A Sense of Duty: A Former Navy SEAL Falls in Love and Begins a New Journey with his Private Consulting Company: Dark Horse Guardians (24 page)

~Lara~

Curled up in her bed Lara was excited about going ice skating for Christmas Eve. She feared making a fool of herself, but felt secure with Eric. He played ice hockey in high school and college and seemed confident. She carefully laid out the clothing she would wear. Slim black wool pants, a long-sleeved green cashmere sweater, and a
lime green quilted vest with a belt. And, of course, green leather gloves. She slept later than planned, waking at 8:00. As she was brushing her teeth, her phone chimed with a text from Ben saying simply, "Miss you." Lara thought, oh Ben, you have no idea how much I miss you. She felt like texting, by the way
,
who
are you really? But she didn't. Lara questioned herself. Would she ever be able to have a real relationship with Ben? She sent a message back to him, "I miss your voice." Five minutes later he called her. He was somewhere between Iraq and Israel. She was thrilled to hear his voice on the phone and her heart ached missing him. He could not say exactly where he was or what he was doing, but he did tell her that he missed her…and he said something else. She heard him say, "Lara." Her cell phone lost the connection before she could reply.

~Lara: Christmas Eve~

Eric was in the driveway promptly at 9:00 that morning for their ice skating adventure. She slicked on
a shimmery rose lipstick and grabbed her leather backpack. The pond was huge and filled with ice skating families. Finding a parking space, they walked through the park decorated for the holiday season. Lara had lived in Portland all of her life, but never had been in the park on Christmas Eve. Eric laced up her figure skates and he slipped into his. Awkward at first, she shuffled onto the ice with Eric's strong arms around her. She immediately started to feel comfortable with his help. Skating, Lara realized, was like riding a bike. Once you learned, your body somehow remembered the movements. She found her center of gravity. Her balance improved. Eric kept his arm loosely around her back and skated next to her expertly.

~Eric~

A former NCAA hockey player, Eric was in his element on ice skates. He felt Lara relaxing as he moved his arm behind her lower back and he held her gloved hand. She was smiling at him and laughing. Small children zoomed around them gracefully. Lara enjoyed watching them, wishing she had their level of expertise. "It comes with time, Lara, and practice." Eric encouraged her. Christmas music was playing. "I love it." Lara smiled into his eyes. "Do you want to try some different moves?" She hesitated, "Yes…but I'm not sure if I can." Eric whispered, "Trust me."

He took her hands and skated backward slowly and turned to the side. Lara felt herself swinging into a circle and as she held both of Eric's hands they moved together with centrifugal force into a tight circle. She only fell once and Eric quickly scooped her up. He sang the words to the Christmas songs in Lara's ear as he skated next to her with his arm around her waist. Eric had long waited to hold Lara in his arms this way. Being this close he caught the aroma of the vanilla scent she wore. Every guy on the pond was watching him skate with her. She was oblivious to them. She looked gorgeous in the green quilted vest, with her dark hair flying loose. Her long legs were perfect for ice skating and she had the grace of a dancer on the ice.

After
two hours of skating they stopped for a break and sat by the fireplace in the rustic lodge. Eric brought Lara hot chocolate and asked her if she liked marshmallow. "Yes." she smiled. The benches were crowded with people, but Eric made room on the end of a bench close to the fire. He watched Lara as she sipped the hot chocolate. Her face was child-like, "Oh Eric, this is so much fun!" Once finished with the hot chocolate, she was eager to skate again. Eric was happy to accompany her back on the ice. He taught her to skate backwards and this was the closest Eric had ever come to embracing her. To skate backwards with him, he held her from behind and gently coordinated their leg movements. Once, his lips brushed her cheek briefly. He wasn't even sure if she noticed. There was a vendor's cart selling beautiful scarves in the park and Eric asked Lara to select one. She refused at first, so Eric chose a beautiful green and burgundy floral one for her. She smiled. "How did you know this was the one I liked best?" Eric smiled, "I just know you."

