Page 1 of Fake Dating the SEAL
Chapter One
“What’s that smell?” Sara Alani sniffed at the air like a bloodhound seeking its mark.
“My fritters!” Maile Everrett shouted from across the room. Bright red and purple and blue flowers from the family matriarch’s neck to her toes flew past Sara. For the mother of four and grandmother to three of her grandchildren and even more almost grandchildren, that woman could move. Not to mention she wore a muumuu like no one else on the island.
“I’ve got it,” a call came from the kitchen as Maile disappeared through the doorway. Emily Everrett Hamilton had come in the back door and reaching the oven minutes before her mother, averted a near disaster.
“Well.” Maile slid the hot baking dish onto the stone trivet that always sat on the counter. For anyone who baked and cooked as often as Maile did, putting the thing away simply made no sense. “Only the row closest to the back of the oven are toast.”
Reaching for one of the fritters with a darkened rim around the edge, Sara pulled her hand back and licked her burned finger.
“You know better than that.” Maile grabbed the hand and shoved it under the cold water faucet, a move she’d done oftenwhen Sara and the Everrett girls would help in the family kitchen growing up.
Rabb, the family’s beloved German shepherd, stood at his master’s feet. Any other dog would have been waiting for a dropped treat, but Sara knew as well as anyone else in the kitchen, that the astute dog was more concerned for Maile’s safety. As soon as the animal was convinced that Maile’s mad dash across the house and Sara’s hand under running water was not a major, or even minor, crisis, he plopped to the ground from the corner of the room where he could oversee all the happenings.
The front door flew open and now the sweet chaos of the Everrett family was about to truly begin. Billy, the oldest child and only son, came through the door carrying their two year old son Eddie, named after the Everrett family patriarch who passed years ago from an unexpected heart attack. Billy’s wife Angela had their daughter Isabella by the hand.
The four year old easily dragged her mother toward the kitchen. “Hurry, Mommy, cookie time.”
On their tails, Nick Harper, who might as well have been an Everrett considering how close, like Sara, he’d been to the Everrett brood, ushered his own family—Maile’s almost grandchildren—through the doorway.
Within minutes the kitchen was filled with giggling children and their parents all talking at the same time. Sara had to smile. Only once had she missed the annual Christmas cookie baking day at the Everrett household, and that was because she’d been confined to bed with strep throat. The memory broadened her smile. When she’d fully recovered she’d had Maile Everrett all to herself one afternoon after school and baked the best looking Santa and reindeer cookies ever. It hadn’t been the same as the loving chaos of the whole family baking on that special day, but Maile had made it special for her nonetheless.
Even though Sara had wonderful loving parents, she always felt doubly blessed to have the Everretts as a second set of parents. Except of course for the matchmaking thing. Sara had spent the last six years trying to explain to her mother and her mother’s best friend that she could find her own man—when she was ready. Whether the two women doubted her ability to find love or if she’d ever be ready, was a mystery to her. Especially since with the best of intentions, those two had tried to hook her up in one way or another with pretty much any breathing male old enough to order a beer for more years than she cared to think about.
“You doing okay?” Emily Everrett, her dearest friend since they’d met the first day of preschool and their mothers had become as fast friends as she and Emily, smiled at her. Ever since Emily turned thirty and she and Doug decided that it was time to start a family, Emily seemed to be more worried about Sara’s biological clock than Sara. After all, she still had a few months until her own thirtieth birthday and in this day and age, thirty wasn’t all that old for starting a family.
“You know I love cookie baking day.” Sara smiled at Emily.
“I do.” Her friend’s eyes were filled with love, friendship, and, Sara feared, just a bit of pity.
“Don’t you start turning into my mothers.”
“Me?” Emily’s eyes doubled in size. “What did I do?”
“Nothing. Yet.” The minute Emily discovered she and Doug were having a baby, she’d tried to set Sara up with one of the dive shop customers who’d been getting certified to scuba dive. The guy had been nice enough, and handsome enough, but it hadn’t taken long to figure out he had more interest in the fish than in women. Especially her.
“What are you two doing out here?” Apron tied around her waist, hands on her hips, Maile stood at the kitchen threshold. “It’s time to mix the dough.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Emily saluted, even though unlike her brother and most of his buddies, she’d never been in the military.
As Sara passed by her friend’s mother, Maile reached for hand and leaned in almost conspiratorially. Sara braced herself. She’d seen that look on Maile and her mother’s faces too many times.
Lowering her voice, Maile glanced back into the kitchen as if worried someone would overhear her sharing state secrets, “Emily tells me there’s a new teacher at the high school.”
Sara nodded cautiously.
“He’s not married.”
And here they went again. Why did Christmas have to heighten everyone’s interest in finding Sara a man? She loved the holidays but her family’s need to find her a match always seemed to dampen the joy. A few years they were downright miserable. She’d been nudged under the mistletoe with men who had as little interest in kissing her as she had in kissing them. Maybe it was time she tried in earnest to find a man on her own. Too bad she couldn’t ask Santa.
This was it. Terminal leave. Three months paid vacation, and then Senior Chief SEAL Kenny Yates, a respected and battle tested leader, would officially be a civilian. “Mr. Yates.” Kenny let the words roll around on his tongue. Granted, he’d been called that often enough in the real world, but no one would be addressing him as Chief—ever again. He wouldn’t be leading any more teams, and he wouldn’t be doing any more battles. At least not the life or death kind.
The wheels of the commercial jet touched down on the Kona runway. For the first time since his paperwork for intent to separate was approved by the chain of command, he felt at ease.Kona had a way of doing that. Though he suspected without the warmth of the Everrett family and his former Navy buddies now working at the dive shop, Kona would be just another beach.
At the last United States airport where passengers descended the stairs to an open tarmac from a commercial jet, he got his first breath of Hawaiian retirement standing in the open doorway. Just a little bit longer and he’d unpack his carryon at the hotel. A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. He’d decided at the last minute to book a room at the swankiest resort on the island. Normally, he’d stay with Billy when he came to the Big Island, but this time, he wanted just a few days to get his bearings. He’d told his friend of many years that he’d be arriving today, and would reach out tomorrow. After an hour of back and forth debate over whether or not he should save his money, Billy finally caved and agreed a few days of posh pampering might not be such a bad thing. He hoped his friend was right.
Making a beeline for the taxis, within minutes of landing, he was pulling up to the Kings Resort. Though the resort was originally named after the famed King Kamehameha, it wasn’t long before the powers that be figured out the simpler name, Kings, was much easier for tourists and travel agents to manage. Still, the statue of the Hawaiian leader in yellow and red greeted him by the front drive. He just wished he’d felt a bit more like home. Maybe once he figured out where he was going to live he’d feel more settled. Despite having had months to think about where to drop anchor, he hadn’t been able to decide if he should stay on the island, or go back stateside to where he grew up. He might not have any family left in his hometown, but he still had friends and memories. And yet, much of the time, Kona felt more like home even if he hadn’t lived here as a kid. Which probably explained why he was having such a hard time making up his mind. Bottom line, he simply wasn’t ready to make that decision. Not yet.
