The Elite: The Complete Series of Boomer and Player (With Bonus) (4 page)

I stooped down to check under the bed, and had barely peeled the bed skirt up, when a loud metal clang echoed through the house. I jumped up and ran towards the source of the sound, and growled in frustration when I found Hunter had pushed his water bowl off the shelf it sat on and had managed to splash water all over the kitchen floor.

He ran up and licked my cheek as I knelt down to mop up the mess. “Get a puppy, she said. It’ll be fun!” I cast a sidelong glare at Hunter. “Right.”

When the mess was cleared, I put him out on the patio to do his business on the artificial grass puppy pad, and went back to my bedroom to get dressed for the gym. I reluctantly let Hunter back inside before going down three flights to the condo maintained gym. I put myself through my usual routine, treadmill, free weights, and polished off with a few yoga poses. I was by no means a fitness model, but did what I could to keep myself in shape.

“Hey, Holly.” I craned my neck at the sound of my name, and saw Greg, the guy who lived in the condo next to mine, smiling at me.

I popped my earbuds out and returned his easy smile. “Morning, Greg.”

“How’s your little pup?”

I smiled, remembering that the last time I’d seen him in the hall, Hunter had tugged his leash right out of my hand as I’d been trying to open the front door. “He’s a handful. But he can also be very sweet, which is pretty much the only thing saving him right now.” Greg laughed. “Thanks for asking.”

I resisted the urge to give him a once over. Greg wasn’t movie star hot, but he was tall, had a solid build, and an easy smile. He worked in software sales and drove a very fancy sports car. We’d been neighbors for a few months, and had exchanged casual greetings here and there as we met in the hallway or parking garage. He was always polite and friendly towards me. After I’d introduced him to Rachel, she’d insisted that he was “into me,” but I refused to believe it. Greg was nice to everyone.

Truthfully, dating Greg—or anyone else—was so low on my list of priorities that I didn’t even spend much energy thinking about it. Rachel was far more interested in getting me back onto the market, but even she’d backed off her matchmaking attempts since I started my accounting business. Getting it off the ground and going through my first full year of acquiring clients, balancing the workload, and pulling off my first tax season as a solo CPA, with no support staff, had been my full focus, sixty plus hours a week for so long, I doubted I would have even taken a date with Brad Pitt.

Not that he was asking.

“Hey, I was thinking of heading out this afternoon to catch a movie. Any chance you’re free? We could get lunch or something before, if you’d like?”

Greg’s question caught me off guard, and my mouth opened before I had an answer to spit out, so I stood there like a gaping fish for a good half a minute, before my brain power kicked back on. “Oh, um, Greg, thanks for asking. I’m actually headed out of town this afternoon.”

Greg chuckled and glanced down at his watch like it was a nervous habit. “No problem. I figured you were busy.”

Before I realized what I was doing, I reached out and set a hand on his arm. His blue eyes met with mine, alight with hope. “No, really, Greg. I’m heading up the coast to Holiday Cove. I have a rental there for a couple of weeks.”

“Oh.” He nodded and his smile came back to life. “That sounds great. Do you need anyone to water your plants or get your mail? I’d be happy to help out.”

“That’s sweet, but I got it under control.”

“Right.” He nodded again. “Well, maybe when you get back then.”

I sputtered again and pulled my hand away. “Right, well, maybe…we’ll see.” My eyes drifted over Greg’s shoulder to the large clock on the far wall of the gym. “Listen, I should go, but thanks again.”

I turned and hustled out of the gym before further embarrassment could ensue.

“God, that was weird,” I muttered to myself as I waited for the elevator to arrive. I glanced behind me to make sure Greg hadn’t followed me out. Rachel’s sing-song voice chimed in the back of my mind, asking why I hadn’t said yes, or made a plan to meet when I got back.

The elevator arrived and I stepped aboard, leaving the self-doubt on the other side of the metal doors. I had a laundry list of tasks to complete before I could pack up Hunter and start for the beach, and my frequent conversations with myself were all the proof I needed that I needed to get to the beach as soon as my Honda CR-V could take me!

