Port in the Storm

  Contents

  Port in the Storm

  Copyright

  Hidden Beauty Series

  Hidden Hearts Series

  Dedication

  Chapter One Sam

  Chapter Two Taylor

  Chapter Three Sam

  Chapter Four Taylor

  Chapter Five Sam

  Chapter Six Taylor

  Chapter Seven Sam

  Chapter Eight Taylor

  Chapter Nine Sam

  Chapter Ten Taylor

  Chapter Eleven Sam

  Epilogue Taylor

  Note from the Author

  Acknowledgements

  Resources

  About the Author

  COPYRIGHT

  © 2016 Mary Crawford. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems – except in the case of brief quotations in articles or reviews – without permission in writing from its publisher, Mary Crawford and Diversity Ink Press. Copyright protection extends to all excerpts and previews by this author included in this book.

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  All brand names and product names used in this book are trademarks, registered trademarks, or trade names of their respective holders. The author or publisher is not associated with any product or vendor in this book.

  Published on November 11, 2016, by Diversity Ink Press and Mary Crawford. Author may be reached at MaryCrawfordAuthor.com.

  ISBN: 978-1-945637-38-4

  Cover by Covers Unbound

  HIDDEN BEAUTY SERIES

  Until the Stars Fall from the Sky

  So the Heart Can Dance

  Joy and Tiers

  Love Naturally

  Love Seasoned

  Love Claimed

  If You Knew Me (and other silent musings) (novella)

  Jude's Song

  The Price of Freedom (novella)

  Paths Not Taken

  Dreams Change (novella)

  Heart Wish (100% charity release)

  Tempting Fate

  The Letter

  The Power of Will

  HIDDEN HEARTS SERIES

  Identity of the Heart

  Sheltered Hearts

  Hearts of Jade

  Port in the Storm (novella)

  Love is More Than Skin Deep

  Tough

  Rectify

  Pieces (a crossover novel)

  Hearts Set Free

  Freedom (a crossover novel)

  The Long Road to Love (novella)

  Love and Injustice (Protection Unit)

  Out of Thin Air (Protection Unit)

  Soul Scars (Protection Unit)

  OTHER WORKS:

  The Power of Dictation

  Use Your Voice

  Vision of the Heart

  #AmWriting: A Collection of Letters to Benefit The Wayne Foundation

  DEDICATION

  To those who find courage

  when you think you have none,

  strength when you are at your weakest,

  and a voice when you have been silenced —

  may we all become your greatest defenders.

  CHAPTER ONE

  SAM

  AS I FLIP THROUGH my mail and encounter a greeting card from my friend Jessica; I’m amazed by how much our lives have changed in just a little more than a year. Even when we were working together back in Florida, she was always one to find me silly, whimsical stuff, usually related to my love of sci-fi television shows. However, this time, she is giving me a sneak peek of her choices for her wedding dress. We always joked that if we didn’t find someone to marry by the time we were forty, we’d marry each other, but it looks like she’s beaten our arbitrary deadline by a long shot. From everything she’s told me, Mitch seems like everything she’d always hoped she’d find. I’m thrilled for her. Really. Still, all of her joy doesn’t abate my fear that I won’t ever follow in her footsteps. I gather up all of my mail and tuck it back into my pack and resume walking toward the MAX train.

  A couple lost in a passionate embrace while they’re walking down the sidewalk nearly run right into me. I just shake my head at their completely preoccupied state. I wonder if I’ll ever be in their shoes. Somehow, I doubt it. Women just don’t seem terribly interested in me. Oh, I’m great to hang out with. I’m a wonderful buddy, sounding board, and confidant. Sometimes, if I’m really lucky, they’ll cast me as the temporary boyfriend to scare away the guy they’re not really interested in. When it comes to being the real thing, not so much.

  Of course, things would probably be easier if I could actually express my thoughts in a way other people could understand without having to repeat myself three or four times. I’m a smart guy. Actually, I’m scary smart. The kind of smart they have special organizations for, you know the kind of smart the teachers whisper about in the halls. The only problem is, people don’t really know that about me because they don’t take enough time to listen to what I have to say. Don’t get me wrong, not everybody is like this. There are a few special people in the world like Jessica who look beyond my weird speech, my strange gait and my balance problems which make me look like I’m drunk — but those people are rare. Far more common are the people who think my cerebral palsy is somehow contagious and might affect their kids if they touch me in the grocery store or the teachers who once believed because it took me longer to get to class, I somehow must be stupid and needed remedial special ed. Most days, I try not to let all these assumptions bother me. Still, on a beautiful late spring day like today, when the world seems all coupled up, I can’t seem to help but let my mind wander there.

