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  “Carissa. Hey.”

  “Cole? Uh. Hey. What are you doing here?”

  “Parents day. This is Jasmine.”

  “Hi Jasmine. Nice to meet you. I’m Miss Compton.”

  “Hi Miss Compton. Pleasure to meet you.”

  Carissa shot me a sideways glance. A stare that could cut glass.

  “You left the reception without saying good-bye. I didn’t get a chance to get your number.”

  Carissa paused. Still staring at me. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

  “Why not? I thought you had a good time.”

  “I thought I had a good time too. Now I’m not so sure.”

  “What?”

  “Sorry. I have to get going. Nice to meet you, Jasmine.”

  Carissa jumped into her car and pulled away. I was left wondering what had just happened. She had been so warm and enjoyable just two days before, and now she was an ice queen.

  “Is everything OK, Uncle Cole?”

  “Always. Now how about we get an ice cream?”

  “OK. Do you want to pick the flavor?”

  I smiled. “We’ll go to the ice cream cone place. That way we can both pick.”

  Chapter 3

  My phone vibrated an incoming SMS.

  Incoming in 10.

  I looked at the number. Jax.

  Time for some fun. Roger. Permission to board. Send.

  My phone vibrated almost instantly. Permission for own ship? How quickly you forget.

  Exactly 10 minutes later the gate opened and Jax walked in. I was standing in the threshold of the front door in my bare feet.

  “Welcome home, brother.”

  “Good to be back. How’s Jasmine?”

  “Out like a light.”

  “Great.”

  “How was the mission?”

  “In. Mission Accomplished. Out.”

  “As they all should be. Congrats.”

  “Thanks. Beers in the fridge?”

  “With your name on ‘em.”

  “Perfect.”

  We sat in the living room. I knew Jax couldn’t tell me everything, but enough to figure out he was cleaning up the coast off Somali again. Those pirates were getting better and better. The cargo ships were trying new methods and routes, but those waters are like the wild, wild West. Anything goes, and when the pirates do take control of a ship they know the carriers don’t want an international incident. Better to hand over the cash and avoid the embarrassment. Unfortunately for the pirates the Navy, and in extreme cases the SEAL teams, were cleaning up those waters. It would take time though and there would always be some young gung-ho East African willing to risk it all for the chance at a fortune.

  “Enough about work. How was Jasmine’s Parent’s Day?”

  “It was great. She really brought the house down.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They had to give a presentation about 10 things that are special about their parents. Her answers were very well thought out. Really touching. Parents were captivated. The emotional answers had them crying. The funny little anecdotal answers had them laughing. Everyone was waiting with baited breath to hear what she had to say next.”

  “She really can write. That one. And she likes to present.”

  “That’s an understatement. I’m no expert, but I think there’s a real talent there. I think she could even lead SEALs into battle with one of her speeches.”

  Jax smirked.

  “Thanks, but let’s keep her out of harm’s way for now. I’m already absorbing enough trouble for the two of us.”

  “Good point.”

  “Anything else happen while I was away?”

  “Yeah. Who was that girl from the wedding?”

  “Which one? The one you locked onto all afternoon?”

  “Yeah. That one. What’s her story?”

  “Name’s Carissa. I don’t know too much about her. She’s Emily’s friend from somewhere I guess. I met her once before at a happy hour.”

  “She works at the school.”

  “Yeah, that sounds familiar. I kind of remember her talking about kids during that happy hour.”

  “As in from her school or that she has some?”

  “Well, hoping from the way you two were attached at the hip on Saturday, I would say from her school. Why?”

  “We were having such a good time at the reception and then she disappeared. Today when I bumped into her she seemed really cold and distant. It was weird.”

  “Did you call her out on it?”

  “No. I couldn’t. Not in front of Jasmine.”

  “Good idea. What’s your next move? Or is there a next move?”

  “Good question. I need to track her down.”

  “She’s probably Facebook friends with someone you know.”

  “Facebook? Really? Come on, man. I’m not going to ask a girl out on the Internet. I’m going to find her and speak to her in person. Like a man.”

  “Well put. And you’re right. Just goes to show what I know these days after being out of the singles world for so long. Technology shouldn’t be used as a crutch.”

