Summer At The Shore

For a few seconds, she stared back, frozen with fear. The sob she’d been keeping at bay welled up, taking her by surprise. “My mom...” was all she could manage to mutter.

“Your mom is down there?”

She nodded, hot tears burning the cold flesh of her cheeks.

“Not for long. Aubrey is the best rescue swimmer in the Coast Guard. And I’m the best hoist operator. We’ve also got the best pilot and copilot working with us today. Which makes us the dream team of Coast Guard rescue.” He reached out and squeezed her cold fingers. “Mia, look at me.” She did. How could anyone refuse that gentle yet commanding voice? He seemed to ooze confidence. “I promise we will get your mom out of that airplane and we will do everything we can.” A warm feeling she recognized as hope bubbled inside her. He added an encouraging smile. She gave him another nod and he moved back toward the open door of the helicopter.

Oddly enough, his words helped. Mia noticed and appreciated that he didn’t promise that her mom would be fine. It was the same strategy she used with her patients’ families. You could never guarantee that a patient would be okay, but you could promise that you would do everything in your power to try to make it so.

He arranged the basket in the doorway, studying the scene below, his lips moving again. Even though she couldn’t hear what he was saying over the noise of the helicopter’s motor, both the concentration and competence he displayed managed to keep her calm.

After positioning the basket, he slid it out the open door. It disappeared, but within minutes it appeared again, her mom tucked safely inside. Please, please let her be alive. He easily lifted her mom’s petite form, arranging her on the litter he’d already prepared and covering her with a blanket. Looking up as Mia started to move forward, he gave her a quick thumbs-up before discouraging further movement from her with a palm up and out. Mia nodded, expelling a breath of relief as she sank back in her seat. She wanted to see for herself, but she also didn’t want to get in the way.

It wasn’t long before Captain Shear and the rescue swimmer Aubrey were on board as well. Aubrey examined the captain while Jay inserted an IV into her mom’s arm. He checked her vitals again and then Mia watched, transfixed as he sat beside her unconscious mom, holding her hand and smoothing the hair away from her face. Within minutes they were safely on the landing pad of the hospital’s roof. Mia was positive that she’d never been so grateful for another human being’s kindness in her entire life.

CHAPTER TWO

UNLIKE HIS FRIEND AUBREY, Jay wasn’t comfortable visiting survivors or their family members. He was always afraid that he was imposing. Or that the people would think he had shown up in order for them to express their gratitude. But he knew Captain Shear and, as it turned out, Aubrey knew Nora Frasier.

Nora taught yoga classes at the studio Aubrey frequented and she also worked part-time at the health food store in town where Aubrey shopped. When Aubrey said she was going to the hospital to visit both Nora and Captain Shear, it didn’t seem odd for Jay to volunteer to tag along. Visiting a friend was different. Although it would be nice to see for himself that Nora Frasier was going to be okay. For some reason, Mia Frasier’s terror-filled eyes full of concern for her mom kept flashing through his mind.

After arriving, they had a nice visit with Captain Shear, who was in high spirits after learning he was set to be released in a couple days. They spent some time talking about their Coast Guard service while he reminisced about his twenty years in the Air Force. They swapped stories until his daughter and grandkids showed up to visit.

On their way out, Aubrey asked the captain if he wanted anything. He requested ice cream. Before Jay could offer to go get it, Aubrey sent him to Nora Frasier’s room while she ran down to the cafeteria to fetch his butterscotch sundae.

Jay found Nora’s room at the end of the hall. He recognized Mia sitting in a chair beside the bed. Tapping lightly on the door frame, he felt a buzz of nerves. He hoped this wasn’t a bad time.

“Hey, Mia? Hi. Do you remember me?”

When she looked up and smiled, he was struck with the thought that if it wasn’t a bad time, then it was definitely a bad idea. Something about her, the earnest expression or the intensity in those striking blue eyes, made him want to both leave and stay at the same time. There was so much...emotion there. Outside of his family, he didn’t do emotion, especially not with women he was attracted to.

“How could I forget? Hi. Officer Johnston, right?”

“Yes, but let’s go with Jay, okay?”

“Sure. Come on in, Jay.”

“Aubrey is here with me,” he said as that awkwardness he was concerned about reared its ugly head. “She, uh, she went down to the cafeteria to get Captain Shear some ice cream.” He pointed down the hall to where he kind of wanted to go. “She’ll be here...soon.”

