A Sense of Duty: A Former Navy SEAL Falls in Love and Begins a New Journey with his Private Consulting Company: Dark Horse Guardians (19 page)

The food was eaten and Eric picked up the check. "Hey let's get out of here and go see a movie." Sitting in the dark for two hours sounded good so Lara agreed. They drove to the local theater and found a thriller that looked interesting. Putting their knees against the seats in front of them, they drank ginger ale and ate popcorn. "Well, I have missed you. That's all." Eric had the wounded puppy look on his face.

~ Eric ~

Eric felt he might be back in the rotation with Lara. He knew the moment he spoke with her in person at the Thanksgiving table that she was infatuated with Ben Keegan. At that moment alarm bells went off in his head. Inviting her on the shopping trip was a great ruse to spend time with her. He was intent on forging a relationship with Lara. In order to do so, he would need to drive a wedge between Lara and Ben. He knew as long as Ben was around, no other guy would have a chance. He had to find a way to make the former Navy man less appealing or unavailable. He had ideas brewing. In the darkness of the theater he slipped his arm around Lara and observed her as she watched the movie. He seldom had a chance to be this close to her. He was dating several women and his nickname for Lara was "the ice queen." The other women he saw in Boston gave themselves up freely to him and they were beautiful. But Lara was definitely a challenge, and that was one thing Eric was not used to.

He was accustomed to getting his way. As an only child, Eric was showered with attention. His parents sent him to the finest schools and provided a sheltered childhood in one of the best neighborhoods in the Boston area. They doted on Eric and encouraged him from the moment he was born. He liked the feeling of being the guy on top. With a competitive streak he moved through relationships with women quickly. Many of the females he met on-line were empty headed. He preferred the most beautiful women, models, actresses, singers and dancers. However, the common theme was: if they were extremely good looking they were often void of intellect or morals. Until now, that lifestyle had suited him. But now, his college buddies and colleagues at work had wives and homes and families. They were far ahead of him in the world of acquisition, and this didn't set well with Eric.

He was glad he went along with the first blind date to meet Lara. His uncle and aunt arranged for him to meet her, and he was reluctant until he saw photos of her. Tagging along for the Thanksgiving feast gave him the chance to reunite with her. Uncle Don had mentioned Lara a year ago, saying what a wonderful young woman she was. At that time, Eric was engaged to Nicole and was under the impression he was going to be married. But that never happened because she ran off with his best friend...so much for loyalty. Eric really didn't trust anyone after that. People were good at saying one thing and meaning another. He learned the hard way to protect himself from people who intended to hurt him. He was still resentful about Nicole walking out, and had found unhealthy ways to compensate for his emotional wounds. Sleeping around and using alcohol helped take his mind off Nicole and the anger he felt being discarded with such indifference.

Lara was the type of trophy wife he wanted and he would go to great lengths to gain her trust and affection. The one thing that disturbed him was the fact that Ben Keegan had moved into a condo in her building, right next door to her. Even though she was infatuated with Ben, Lara had to know he was married. From conversations with uncle Don, he knew Lara had strong morals when it came to guys. Ben Keegan being a married man was off limits for Lara.
Or was he?
Today's shopping, lunch, and movie day with Lara would be important for Eric to forge a deeper relationship with her. He wanted to make sure Ben was not worming his way into her heart.

~Lara~

Arriving home with Eric, she remembered Einstein needed his walk. Ben was still in Canada. Eric and Lara donned their jackets and sneakers and took Einstein for a long walk. They passed by the beautiful ornate purple Victorian, the house that Ben said he wanted to buy for her. "That's the house I would love to buy." Eric said unexpectedly. "How did you
know?
That's my favorite one." Lara said incredulously. Eric was staring at the house, "It looks like it was a sea captain's house." At the moment they stood gazing at the stunning purple Victorian, Eric took Lara's hand. "I love it…the house…" he said faintly. "We have the same taste in houses." Lara smiled.