  I guess in many ways, I’ve been pretty lucky. I actually have an employer who has a lot of faith in my abilities. In fact, I just got a huge promotion. I work for Heartbeats in Rock Jewelers; I started as an intern there when I became a gemologist fresh out of college. Jorge was so impressed with my encyclopedic knowledge of gems, he kept me on. Recently, when one of the other stores in the chain showed signs of internal theft, he made me the manager of the store because he knew I could run the business and determine the quality of the merchandise almost by sight. It’s been an epic challenge because, understandably, the current staff at the store were not thrilled when someone from the East Coast came in to tell them how to do their jobs. I wasn’t offended by their attitudes because I am used to being the newcomer in lots of different situations. My dad was in the Navy, and I’ve been the newbie more times than I can count. I know how to ‘adapt and overcome’ as my Dad would say. It didn’t take me very long to figure out who the thieving sleaze ball was. She wasn’t very careful — more greedy than smart. I’m not sure why she would do that to Jorge because he’s quite generous and in the long run, she would have been ahead just to walk the straight-and- narrow.

  I have to stop to adjust my backpack, these new forearm crutches are killing me. They have a different type of grip and it’s shredding the skin on my palms. Just as I’m trying to pull the sleeves of my sweatshirt down over my hands to afford me a little protection, someone pushes me down from behind. As my head strikes a parking enforcement pole on the way down to the ground, I vaguely wonder if it’s the same oblivious couple I saw a few moments ago. I reach up to adjust my glasses on my face and the earpiece comes apart in my hand. I have the world’s worst luck. I just got these glasses. I move my hands to my aching head and notice a huge goose egg right smack in the middle of my forehead. “That’ll be attractive,
” I mutter with a sigh.

  “Oh, I guess I don’t quite have my land legs yet. I’m so sorry,” a voice apologizes with a slight Texas twang. “Oh Lord, look what I did to you! They’ll probably cancel my shore leave just so I can do paperwork.”

  Flopping my scraped arms down on my knees, I notice a torn spot on my new jeans. Not another pair. I should make my life easier and just buy stock in Levi Strauss. I squint up at her, as I remark, “No need for that. It’s not like I don’t fall a dozen times a day with no assistance or outside intervention. If you get your friends to give me some leverage to get off the ground, I think I’ll survive.”

  “Are you sure?” she asks, disbelief clear in her voice.

  “Positive. Seriously, some days I spend more time on the ground than on my feet. It was probably a coincidence you found me standing when you ran into me. I wouldn’t want to interrupt your liberty. My dad was in the Navy and he always told me how much shore leave meant to him. Go enjoy your time with your friends.”

  “I really think you should let me file a report in case you’re hurt, it would be disastrous if you got worse and I did nothing.”

  “Really, I would feel much worse if you didn’t get to enjoy your time here in Portland. I insist. Welcome to Oregon, Sailor. Thank you for your service.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  TAYLOR

  “You know there are only so many ways you can artfully arrange things in a duffel bag, right? Besides, we have to wear our whites when we’re out in public anyway. It’s not like we can shed the Navy altogether and put on a LBD and heels and party hardy,” my best friend and bunkmate, Emily remarks as she sees me trying to carefully cram everything I own into my allowable bag.

  “Fine, so you have a point, Dodson,” I retort, wrinkling my nose. “Did you ever think about the fact that I may actually be excited to be back in Portland? I really loved the city — it is so cool. Did you know they actually have a slogan, ‘Keep Portland Weird’. Is that not my kind of city?”

  “Actually, it does sound a lot like you,” Emily replies with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “Are you planning to knock down any innocent strangers on this trip?”

  “Shut up! It’s not like I meant to do it. I was lucky he was so polite about it. Most guys would not be so nice. I was lucky he didn’t turn around and deck me.”

  “Tay, most people in their right minds would not deck you for bumping into them while you were taking a picture. I don’t know what kind of men you usually hang out with, but most of them wouldn't deck you for a single mistake.” Emily shakes her head.

  “You couldn’t prove it by me. You obviously haven’t met my ex fiancé. Reid Weber considered any contact he didn’t initiate to be an offensive touching. Unless he wanted a roll in the sack, I wasn’t allowed to touch him for any reason; even if it was an accident. If I did, there were consequences to pay — usually followed by bruising the next day.”

  “You were going to marry this charmer, why?” Emily probes.

  “That would be the billion dollar question, now wouldn’t it?” I answer dryly.

  “Come on, Taylor, you must have some idea —” Emily continues to push.

  I throw my hands up in the air and sigh. “I don’t know. I guess I thought he was the opposite of my dad. I watched my dad tear down my mom for years. I thought I’d found the opposite of Dad. When Reid came along, he was thoughtful, kind and attentive. He seemed to like my quirkiness and accept it, which is something my dad never did.”

  “What happened? How did he turn into a monster?” Emily asks with a look of concentration on her face.

  “I ask myself that almost every night. I don’t know if I simply didn’t see the signs or if the signs weren’t there. Once he had the ring on my finger, it was almost like he underwent a personality change. The guy who was patient and understanding with me and thought everything I did was cute, was completely non-existent. He was irritable and short and a few bricks shy of flat-out lunatic. If I didn’t bring him his coffee the exact temperature he preferred it, he would grab the flesh at my waist and twist it so tight I would have bruises for days. He was always very careful to do it where no one could see it unless I took my clothes off. Then, he would tell me, ‘I am a very powerful person at work, do you think they’re going to believe someone like you? A college student barely out of high school? Someone who’s had a traumatic past? Someone whose father killed himself from the guilt?’”