“Please.” She motioned with one hand. “Come in. It’s so nice of you to stop by.”

“Yeah, it’s, uh,” he muttered as he walked into the room, “it’s a thing Aubrey likes to do, visiting survivors.”

“Survivors,” she repeated with a grin. “I really like that word.”

He’d noticed she was pretty on the helicopter, but she’d also been freezing, soaking wet and terrified. Now, her black hair was dry and silky and settled around her shoulders. Her skin wasn’t nearly as pale, either. She looked tired and very beautiful.

He lowered himself onto the chair next to hers. The space was small, and it took a conscious effort not to allow his long leg to brush against hers. He had no choice but to breathe in the scent of her, which made him think of wildflowers and soft music. Soft music? Clearly, he was tired, too.

Spreading his fingers, he splayed his clammy palms over his knees and reminded himself he was a member of the United States military and a grown man. “How is your mom?”

“She’s going to be fine. No permanent damage. And she’s awake.”

His mood lightened as he looked at the peacefully sleeping woman lying on the bed next to them. Nora had her head turned toward the wall and Jay could hear the comforting sound of her soft snore. For some reason, he couldn’t resist teasing her. With a tip of his head toward the bed, he said drily, “I can see that.”

Mia looked surprised for a second and then let out a chuckle. “Well, not now... Obviously. But she woke up. Finally. This morning her eyes popped open and she asked for a green tea smoothie and a vitamin B12 shot.”

Jay grinned. “That’s so great.” He liked the way her cheeks blushed with color. Her unease somehow made his a little more bearable.

Nora stirred and murmured in her sleep, drawing both of their gazes.

He flipped a thumb toward the doorway. “Should I...? Are we going to wake her up?”

“I really don’t think so. The meds are making her really sleepy. Even though she only wants turmeric, fish oil and cannabis tincture, the doctors insist on giving her actual medication.”

He chuckled. “Aubrey knows your mom. She sounds like a character.”

“You have no idea.” She sighed and then added in a voice choked with emotion, “She’s actually really amazing. I don’t know what I’d do without her...” She sniffled. “I’m so sorry. I keep doing this.” She pointed at her eyes, which were brimming with tears. “Having these little episodes. It’s embarrassing.”

“Don’t be sorry. Trauma like you lived through can be really emotional, even when it has a positive outcome.”

Tears glistened on her cheeks. She swiped them away. “I thought I had a pretty good handle on death. I’m a vet and I deal with animal deaths all the time. But when it’s your own you’re facing or someone that you love...” Her words trailed off and she exhaled a shaky breath. “I’m so grateful we’re all alive.” She surprised him by belting out a laugh. “I’m suddenly grateful for everything.” She gestured around the room. “And not the obvious stuff like hospitals and doctors and antibiotics. But like everything—paper cups, liquid soap, dry-roasted peanuts, plastic wrap, tennis shoes and... And this is kind of a weird topic, huh? I think I might be over-sharing.”

“No, it’s perfectly fine,” he said. “I understand.”

“Do you?” she asked, her expression turning earnest. She went on before he could answer, “You must. Because I’ve been thinking about you a lot. I mean...” Another blush, and Jay found himself trying not to laugh and at the same time wanting to reach out and touch her, calm her down, comfort her. That wasn’t his job at this point, he reminded himself. Under certain circumstances that might be okay, but something told him he might enjoy being close to her a little too much.

She added, “You and the rest of your crew, I mean. I’m embarrassed to admit this... My own brother is a Navy SEAL and I’ve never thought of it in this way before. I can’t believe you guys do what you do. Risking your lives all the time. On purpose. For other people. It’s so selfless and generous and brave.”

Jay shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with her gratitude, reminding him of why he didn’t like to visit survivors. “So others may live,” he said.

“What?” Her brow scrunched.

“It’s the motto for Coast Guard rescue swimmers—so others may live.”

“Oh...right. Well, that’s perfect.”

He lifted a shoulder. “It’s an honor, actually. It’s the best feeling in the world to play a part in saving someone’s life. Human life is the most precious thing on this planet.” Who was over-sharing now? he asked himself, startled by his admission. He wasn’t normally one to share anything with anyone outside of his family.

She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. “I think I get that.”

