Her Vigilant Seal by Caitlyn O'Leary Page A

the beach Billy ran way in front of them. Sophia wasn’t worried because she’d heard the rules Mason had laid out. Billy stood up straight, listened intently, and nodded to everything Mason had to say. One of the big no-no’s was going into the water without Mason watching. There was absolutely no doubt he led men in the military.
    “He’s a good kid. You’ve done a great job with him.”
    “What? What are you talking about?” Sophia asked, genuinely perplexed.
    “You’ve really been a mother to your brother for quite a while and he’s a great boy. I really like him.” Sophia blushed.
    “I do too. I can’t wait for the day he can move in with me.” She’d been toying with the idea of getting another job on top of the one at the diner so she could save up faster for the apartment. She mentioned it to Mason.
    “What are you thinking of doing?”
    “During my sophomore year of college I had a job as a paid intern at a call center for a cable company. I would need to find another job with even more of a swing shift.”
    “How many hours a week are you thinking of working in total?” Mason asked. He helped her down a particularly rough spot on the trail.
    “No more than seventy to save up the money. Then I would have to cut back to fifty when Billy came to live with me.” They were at the beach and the sun was just peaking over the horizon. Billy set her blanket on the first table available in a haphazard manner. She laughed. When she looked at Mason to see if he found it amusing, he looked dark and forbidding.
    “What’s wrong?” Sophia almost lost her footing, unused to seeing that kind of expression on his face.
    “I want to talk to you about your work schedule idea after we drop Billy at the Bard’s.” Sophia’s tummy fluttered.
    “Well okay.” Then she thought through what he’d said. “You have to work I’m going to drop him off by myself.”
    “I took the day off and we’re dropping him off together,” his tone brooked no argument. He helped her sit on the table with her feet settled on the bench. She had a thin coat she’d brought when she had packed to go to Mason’s, and she wrapped it tight around herself. Mason dropped a thick coat over her shoulders. She looked up in question.
    “It’s mine. I knew you didn’t have one. It’s big enough to act as a blanket so you should stay warm.” He smiled at her. Sophia snuggled into the shearling coat. Even though it was April in California, dawn at the beach was damn chilly.
    “Okay you guys, I expect to be impressed. I brought my phone so I’m going to be taking pictures.” And with that, the two of them were off. She watched as they raced towards the water. Billy ran at a manic pace Mason could have easily surpassed, but he kept at Billy’s side. That’s how the entire morning progressed. Mason would keep a keen eye on Billy’s abilities and slow his pace to match. She watched him lean over and provide pointers.
    There were a few times Billy rode the waves and it was a wonderful sight to behold. After two hours they came in for a break. Sophia had juice and breakfast burritos ready for them. They ate and rested for a while before they went back into the water. Billy came out and then they both watched Mason surf.
    Finally there was a huge swell and he rode a big wave.
    “Look at that, Soph, that’s rad.” Billy even stopped midway from finishing a piece of pie to comment. Rad wasn’t the word she was thinking more like magnificent. Especially now that she knew what was hidden beneath the wetsuit.
    Mason stayed out for another half hour before he finally headed in. He flopped down beside Billy and looked over at the basket of food and then at her.
    “Did Billy leave anything?”
    “Nope, growing boy. There’s nothing left.” Her brother laughed.
    “She’s lying. She made enough for the two of us and three others.”
    “Now he’s lying. I bet my last dollar there won’t be anything left.”
    Mason peered into the