Page 54 of Under Pressure

“Base jumping,” Jonah laughed, then kissed Blue’s shoulder.

“Base jumping?” Johnny laughed. “Blue?”

“Yeah, she’s something of an adrenaline junkie,” Jonah said. “The first time I saw her was at the edge of a cliff. My friends and I had just made the summit where the jump was, and she was standing on the edge. She took one look at us and jumped.”

“I didn’t know you were into base jumping.” Dad scooted forward in his seat and grabbed one of the glasses Gramps had placed on the coffee table, pouring himself water from Nonna’s crystal pitcher.

“It’s relatively new,” Blue smiled, and took the pitcher from Dad, pouring her own glass. It had to be a new interest in at least the last ten years, she hadn’t been into any of those things when she and Sean had been dating. Though, Sean wasn’t entirely surprised she did those things. She’d always been brave, and occasionally reckless.

“Not that new.” Jonah smiled up at her. “She’s been doing it for the three years I’ve known her.

Sandy frowned. “Isn’t it dangerous?”

Blue smiled at Mom. “I’m careful.”

“She loves it.” Jonah rubbed her arm. “Base jumping, skydiving, cliff jumping. She just loves the spotlight.”

A little color went to Blue’s cheeks, but she kept her head up.

“She and Nora are planning on going cliff diving together soon,” Kate said. Nora was The Palms’ indoor water aerobics instructor and former Olympic diver hopeful.

“Shall we do presents now?” Gramps asked, picking up a couple from the piano.

“Good idea,” Axel said.

Gramps grabbed a couple of presents off the piano and headed over to Mom with them, but Sean couldn’t help but jump back to their previous topic. Maybe it’d been years since he’d seen Blue, but Jonah was wrong.

“She doesn’t love the spotlight,” Sean said in a near whisper.

Blue faced him, looking at him for the first time since Jonah had pulled her into his lap, and then Jonah looked too.

“What?” Jonah’s smile fell just a little.

Sean spoke louder this time. “Blue doesn’t love the spotlight. I’d agree it loves her, but she doesn’t love it.”

A pregnant pause strung out like a tight wire.

“When was the last time you saw . . .Blue?” Jonah asked.

Blue turned her head toward him. “Don’t.”

“Ten years,” Sean said.

“Ten years,” Jonah smirked. “Maybe she’s changed?”

Sean clenched his fists at his side. What was he going to do, start an argument? No. That would be dumb. “Maybe,” he said, though it cost him to do it.

Blue’s gaze locked on him, and her jaw clenched.

“What is it you do?” Jonah asked Sean.

The tension in the room was thick. “I own an underwater salvage company.”

“And he’s a retired Navy SEAL,” Gramps added as he gathered up Mom’s gifts. “It’s part of the reason he’s my favorite.”

Sean smirked at the miffed huffs from his brothers.

“Dad!” Dad and Mom cried out together.

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