“So I did what I had to do—I shoved it into the side of my cheek, pretended to swallow, and smiled at the tribal leader. He let out a triumphant yell and grinned at me. When he turned around to grab another piece of questionable cuisine, I spit the hard whatever-it-was out of my mouth into the dirt and quickly buried it.”
Baker shuddered. “It was one of the worst things I’ve ever eaten in my life, and trust me, I’ve had some bad shit.”
“What was it?” Jodelle asked with a wide grin.
“Sheep’s eye. I didn’t find that out until later though, and it’s a good thing. I probably would’ve thrown up right then and there if I’d known.”
Jodelle shuddered dramatically.
“So…spaghetti doesn’t even rank in the top one hundred of undignified things to eat in front of someone else,” Baker told her with a grin of his own.
“Thanks for not feeding me eyeballs,” she said, returning his smile.
“Never,” he said.
The rest of the meal went by smoothly. Baker could hardly believe Jodelle was actually here in his house, eating a meal with him. He wasn’t the most loquacious man in the world, but she didn’t seem to mind. Even when there were long silences between them, she didn’t seem nervous or uneasy. Better yet, she didn’t yammer on about nothing just to fill those silences.
Eventually, Jodelle sat back in her chair with a sigh. “Uncle,” she said. “I ate as much as I could.”
Baker was impressed. He’d put quite the pile of noodles and sauce on her plate, and she’d managed to eat just over half. He liked that she hadn’t been afraid or embarrassed to actually eat in front of him. Some women would’ve taken a few bites and pretended to be full.
“It was good?” he asked as he stood and reached for her plate.
“Delicious.”
Baker nodded in satisfaction. A familiar thrill swelled inside him. He’d felt this way when he’d completed a mission in the past, or after riding a killer wave, or when he’d uncovered an important piece of information while researching bad guys…but never had he experienced the emotion after making a meal for someone.
They worked together to package up the leftovers and when they were done, Baker said, “It’s fairly early, the traffic out there will still be awful. If you leave now, it’ll take you forever to get to your house. Want to sit for a while?”
Jodelle stared at him for a second, then asked, “You know where I live?”
Baker thought about lying, about saying that he just assumed she lived closer to Waimea Bay, but he didn’t want to start their relationship by being dishonest. “Yes,” he said simply.
Jodelle tilted her head and stared at him. “I don’t know anything about you,” she said after a moment.
“Yes, you do,” he countered. “You’ve known me a while now.”
“Fine. I know that you’re a hell of a surfer, you used to be a Navy SEAL, you have some pretty awesome friends—if the few I’ve met are any indication. I know you’re the strong-and-silent type, you’re kind of bossy, and that you’re kinder than you want most people to know.”
Baker nodded. “Except for that last one, you’re right on.”
“You don’t think you’re kind?” Jodelle asked.
“I know I’m not,” he said as he gestured to the couch with his head. “Shall we sit?”
She immediately nodded and followed his lead to the small sitting area. She sat on one end of the couch and Baker settled on the other. He wanted to pull her into his arms and into the oversized easy chair, but that was a bit much, even for him.
“I think you’ve probably seen some pretty awful stuff when you were active duty,” Jodelle said, continuing their conversation. “And it’s made you wary of most people. But I’ve seen you interact with the kids. You’re tough with them, you don’t beat around the bush when they mess up, whether in the waves or in school, but you aren’t cruel about it. You tell them what they did wrong and how to fix it. They respect you for that, you know.”
Baker shrugged.
“I mean, don’t get me wrong, you can be a jerk. But most of the time, at least from what I’ve seen, the people you call out deserve it.”
Baker wanted to tell her she was wrong. That he was anything but kind. But he also wasn’t an idiot. He wanted her to like him, and fessing up to all the times he’d called out people for being assholes and when he purposely went out of his way to piss someone off because they deserved it…that wouldn’t do the trick.
“I’m glad you see me that way,” he eventually said.
To his surprise, Jodelle laughed. “Wow, was that diplomatic.”
Baker couldn’t help but smile.
“Anyway, you know where I live…what else do you know?” she asked.
“I know that seeing you makes my day one hundred percent better. That being around you makes me feel less like a washed-up old Navy SEAL and more like a normal man. That you’ve got more pain deep down inside of you than anyone I’ve ever met, and that I’ve never wanted a woman more than I want you.”
Jodelle blinked in surprise. “Oh, um…wow.”
Baker inwardly cringed. Shit, he was no good at this. “I’m not a nice man,” he continued. “But being around you makes me want to be the kind of man you see in me. I’m fifty-two. I’ve figured out that things go much better when I spit out what I want, rather than beating around the bush or being vague. I want to get to know you better, Jodelle. Go out. I can’t stop thinking about you. It’s crazy, I’ve never been like this before, and I want to see if the attraction we seem to have for each other is something we can build on, or if it’ll burn hot and fast, then fizzle out.”
She stared at him for so long, Baker had a feeling he should’ve at least attempted to come on less strong.
“Why now?” she asked.
Relaxing a fraction, since she hadn’t outright laughed or denied there was an attraction between them, Baker said, “Because I’ve fucked around too long as it is. If there’s anything the shit that’s happened to my friends has taught me, it’s that life is short. I mean, you’d think I would’ve already known that being a SEAL and all, but my eyes have been opened even more recently, and I’ve realized what an idiot I’ve been.”
“I’m not sure I want to be in a relationship,” she said.
Baker respected her even more for her honesty. “I’m not sure I do either,” he told her.
Her lips twitched. “So we’re two people who don’t want to go out, but will attempt it anyway?”
Baker shrugged. “You’re different,” he said quietly. “I don’t know why, but I want to find out. I always thought I would be alone for the rest of my life, and I was fine with that. I’ve been satisfied helping take out the assholes who think they can abuse others and do whatever they want without any consequences. But at the end of the day, I come home to this empty and soulless house, and I’ve realized that while people appreciate what I do…if I disappeared off the face of the earth tomorrow, no one would give a shit.”