Sweetest Goodbye (Navy Book 3)

Chapter 24

Kate sat on the porch swing curled up next to Lee. Penny had told them that if they sat on the porch and waited for the tour buses to pass by they could hear the story of the house without having to take the whole tour.

The silence between the two of them was peaceful and Kate felt warm and secure as she rested her head on Lee's chest and listened to his steady heartbeat.

Grace and Bryce had stayed for most of the afternoon. They had lunch and upon discovering that the house next to Penny and Sam was for sale they called their agent and the six of them, along with the children, had spent a good hour touring the house. Laura had joined them along with another sister, Lizzy, who had arrived to town with Bryce earlier that morning.

The women had brought Alistair with them and Penny and Kate had taken turns cuddling the baby. It was the first time in a long that Kate hadn't felt the pain of her own loss upon meeting a new baby.

There was a lot of work to be done to the old house to bring it back to its former glory. It had been subdivided into apartments at one time, but Lizzy assured everyone that the bones were good and it could be restored. One of the defining features of the property was a large stone wall that ran around the garden giving the house plenty of privacy. Something the famous Stevens family would need.

When the Stevens had left, the children were returned to their sitter, Sam left to visit a few patients at the hospital, and Penny decided that she wanted a little nap before dinner, leaving Lee and Kate to take a walk.

Kate had enjoyed showing Lee Savannah. The squares were dripping with atmosphere, the moss covered trees, old buildings, the historical fountains, and monuments, all gave the feeling that the city having been there forever.

Kate pointed out a few of the more unique citizens as they passed them in the squares. It amazed her how she had been away for over two years and very little had changed. They had stopped off for ice cream at Leopold's and then ended up taste-testing the pralines at the candy store on the river.

"Do you miss it?" Kate had asked Lee, as they watched a large container ship pass them. The ship was larger than a building as it slowly chugged past.

"Miss what?" Lee asked as he popped the last bit of candy into his mouth.

"The sea."

Lee shook his head and grinned as he shot his wrapper into the closest trashcan.

"No, not particularly. Being on a ship has its pros and cons, but I prefer to be land based."

"What about your friends? Do you miss them? Have you lost many of them?" Kate was watching him closely, this was a very personal question and she wasn't sure if he was going to answer it or not.

He took her arm and they started to walk, after a few moments he found a bench and they sat watching another ship as it started up the other end of the river.

"I'm good at what I do Kate, and I enjoy that I'm good at it. The Navy gave me a home and self-respect when I desperately needed it. It's where I belong. I've had my fair share of loss over the years, but I know that it's a thin line that we walk and any of us could fall off of it at any time. It's a calling, and a person is either good at it or not. There is no middle ground.

They were silent for a while watching the ship as it passed. After it was gone their conversation turned light again and they had moved on to the next site, returning home in time for the dinner that Penny had cooked for them.

Now they sat waiting on the porch in a contented silence. At least Kate was content.

"Kate?" Lee asked, breaking the silence.

"Mmmm?"

"Weren't you upset seeing Colten's father with your mother this morning?"

"Yes, why? Did I not seem upset?" Kate looked up at him.

"You did, but you seem to have easily brushed off the fact that you were cast out by your parents, and the man who was partly responsible for it, was welcomed in by them."

"I had a realization at the cemetery, I got the better end of the deal. I got to spend ten years with Colten, they didn't. I won. They'll never know what they lost, and I feel sorry for them. My life path may not have been one that I would have chosen, but it has led me to some wonderful moments and some wonderful people."

"So, what will you do now?" Lee looked down at her, brushing some hair away from her face, searching for some clue as to how sincere she was being.

"I will leave on Monday and go back to Jergen. There is nothing to keep me here."

"At least here you would be with Sam and Penny."

"True, but there only a few hours away by plane, besides I think I need to go and help Henry and Lily." She had been thinking long and hard about it, especially since the funeral. There was no reason that she couldn't give Henry a home if the state would allow it, and Lily need a friend.

"Always maternal," Lee said giving her a sweet and gentle kiss.

Kate broke away quickly, knowing that it was about to escalate into something more. "Here comes the tour guide." She sat up putting some distance between the two of them as the voice on the loud speaker slowly grew louder.

The guide turned her attention onto the house and told her romantic tale about the husband and wife so in love that he refused to leave her when the Union soldiers entered Savannah. In order to keep him safe they hid him up the chimney where he stayed until he could be safely rescued.

Lee snorted, "Impossible, there is no way a grown man could fit up a chimney. Plus, didn't the Union invade in winter, which meant that there would have been a fire?"

"Not everyone is as big as you are, and people were smaller back then, and maybe it was a warm December." Kate insisted, not willing to let the romantic story be spoiled by a non-believer.

"The guide we encountered today said that it was such a bitter winter that the Union troops hid inside the family crypts at the cemetery to keep themselves warm. Which was it?"

"Shut-up," she said, at a loss for how to win the argument. "The ghost might hear you."

Lee looked at her amused.

"Besides, often times where there's smoke there's fire," Kate insisted not realizing what she had said.

"No pun intended?" Lee pulled her towards him.

"Shut-up!" she said again just before his lips came down on hers.

After a few heated moments they broke the kiss, "Why did we wait so long? We could have had more time," Kate said, brushing his face as she tried to memorize it, regretting how hard she had fought her attraction to him.

"Don't do that, don't worry about what could have happened. I have done more than my fair share of that over the years and it never leads anywhere good. Just be thankful for the time we did have and do have, until Monday at least.

Kate nodded, stretching up to kiss him again.

"We've heard the preposterous man in a chimney story, let's call it a day." Lee suggested, standing up and holding out his hand.

Kate took his hand without thinking, it was a natural instinct. "There's a fireplace in our room, I think we should try to see if you fit," she said trying to find the usual lightness between them.

"I think I have a much better plan for rest of our evening which doesn't involve trying to shove me up a fireplace." Lee shut and locked the kitchen door behind him before pulling her close.

"I don't know...I'm pretty sure I want some proof of all these theories of yours."

"Give me some time to lay out my plan for the rest of our evening, you'll change your mind."

"Fine, but I am going to Google just how cold December of 1864 really was."

Lee shut out the kitchen light as they continued their lightweight bantering. All the while Kate tried to ignore just how soon Monday would arrive.