~Lara~

Don and Olivia Henderson had invited Lara and Eric to come by the farmhouse for Christmas Eve brunch. Olivia was standing in the doorway with the December sun shining on her gray hair and she was smiling when they arrived. "It's so good to see you, Lara." she gushed as she hugged her in the hallway. "Eric, come in and get comfortable." Lara gave them a beautiful Christmas centerpiece, purchased at the park, for their farmhouse table. It instantly made the whole room smell like Christmas. Don was sitting at the table and rose to hug Lara and Eric as they stepped into the room. "What have you two been up to? You are glowing." Lara smiled, "Eric took me ice skating; I loved it." Olivia said, "Yes, at the park in-town, it's a fun place to be on Christmas Eve." Lara sat down in the farmhouse kitchen, "My legs are sore already, and I thought I was in pretty good shape." Eric sat next to her. "You use muscles when you skate that you never would otherwise. But, if you get into the hot tub with me, the soreness will disappear."

In back of the big red barn was a six-person hot tub, an anniversary gift from Don to Olivia. Their home was a modest farmhouse, built in the 1940's, and retained many of its original features. The kitchen cabinets and floors were original. The ceiling had exposed beams. Lara helped them renovate a few years earlier, installing soapstone counters and the big farm sink. "There's one problem with the hot tub…" Lara said, "I don't have a bathing suit with me." Olivia immediately came to the rescue. "Oh we have extra bathing suits, they're made out of paper, actually hemp, but they are durable. They are out in the barn. After brunch, you go ahead and use the hot tub. It's the best thing for sore muscles."

Don was smiling at Eric as if to say,
what are you doing
? Don was a big man, tall and solidly built. As a martial arts instructor, he had very little body fat. He stayed in shape working on the farm and teaching martial arts full time. He was a Viet Nam vet, a former Green Beret. Once in a while he would talk about his time there, but it was rare that he spoke of his service. Awarded the Bronze Star, he had broken bones in one leg that never healed properly. He was not one to complain. Olivia was the consummate housewife and loved all things domestic and feminine. She often had long talks with Lara about the right dress or the best make-up. They connected over female things. Olivia smiled, "Brunch is almost ready. It's your favorite, Eric." He didn't hear her. Eric was searching in the barn for the disposable bathing suits.

Meanwhile, Lara probed Olivia, "You are close to Eric." Hovering near the oven Olivia's voice became a whisper, "Yes, we think of Eric like our
third son. You know, Lara, he is the son of Don's brother. They only had Eric. But his parents shipped him off to boarding school and then he went to college. He never had a normal family life. That's why he loves to come here for Christmas. Don and I always have a Christmas tree, and our two sons come by, and our door is always open to Eric. His parents traveled to Greece this year for three weeks. They are always off to some faraway place. Eric has, most often, been left behind. At that moment, Eric appeared in the kitchen, "I found them!" He was holding two disposable bathing suits to be used in the hot tub later. Lara only caught a glimpse of them. Eric laughed, "Hey, these are made of hemp."

After the delicious brunch, Eric's favorite spinach and feta quiche with a side salad, they sat in the living room enjoying the warmth of the wood stove. Eric stepped into the powder room to try on the disposable bathing suit. Olivia asked, "Where's your handsome Navy man?" Lara spoke softly, "He's traveling right now on business but he will be back tomorrow." Lara tried to sound cheerful. "I miss him, but I have Einstein and Eric to keep me company." Eric emerged from the powder room and they all burst into laughter. He stood, all six-foot-one, ruggedly muscular, with a paper bathing suit just barely covering his manliness. And, it looked like it might fall off at any moment. "Oh my god," Lara laughed, "I cannot imagine what the women's suit looks like!" Eric handed it to her. "Here you go, try it on. I'll get some towels." Don and Olivia were laughing so hard they could hardly speak. But, they encouraged Lara to go ahead and put on the suit. "Once you are in the hot tub, you will forget about the suit." Don said, trying to sound reasonable, "The material softens in the water and sort of molds to the body." At their urging, Lara stepped into the powder room and put on the disposable bathing suit. She wrapped a towel around herself, feeling like the suit might not cover her enough. The material shifted on her body and opened in all the wrong places.