“Sure, yeah, saving animals must be rewarding, too.” Her lips parted like she was going to comment, but then they stayed that way. Her eyes traveled over his face. He watched, riveted because he could almost feel the intensity radiating from her.

“It is,” she finally agreed with a little nod.

He suspected that wasn’t what she’d been about to say as her gaze flickered to his and then to her mom and back to him again. “Thank you,” she added. “For saving me—us—especially my mom.”

“You are welcome.” His gaze traveled up to her left temple. He remembered how she’d had a bloody bandage stuck there when he’d pulled her into the helo, how she’d insisted it was nothing, how scared she’d been about her mom. A rush of tenderness coursed through him and he found himself reaching toward it. “How’s your noggin?” He traced a thumb around the edge of the dressing. Yep, exactly as he’d expected, he liked the feel of her skin a little too much.

The quick intake of breath and the widening of her eyes confirmed his belief that she was feeling the chemistry between them, too. He reminded himself that on her part, some of that could be gratitude manifesting as attraction toward him. Which also meant he shouldn’t be thinking about what a striking shade of blue her eyes were and how sweet she seemed. This woman with her compassion that already had him saying more than he liked to say could only mean trouble for him.

Removing his hand, he attempted to make light of his actions. “Do I need to take a look at it? Do these doctors know what they’re doing around here?”

She laughed. “They seem competent.”

He grinned. “It’s difficult to set the job aside sometimes.”

“I understand. I offered to stitch this up myself so the doctor could go help my mom. I, um, sort of demanded it, actually. She was already being treated at the time. It’s possible I may have been a little, um, overly distraught?”

Aubrey had told him that she’d insisted her mom be taken up into the helicopter first. That was the commotion they’d heard on the radio. It was obvious this woman loved her mother. He wished he could relate. It wasn’t that he didn’t love his mom, it was just that circumstances didn’t allow him to love her in this way.

“What does your mom do?”

“She’s a retired teacher. A retired schoolteacher, that is. She still teaches, though. These days it’s yoga at Vela Studio and nutritional workshops at Clean and Green, the health food store here in town?”

“Aubrey told me that she knows your mom from yoga. She’s also been to a couple of her health workshops. I think there’s one about how bad sugar is for you?”

“Ah.” Mia nodded. “The Sweet Life, Short Life classes? All about the dangers of sugar and how to break your addiction.”

“That sounds right.” He glanced toward the door and lowered his voice. “Aubrey seriously believes sugar is toxic.”

“Mom, too. She tells me my addiction is ‘out of control.’ She’s always making these sugar-free creations. The other day it was banana muffins with this natural alternative sweetener. I tried to eat them. I did. But I just...” She shuddered. “Thankfully, my dog, George, will literally eat anything and I was able to slip a couple to him. I had to stop at Bakery-by-the-Sea on my way to work and get a maple bar to get that taste out of my mouth.”

He laughed and they discussed the glories of the bakery’s treats for a moment.

“I know what you mean about those muffins. Aubrey makes these disgusting...” He watched Mia’s lips curl into a smile that seemed to be on the verge of laughter. Then she flickered her eyes up and to the left. “Peanut butter–oatmeal–date blobs that—”

He jumped as Aubrey’s voice sounded next to his ear. “They’re called energy bites, Jay.”

Mia let out a laugh. “I tried to warn you.”

“Jeez, Wynn. I swear you’re part cat. They give me energy all right—the energy to get as far away from them as possible. Did you deliver Captain Shear his poison?”

Aubrey chuckled. “I did. Along with a gentle lecture about the healthy protein-packed benefits of a Greek yogurt and fruit parfait versus an ice cream sundae.”

“Eww,” Mia drawled. “That stuff is the texture of wallpaper paste. Sorry, but who suddenly decided gummy, dried-out yogurt was a delicious treat? What’s wrong with regular smooth and creamy yogurt?”

Aubrey peered at Mia. “Did he tell you to say that?” She glared at Jay. “Did you tell her to say that?”

Chuckling, he held his hands up, palms out. “No, I swear.” He explained to Mia, “Aubrey and I had a conversation about this very topic yesterday morning. I told her that her plain Greek yogurt tastes like glue.”

Aubrey shook her head. “You’re hopeless. Should I be concerned about the fact that you just admitted you know what glue tastes like?” Turning a sweet smile on Mia, she asked, “How’s your mom, Dr. Frasier?”