  “Amen, brotha.”

  “So, you’re going to show up at her school?”

  “That might be my only option.”

  “Or you can wait for Emily and Ethan to get back from their honeymoon and ask them for an introduction or the best way to approach her.”

  “Also an idea. I’ll give it some thought.”

  “And I’m going to give some thought to putting my head to the pillow. A lot of thought actually.”

  “Good idea. Catch you in the morning.”

  Chapter 4

  For the first time I can ever remember I was over thinking an easy decision. I was interested in Carissa. I should just go where I know she is and speak to her. Call me old-fashioned, but that’s the way to do it. No games. Just two adults face-to-face.

  Jax agreed to give me a ride to the school when he went to pick up Jasmine. I could track down Carissa and then call Jax later for a ride home.

  We pulled up to the school and I jumped out of the Jeep.

  “Good luck, Petty Officer.” Jax smiled.

  “Who needs luck when you have SEAL training.” I fired back. We slapped hands and off I went.

  The final bell would ring in less than 10 minutes. I decided to wait on the side of the school in the bleachers at the recess basketball court. No point in bringing attention to myself or questions for Jasmine as to why I was hanging around the school.

  About 10 minutes after the bell the buses had loaded and taken off. The parents who had formed a single file line in the parking lot had finished picking up their kids and were also gone. I was impressed. I always thought of schools as chaos. This one was a well-run machine.

  I walked inside the school to the reception area. The receptionist was packing up. It looked like she would have been gone if I had waited 30 more seconds.

  “Sir, can I help you?”

  “Yes. I’m looking for Miss Compton.”

  “Do you have an appointment?”

  “No. This was the best way to get ahold of her. If you can page her she’ll know who I am.”

  The receptionist gave me the once over. I could see she wasn’t really sure if she should proceed or not.

  “It’s not my usual M.O. to just drop in, but if you’ll please forgive me it will just be this one time.”

  She gave me a long stare. She put down her bag and picked up her phone’s receiver.

  “Mister…?”

  “Cole Callahan.”

  “Mr. Callahan, if you’ll please just wait in the chair outside the lobby.”

  “Of course.” I walked outside the glass that separated the reception area from the lobby and took a seat. I could imagine her making the call. The ball was in Carissa’s court now.

  It seemed like I sat in that lobby for at least three minutes. Three minutes is a long time when you’re a strange guy in a school waiting on s
omeone to call someone else who that first someone isn’t even really sure they should be calling.

  “Mr. Callahan.”

  “Yes.”

  “Miss Compton will be here shortly. Would you like something to drink? Coffee, tea, or water maybe?”

  “No, thank you.”

  “OK. I’m sorry, but I must be going. There are some magazines in the rack next to your seat if you care to read while you wait.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Wish you a nice evening.”

  “You too.”

  And then I waited. And waited.

  Then I heard footsteps coming down the hall. It sounded like high heels. They came closer, but I couldn’t yet see who it was as the glare was reflecting off the glass right into my face.

  “You’ve got a lot of nerve showing up at my work. A school.”

  “It was the only option I had.”

  “And what makes you think I’m interested in talking to you.”

  “That’s what I came here to figure out.”

  “You mean to tell me you don’t know why?”

  “That’s exactly what I came here tell you.”

  She stared at me in the eyes. I think she was trying to determine if I was sincere or full of baloney. “Sometimes I don’t know if men are clueless, not very smart, or just underestimate women.”

  “Come again?”

  “You really don’t know what I’m talking about?”

  “No. That’s why I came here. We were having such a fun time on Saturday and now you act like you hate my guts.”

  “And you don’t know why?”

  “Again. No.”

  “Let me enlighten you, Mr. Callahan. If that even is your real name. Women don’t take too kindly to men lying. The worst part is you didn’t even need to lie.”

  “Lie? What are you talking about?”

  “Do we really need to carry on this charade?”

  “I didn’t know we were.”

  “At least one of us is. A liar that is.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about and we’re getting nowhere. Could you please just tell me what is bothering you? I really want to know. I came all the way here to know.”

  She continued staring me in the eye. Surely she could see I was sincere and had no idea what she was talking about.