~Eric~

Giggling, Lara and Eric entered the tub and quickly sank up to their necks in the hot 103 degree water. Lara's disposable bathing suit served as a peep show for Eric. The material opened whenever she moved and her small breasts were occasionally visible to Eric. He tried not to be obvious as he glimpsed at her beautiful body beneath the water. She laid back in the seat of the hot tub, "Oh, this feels so good, Eric…" she whispered. Eric leaned back in a seat across from her and played footsy and she laughed. Lara's hair was piled on top of her head and secured with multiple pins. Her face was flushed and her eyes closed. The fresh December air was a wonderful contrast to the hot, steamy water. It was quiet in back of the barn and they listened to the soft whir of the hot tub motor and the birds singing. Lara whispered, "This is just beautiful." He was charged with desire for Lara and restrained himself from touching her. "I'm glad you like it, I'm very comfortable." was all he could manage to say. After about fifteen minutes, Lara opened her eyes and looked at Eric, who was looking at her. "This is the best Christmas Eve I have ever had, Eric. Thank you." He was so stunned by her beauty, he could barely respond. "That's what friends are for."

After a good long soak, Eric held the towel for Lara as she climbed out of the hot tub. He glimpsed at her body trying not to be obvious. To him, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He wrapped her in the towel and for a moment he relished embracing her. He quickly grabbed his towel and wrapped in it, not wanting to embarrass Lara in any way. They laughed and ran into the house to get back into their winter clothing. Don and Olivia asked how they liked the hot tub. Lara gushed, "It was wonderful! I've never felt so relaxed and calm…" Eric smiled, "I
loved
it."

~Lara~

Don surprised Lara by giving her a Christmas gift, a simple white envelope. "Open it when you get home." Don said smiling. Lara and Eric waved goodbye to the Hendersons as they stood in the doorway. Driving home in the Infiniti with Eric, Lara was overwhelmed with the events of the last two days. Eric's companionship had sustained Lara through Christmas in a way she had never experienced. As soon as he pulled the Infiniti into the driveway, she opened the white envelope from Don. It was a free year of lessons at the dojo. She smiled. "Did you get what you wanted?" Eric asked gazing at her. "Oh yes. I'm very happy." Lara
sighed.

As Lara and Eric climbed the stairs to her condo, her phone vibrated. It was a text from Ben that said: "Miss you. Call me
." As she got inside, Lara felt a wave of relief flood over her. Ben was still all right. Only one more night alone: Christmas Eve. Then on Christmas Day, Ben would be home. As Eric sat in the parlor, she excused herself and moved into the kitchen to return Ben's call. "Keegan," he answered. "Ben" she said, "It's me." Ben sounded relieved. In her mind's eye, she could see his smile complete with dimples through the phone.  His voice sounded happy, "Thank you for calling, you made my day, or my night." She missed his Irish brogue. For the first time she realized that his voice was incredibly pleasant on the phone, even when he answered "Keegan" in his business-like way. Ben usually spoke with measured tones but today he had a hint of excitement in his voice, "Lara, I have something serious to discuss with you tomorrow night." She wondered what that could be. But she did not press him for details. Ben was in a lighthearted mood. Lara kept the conversation cheerful on the phone. "I hope you didn't get me some extravagant Christmas gift." Ben joked, "Don't set yourself up for disappointment. I'm a last minute shopper and a cheapskate, at that." Then, suddenly, the conversation took on a serious note. Ben spoke tenderly, "Before this damned phone cuts out, I want to say Merry Christmas and to tell you, in case you didn't get the hundreds of texts from me in the past few days, that I miss you. I can't wait to get home to see you tomorrow." She whispered into the phone, "I can't wait to see you, Ben." Suddenly, Eric spoke from the parlor, "Do you want me to take Einstein out?" Ben heard the comment in the background. "Lara? Who was that?" She didn't know what to say, so she kept it simple, "A friend." Lara didn't know if Ben's phone cut out or if her cell phone did, but she lost the connection.

She walked outside to join Eric on the porch with Einstein. Lara leaned over the porch railing, "My Christmas Eve is going to consist of baking cookies and watching an old Christmas movie on television with Einstein. Would you like to stay for a while?" Eric immediately responded with a smile, "Yes, I'd love to make cookies." She was twenty-four years old, had an accomplished life, but there was a longing for something more. Gnawing at her was the hunger for another person in her life. She yearned for the experience of sharing her life with one man. She wanted that man to be Ben, but a nagging question kept invading her pleasant thoughts. Would Ben ever be free from Sienna?