“Please, call me Mia. And she’s doing great. The doctor says she might get to come home in a day or two. Nothing broken. They’re still not sure why she was unconscious for so long.” She shrugged. “The MRI didn’t show any subdural hematoma or significant swelling. But she’s had this headache, so I don’t know...”

They visited for a while until Aubrey glanced down at her phone. “I have to get going, but I’ll stop by to see your mom again. I’m surprised we haven’t met before. Do you ever do yoga with your mom?”

“Um, occasionally. I don’t share my mom’s passion, or ability level, but I know it’s good for me so I try.”

“I love it,” Aubrey said. “Your mom is an awesome teacher. I’ve been trying for like a year to get Jay to try a class. My boyfriend has been going with me for a while now and he can’t believe how much it has enhanced his overall fitness level.”

Jay scoffed. Because the idea of Aubrey’s boyfriend, big, strong, tough guy Eli Pelletier doing yoga was funny. “Did he say that? ‘Enhancing his overall fitness level’? You know I have to give him a hard time now, right? Besides, now that he’s going with you, I figured I was off the hook.”

“Why would Eli getting into better shape preclude you from wanting to do the same?”

“See what I’m dealing with?” He shot Mia a desperate look. “This woman is relentless.”

“Well, she is right about the yoga,” Mia said, standing. “It does amazing things for your body.”

“Ha.” Aubrey slapped him on the shoulder. “See?”

Without thinking it through he said, “Since your mom teaches, maybe I’ll have to give it a try.”

Mia’s eyes sparkled. “She would love that.”

Aubrey chimed in, “I’m holding you to that.”

“I didn’t mean it, Aubrey,” he quipped. “It’s just a polite thing you say in these kinds of situations.”

Mia laughed and the sound seeped into him, further improving his mood. She had the kind of laugh that made you want to laugh, too, even if you didn’t know what was funny.

“Thank you guys so much for stopping by. Mom will be thrilled when I tell her you were here.”

Aubrey hugged her. Not for the first time, Jay marveled at Aubrey’s ability to befriend people and make them feel comfortable.

Jay managed to articulate what he thought was a suitable goodbye, and as they walked down the hall toward the elevators he wondered how big of a fool he would make of himself at yoga class. Would the humiliation be worth seeing Mia Frasier again? There had to be another way... She was a vet. Maybe he could borrow a cat? Or a dog? Aubrey’s sister, Nina, had a dog. He could offer to dog-sit and then pretend the animal wasn’t feeling well. Pointless fantasies, he reminded himself. Especially where a woman like Mia Frasier was concerned. He’d really enjoy getting to know her, which meant he needed to keep her at arm’s length.

Aubrey interrupted his musing. “Are you going to ask her out?”

Jay wasn’t surprised by the question. Now that she and Eli were together, Aubrey was on a quest to find him a partner. “I already did. We’re going to Lincoln City for the weekend. We’re going to practice yoga on the beach and watch the sunset.”

She stopped, opened her mouth, snapped it shut, chuckled, smacked him on the shoulder and took off marching again. “Funny.”

He kept walking, but let out a laugh of his own as she called him a name under her breath. “Well, seriously, Aubrey. No, I didn’t ask her out. Not that it’s any of your business.”

“You’re defensive.” With a smug look, she pulled open the door leading to the stairwell. “I know what that means.” She motioned him through. “You better be careful.”

“Careful?”

“Yes, careful. Because, despite your best efforts, one of these days a woman is going to come along and sweep you off your stubborn bachelor feet. You do know that, right? And it’s going to be someone like Mia Frasier—smart, funny, kind, beautiful, compassionate. You know she’s a vet, right? I’m talking about an animal doctor here and not a military veteran.”

“Yes, I know what she does for a living. What does that have to do with anything?”

Aubrey gave him that look she often did just before she called him dense. “She’s one of us, Jay. She’s a rescuer, a saver. It’s going to be someone like her that manages to get to you. And I, for one, cannot wait to see it happen. I know the reason you don’t get involved with women.”

He responded with his blankest stare as he wondered what she knew.

“You’re scared.”

