a live Christmas tree for Christmas Eve, something her parents always refused to do. She was going to do loads of holiday baking, go for a hike, and maybe even try skating at Hotel Coronado.
On the screen, one of the SEAL characters stripped off his shirt.
Chelsea wriggled deeper in the couch and grabbed the first test on her stack. “All I want for Christmas is a cute Navy SEAL,” she said out loud.
Then she laughed.
Even though the base was right down the road, the chances of that happening were slim to none. Even if she happened to run into a burly special warfare operator at the art studio, or the farmer’s market, or while ice skating, there was less than zero chance they would give a delightfully average high school math teacher a second glance.
That’s how she thought of herself. Delightfully average. There was nothing wrong with being average, and at some point, she would find someone who shared her interests in life—crafting, cooking, and long walks on the beach.
She laughed to herself.
She really did like long walks on the beach, though. And in the mountains. She wasn’t a couch potato, except when marking, but she wouldn’t be caught dead running very fast, either.
Delightfully average. And this year, all alone for the holidays.
She double-checked her marking key, then set the first test to the side. One down, a billion to go. On the screen, the Navy SEAL had covered his ripped torso with a uniform, so she got back to work.
It was dark when the military transport plane landed, but San Diego Harbour had never looked prettier. Overhead was the familiar buzz of air traffic in, and the salty sea breeze was the best thing he’d smelled in six long months.
Ben didn’t even care that he had boxes to unpack when he got home.
He had an apartment sorted out, and it hadn’t even been that complicated. One of the leave coordinators, a civilian who worked for the Navy to help book travel had worked with the team that moved people across the country. In this case, they were just moving him a few blocks away.
According to his last email, the key to his new apartment would be waiting for him with the key to his truck, which had been pulled out of storage and was waiting for him in a nearby parking lot.
Some of his teammates had loved ones waiting for them, and he let them stream ahead to the hanger. They would all be back at work together the next day to debrief and receive orders before dispersing for much needed home leave.
In fact, he didn’t need to say goodbye to anyone at all.
He didn’t have anyone to say hello to, either, but he was walking off that plane on his own two feet, so he was damn grateful.
A Big Mac and an ice-cold Coke would make him a completely happy man.
In the hanger, he showed his ID card, collected his envelope of keys, and checked the fuck out.
His truck was exactly where he expected it to be. Every time he went overseas for an extended period, his baby went into storage, and well cared for in his absence. This time was no difference. It had been detailed and topped up with fuel, too.
“Come on, girl. Let’s go find a hamburger.”
The McDonald’s on base was open around the clock, and it wasn’t busy. He grabbed his food to go, then headed off-base, ready to get his first in-person look at his new digs.
It was further away from the main base than his last place, closer to the commercial strip on Orange Ave. Close to the SEAL training center, though, so he wasn’t complaining.
He wasn’t going to complain no matter what. God damn grateful to be alive. He always felt this way coming off a tour, but this time, with the sour bitterness of being cheated on still threatening as a minor distraction, he was extra-focused on what really mattered.
Life. Freedom.
No women for a while. Not until he rid himself of that sourness.
And no moping around his new place, either. He needed to get out and do stuff.
The low-slung apartment building looked promising as he pulled into the parking lot beside it. There were two gates, one directly off the lot, the other on the street. He grabbed his takeout food in one hand, and his bag that contained his laptop and phone in the other, then looped around to the front entrance, figuring he might as well get oriented