* * * *

“That’s the last of it! You ready for an adventure?” I called out to Hunter, shutting the front door behind me. I’d just finished the last run down to the car and all I needed was one mischievous puppy, before we could hit the highway.

A puppy that was nowhere to be seen.

“Damn!”

I slipped my sling-back sandals off and started down the hallway toward my bedroom—his usual hideout.

Mostly because that’s where my shoes lived.

Sure enough, as I rounded the corner into the master suite, Hunter was smack dab in the middle of the faux fur rug at the foot of the bed, his sharp puppy teeth digging into the heel of my brown suede pumps. I screamed at the sight of the impressions in the delicate fabric and launched myself at the little terror.

“Hunter! No, no, no! Bad puppy!” Hunter took off, abandoning the shoe. I snatched it off the floor and was immediately flooded with guilt at the chubby little rear end sticking out from the bed skirt. I took a deep breath and sank to my knees. I reached under the bed and pulled his warm little body into my lap. “I’m sorry little guy. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. But no more shoes! Okay bud? These things cost more than a year’s supply of your fancy kibble. All right?”

Hunter licked my hand, and I smoothed my hand over his silky fur. After a few minutes of loving him up, I stood from the floor, and went to put the shoe away in the closet. I flicked on the light to the walk in closet and went to set the shoe next to its mate on the shelf…

“Where’s the other—”

It was gone too.

“Hunter!”

I bolted from the closet and followed his scampering steps down the hall and met him in the living room just in time to watch him root the matching shoe out from its hiding place behind the couch.

“Oh, no,” I breathed, chocking back the urge to scream again. It was utterly destroyed.

Hunter grabbed it in his mouth and shook it around, before dropping it to the ground again. I was frozen with horror when his third, and final act, was to raise his leg on the corner of the couch and pee all over the entire area.

I buried my fingers in my hair and tugged at the roots. “Oh. My. God. I soooo need a vacation!”

Chapter Four

Jack

“This is the life, Princess,” I shouted to my four legged passenger, over the roar of the salty air flowing over the windshield of my convertible. It’d been ages since I’d had the opportunity to drop the top and cruise.

It was almost as good as flying.

Princess panted, her eyes half closed against the wind, a big, happy grin on her face.

We’d been driving down the 101 for the past three hours, stopping at a few viewpoints along the way to take pictures of the ocean and stretch out. We’d had a fish and chips lunch at a little crab shack along the way, and were getting ready to close in on Player’s place.

We flew by a blue, highway sign listing attractions, and I smiled when I saw Rosen Air Museum listed among the other tourist spots. After his father had retired from the Navy, he’d opened his own business. It had originally started as a museum with old fighter planes from different military branches and time periods. People came from all over the state to see his collection, and over time, he’d added to the business to get even more people through the doors. He’d built a hanger and airstrip and took people on air tours up and down the California coast. I’d been out to see it a few times over the years, but I hadn’t been there since Aaron’s father had passed. Player had been running the business for a while and added his own spin, bringing a new, techno savvy element, with a set of virtual reality rooms where people could go inside, get strapped to a real pilot’s seat, and play out battle scenes on a giant simulation screen. Player had told me all about it over the phone, and taken me on a tour over a video chat. It looked badass and I was eager to experience it for myself in person.

A few miles off the exit, I saw the familiar driveway and pulled off the highway. Aaron’s house was on the same property as the museum, and I veered left to follow the gravel drive that led to his bungalow style home. I spotted my old friend on the front porch and honked my horn. Princess added a howl and was lunging at the door before I even brought the car to a stop.

“Crazy pooch,” Aaron said, opening the passenger door when I’d put the car in park. Princess jumped out and started dancing around at his feet. “Hey there, girl. We’re gonna be buddies for a while,” he said, squatting down beside her.

Aaron straightened and offered me a salute once I rounded the car. “Good to see you, man.”

I pulled him in for a quick, one armed, embrace, and as I pulled away, realized it looked like he’d lost some weight. We had similar builds, and while I had an inch on him, we’d been evenly matched in the gym. He didn’t look out of shape, but there was a noticeable difference in his physique.

He smiled. “How was the drive?”

“Couldn’t ask for better.” I went to the back of the car and popped the trunk with my key, but Aaron swooped in and closed it again.

