to projects that aim to improve relations between locals and the Navy.”
She shrugged her lovely shoulder. “At least working with you is only temporary. Being around Navy men on a daily basis would drive me nuts all over again.” She paused and tilted her head to study him. “Are you usually this quiet?”
“What are you talking about?” Alex tilted back his cap, ignoring the sun’s glare just to get an unimpeded glimpse of her. He couldn’t make heads or tails of her monologue.
“Your dad didn’t warn you about me?” Her eyebrows raised up and a twinkle brightened the Godiva-chocolate eyes. “Oh boy.”
“Warn me?” Truth be told, Alex didn’t want to be warned about her. He wanted to follow his gut and let Marissa talk him into just about anything. Now he knew how men could fall for the legendary sea sirens and be lured to their deaths.
His father started back towards them. She distractedly patted Alex’s forearm as if in reassurance. “I’m not cutting in on your father’s spiel, but rest assured, I’ll add to it when he’s through. I’ll be back.”
She slipped away and hurried across to the gangway where the captain greeted her with a hug. Her mouth started moving immediately, and she had the surrounding group laughing within seconds.
Alex couldn’t remember the last time he and the captain had shared a laugh. “She’s like a wind-up toy,” he muttered. “Makes you tired looking at her.” Alex looked anyway. Tired wasn’t exactly what he was feeling.
Vic waved his hand in front of Alex’s face. “Man, you have been out to sea too long. Think energy. The energizer bunny is a good thing.”
“She’d beat the bunny, hands down.” Alex forgot about Vic.
Pretty in a haphazard sort of way, Marissa’s hair fell in wisps from the clip at the back of her head. Her bright pink suit was wickedly short. The run in her stockings only accentuated the long legs that went on forever.
She would have a hell of a time maneuvering aboard ship, especially on the narrow ladders between decks. He’d like to see her try.
Marissa glanced over at Alex and smiled, then continued talking without missing a beat.
Vic whistled under his breath. “Eye contact from a distance. Your move, Alex. Lucky dog.” He shoved the juggling balls back into his pocket.
“Roll in that tongue of yours, Vic.” Alex wanted to shield Se³orita Buenaventura from Vic’s appraisal.
Alex’s father walked over with Sal at his side. He cleared his throat. “I work with Se³orita Buenaventura.”
“What kind of work, Admiral?” Vic didn’t waste time, didn’t bother with proper protocol.
“I joined a committee Se³orita Buenaventura serves on. The mission statement is simply to strengthen relations between Navy presence on the island and Coronado residents.”
He turned to look Alex straight in the eye. “There were a couple of incidents. Young sailors got a little rowdy in town. Coronado has always been a very patriotic community and the support is great, but we want any inappropriate behavior axed to keep relations strong. We don’t want to worry about anti-Navy sentiment rising up at any cost.”
Alex studied his father’s stoic face. There was more he wasn’t telling them. “You want me to keep my boys in line?”
“That couldn’t hurt.” He cleared his throat. “I recommended you serve on the committee. Marissa serves as president, and is also director of the Visitor and Tourism Commission here. I reported you served on similar committees and you’d be an asset to this one.”
“Ah, and here I thought you came to see me because you missed me. Always a hidden agenda, Dad.”
Vic stepped forward. “Alex, that’s not what he’s saying.”
“I know what he’s saying. Stay out of this, Vic.” His breathing came harder and he clenched his fists. Two points for restraint.
Vic and Sal became a blur as Alex focused solely on the man that had focused on nothing but his naval career, shoving family aside. Even now, his remarks catapulted Alex into chasms he thought he’d crossed long ago.
His father didn’t waver. “You know I don’t pull any punches, Alex. I know your capabilities. You’re a fair and good commander many of the boys look up to and respect. If you think my intentions are any different from what you have in mind to further your professional and personal goals, then I stand corrected. If you get involved, son, everyone wins.”
“Especially you. More recognition for you, Dad?”
His father flinched and Alex wanted to immediately bite back his words. “I’m sorry.”
Alex already had earned high rank and enough awards to line a wall, but trying to live up to his father’s impossible standards plagued him. Even so, there was no excuse for disrespect.
“I’m retired, son,” he said quietly. “I want what’s best for you.”
Alex hadn’t expected that. He jammed his hands into his pockets. Why was his fuse always so short around his father? “I haven’t worked on a committee in a long time.”
His dad seemed to let out a breath. “You can do it again. If you want to take your life beyond that ship, this is the place to start. The situation’s under control, but your crew docking today will stir things up a little. If you’re involved from the onset, we can put out the fires instantly. We’re meeting within the next few weeks.”
“And if I choose not to, sir?”
“Think about it, mi hijo. You don’t really have a choice, now, do you? I know you love what you do, I know you’d defend the Navy to your grave, I know you have a house and want to consider it your home. That won’t be easy if the locals don’t want you around. You’re the right man for the job.”
“You don’t waste any time, Dad. Pressure’s on to do my duty.”
“You know duty doesn’t stop when you step off that ship. You wouldn’t have gotten this far.”
His father’s words struck a chord, bringing to light more of the unspoken rules one didn’t question. Alex saluted him. “Aye, aye, sir. So much for a relaxing segue into island living.”
“Good. I know you’ll be a valuable asset to the committee.”
Alex looked over at Marissa. “What about her?”
A paper fluttered from Marissa’s notebooks. She bent to retrieve it and bumped heads with the captain. Her hair tumbled from the clip. They both came up laughing. The captain handed her the paper and her hairclip.
His father placed a big hand on Alex’s shoulder. A flicker of a smile formed on his lips. “Say hello to your new boss.”
My Social Connections
