Page 4 of A Ferry Merry Christmas
“That was in October. You mean to say it’s been on the books that long?” Surprise showed in her voice. She knew it would be difficult to reserve a table this close to Christmas, since Anthony’s, part of a local chain, was extremely popular.
Their lunch in the fall had been a birthday treat. It was the first year her grandmother hadn’t been alive to cook Avery’s favorite dish of seafood spaghetti. Reed had done his best to help her through the sadness of missing Grams. Her brother was kind like that. He thought ahead and took the initiative, which was one reason he’d advanced as quickly as he had in his career with Microsoft.
“I asked for a table by the window.”
“Reed, that’s so nice. I can’t wait, and I promise, hungry as I am, not to order half the menu.”
“It’s Christmas. Order whatever you want.”
Avery ended the conversation with a huge smile. Although Grams was gone, at least they had each other and would make the best of things, as they always had.
CHAPTER TWO
Harrison Stetler glanced longingly at the woman he’d chatted with while boarding the ferry. She didn’t appear overly receptive, but he hoped with a bit of gentle persistence he could persuade her to give him a chance. They’d be on the ferry for nearly an hour, and that was enough time to get to know each other a little bit. She’d mentioned she was meeting some guy. Normally that would be enough for Harrison to look elsewhere. Nevertheless, she intrigued him, and given the chance, he’d like to talk to her more.
For reasons he couldn’t explain, he wasn’t sure he believed her about this other guy. He’d wanted to sit with her and test his theory. She was beautiful, and after three months at sea, he was hungry for connection. He was also new to the area and looking to make friends. He’d liked her immediately, although he couldn’t say why. There was just something about her.
“Come on, Hairy,” his buddy said while jabbing him in the ribs. His fellow seamen insisted on calling him Hairy, a play on his given name and the fact that his chest was, well . . . hairy.
“What?” he asked, hiding his frustration.
“Stop looking at that woman.”
Feeling guilty, Harrison looked away. Also fresh on leave, Dan was happily married and heading to Seattle to meet up with his wife and one-year-old son, who were already at Dan’s parents’ home awaiting his arrival.
“You haven’t taken your eyes off her once,” Dan pointed out.
Harrison didn’t realize he’d been that obvious.
“What’s her name?”
Harrison sighed his disappointment. “I didn’t get a chance to find out.”
Dan mumbled something Harrison didn’t catch.
“What was that?” he asked, tearing his eyes away from the pretty girl. Damn, he hadn’t even gotten her name. Seeing she was sitting next to the woman with the little girl, it was highly unlikely that he’d get a chance now.
“Nothing important,” Dan said.
Despite being caught, Harrison continued to study her. Her lack of interest didn’t surprise him. At his last duty station on the East Coast, he’d discovered that a lot of local women were leery of dating men in the military. It made sense that the same reluctance applied to single women on the West Coast. He wasn’t a player, although he knew plenty who were.
“Did you meet your wife while stationed here?” he asked Dan, hoping to get the lay of the land.
“No, we were teenage sweethearts. Julia and I dated all through high school.”
Harrison had spent three months with the crew. A lot of the men kept their personal lives private, and Harrison wasn’t one to pry. He didn’t know Dan that well, and hesitated before he asked, “What did Julia think when you enlisted?”
“She was all for it,” Dan replied without hesitation. “The benefits were too good to ignore. I’ll complete my four years with another four in the reserve. With that commitment, I’ll be able to get my college paid for, along with a housing stipend. It was the only way I could get my teaching degree without taking on the burden of student loans. Besides, we wanted to start a family right away and the Navy offered medical benefits.”
“You should work for the recruitment program,” Harrison joked.
Dan shook his head. “Naw, that’s not my style. I like my work duties just fine. Three months under the sea and three months on land. I’m happy where I am, thank you very much.”
Kyle, another of his shipmates, wandered over to where Harrison and Dan sat. He carried a large cup of coffee and a donut with him. “What’s up?” he asked, sitting down with his friends.
“Hairy’s looking for a love connection with a woman he saw walking onto the ferry.”
Harrison rolled his eyes, letting Kyle know Dan was grossly exaggerating. Although to be fair, he was a bit annoyed that he’d lost the opportunity when his friends had called him away.
