fresh air clear my head. Then home to a hot bath and some tea.”
“See you Friday, then, doll.”
After saying goodbye to the other bartenders and servers, Lani headed out the employee entrance, which opened up mere steps from the Mission Beach boardwalk. It was busy, even on a weeknight, with runners and skateboarders, and people hanging out on their decks, along with the sound of laughter, music and screams coming from nearby Belmont Park and its rollercoaster.
She sucked in a deep breath of the salty sea air and, hanging her purse across her body, shoved her hands in the kangaroo pocket of her hoodie and scuffed along the boardwalk, head down. Well, she couldn’t avoid thinking about it any longer. Tonight’s bout of morning sickness and its aftermath meant reality—that old bitch—was trying her damndest to get Lani’s attention.
How was she gonna do this, work and raise a baby on her own in one of the most expensive cities in the U.S.?
She was barely hanging on as it was. Her job paid well, and on a good night the tips were amazing. Still, the cost of living ate into most of what she made, leaving little left over for things like diapers and everything else a baby required. Childcare? Forget it.
She’d need to move home.
That thought sent a giant shudder through her, along with nausea of a different kind. No. Home wasn’t home anymore. Home was a place where awful memories lurked. Her parents still lived in that house...
Pressing her palm against her abdomen, Lani choked back a sob. She wanted to raise her child in this place, a place she associated with love, laughter and friendship. No matter that everything was changing, San Diego would always be the city where she’d been the happiest.
It was home now, and she didn’t want to leave.
Suddenly, a delicious smell cut into her anguished thoughts. The pretzel stand. Unexpected hunger made her empty tummy give a giant rumble, and before she knew it, she was headed that way. Maybe a big, soft unsalted pretzel and a cup of Sprite would lift her spirits.
They did. The pretzel was hot, and buttery, the soda crisp and cold.
“Let me keep it down, baby, please,” she whispered, patting her stomach.
“Feeling better?”
With a start, Lani glanced to the side where a low wall ran along the edge of the boardwalk. Geo perched there, lips quirked, cup of coffee in hand. After a moment’s hesitation, she ambled in his direction.
“For now.” She tossed the greasy parchment paper into a nearby trash can. “It smelled so good, I couldn’t resist.”
“I’m glad.” Standing, he threw his coffee cup away, too, and by unspoken agreement, they started meandering down the path side by side, hands crammed in their pockets.
“Hey, thanks for listening earlier,” she said at last. “It did feel good to talk about it.”
“You’re very welcome.” Geo leapt to the side to avoid a skateboarder barreling at them, and when they came back together, he said, “We can talk some more if you want. I don’t have anywhere to be.”
“What? A SEAL with time on his hands? How’d you manage that?”
He chuckled. “I do have to check on my dog at some point, but other than that—”
“You have a dog?”
“Well, sort of. I’m a K9 handler, so he’s not my pet, he’s technically my teammate.”
“Really?” Lani knew next to nothing about the military working dog community, just that they existed, even on SEAL teams.
“Yep, his name is Bosch.”
“Bosch? As in Hieronymus Bosch, the artist?”
Geo’s glance held a tinge of surprise. “Yeah. You know Bosch?”
Unable to keep from bristling, Lani snapped, “Why is that so astonishing? Despite outward appearances, I’m not some uneducated hick—”
“Whoa, now, did I say anything like that?” Geo stopped walking and turned to her. “I can count on one hand the people who’ve gotten that reference immediately, okay? It’s always surprising to me when someone does, no matter who it is.”
Pinching the bridge of her nose, she blew out a calming breath before mumbling, “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m so defensive. It’s just—”
After a moment, he gestured toward the ocean. “C’mon, let’s walk on the beach.”
The water was dark, and frothy with waves. She kicked off her shoes, and the cool sand squelched between her toes, easing some of her tension. “You must think I’m an absolute mess, don’t you?”
“‘An uneducated hick.’ ‘An absolute mess.’ Hmm.” Geo shook his head. “Is that how I see you, or how you see yourself?”
Her throat tightening, Lani stopped walking.