Navy Blue - A Second Chance Romance (Complete)

Navy Blue: Chapter 28

Finn waded into the sea of people. He hated these events — fancy parties filled with fancy people eating fancy food. Why did a sandwich taste better in miniature form? Under any other circumstances, he'd avoid this soiree like the plague. But he had a mission. Find Emily.

Nothing was stopping him this time.

Patience was a skill he was working on, and he put every trick in the book into practice.

First, he sought out Max. With radio silence from his friend and no response to Finn's texts asking him to meet, the stone of guilt Finn walked around with had extra layers of darkness added on. He needed to clear the air. At least about his feelings for Emily. Max didn't show for breakfast or lunch. Eventually, Finn tracked the sailor down, running sprints in between two buildings on the far side of the base.

As the man sank to the ground, gasping for breath because of his efforts, Finn joined him and poured out his story. Told Max everything—how he met her, how they fell in love, how she left him, how he never stopped loving her. Everything but the private parts - unlike his one-night stands, these moments were for him and Emily only. Still, he tried to express, as best as he could, how she meant the world to him and how their breakup had shaped his life.

"There's never been anyone but her." Finn ran out of words. A silence fell between the two men. Recruits jogged by and out on the field beyond the alleyway, a whistle blew.

"Thanks for... you know." Max rubbed his eye with a palm. "I knew she was too amazing to be single."

Finn resisted the urge to remind his friend she was exactly that. Single. Convinced Emily still had feelings for him, he couldn't assume she'd be willing to let him back into her life. Or that he deserved her love.

Emily was back in town today and thanks to Lance, Finn had an invitation to the retirement party at Simpson, Simpson, and Walters that evening. Held in the lobby of the law firm, Lance assured him Emily would be there along with a new lawyer from New York who had just joined the company.

Finn now had the time and location of his battle. Plans were put in motion. A hair cut was easy to arrange. The new suit a bigger issue. He hated shopping and had no idea where to get something last minute. Yet he couldn't show up in jeans or his camo cargo pants. He considered his Service Blues but didn't want to draw that kind of attention.

Lance came through again, recommending a local tailor who had several off-the-shelf options and offered same-day alterations. With the aid of this professional who proved why he'd been in business for over thirty years, Finn selected a gray suit that fit him like a glove amd was also surprisingly comfortable for formal attire. The colour reminded him of Emily's eyes. A deep blue tie paired with a crisp white shirt and soft leather shoes completed the look.

Freshly showered and shaved, Finn donned his suit of armour and set out to find the woman he loved.

Canapes and chit chat surrounded him with party guests milling about in small groups, drinking and laughing. The spacious foyer was transformed with waist-high tables covered in black cloth, low lighting and gold streamers hanging from the ceiling. Near the exit to the elevators sat a small stage currently occupied by a three-piece jazz band, a huge "Happy Retirement" banner hanging over their heads.

Plucking a glass of champagne off a passing by tray, butterflies swarmed in his stomach. He surveyed the landscape, searching for the sweetheart face or auburn hair he couldn't wait to see.

He came up empty.

The skin on the back of his neck prickled, and he resisted the urge to rub his chest. With a reminder the evening was young, he decided to circle the room, maybe find Lance. He came up to a large potted tree and paused, a familiar voice on the other side.

"I don't know why Emily insists on wearing that wretched thing." Mary's whine drowned out the soft music, like a guitar riff in a recording of Debussy. "The thing is so tacky."

The other woman, Sophie, he thought was her name, chided Mary. "You know she never takes it off."

"Don't I. When the flimsy bracelet broke, I thought we'd finally be rid of it. But oh no, next day, there's that stupid charm hanging around her neck."

He drew closer to their conversation. Through the greenery, he could see the two women facing each other. The scowl Mary wore marred her beautiful face.

"I mean, who wears an anchor around their neck?" Mary's eyes rolled. "Think about it. No wonder she won't move on. An anchor weighs you down."

Finn froze. Had he heard correctly? Did Mary say anchor?

His mouth went dry.

All that summer he'd saved his pennies to purchase a cellphone so Emily had a way to contact him. But after a conversation where he offered to be her anchor for life, someone she could always depend on, he'd blown all his money on the small silver charm in the shape of an anchor. Emily had sworn she'd never take it off to prove her love for him.

All this time.

Eight long years.

And she still wore his anchor.

A thousand questions flooded Finn's mind. Why had she never taken off his charm, the symbol of his devotion to her? Why wear the thing after dumping him? Plus the one he dreaded but most wanted an answer to—Why had she left him in the first place?

The nerves in his stomach settled as the last vestibules of doubt drained from him. He knew one answer for sure—Emily had kept their love alive by wearing his charm.

Finn scanned the room urgently. Far too much time had been wasted already. He had to find Emily.