SEALed at Midnight Read online

  Flipping the lid of the laptop closed, she stood. The book would still be there when the movie was done.

  Maybe a couple of hours spent away from staring at the screen would rejuvenate her. Moving to the sofa, she flopped onto the cushion and grabbed the throw to pull over her legs just as the station came back from a commercial break.

  One glance at the screen told Ginny it was the colorized version of the classic. She hated that. Black and white movies were meant to remain black and white, in her opinion.

  In silent protest, Ginny reached for the remote and changed the channel. She’d rather miss the movie than watch the bastardized version.

  The people who owned the home had every channel known to man, so she was pretty sure she’d be able to find something good to watch.

  “Today’s topic is how to find a man.” The words of the male host of a show she didn’t normally watch halted Ginny’s channel surfing. “We’re here with relationship expert Ronald Pearl, also known as the Love Doctor.”

  Just what she needed—some expert giving her advice, as if her mother didn’t do that enough.

  She was about to flip again when the guest said, “Single women are alone because subconsciously they choose to be alone.”

  She paused long enough to scowl at the idiot on the television who’d just delivered the ridiculous statement.

  The homeowner’s cat chose that moment to dart into the room. It sent a look of fear in Ginny’s direction and then skidded into the kitchen where the food and water bowls were.

  If Ginny couldn’t even get the damn cat to spend time with her, how was she supposed to do it with a man? She’d love to ask this expert that.

  Remote control still in her hand, she couldn’t bring herself to change the channel quite yet. Not until she’d heard what other bullshit this man had to say.

  The Love Doctor, who she doubted was really a doctor at all, continued, “Think of where you choose to work, to live, to shop, to recreate. Are these places where you are likely to meet the man of your dreams?”

  The doctor of course had spoken to a female audience member, but it seemed as if he addressed Ginny directly.

  She thought over her choices, mostly to try and disprove his theory, but the more she thought, the more she realized he was right.

  Rather than getting an office job, Ginny chose to work from home.

  For the holidays, the busiest time of the year for shopping, parties and just generally being around other people, she traded her city apartment for a house in the country, hours away from her friends and family.

  The only guy she’d be likely to meet while buried away here was the man who delivered the heating oil. She’d barely even caught a glimpse of the mailman since she’d been here because the mailbox was along the road at the end of the very long driveway.

  And recreation? Even when she was home in Stamford, watching television and reading were her main past times, especially now that Molly had a boyfriend to keep her busy.

  It was her own fault she remained alone. The epiphany sat heavy in her chest.

  Her mother might be right. Just that realization alone shifted Ginny's entire perception of reality.

  “So what do I do?” She whispered the question aloud as the woman standing in the television audience asked the Love Doctor almost the same thing.

  “I want you to make a list of everything you want in your life. By writing down and acknowledging your goals, you’ll unconsciously take the steps necessary to achieve them.”

  Tossing the blanket to the side, Ginny jumped up and lunged for the desk. She grabbed a pad of paper and a pen.

  The audience member began to tear up. Ginny frowned at the reaction. Crying would do no good.

  Then again, writing down what she wanted probably wouldn't do much good either, but at least it seemed more productive than sobbing on national television.

  She began her list by writing at the top of the page What I Want in Life.

  Ginny paused. What did she want? She tapped the pen against the pad of paper while considering the answer to that very important question.

  Her lack of ideas wasn’t a very promising start. Did her writer's block extend to list making too?

  Ah, ha! That was what she wanted.

  “I want to get over my writer's block. I want to write a novel.” She wrote as she spoke and felt better the minute something went down on the paper.

  On a roll, she went back and added the words and publish after the words to write.

  Ginny thought some more and added the words bestselling before novel.

  She reread the sentence with the additions.

  To write and publish a bestselling novel.

  As long as this was a wish list, she might as well make the wishes good.

  Feeling as if she was finally off to a good start, Ginny continued to consider what she wanted in life.

  She glanced outside at the snow and thought of another point for her list. She was tired of feeling helpless. She’d had enough of being unable to fix things that broke or start a snow blower.

  I want to be able to take care of myself.

  Independence was important, however, she didn't want to be alone all the time either. Ginny added one more thing to the list.

  I want a man.

  Hmm. Better be more specific than that. She started a bulleted list of criteria below that.

  Young

  Handsome

  Unmarried

  Smart

  Honorable

  After a moment of further consideration, she added two more.

  Good in bed

  Lets me be my own person

  Glancing up, Ginny saw the woman on screen had finally wiped her eyes and started making her own list.

  The doctor kept speaking, “Once you have your list, the points you’ve written become your destination. But you need a map to get to your destination. What steps can you consciously take to move you in the right direction to help achieve your end goals?”

  Ginny supposed she could get out of the house more.

  No wonder she was alone and had writer's block. How could she obtain any material to write if her entire existence consisted of this house, the television and her computer? She needed to get a life in order to write a book and land a man.