  Emily’s mouth is hanging wide open and her eyes are as big as saucers. “How did you end up in the Navy, surrounded mostly by men? Weren’t you terrified? I mean, for the most part we are trapped on a ship here with them. We have some personal safety training, but we’re still at risk.”

  “My fiancé tortured me because he had the power and it made him feel good that he could abuse me and get away with it. He loved playing God. Reid was the dispatch supervisor, and he was friends with police officers and fire personnel from three counties. They were at his beck and call. I decided I would be safer in the middle of the ocean with a boat full of strange men than I was in my own home. Besides, I figured that the military would teach me how to use weapons and to fight for myself. I never learned that growing up. It was about time for me to learn. I wanted to be able to finish my engineering degree. If I ran from Reid and his richer-than-the-Kardashians family forever, I wouldn’t be able to do that. I worked too hard to earn my grades to throw all my dreams away just because some guy with an ego the size of a hot air balloon decided to crush me.”

  “What a jerk,” Emily mutters under her breath.

  “In a weird way, the Navy was my ticket to safety. I’ve never really regretted my decision. Sure, training was tough and my DI tried to wash me out during boot camp because he thought I was too much of a pansy to make it. He never realized the boot camp was easier than what I faced every day at home. So, guess what? I’m still here and he’s not because he was caught fraternizing with several other soldiers, despite having a wife and four kids. Maybe he should’ve focused more on his job and less on his libido.”

  “Speaking of libido, it’s been years since you’ve been with your ‘own personal hell on Earth’. Since you’re here in Portland, which is one of your favorite places on the planet, are you going to let your hair down and live it up a little? After all, the last time you were here, you were tackling random guys to get their attention — surely there has to be an easier way to handle it. I think drinking a few margaritas and dancing with a few hot guys would be the way to go. From what I’ve seen online, they’ve got the rugged lumberjack look down to a science in Portland; they’ve got the hot-nerdy-scientist look nailed too. You could probably have your choice,” she points out helpfully.

  “Emily, I’m not going to go to port and shop for some random guy.” I giggle at the thought. “First of all, my luck is far too bad to cast my fate to the wind like that. Secondly, I’m too much of a lady to go trolling through Craigslist ads like a lonely-hearts mail order bride. Can you imagine the type of guy who goes trolling for a sailor? They’re looking for somebody, but I’ll bet you it’s not me. I’m probably a little too straightforward, in-your-face, and take no prisoners. I look cute and all that, but I’m far too scarred by life to fit to be who they’re looking for. I don’t think we’ll have much chance to socialize with the guys in town, anyway. Aren’t we scheduled to stay with a group of nuns at a Catholic girls’ school?”

  “Yeah, that’s what I heard too. However, I also heard they had to close it for winter break to repair the pipes. It’s probably no big deal. The program always finds new families to host us — the waiting list is a mile long. Although, did I tell you about the ship I was on a couple years ago? This one sailor found his birth family on one of the holiday visits. It was purely accidental, but very cool, nonetheless.”

  “I didn’t hear anything about broken water pipes. Maybe that was just a rumor. Who knows?”

  At the moment, the CO arrives on deck. He abruptly points at me. “John, you’re u
p. Ride’s here.”

  Dropping my salute, I ask him, “Dodson too?”

  “Nope. Just you. It’s your family.”

  My stomach drops down to my feet — it’s all I can do not to pass out. I try to school my expression so I don’t betray all the emotions rolling through my mind. I’ve been in the Navy since I turned nineteen. I should be beyond this, but I can’t help my visceral reaction. I try to take a deep breath and let it out through my nose before I evenly say, “Sir, I have no family.”

  “Duly noted. I read your file. The host family went through a heightened level of security as a result. Everything checks out.”

  “I appreciate that, Sir, thank you.”

  “Enjoy your holiday, John. It’s beautiful in Portland this time of year.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  SAM

  I’VE BEEN ANTSY ALL day. I was really surprised when they selected my name to host a sailor. I figured they would choose a more traditional family, but perhaps they chose me because of my dad. I remember my dad telling me stories about his time on leave when he got to spend it with different families. Back in those days, they were able to spend several liberty days with different families. The security precautions were a little more lax prior to the terrorist bombing on September 11th. It was on one of those liberties during Fleet Week that my dad met my mom. He was assigned to a family and became good friends with a guy. They became pen pals. The guy kept hassling my dad to meet his sister. As a soldier, my dad was really used to well-meaning suggestions and resisted his friend’s efforts. During the second Fleet Week he spent with the host family, she came home from college and my dad pretty much fell in love on the spot. The rest, as they say, is history.

  My dad always talked about wanting to host families after he retires from the military, but he and my mom can’t agree on how to handle life when he retires, so I’m not sure they’ll ever get around to it. I am looking forward to meeting the guy they assigned to me and honoring my family’s legacy of respecting the soldiers who serve. My dad doesn’t share much about the time he spent in the Navy. It’ll be really interesting to hear what life was like for him as a sailor. I think my dad is really disappointed that because of my birth defect, I can’t carry on the family tradition of being in the military. I think we missed out on a really important bonding experience.