Page 18 of A SEAL's Heart
She holds out a hand the same way her brother did. “Nice to see you, Ed.”
Her eyes dance, and there’s no trace of any awkwardness about last night. I take her hand in mine and warmth spreads through me.
I work my mouth into the positions I’ve been practicing. I try to say, ‘Nice to see you too,’ but all that comes out is a collection of garbled sounds.
I cover my mouth with my hand, embarrassed. But Avery lights up like a Christmas tree.
“You’ve been practicing!” She clasps her hands together, and seeing the delight on her face makes it worthwhile.
I nod once and pull a tissue out of my pocket and dab it to my mouth in case of any drool. But so far so good.
Mr. Monroe strides into the room. “Good to see you, Ed.” He shakes my hand in a firm grip. “How are you settling in across the road, son?”
The use of the word catches me off guard. He means it as a casual epithet, but I’ve never been anyone’s son.
It takes a beat for Mr. Monroe to remember I can’t answer him back. Then he starts talking to me about the place, how he’s happy to keep doing the lawns until I get myself better.
I write him a note telling him I’ll take over the lawns. He seems a little disappointed, and I wonder if retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. He’s been out for a year, and I guess it’s hard adjusting to civilian life after so long. Hard to find things to fill your time.
He slaps a hand on my back and leads me through to the dinner table.
The dining room adjoins the living area, and photos cover the walls. There are all three kids when they were little. Avery with a huge grin and two pigtails holding up a medal. Amos standing next to his dad at about twelve years old holding a hunting rifle.
There are the kids dressed up for Halloween. There are baby photos of each of them. There’s Mr. Monroe in his navy uniform, his two sons standing beside him.
The entire room is a shrine to their family. To the happy memories and love between them.
“I’ve put you next to Avery,” Shona says.
They take their places, and I wonder if my place is where Jake usually sits.
“Hand me your plate, honey. I’ve made chicken pot pie.” Shona dishes me up a generous slice and sets my plate down. “I wasn’t sure if you could eat okay, but Avery assured me your jaw was about healed. Is that right?”
I nod, even though it’s not entirely true. It hurts like hell to chew some things, but I’m not about to admit that to my host.
“Help yourself to vegetables.” Shona gestures to the rest of the food, and I take a bit of everything.
The family passes dishes around the table in a practiced dance. I wait until everyone’s plate is full before cutting into my pie. If I’m going to get through this with any dignity, then small portions are best. I press the fork into my mouth and will my jaw to chew.
“Where are you heading off to tomorrow?” Avery asks Amos.
He gives her a look. “You know I can’t tell you that.”
She gives an exaggerated sigh. “One day I’ll catch you out, brother.”
He shakes his head. “Don’t count on it, sis. I’m hard to catch out.”
“Oh yeah?” She raises her eyebrows. “Like in checkers just now?”
“We don’t talk about checkers,” he mumbles, and Avery chuckles.
I watch the sibling banter with a pang in my chest. The closest I ever came to having a family was the SEAL team I was a part of. Now that’s been taken away from me.
I don’t try to join in the conversation with my notepad over dinner. I enjoy watching everyone else interact. The conversation flows, and the love in this family is obvious.
When the main course is finished, I get up to help clear the plates, and Shona waves me away. “You’re our guest, Ed. You don’t need to help.”
After clearing the plates, she brings in a cake for dessert and cuts me a generous slice.