  Molly and Marco met at the snack bar at their gym. Ginny had never belonged to a gym. She preferred exercise videos she could workout to in the privacy of her own home.

  That was just one more way she unconsciously made the choice to be alone. Maybe she needed to join a gym. She added that as step number one.

  She glanced at her list of male criteria. To find a man like that, she definitely needed to get out more, but not going just any old place would do. She supposed she could take day trips into New York City.

  There she could visit museums and art galleries. Smart men would hang around there. Right?

  Maybe she could sign up for some adult education classes at the local college. That would kill two birds with one stone. She could learn how to fix things and she might meet some cute guys at the school.

  She wrote all those new ideas down as well, and then reviewed the lengthening list. She had a lot of changes to make in her usual routine.

  The half hour show was wrapping up with the Love Doctor hawking his book. Ginny flipped the channel. She’d gotten what she needed from the show—a list of goals and a game plan on how to achieve them.

  Since she couldn’t do anything about her plan on Christmas Eve, she put the list aside and decided not to think about any of it tonight. Tomorrow would be out of the question too, since it was a holiday.

  In fact, with New Year's Eve just around the corner, after the first of the year might be a better time to start implementing the changes for her new life.

  That seemed like the perfect time. After the holidays were over. When businesses were getting back to business as usual. And when the whole world was making resolutions for the new year.

  Happy with t
hat plan, Ginny scrolled until she found a Christmas movie she could live with, pulled the blanket over her legs again and snuggled in for the evening.

  She’d call her mom and dad as soon as this movie was over. Maybe by then she’d have a better handle on how bad the storm was going to be.

  CHAPTER 5

  Thom leaned toward the restroom mirror and evaluated his reflection. Aside from the darkened circles beneath his eyes, which were caused by lack of sleep not bruising, he looked back to normal.

  His face had gone through a whole rainbow of colors since the November mission that had landed him in the hospital. During the worst of it, he’d even resorted to putting on makeup so the bruises wouldn’t scare his kids.

  Now, finally, that night was just a memory. And a hazy memory, at that.

  He balled up the paper towel he’d dried his hands on and tossed it across the room. It landed dead center in the trashcan.

  Score.

  His depth perception was back. So was his peripheral vision, and he hadn’t experienced memory loss in weeks. Proof that even an RPG-powered hatch to the face couldn’t keep a good SEAL down for long.

  Thom tugged the men’s room door open and headed into the dimly lit bar toward the table where his friends sat.

  Rather than take his seat, he dug into his pocket for his wallet and tossed a five-dollar bill onto the table for the soda he’d drank. “I guess I’m gonna get going.”

  From his seat at the table, Brody frowned up at him. “You sure you wanna take that drive tonight?”

  “I’ll be fine.” Thom dismissed his friend’s concern with the wave of one hand.

  The team was used to working vampire hours, with most of their missions happening at night. Compared to infiltrating an ISIS stronghold, driving from Virginia to Massachusetts would be a piece of cake.

  Brody’s brother Chris paused with his beer in his hand. “I don’t see why you don’t just hit the road in the morning instead. That way you can stay, have some beers with us, then start fresh in daylight.”

  “There’ll be less traffic driving at night. Besides, they’re expecting me in the afternoon, but I kinda wanna surprise my parents and be there when they wake up in the morning.” Thom couldn’t be with his kids on Christmas morning, thanks to his bitch ex-wife’s rules, so he wanted to be with his parents.

  He would have left earlier today, but he’d only been allowed to have his son and daughter for Christmas Eve dinner. He couldn’t miss that, so it delayed his departure.

  Thom had three-days leave and he was going to make the most of it. If that meant driving at night to maximize the time he had with his family in Massachusetts, then that’s what he’d do.

  Brody pushed back his chair and stood. He extended his hand to Thom then reeled him in to deliver a slap on his back with the other. “Safe trip and Merry Christmas.”

  “Thanks.” Thom turned and got the same treatment from the other Cassidy brother.

  Chris pulled back and said, “Be careful driving up there. I saw talk of a snowstorm on the news.”

  Thom laughed. “Don’t worry. We Yankees know how to drive in the snow. It’s only you southern boys who think a few flurries warrants a winter weather emergency.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Chris rolled his eyes. “Just be careful and Merry Christmas.”

  “Same to you.” Thom tipped his head. “See you in a few days.”

  “You got it.” Brody’s voice followed Thom as he turned for the door. “And don’t forget, New Years is at Rick’s place again this year.”

  Thom raised an arm in acknowledgement as he pushed through the back door of the bar that led to the parking lot.

  The cool air hit him like a bracing slap across the face. He was grateful for that after the overly warm air of the bar and his full belly from dinner with the kids. He had become a little too relaxed and kind of sleepy.

  Luckily, when he’d stopped at the gas station to fill up before getting the kids this afternoon, Thom had picked up an energy drink. If he started to feel tired during the eight-hour drive to Springfield, he’d down that and be good.

