Beached.

Homecoming

Storytime with Penny Benjamin nearly rivaled Pete Mitchell Storytime. Penny and I sat in her back porch hammocks, drinking cocktails while she told me about Pete showing up to the bar in his dress whites.

Of course, this led to her telling of many other Pete stories, which I was happy to hear.

We were both happy to be distracted by the shenanigans of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. Especially since we both knew there was a chance we had seen him for the last time. Pete wrapped me in a long hug the last time I saw him. Although our friendship was built on dogfight football and barstool stories, it was genuine.

I was also sad Natasha was missing this. Partially because I knew she'd be safer here than on the mission she'd been selected to fly. There was no surprise when days earlier, she, Bob, Fanboy, Payback and Bradley had been selected to join Pete to destroy an unsanctioned uranium enrichment plant. Jake had been named to the reserve crew. He was Reserve No. 1, but reserve nonetheless.

Pete had proven they could fly this mission successfully, but there was always some risk. The biggest risk was banking all six of them would  survive an all out dogfight with surface-to-air missiles. Of course, there was a chance. A narrow chance, but a chance.

This was Night 2 Penny and I had spent together. She and Amelia invited me into their home as we waited and hoped for our friends and loved ones to return.

Penny and I were sitting in silence, listening to the breeze. "Do you want to join Amelia and I on a sailing trip?" she asked.

I had been reclining in my hammock. I popped up to make eye contact with her. "Yes?" I questioned.

She looked at me. "That wasn't a very convincing yes," she replied.

"Of course! I was weighing the idea of being here when Jake returned."

She shrugged. "We'll only be a couple days longer. It'll keep us busy. We don't need to wait around for them anyway—pumps their egos too much."

"You're right, Penny," I agreed.

"I know," she replied. We both chuckled.

I had lived on a houseboat but never had been sailing. This was amazing. Penny and Amelia were a wonderful duo. They praised me for being an expert hand. I was just happy to be a help and not a hindrance.

We spent a week sailing along the California coast and made stops as we saw fit. Penny was like my mom away from home—they shared a similar free spirit. Amelia's inquisitive nature roped us into some hilarious adventures throughout our trip.

We re-lived some of our favorite moments as we drove back to the house from the harbor. "What's this?" Penny said as she pulled her Porsche into the driveway. On her porch was Jake. We all exchanged looks. "Amelia, honey, let's go inside," Penny said as she got out of the car. She pushed her seat forward for me to exit.

"Hi, Jake!" Amelia bounced past him.

"Jake." Penny smiled as she made eye contact with him and closed the door behind her.

I closed the car door and leaned on it with my arms folded. "Hey, stranger."

He walked toward me. "I hope I get a better greeting than that for what I'm about to do." He cradled my cheek in his hand, curled the other around my waist and pressed his lips to mine. The kiss was sweet but hungry. I nipped his bottom lip and he smiled into our exchange. Jake slid his lips from mine to my ear. "Don't tempt me—I'll take you right here on the roof of Penny's car, and she would hate that."

I audibly laughed and he pulled back so his forehead was on mine. "Glad you're back," I said.

He stood to his full height but continued to look at me. "I'm glad I found you. I did some serious sleuthing to figure out where you were."

A smile pulled the corners of my mouth. "Were you worried I wasn't coming back?"

His smile beamed—I had missed it. "Well..." he was gearing up for a smartass explanation, "Yeah. I mean, you're the one I want to share my heroics with...kinda like a Jake Seresin Storytime as you would say?"

"Heroics?" I questioned. "And Storytime isn't just for anyone; you've gotta earn that title."

His smile widened, which I didn't even know was possible. "I might be a full-fledged hero, now, so..."

"Oh, boy." I laughed as we stepped apart. I grabbed his hand. He curled our interlocked fists up to kiss the back of my hand.

"Care to stay for dinner, Jake?" We both turned to find Penny leaning in the doorway.

He looked at me. "I've been staying with my friends while my other friends were risking their lives," I explained. He smiled and pecked my lips.

He turned to Penny. "I can't say no to you, Penny, m'dear!"

Jake told us about the mission—he was especially descriptive about saving Pete and Bradley's lives. Of course, he mentioned that he added to his air combat kills.

Pete Mitchell Storytime needed to be in my immediate future. I had my fingers crossed it would happen during the party Penny planned to host at The Hard Deck in honor of everyone's safe return.