And for a brief moment, he was. He was afraid that she’d somehow found out. Not that he was ashamed of his family necessarily. It was just...a lot to explain. And Jay didn’t like to explain. For his entire life, explanations had been met with judgments or pity or advice. This often led to “help” in some well-meaning form, most of which was usually not helpful. At all. A neglectful single mother made for a complicated and difficult childhood for him and his five younger siblings on the best of days. Add in the challenges of her mental illness and, well, it was more than most people could truly comprehend.

She went on, “I get that. I was scared, too. People like us, all type A and independent and stubborn, aren’t the best relationship material. Before Eli, I couldn’t imagine ever settling down. You don’t have me fooled, though. You don’t even give women a chance—one or two dates and you’re done. Down deep, I think you’re lonely. You need someone, and I want that for you.”

His answer was a long, slow blink. “That is so sweet,” he drawled in a syrupy tone. “So I can be like you and Eli, right? Long walks on the beach, holding hands, late-night talks. And eventually, when the time is right, some nest-building. You know, I want that, too.” He placed one hand on his chest. “So much. And I’m truly touched, Aubrey. The fact that you care about me this much—”

She punched him in the shoulder again, hard this time. “Shut up.”

“Ouch.”

“I’m telling you, I have a feeling about her.”

“Mmm-hmm,” he answered in his best unconcerned tone that didn’t at all match how he felt. Because he had some feelings, too. Aubrey was wrong about him. It wasn’t that he didn’t want a nest. He did. He just couldn’t have one. Not now, and not for a very long time to come. But Aubrey’s assessment of Mia Frasier had only confirmed his own. That’s why he could never ask her out.

* * *

“HEY, MOM,” MIA said a couple days later as she bent and kissed her mom’s cheek. Nora was propped up in her hospital bed, her sky-blue eyes twinkling, her short black hair stylishly mussed. Bright pink slippers on feet crossed at the ankles stuck out from the blanket draped across her legs. “You look fantastic.”

“Hi, honey. Thank you, I’m feeling it. Those must be my discharge papers. Doc says I get to blow this Popsicle stand today.”

“Blow this Popsicle stand?” Even though her mom had kept improving, the doctors had opted to keep her for a couple extra days for observation. They were still unsure about the cause of her prolonged unconsciousness.

“Isn’t that right, Ty?” Nora looked over at the bed beside hers. It was occupied by a teenage girl with short, spiked blue hair. A cast stretched from just below her shoulder all the way down her arm and around her hand. The pastel purple cast bore evidence of visitors via an array of scribbled signatures covering its surface.

“That’s it, Mrs. K. You’re way live now. And this Instagram pic of your brain scan is lit. I wonder if I can get a copy of my X-ray?”

“Sure you can, this is America. Freedom of information and all that.” She looked back at Mia. “Ty’s been helping me with my street lingo. We’re homes.”

“Yeah,” she drawled. “I picked up on that. That’ll come in handy with your pinochle group in Pacific Cove. But I’m not sure the Freedom of Information Act really applies to medical records.”

“Are you even kidding me? That’s messed up.”

Mia rolled her eyes. Ty giggled.

A smiling young nurse with deep dimples, a long ponytail and colorful butterflies decorating her top came in pushing a wheelchair. Her name tag read Betsy. She stopped between the two beds and swiveled her head from one patient to the other.

“Hey, Bets,” Nora asked, “wha’s up?”

The nurse gave a breezy wave. “You know—same old, same old.”

“I hear that.”

Nurse Betsy chuckled. “We sure are going to miss you around here, Nora.” To Mia, she said, “It’s rare to get patients as entertaining as your mom. And these two together—” she gestured between the roommates “—could take their act on the road.” She asked Nora, “You ready to get out of here?”

“You know it.”

Betsy helped Nora get settled in the wheelchair while Mia gathered her mom’s belongings. When they were ready, Betsy began pushing her toward the door.

“Don’t forget to give me your John Hancock on the way out.” Ty waved a purple marker. To Mia she said, “That lingo thing is working both ways. I’m going to take some vintage vocab home to my squad.”

Betsy situated the chair so Nora could comply. Ty and Betsy both stared transfixed as her mom worked her magic with an assortment of colors. Mia understood their fascination. She had seen her mom draw a million times, yet she never seemed to get enough.

“Get. Out!” the girl exclaimed as she examined Nora’s handiwork, a blue-haired girl flying through the air on a skateboard. Her arms were outstretched, an apple in one hand and a book in the other. A slice of the skate park stretched out before her.