Einstein tugged on his leash. They resumed walking down to the ocean; then several blocks back to the pink Victorian. Lara said goodbye to Eric under the porch light. He took Lara's hands in his, as if he did not want to part. "I'm staying in Portland at Uncle Don's this week. I'll see you tomorrow."
He
pulled Lara to him with his hands gently. They were nose to nose. Lara could smell his citrus cologne and minty breath as he asked, "Can we do this again?" She smiled, "Sure, Eric." And, he kissed her on the cheek. Alone on the porch she watched Eric as he walked to his car now looking like a happy puppy. She shivered and waved. She enjoyed his company today more than she expected and was glad she helped him select Christmas gifts, because she loved the people who would receive them. Eric glanced back at Lara and waved. Then he was gone in his black Infiniti. As she climbed the staircase slowly, she realized she hadn't laughed so much in months, except when she was with Ben.

What Lara didn't know was Ben observed the moment on the porch with Eric. He had rolled into the side drive moments before from his Canadian trip and hadn't emerged from his vehicle. Lara's phone rang five minutes after she was snugly situated in her bed. It was Ben. "Lara, I'm here and I need to talk with you." Lara was shocked that he was home so soon. She was expecting him tomorrow morning. It was late but Ben was insistent on seeing her, right at that moment. She sensed something ominous happened on his urgent trip to Canada. Within two minutes Ben appeared at Lara's door. Einstein was happy to see him. But, Ben looked weary and was not smiling. He briefed her on the medical situation with William, recounting his angry concerns with Sienna's overly dramatic behavior. Ben's blue eyes did not have the spark they usually had; he looked beaten. Lara sat with him on the sofa and took his hand. "I'm sorry, Ben, that this was so difficult."

Once his anger with Sienna subsided, Ben apologized for his absence during Thanksgiving. "Harris sent me an e-mail praising your cooking abilities and even attached a photograph of the turkey dinner. He also mentioned Eric's attendance at the Thanksgiving table. Did I just hear Eric leave earlier?" Ben asked. "Yes." Lara was not volunteering any information. Ben's blue eyes flashed, "He seemed a bit intimate with you on the porch. I had just driven up in the truck and hadn't gotten out yet." It became impossible for Lara to look at Ben's face at that moment. He was hurt, angry, and tired. He was now experiencing the same insecurity that Lara felt about his wife, Sienna. It was torture for Lara when Ben told her he was going off to where Sienna was, where they shared a home and a son. She had concerns about what Sienna might do next to manipulate Ben back to Canada.

She rose slowly and calmly told Ben they were both tired and needed to sleep. However, Ben was not ready to let go of the subject of Eric. He continued to question Lara about her relationship with Eric. "Who
is
this guy, Lara? And, what is he doing with you on the front porch? Was he here with you tonight in your apartment?" Then, when he realized she was not responding, he touched her hair lightly with his fingertips and whispered, "I'll go. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be saying this." Ben turned away with a bowed head. Lara watched as he closed the door quietly in slow motion. She listened to his footsteps receding down the creaky staircase. Lara's heart was in her throat. She fought back the urge to run after him as tears streamed down her cheeks. As she snuggled into bed, a text message chimed. It was Eric, "How about Saturday, the Comedy Corner in Portland?"

~ Ben ~

Ben silently berated himself for losing control with Lara. How could he have been so foolish? She was smart, single and beautiful. She had a line of potential suitors a mile long. He felt a sense of urgency to secure a relationship with her
now
before another guy stepped in. He knew the territorial nature he displayed earlier frightened her. No matter how tired, angry, or frustrated he was in the past he always maintained control. But, he had never been in love like this before. He never felt such a wave of raw jealousy sweep over him as he did when he witnessed Eric close to Lara alone on the porch, holding her hands, so close to kissing her.

Who
was
this Eric character and what did he mean to Lara? Ben could not figure out how Eric appeared on the scene so quickly. She had just met this guy two months ago, according to Rusty's information. Moving this quickly was not characteristic of her. Ben sensed that Eric was pushing himself on her, yet he felt incapable of stopping him. Filled with frustration, Ben was exasperated from the emotional roller coaster trip to Vancouver to see William. He took a deep breath as he stripped off his clothing and started doing push ups slowly on the bedroom floor. Before taking a shower and hitting the sack he decided to work off some steam. He needed the exercise and the oxygen seemed to help him think more clearly. But after an hour of exercise, a shower and a snack Ben tossed and turned in bed. Lara was a wall away from him and she was on his mind constantly when he wasn't thinking about work. Ben's work had always been his substitute for a relationship, but not any longer. His priorities changed the moment he met her. Lara was his main focus, and work was now his distraction. Ben knew he was in love with Lara. And he knew he had to be a free man to win her heart.

