Navy Hope

Ironically, the most important woman in his life at the moment was a woman he hadn’t seen since they were just kids, sophomores in college. Did she remember him?

You know she does. You’ve never forgotten her.

Chapter Two (#u385330fc-f56f-59e5-9c29-ead00ffdc01a)

As the boat continued its lurching journey, Lucas focused on Valentina DiPaola, owner and director of Beyond the Stars military family healing retreat, and once his first real girlfriend after high school. They’d been together for an entire semester before he’d had to leave unexpectedly at the end of sophomore year. His family in Philadelphia had shattered, thanks to his father’s drinking and his mother’s nervous breakdown. He was the oldest child and his little sister had needed him to be a steady care provider. His dreams of joining the military had been delayed but he’d managed to finish his degree locally, then serve in Navy Special Forces for a couple of tours before he started medical school.

He’d never told Val what a mess his family was. That wasn’t something he’d been willing to do when he was twenty, and when he’d matured enough to realize he had nothing to be ashamed of, it didn’t matter anymore. She was long out of his life; too much time had passed.

He was grateful that Val hadn’t rejected his application for this counselor’s position. She’d communicated through her assistant from their very first reply to his email inquiry about the open counselor’s job.

He thought she’d nix it when she read his résumé and found out who he was.

But she’d been more concerned that he wasn’t a counselor but in fact a psychiatrist. There’d been a brief flurry of questions about his being overqualified for the position, but when he’d agreed to the full six-month employment period she’d hired him. She’d explained that the six-month term was a benefit to both parties: Beyond the Stars was located on San Juan Island, a remote part of the country accessible only by ferry or airplane. Val knew she couldn’t expect employees to sign on for longer, at least until they’d seen the place. It was beneficial to him as the employee, since he’d be free to leave at the end of six months, which Lucas planned to. The time on San Juan was his respite from what he considered his primary calling.

His specialty was helping war veterans, especially those with PTSD. The six-month leave of absence from his job at Walter Reed was a sabbatical of sorts. He wouldn’t be dealing with vets at Beyond the Stars but instead, the families left behind by those who’d died in the service. The wartime widows, widowers and surviving children.

Gold Star families.

You’ll be working for a woman again.

That was how he’d fallen in love with Betsy; she’d been the hospital’s Head of Psychiatry when he’d done his residency. Long hours, intense cases at a wartime pace made emotions run high and created an insistent need for release.

Betsy had been there. Ten years older than Lucas, she seemed to want the same things he did. A partnership, and not just on hospital rounds or in bed. A lifetime commitment.

She’d let him down gently, but he could still hear the roaring in his ears as she’d explained that she was accepting a position in another city; she needed a change.

Taking their relationship to Chicago with her wasn’t part of the plan.

It’d been a mistake to get involved with his boss, a mistake he wouldn’t make again. Judging by her lack of interest in him other than the professional, Val didn’t care about their previous attachment. He hoped she was married and completely unavailable. She still used her maiden name, but a lot of married women did. Even if she was single, he was only here for six months. After that he needed to get back to the real world, wherever and whatever he decided that would be.

The deck shifted beneath his feet and the vibration of the motor ceased. As the ferry docked, he turned to walk back to his car, ready to drive onto the tiny island that would be his home and workplace for the next half year.

Chapter Three (#u385330fc-f56f-59e5-9c29-ead00ffdc01a)

“I appreciate your time, sir, but Beyond the Stars is non-profit and I intend to keep it that way.”

Val rolled her eyes at Maggie, her assistant, as she listened to the umpteenth investor who wanted to buy out her resort and make her a very rich woman.

“It’s not about the money, it’s about the military families who need healing. I’m sorry to cut you off, but I’m late for a meeting.”

She stopped herself from slamming down the phone, setting it back on its base with a quiet click.

“Meeting?” Maggie’s blue eyes twinkled in her flushed face.

“Yeah, with you. We always have a meeting on the schedule, right?”

They both laughed and Val let the sound wash over her.

“Thank God my brother left me the money he did,” she said. “Much as I hated accepting it at first, it’s been the cushion we need, so we didn’t have to make this a commercial resort.” She’d argued with her brother’s widow over not taking the money, but her sister-in-law insisted it was what Chet had wanted. He’d left his family well-insured, prepared for the worst-case scenario.

“You’re doing well with the grants from the various veterans’ associations, plus the fundraising we do. And as long as families leave with something positive after their week at Beyond the Stars, what more can you ask for?”

“For the rest of the world to leave us alone.” Val tapped her fingers on the side of her soda can. “I want this place to stay special, to be the safe haven it’s meant to be. I know we need to press to keep the private donations coming in, but it brings in some unwanted attention, too.”

“You’re doing great, Val,” Maggie said again. “Your brother would be so proud of you.” Maggie fanned herself with a Beyond the Stars brochure. “He died too young, honey, a true hero. This is what he would’ve wanted you to do. I have no doubt that the families who come here are blessed with some peace.”

“I’m not denying that, Maggie. I just have to make sure our finances stay in the black.” Val’s heart ached whenever anyone mentioned Chet. She’d never get over losing her baby brother to the war in Afghanistan. But Maggie was right. Beyond the Stars made a difference for other Gold Star families.

Maggie continued to fan herself.

“You okay?” Val asked. She didn’t like the beet-red tone of Maggie’s skin.

Maggie groaned. “I’m perfectly healthy. These personal ‘power moments’ are all part of a normal menopause, according to Doc Maura.”

Val wanted to give Maggie a big hug but knew it might embarrass her. It had taken two years to convince Maggie she was right for this job. To work on an isolated island at the edge of the North American continent, with the goal of benefitting the families hardest hit by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“What about ginger tea? I heard ginger might help.”

Maggie laughed. “If anything really worked, I’d be rich off the cure for hormone hell.” Maggie flapped her hands as if she were shooing away flies. “Don’t you worry about my problems. By the time you get to this point in your life, there’ll be a cure for hot flashes.”

Val smiled. Maggie wasn’t here for the paycheck. She was here because she was a Navy widow, a Gold Star family member. She’d lost her husband and been left with three teenage boys to raise. This was back during the first Gulf War, when the support system for Gold Star families hadn’t been as strong as it was today.

They went back to their usual routines at their respective computers.

“You sure you’re ready for this?”

Maggie’s voice broke through Val’s desperate attempt to keep her mind off the man who’d be walking into her office thirty minutes from now.

“Yes, I am. He’s probably married or at least involved, and even if he’s single, I’m not looking.”

Maggie snorted. “Honey, that’s the exact attitude I had before I met Mike.”

“If it didn’t happen with Bob, it’s not going to happen.” She’d ended the relationship with her long-term boyfriend from Seattle two years ago. “I was comfortable with him. We had so much in common. But it wasn’t enough to keep us together when I moved here.”

“‘Comfortable’ was your first mistake, Val. The man who’s best for you won’t be the one you’re most comfortable with. He’ll be the one who sets your teeth on edge and makes you a better person, all at the same time.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“Do you really think this man won’t remember you?”

This wasn’t the conversation she wanted to be having before their new employee showed up. He’d been a college boyfriend…briefly.

He broke your heart.

Yes, he’d broken her heart—but wouldn’t any boy have back then? She’d been young, he’d been her first, and it wasn’t as if he was ever anything other than wonderful to her.

Except when he didn’t come back junior year. He’d disappeared from her life with virtually no explanation.