Chapter 3

"That's it," Cody said as he brought in the last box. He set it down in Kerry's new living room.

"Thank you, Cody. I've ordered pizza. The beer is in the fridge. I hope you and Murray will stay. The least I can do is feed you two for helping."

"Yeah, sure. I'll stay. I'm sure Murray will too."

"Great. Help yourself to the beer in the fridge. Pizza should be here soon."

Murray made his way inside from the deck. "Hey Nick, Cody, you should see the pool. It's really boss."

"I'm sure it is, Murray," Cody said as he pulled two bottles of beer out of the fridge and handed it to him.

"He's right, Cody. The pool is awesome. That is what sold this apartment for me," Kerry said.

The doorbell rang and Kerry excused herself to answer it. She returned to the kitchen and set the pizzas on the table. She opened the boxes. "I got pepperoni and mushroom, pepperoni and extra cheese, and extra cheese."

She knew Nick was a big fan of pepperoni and mushroom, but she wasn't sure about Cody and Murray. Extra cheese was a safe bet because if they didn't like pepperoni, they would eat the extra cheese.

Murray studied the pizzas. "Boss! Extra cheese and pepperoni! Thank you, Kerry!"

Kerry smiled. "Your welcome, Murray. Take as much as you like."

After dinner, Cody and Murray had left to go back to the Riptide, both saying they had work that needed to be done. Nick and Kerry sat on the balcony, finishing up the beer.

"They didn't have to leave, you know," Kerry said as she watched the sun setting over the ocean.

"No, they didn't. They wanted to give us some privacy."

"Us?"

Nick set his beer on the table. He stood up, and took two steps over to where she was sitting. He held out his hand to her and helped her to her feet.

"Yes, us," he whispered as he lowered his lips to hers.

She felt his lips on hers. Her arms circled his neck. "Nick," she whispered.

He slipped his arms around her waist. Finally, she was where he wanted her. He had spent the day wondering if Cody and Boz would disappear after they moved her things into her new apartment. All day long, he had been trying to plan some alone time with her.

She pulled her lips from his. She looked at him questioningly. "We're going to do this, aren't we?"

"If you want."

"I want, but I don't want Saigon again."

He kissed the top of her head. He didn't want Saigon again either. The two of them had worked side by side through numerous helicopter flights to get American military personnel evacuated safely out of the city. After their last flight, they had settled with everyone else in the Philippines before being shipped back to California.

Their one night together burned in the back of her mind. Nick had been a perfectly patient lover, doing what he could to make her feel less awkward and insecure. While she knew it was only going to be for one night, she secretly wished that they would have many more. She knew it was impossible. She was returning to San Francisco, and he to Los Angeles. Fate brought them together again during their two weeks of National Guard duty every summer. Two years ago, she had announced she had gotten married. Last month, she announced she had gotten a divorce.

"I don't want that either," he said quietly.

"What do you want, Nick?"

"I want us. I want to date you properly. I want to see where we go with this. I care about you. A lot."

"And I, you."

"So, this is a yes?"

"It's a yes."

He tightened his hug and kissed her cheek. "Thank you, Kerry."