out ahead of light traffic, cruising well above the posted speed limit.
With the powerful engine purring and Rex hopefully feeling some sense of restored control, Ryan wrapped himself in the solitude of the steady rush of wind and drone of the engine. He couldn’t get her out of his mind. Everything about her was perfect. He imagined how she would look the next time he saw her, and how she would act toward him. Would she still be interested?
I wonder if she felt the same way I did .
He tried to recall the tone in her voice, the way she’d laughed, her attentiveness, and the way she’d touched him freely. It gave him assurance she must have felt something. He glanced down at his hand. One of the numbers on his palm had smeared but was still legible.
Don’t lose that number . It’s all you’ve got .
He looked around for paper, but remembered the pen was in his bag, in the trunk.
Keep your hand open and don’t touch anything .
Then a horrid thought crossed his mind.
Maybe it’s a bogus number . She could have given me the number to her hair salon , or even a pizza delivery service .
He replayed the scenes from the beach.
She wouldn’t do that . What am I thinking ?
They arrived back in Del Mar faster than he had expected. The electric door on the garage was already on its way up when it came into view. Rex timed it perfectly. It was a game he played. Just prior to the door being fully retracted, he would press the button to lower it. The car had to be sufficiently in the garage to ensure the door didn’t hit it. Rex often referred to it as the “bat cave.”
Once the front half of the car rolled into the garage, with one fluid motion, he reached up, tapped the button on the transmitter, and turned the ignition off. Still rolling, the Porsche swallowed its growl and the garage door started down.
“One day it’s gonna bite you,” Ryan said.
“I don’t think so, Robin.”
“Are you ever going to grow up?”
“Probably not,” Rex said, closing the door to the Porsche.
Rex wasted no time heading to the bathroom, while Ryan was more interested in dialing the number written on his palm.
The nicely furnished luxury apartment was not typical for a couple of Navy pilots who spent most of their time at sea. Well beyond Ryan’s budget, Rex had worked out a deal to rent him a room at a relatively low price, splitting the utilities. They each had their own bedroom and private bath with a smaller third bedroom they shared as an office.
Returning from the bathroom, Rex said, “Wow! That feels better.” He walked over to the refrigerator, got a beer, twisted the top off, tossed it in the trash, and headed for the den. “You call Blondie yet?” He plopped down on the sofa and took a long draw from the bottle of beer.
“Yeah, but no answer.”
“Dude. Probably not her number.”
“The answering machine message sounded like her. Must still be at the beach. I left a message.”
“She’s pretty hot. I knew I should’ve taken her and given you mystery woman, but what are friends for? I told you I’d take care of you today.”
“By the way, how did it go with Kate?”
“It was going great until she disappeared. I think she had the hots for me.”
“How could you tell?” Ryan sat in the soft leather chair by the sofa.
“Just instinct. I sensed her sending me signals. You saw how she reacted when she heard we were fighter pilots; she dug it.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“I might hook-up with her later, or, better yet, once you get to know Blondie, you can get her to set us up. Then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if she calls me first. They usually do.”
CHAPTER 11
“Georgia boy beat us home,” Emily said, seeing the flashing red light on her answering machine. She hit the replay button on her way to the kitchen for a bottle of water.
The digital voice said, “You have one message…”
“Hi, this is Ryan.” Emily glanced over at Kate.
“That was fast,” Kate
With the powerful engine purring and Rex hopefully feeling some sense of restored control, Ryan wrapped himself in the solitude of the steady rush of wind and drone of the engine. He couldn’t get her out of his mind. Everything about her was perfect. He imagined how she would look the next time he saw her, and how she would act toward him. Would she still be interested?
I wonder if she felt the same way I did .
He tried to recall the tone in her voice, the way she’d laughed, her attentiveness, and the way she’d touched him freely. It gave him assurance she must have felt something. He glanced down at his hand. One of the numbers on his palm had smeared but was still legible.
Don’t lose that number . It’s all you’ve got .
He looked around for paper, but remembered the pen was in his bag, in the trunk.
Keep your hand open and don’t touch anything .
Then a horrid thought crossed his mind.
Maybe it’s a bogus number . She could have given me the number to her hair salon , or even a pizza delivery service .
He replayed the scenes from the beach.
She wouldn’t do that . What am I thinking ?
They arrived back in Del Mar faster than he had expected. The electric door on the garage was already on its way up when it came into view. Rex timed it perfectly. It was a game he played. Just prior to the door being fully retracted, he would press the button to lower it. The car had to be sufficiently in the garage to ensure the door didn’t hit it. Rex often referred to it as the “bat cave.”
Once the front half of the car rolled into the garage, with one fluid motion, he reached up, tapped the button on the transmitter, and turned the ignition off. Still rolling, the Porsche swallowed its growl and the garage door started down.
“One day it’s gonna bite you,” Ryan said.
“I don’t think so, Robin.”
“Are you ever going to grow up?”
“Probably not,” Rex said, closing the door to the Porsche.
Rex wasted no time heading to the bathroom, while Ryan was more interested in dialing the number written on his palm.
The nicely furnished luxury apartment was not typical for a couple of Navy pilots who spent most of their time at sea. Well beyond Ryan’s budget, Rex had worked out a deal to rent him a room at a relatively low price, splitting the utilities. They each had their own bedroom and private bath with a smaller third bedroom they shared as an office.
Returning from the bathroom, Rex said, “Wow! That feels better.” He walked over to the refrigerator, got a beer, twisted the top off, tossed it in the trash, and headed for the den. “You call Blondie yet?” He plopped down on the sofa and took a long draw from the bottle of beer.
“Yeah, but no answer.”
“Dude. Probably not her number.”
“The answering machine message sounded like her. Must still be at the beach. I left a message.”
“She’s pretty hot. I knew I should’ve taken her and given you mystery woman, but what are friends for? I told you I’d take care of you today.”
“By the way, how did it go with Kate?”
“It was going great until she disappeared. I think she had the hots for me.”
“How could you tell?” Ryan sat in the soft leather chair by the sofa.
“Just instinct. I sensed her sending me signals. You saw how she reacted when she heard we were fighter pilots; she dug it.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“I might hook-up with her later, or, better yet, once you get to know Blondie, you can get her to set us up. Then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if she calls me first. They usually do.”
CHAPTER 11
“Georgia boy beat us home,” Emily said, seeing the flashing red light on her answering machine. She hit the replay button on her way to the kitchen for a bottle of water.
The digital voice said, “You have one message…”
“Hi, this is Ryan.” Emily glanced over at Kate.
“That was fast,” Kate
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