  Sliding behind the wheel of his SUV, he thought about what Brody had called to him as he’d been leaving. New Years Eve was next week. Yet another holiday to remind him of his divorce.

  He’d negotiated to get the kids on New Years Day this year so he couldn’t get shitfaced at the party the night before. Even so, it would be good to be at Rick’s place with his buddies.

  Of course, it wouldn’t just be the guys. There’d be a few females. Rick’s sister Darci would be there and Ali too since she and Jon were a couple now.

  Even Zane had settled down with one girl, amazingly enough. And of course, Grant and his wife would probably come.

  One day—maybe—Thom would be interested in going down the dating road again. Since thoughts of his ex-wife still had his blood pressure rising into the danger zone, that day had obviously not come yet.

  Hell, she’d turn him so completely off women he hadn’t had sex in—what? A quick calculation told him it had been over eighteen months since the divorce had been finalized and he’d gone out on a drunken rebound-sex spree.

  That had been more about revenge and anger at his ex than pleasure for himself.

  Christ, that woman had messed him up good if even sex hadn’t held any appeal for him for a year and a half.

  Steering onto the entrance ramp for the highway that would lead him north and home, Thom decided this holiday was a good time to forget about everything bad in his life. A time to enjoy his family, the beauty of his hometown in winter and some much needed time off.

  He might even run into one of his old girlfriends from high school. A one-night reunion with a woman from his past might be just what he needed to break out of this funk he was in and end his dry spell.

  Some quick, easy sex might get him back on the horse, so to speak.

  Still, somehow that idea left him cold.

  Even with as bruised as he was from the divorce, damned if he wasn’t still a romantic at heart. He should probably work on that.

  Thom realized it was going to be a long night if he kept second-guessing his life and loves the whole way.

  He spun the dial on the radio louder, hoping the music would fill his head rather than his own thoughts.

  With a dry, open highway ahead of him, he set the cruise control for ten miles above the posted speed limit and reached for his energy drink, settling in for the drive.

  Next stop, Massachusetts.

  ~ * ~

  The first flakes began to fall just past Hartford. By the time he crossed the border between Connecticut and Massachusetts, the flurry had turned into a legitimate snow squall, forcing Thom and the other drivers on Route 91 to reduce their speed to a crawl.

  He might have been living in the south for the past decade, but he’d learned to drive in New England. He slipped right back into winter driving mode, reducing his speed and following in the tire tracks of the car in front of him.

  The weather was going to triple the length of time of the last leg of his drive, but there was no preventing that.

  Slow and steady was the way to go in this kind of shit. No sharp turns. No slamming on the brakes. No trying to pass the single line of traffic, like one guy who’d zipped past him a mile back.

  Until the highway trucks plowed and sanded, there was nothing else to do. It would take longer, but as long as the road remained open, he’d get there eventually.

  Thom spotted the car that had passed him spun off the road. It faced the wrong direction on the shoulder, with its nose crushed by the guardrail.

  He shook his head at the stupidity of some drivers and didn’t feel all that guilty as he crept by. The highway patrol was already on the way to help. He could see the flashing lights in his rearview mirror.

  The long row of brake lights up ahead had Thom downshifting to slow the vehicle before he applied the brakes.

  This explained what the emergency vehicles behind h
im were for and it wasn’t that one guy who’d spun off the road.

  He crept along at a snail’s pace for a mile or so, happy to be moving at least, before he spotted flares and highway patrol workers waving drivers off the exit and onto Route 5.

  He’d obviously cursed himself by even thinking he was grateful the road was still open. Now, all signs indicated the highway ahead was closed.

  “Shit.” He was so close to home too.

  In normal weather he would have been pulling into his parents’ driveway in less than half an hour.

  Not anymore. Not after whatever detour they were sending him on that would probably take him completely out of his way.

  Fuck that. He’d grown up in this area. He knew the side roads. Since the highway wasn’t plowed anyway, he couldn’t imagine the smaller roads would be in any worse condition.

  Thom followed the line of cars—more than there should be at this time of night on a holiday—off the highway but he didn’t follow them for long.

  He exited onto a smaller road and soon he was clear of the crowd. Just the fact he was heading in the right direction had him feeling better about his chosen detour.

  The temperature must have plummeted outside. The difference between the warmth inside the car and the cold outside had his windows fogging up. Thom reached down to flip on the defroster.

  When he looked back up the deer was in the middle of the road, staring at the car but not moving.

  Reflex had him slamming on the brakes.

  He realized his mistake immediately. His training kicked in. He stayed calm and tried to steer out of the spin.

  Things seemed to move in slow motion. The world flocked in white spun around him as the car skidded on what must be ice beneath the snow.

  He saw the tree and realized the trajectory of the vehicle would send him slamming into it . . . and he was helpless to change that.

  CHAPTER 6

  Ginny woke on the couch in darkness.

  She must have fallen asleep while watching television. Shivering, she reached to pull up the blanket higher.