Page 9 of SEAL's Sky
“Here you go, the Ready Room.”
It still looked the same, like some dive bar, except it was always filled with regulars, mostly from the naval base. She remembered the regular crowd and how it would shift all the time with military moves and deployments. Would the regulars still be here? If they were, there’s a chance they’d recognize her. Keeping her identity a secret was going to be a lot harder than she thought. Coming back home was probably not the wisest decision when she was trying to hide.
Grabbing her backpack and tote, she climbed out of the backseat and paid the taxi driver. Standing outside the building she’d called home for most of her life, she took a deep breath, hoping to settle the butterflies in her stomach.
Shit. She hadn’t thought about how odd it would look for her to walk into the bar with all of her stuff. Maybe she should go around back and text her mom. Before she could decide, she heard someone come up behind her. Terrified it was Kurt, she spun around ready to do whatever she needed to keep him from grabbing her.
“Easy. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m sorry I startled you.” The man said as he took a step back and held his hands up with his palms facing her.
Forcing herself to focus on him and not the fear coursing through her body, it definitely wasn’t Kurt. Where he was a blond, blue-eyed pretty boy, this man was tall, dark-haired, and could have been a cover model for Men’s Health. Her breathing slowly returned to normal and her heart stopped pounding out of her chest.
“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been blocking the door.” Jen was surprised her voice sounded normal.
“Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe you should go inside and sit down.” His deep voice had a slight southern drawl. The hard, chiseled lines of his face eased as he smiled, and his eyes glinted from the street lights.
“I’m okay. I’m new to Norfolk. My mom is from here and I’m here to see her friend. But now I’m not so sure. It looks a little rough.” Making shit up as she went along, her mother would kill her if she heard her precious bar described as a dive.
“Only on the outside. It’s a great place. Let’s see if we can find your mom’s friend. Are you sure she still works here?” He reached around her, and she backed away, she hadn’t meant to, it was pure instinct. He frowned but didn’t say anything.
“Thank you.”
As he pulled open the door, the aroma of burgers and beer made her mouth water. But it was Gloria Gaynor’s voice singing ‘I will survive’ playing on the jukebox that affected her the most. Like it was a sign.
He waited patiently for her to go inside, and her cheeks heated as she realized he was still holding the door open for her.
“You’re welcome, ma’am. If you need anything, come and find me. I’ll be sitting in the back of the bar with a few of my friends. Oh, and I’m Murph.” He reached out to shake her hand, but she couldn’t bring herself to touch him. Staring at it, all she could see was Kurt reaching for her and a shiver of fear slid down her spine.
“I’ll be fine, but I appreciate your offer. Have a nice night.” Jen hated being rude, but it was as polite as she could manage. All the fear and stress as she planned her escape from the loft and then hiding until she was sure it was safe to come home. And hell, she still wasn’t sure it was really safe. How she hadn’t had a nervous breakdown she had no idea.
“Thank you. I don’t mean to be rude, it’s just been a long day,” Jen said hoping she didn’t sound rude. Hating how much her personality had changed, she hoped that being home and around Mom would help her feel like herself again.
Murph had done nothing but be polite and try to help her. In another time she’d have appreciated his help, but not tonight, maybe not ever. Not until she was safe from the monster who’d covered her in emotional scars.
Surprised at the crowd on a Thursday night, Jen walked further inside and searched for her mother. Not seeing her anywhere, she wove her way around the people and headed for the kitchen. If her mom wasn’t behind the bar or serving customers, she was probably grabbing her next order or helping anyone who needed it. Pam Turner was a great boss and all of her staff loved her.
Jen didn’t have to look to know Murph was watching her and when she turned, he had an odd look on his face. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he recognized her, But how could he? If she’d met him, there’s no way she’d have forgotten Mr. Too Sexy for his Jeans. She may not want to be around men, but she could still appreciate a fine specimen when she saw one.
Freaked out that he was so focused on her, she took a few deep breaths to slow her heartbeat and relax. The last thing she wanted was to be a wreck when she found her mother. The fight or flight reflex was hard to suppress, and even though she told herself that he wasn’t a threat believing it was a different story.
As she walked down the short hallway off the main bar area, she heard her mother’s laughter coming from the kitchen. They weren’t supposed to know each other but all she wanted to do was through herself into her mom’s arms and hug her until they couldn’t breathe, but that would have to wait until they were alone.
Her mom hadn’t really changed since she’d seen her last, maybe a few more grey hairs. Repeating over and over that she was Sky, she walked into the kitchen. One of the cooks saw her first.
“You’re not supposed to be back here,” Tony Ramirez said.
He’d worked at the Ready Room for at least ten years and when he didn’t recognize her, she let out the breath she’d been holding.
“I’m sorry. I’m looking for Pam Turner?”
Her mom turned at Tony’s words and her face lit up when she saw Jen. Thankfully, she remembered they weren’t supposed to know each other.
“I’m Pam. Can I help you with something?”
“I’m Sky Russell, Amanda’s daughter. She said she was going to call you…” Jen let her voice trail off, trying to sound awkward and unsure.
“Sky. Yes, she did. I’m so happy to meet you. She’s told me so much about you over the years. Let’s get you upstairs. You’re going to stay here, right?”
“If it’s not too much trouble. I can get a motel until I can find an apartment.”