~ Lara ~

Saturday morning found Lara at the dojo with Don, punching and kicking her pent up anger out methodically. Ben was working in his campus office today. As she worked on the punching bag, she envisioned it was Bill Stephens. It was a wonderful diversion that served to defuse some of her frustration with Ben from the night before. Don finished teaching a class and arrived to give Lara her usual private lesson. Sixty minutes of pure concentration, sweating, and finally meditation. "You are distracted today, grasshopper." Don said with his dark humor. "It's time for pancakes, let's go." Lara changed and tossed her bag into the Fiat. They met at their usual brunch spot. Don had concerns; Lara knew him well enough to sense they would be having a long conversation about something.

Pancake Heaven was clearing out. Don and Lara slipped into a quiet booth. "Tell me what's going on with you …" Don started. He seemed to have psychic abilities when it came to Lara. "Are you sure you're all right? You seemed really frustrated today. You kicked the crap out of me for the last hour." Lara smiled into his concerned eyes. "Ben saw Eric holding my hands on the porch last night. He was furious. I didn't say anything. I just let him rant. Ben was exhausted from the trip to Vancouver and just blew up." Don listened as concern filled his blue eyes. "Lara, I know Ben. He has spent a lot of time here at the dojo working with me to get you to a higher level of physical strength and endurance. Did you say he yelled at you?" Lara restated, "No, he didn't yell. In fact, he was quiet but persistent in asking me who Eric was and what he was doing there with me." Don leaned toward her, "It's obvious to me Ben cares about you, deeply. He just spent twenty hours flying to and from Vancouver, was exhausted, and probably said some things without thinking." Lara knew he was right.

"About Eric...he called me...he wants to see me this weekend." Lara spoke tentatively. Don laughed, "He is interested in you, Lara. He asked me about your relationship with Ben. I told him you are sort of dating, but I told Eric it's not in your DNA to get involved with married guys." Don was searching Lara's face for a reaction. She was never able to lie to him, not even a white lie. Lara told him about the shopping trip and the movie with Eric and how much she enjoyed his company. "We have many similarities. Eric is the male version of me, living a tidy, organized life. He makes me laugh so much. We took Einstein for a walk. I had a lot of fun with him." Don seemed happy that Lara enjoyed Eric's company. "You are a single woman, nearly twenty-five years old. You deserve to laugh and be happy. If you want to see Eric for a date, go ahead and do it. He's my nephew. If he gives you any problem, I'll personally kick his ass." There was silence for a moment as they finished eating. "But, be careful, Lara. Guys are funny. They are territorial creatures. They think differently than woman do.
  And, you don't have much experience in this arena."

Don was correct. Lara had absolutely no experience in the sphere of personal relationships
when it came to men. Lara attempted to apply reason to an illogical situation, "The thing is Ben is
married
. How can I commit to a relationship with him? How can I be
sure
he will divorce Sienna?" Lara appeared defiant, but Don knew it was her frustration speaking. "Why doesn't he just divorce Sienna and get it over with?" She stated the obvious. Don's face got serious, "Maybe it's just not that simple, Lara. There's a child involved in Ben's divorce, not to mention assets. These things can get messy. You are the one in control of your life. You need to be the strong and straightforward woman in your personal life that you are in school and work." As Lara drove home from brunch, she thought about Don's words. She had to stand up for herself.

Meanwhile, Christmas shopping was on Lara's to do list. She customarily visited her mother for the Christmas holiday and it was rapidly approaching. The holiday break was a welcome reprieve from exams at school and several days of vacation from the architectural firm. She picked up a few small gifts for her mother. Choosing a tiny unique clothing shop, Lara spoiled herself shopping for a few pieces that would hopefully get a reaction from Ben on Christmas Day. She daydreamed about Ben as she slipped articles of clothing on and stared at herself in a full length mirror. She settled on a red cashmere sweater with a long curve-hugging black skirt, provocative for her. She splurged on red leather gloves and ruby and diamond earrings. Her holiday bag was almost packed. Lara gazed at herself in the full length mirror in the shop, wondering if Ben was thinking of her.