  “Ok. Let me enlighten you. When you tell a girl you’re single, never married, no kids, and a Navy SEAL then two days later she catches you red handed with a daughter and parent file that says you were married and you work a desk job for the government it’s pretty much strike one, strike two, strike three. You’re out!”

  My neck went limp and my head dropped to my hands. My knees on my thighs.

  “I don’t have time for liars and I certainly don’t have time for manipulators or heart-breakers.”

  “Is that what this is about? You think you have me all figured out because you saw me in a parking lot and you read a file?”

  “I saw it all with my own eyes.”

  “And seeing is believing, right? Well not if you’re only seeing what you want to believe and not what’s the truth.”

  She said nothing. Still looking at me distrustfully.

  “Sure on the surface things may have looked one way in the parking lot. Even in the file you saw. But you’re mistaken. Is the file you looked in Jasmine’s?”

  She didn’t answer.

  “Answer me. I’m not here to turn you in for snooping. I’m here to set things straight.”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes, it was Jasmine’s file?”

  “Yes.”

  “I have no idea what’s in this file you speak of, but did it show a picture of her father? His height and weight? When he was born? His other family members? His friends? Maybe if you had dug a little deeper you would have come to a different conclusion. A conclusion where we wouldn’t have to be here now in this school talking to each other this way. But you didn’t. You saw what you wanted to see. You didn’t see the truth. And now we both suffer for it. Next time maybe you should trust people a little more, especially when your first impression was so positive. Good-bye, Carissa.”

  I stood up and walked out the front door.

  No need to call Jax for a ride. I was fuming. I would walk home. I needed time to calm down.

  Chapter 5

  “How did things go with Carissa?”

  “Any beers in the fridge?”

  “That well, huh?”

  “She thought I was you. She thought everything I told her about myself on Saturday was a lie.”

  “Come again?”

  “She saw me in the parking lot at the Parent’s Day. She thought I was Jasmine’s dad so she checked Jasmine’s file. She read the parts she wanted to, came to the conclusion that I wasn’t a single guy with no kids, and wrote me off as a liar. A fraud. A phony.”

  “She looked through Jasmine’s file?”

  “Yeah. She admitted it.”

  “Not sure how I feel about that.”

  “Me either.”

  “On one hand it’s wrong and maybe illegal. On the other she obviously really liked you. She wanted to make sure what she saw lined up with the information she could get her hands on.”

  “Yeah, but she was wrong. Way wrong.”

  “True, but you have to admit on the surface her line of reasoning is pretty solid. She just didn’t connect the last of the dots. The dots few people would have been able to put together. Shoot…most people would have stopped looking because the circumstantial evidence was so overwhelming. She probably thought she caught you red-handed.”

  “That’s exactly what she thought.”

  “Tricky situation.”

  “That’s for sure.”

  “You over it?”

  “Honestly. Not really. But I don’t like how this all worked out. I hate that someone thought I was a liar.”

  “You’re taking it too personal, brother. The evidence pointed in that direction.”

  “True, but she could have done a bit more investigative work.”

  “Also true, but why keep digging when the answer seems clear.”

  “I don’t know. I really don’t even want to think about it right now. The whole situation is so weird. It’s better just to focus on other things. Positive things.”

  “Good attitude. Have you put any thought into that gym?”

  “A little. Not enough.”

  “Well, I have some good news.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. A place opened up down town. Guy was using it as an underground warehouse party location. It’s bare bones. Could be perfect.”

  “Sounds really good.”

  “We can take a look.”

  “Now?”

  “Why not?”

  “What about Jasmine?”

  “She can come too. She’s at that age where it would be good for her start training. Great for confidence, self-esteem, and discipline.”

  “I agree, but it seems like she isn’t lacking in those areas.”

  “She’s not, but making that foundation even stronger won’t hurt. Plus it’s good exercise.”

  “And kids these days can definitely use more of that.”

  “Absolutely.”

  Jasmine, Jax and I got into the Jeep and headed towards the rental. When we arrived the sun was nearly set, but you could still see in through the windows. There was a big FOR RENT sign on the front door. We walked around the property and tried to get some looks inside. It needed a little work, but it looked great.