Finding Kenna (SEAL Team Hawaii #3)(29)

“Let me guess, that was Kenna,” Midas said with a smile.

Aleck shrugged and nodded.

“Things are going well with you guys,” Mustang noted. It wasn’t a question.

“Yeah. She’s great,” Aleck said.

“Happy for you, bro,” Pid said.

They were taking a short break from the intense meetings they’d been in all morning. An American had been thrown in jail in Iran for some perceived law he’d broken. Talks had been ongoing to secure his release, but had fallen through. Now other alternatives were being discussed; namely, sending special forces to go in and break the man out. But going into Iran without approval from the government was highly risky. The last thing the SEAL team wanted was to be discovered and incarcerated themselves.

“Thanks,” Aleck told his friends. “I could use some advice though.” He didn’t hesitate to ask his team for their opinion. Mustang and Midas had women of their own and could offer perspective, and the others were always up for telling him what they thought.

“Shoot,” Pid said.

“What’s up?” Midas asked.

The others nodded at him as well, letting him know they’d help however they could.

“So you know how I almost blew it that first night at Duke’s?” Aleck asked.

“You mean when you basically told her you didn’t approve of her job?” Slate said.

Aleck sighed. “That’s not what I said,” he grumbled. “And believe me, I’ve definitely had time to think about it, and Kenna loves what she does and is good at it. If only everyone could have a job they enjoy instead of just tolerate.” Aleck was truly happy for Kenna. She was living in a place she loved, working a job that was perfect for her extroverted personality. So what if she wasn’t making a shit ton of money? If things worked out like he was beginning to hope they would, she didn’t need it. Because he had plenty for them both.

“Go on,” Mustang urged.

“Right, well, I think she has the impression that as a sailor, I’m not making all that much money. Normally, she’d be right. But with our hazard pay and rank, not to mention the housing allowance and cost of living bonus, even without my trust, I’d be doing just fine,” Aleck said.

“And now you’re wondering how, and if, you should tell her that you’re loaded,” Jag said.

Aleck nodded. “Yeah. And that I live in a fucking penthouse at Coral Springs. I absolutely don’t want her to feel weird about me having plenty of money when she doesn’t. But the longer I go without telling her about my trust and my parents’ wealth, the harder it is to figure out how to spill the beans.”

“Just tell her,” Slate said.

Aleck wasn’t exactly surprised at his friend’s suggestion. He was a no-nonsense kind of guy.

“No, man, he can’t just blurt that out. He has to finesse it,” Mustang said.

“I agree,” Midas said with a nod.

“But how?” Pid asked. “It’s not something that’s likely to come up in casual conversation. He can’t say something like, ‘Oh, by the way, I live in a penthouse,’ and expect that to be that.”

“Why not?” Slate asked. “It’s true.”

“Because!” Pid exclaimed.

“Is she gonna be mad that he’s not a broke-ass military guy? Only if she’s psycho,” Slate said with a shrug.

“She’s not psycho,” Aleck said with a shake of his head.

“I agree that the longer you go without telling her, the bigger a deal it’ll be,” Midas said. “But I also think you need to find a good way to tell her that doesn’t feel as if you’re bragging about it or something.”

“You know I never brag about money,” Aleck said, somewhat annoyed.

“I do know. I wasn’t saying you do. But things with Kenna are new,” Midas said.

“So? Anyone got any great ideas?” Aleck asked.

No one said a word.

“Shit,” he muttered.

His friends all looked apologetic. Aleck was going to have to figure out something on his own. It wasn’t that he’d come out and told Kenna that he was barely getting by, and she had called him a snob, so she might not be all that surprised. But he didn’t like keeping such a big detail about his life a secret, even if it made no difference in how he felt about her.

Aleck had dated a few women who made no bones about the fact that they were thrilled he could afford to buy them gifts and take them out all the time. At first it didn’t bother him. But the older he became, the more he wanted a woman who was into him, not just interested in what he could give her. And the more he talked to Kenna, spent time with her, the more he was certain she wasn’t like that.

So he needed to suck it up and just tell her.

“How’s her friend? Carly?” Pid asked.

“Good, as far as I know,” Aleck answered.

At the same time Jag said, “Good.”

Everyone turned to stare at their teammate.

“You been talking to her?” Mustang asked.

Jag shrugged. “It’s not a big deal, but yeah. We text now and then. And she sometimes calls me when she’s on her way up to her apartment, you know, as a safety thing.”

Everyone smirked.