“Hey, hey, we’ll do all that later. Come on, let me give you the tour.”

Princess trotted after him as he set off across the drive, back down the way I’d just driven, towards the massive, warehouse style building that I knew housed all the antique planes. I pocketed my keys and took off after them, jogging a few steps to close the gap.

“So, catch me up, how’s the squad?” Player asked, when I was once again within earshot.

I fell into step beside him, our shoes crunching the gravel beneath us as we walked down the drive, back to where the asphalt road met up and led to the warehouse. “You mean besides the part where we’re all pining away for you?”

Aaron laughed. “Right. That’s just a given.”

I smiled ruefully at my friend, happy to find that despite the months since we’d last been together, our long standing friendship and easy camaraderie clicked right back into place. “Things are good. Gearing up for deployment, obviously. You know. The new guys are asking a lot of questions, getting nervous, but overall, we’re solid. It should be pretty low key. I’m not worried.”

“Of course not, Boomer. You’re the rock for everyone else.”

I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling my sun warmed skin exposed above the collar of my t-shirt. “Well, they might have to figure out a way to survive without me. Right before I left yesterday, Collins pulled me aside and told me about an opportunity overseas. A three-year stint in Germany.”

Aaron glanced over at me, his eyes wide. “Shit! That’d be sweet! You gonna take it?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I thought about it on the drive down, but not enough to make a decision.”

“Come on,” Aaron said, elbowing me. “I bet you could score some serious ass over there. A decorated Naval Officer, fresh off a plane from the states.”

I laughed and shook my head, marveling at his one track mind. “Some things never change, huh, Rosen?”

He held up his hands innocently, but the daredevil glint in his eye told the true story. Aaron had no problem owning up to his Player reputation, in fact, he relished in it. For whatever reason, knowing he was a womanizer, only seemed to draw more women to him.

I never quite figured out how his game worked.

“With my luck, I’d end up head over heels for some woman who just wanted a green card and the contents of my bank account,” I replied. I’d meant for it to come out sarcastically, but somewhere halfway through it, the humor had fallen away and left me sounding bitter.

Aaron shot me a look as he stopped to fish his keys out of the pocket of his jeans when we reached the side door to the museum space. “When did you turn all cynical? You have some lady problems since I last saw you?”

“Lady problems? Damn, Rosen. I’m single, not PMS’ing.”

Aaron roared with laughter and unlocked the door. He pushed inside and flicked on a light switch. Row by row, the large, industrial light fixtures popped to life, bathing the polished machines in a bright, fluorescent light.

I let out a low whistle and took a few steps inside, my eyes devouring the elegant machines.

“Yeah, we’ve expanded quite a bit since your last trip out here,” Aaron said. He took me down the line, pointing out each model, spouting an impressive amount of information about each plane. When we reached the end of the third row, he smiled even wider. “Now this, this one is my favorite. I worked my fuckin’ ass off to sweet talk this guy into selling it to me.”

“Holy shit,” I breathed, stepping to see the side to take in the full profile. It was a two seater, fighter jet, judging by the look, something from the Soviet era, complete with the designs its original owner had painted on the pilot’s side, just above the wing. “She’s a beaut.”

“Tell me about it. Everything’s original. Take a look inside.”

I glanced over at him and he nodded, silently assuring me it was okay. I took reverent steps to the small door and peeked inside, sure enough, it was all true to the original specs. “It’s like something out of a history book. Can she fly?”

Aaron nodded. “My old man woulda been proud,” Aaron said, his voice thick with a lump of emotion.

“He would have, man,” I echoed, considering my friend with a careful eye. Aaron had taken his father’s death pretty hard, as it had been unexpected, and in the middle of a grueling tour overseas. He’d gone to bed one night, suffered a massive stroke, and never woke up again. Aaron had received emergency leave to go home for the funeral, and a few days after his departure, we received word from our commander, that he’d resigned his commission y and wouldn’t be returning. I’d never managed to get the full story out of him, but the rumor mill had circulated that Aaron had battled panic attacks and anxiety since receiving the news, and a Chaplain in the unit had advised he not return to finish the deployment.