Highly Charged! by Joanne Rock

who’d been watching Nate that the child was headed her way again.
    Walking down to the beach, Nikki picked up sunscreen, hair clips and a cheap pair of shades from where they’d fallen into the tall sea grass. Her flip-flops sank into the powdery sand, the warm, soft grains caressing her ankles. The sparkling navy and white-capped ocean lay just yards ahead. Oblivious to the surrounding beauty, the fierce volleyball competition raged. Thethudding ball, cheers, jeers and groans drowned out the sound of the music and brown-blue swells steadily rolling ashore.
    â€œHow do you know him?” It dawned on Nikki that she’d never asked Brad if he’d been married. Could the boy have been his son? He’d clearly behaved like a father.
    Uncertainty gripped her. Was coming here an invitation to further their ambiguous relationship? What did they really know about each other?
    Brad’s relaxed expression tightened. “His father and I served in the same unit. Lieutenant Frank Peterson. Best IED defuser we had. His wife was eight months pregnant with Nate when an advance team of mine sweepers and metal detectors missed a more unconventional weapon before Frank’s team—our team—went in. Frank was right there, warning everyone it wasn’t safe—”
    When he broke off, Nikki impulsively stroked the back of his rigid neck.
    â€œHow awful.” She couldn’t imagine how hard that had been for Frank’s wife, not to mention Brad’s team. And poor Nate, missing out on the chance to know his dad. “I’m sorry.”
    The words were a lame offering, not coming close to easing the grief in the air.
    â€œYeah. Me, too,” Brad bit out. He shook off her hand like a pestering fly.
    Hurt, Nikki wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t want her comfort. She was already in over her head and their afternoon together had barely gotten underway. Pausing by the break in the split-rail fence that acted as the lastbarrier between them and the party, she needed to clear the air before they went any farther.
    â€œLook, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.” Her sunglasses protested her tight grip with a small cracking sound. She eased her clenched fist, unsure of her role here.
    Maybe Brad was better at giving help than he was at accepting what someone else had to offer.
    He whirled to face her, kicking up sand he stopped so quick.
    â€œIt’s a great idea.” Even he must have heard how ludicrous that sounded when spoken through gritted teeth because he seemed to take a deep breath. “I’m just not good at talking about that stuff with people who—”
    She lifted an eyebrow, curious how he’d finish that sentence.
    â€œWith anyone,” he finished. “It’s been a while since I’ve been with someone so I haven’t had any reason to share things like that.”
    â€œIt’s been a while for me, too.” Her last boyfriend had gotten fed up with how much time she spent on her dissertation and that had been—too many years ago.
    Most guys were at least mildly intrigued at the idea of a woman writing her doctoral project on erotica. Jake had mostly been bugged she couldn’t make it to more Washington Nationals games with him on his weekends off. But that was the last thing she wanted to discuss.
    â€œUmm, aren’t we a little late for this shindig of yours?”
    Brad exhaled with a grin. “I like my hot dogs burnt.”
    Nikki started forward. “Funny. I feel the same way about marshmallows.”
    â€œOne burnt marshmallow coming up. But first—” he scooped up the cooler and sprinted toward a dozen men and women dressed in khaki or athletic gear “—volleyball.”
    Nikki gave him time to collect assorted high fives and shoulder punches, following more slowly. When she arrived, she tried to keep up as Brad’s military family introduced themselves. Like him, they served in