He cleared his throat. “Too much destruction. I’ve always wanted to start a post-bootcamp or something. For the guys coming home. Like a debrief of everything they’d witnessed. Everything they’d done.”
The light illuminated a golden hue in his caramel eyes. Addy’s chest froze, a breath caught in her throat.
“After that, I was a paramedic,” he continued, “but I burned out after a few years.”
“That’s a stressful job.”
He nodded. “The stress was what I liked about it. High stakes. I wanted to see if I could still react when it mattered.” He laughed. “Turns out I could, though most of it was boring, too. But when I needed to, I could keep my cool, and that was important to prove to myself.”
“You are very good at keeping your cool,” Addy said. “Unlike me before a blind date.”
Rick grinned. “That was very…”
“Unhinged? Yes, I know.” Addy nodded, straightening a cloth napkin in her lap. “I am the queen of losing my cool.”
He tilted his head down, peering at her. “I was going to say endearing.”
“Ha, right.” She pulled her menu in front of her face. Hopefully she’d moved quickly enough to block the blush blooming on her cheeks.
The waitress stopped by. Addy ordered the gnocchi. Rick ordered the grilled chicken margherita.
Once their orders were in, Rick spoke again. “I used the GI Bill to go to school.”
She leaned in. “What did you study?”
“Philosophy and history. Double major.”
Addy dropped her hand to the table. “Get out! Philosophy?”
“I guess I was still trying to understand the world.” He shook his head. “I haven’t figured it out yet.”
Addy shrugged. “At least you’re trying.”
He kept talking, picking up momentum. “When I was in college, I did some work as a bouncer and got a few jobs with private security companies. I did a master’s in security studies and got pulled into the corporate security world.”
He hadn’t said this many words to her perhaps the entire time they’d known each other. Maybe he’d been waiting for someone to talk to. Big, tough Rick was finally feeling comfortable enough to talk to old, unthreatening Adelaide.
Being herself had its perks. Whenever she used to have to puff herself up to confront one of Riley’s teachers at school, Shane used to laugh and say she was as threatening as a church mouse.
Yet even a church mouse had its place in the world, and right now it was at this table, listening to the past of a fascinating man who didn’t often find people worth talking to.
The joke was on Shane.
Addy couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “Let me guess. You hated it.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I sort of did. It was too stable.” He raised his arm, his muscles outlined in shadows, and scratched the back of his neck. “Kidding, but I was bored to tears.”
“And you made too much money.”
He leaned in. “How did you know that? Did you have me checked out?”
“Yes. Full background check. I know everything.” She grinned. “Just kidding. It was a guess.”
Rick sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. “I made a lot. More than I needed. I didn’t want it.”
“So you decided to come to San Juan Island for a vacation?”
Rick looked down, quiet for a moment.
