My natural alarm clock was in working order; even though I was tired, I woke up at 5. No one was home yet so I decided to work out in the gym. It had been several days since the last time I exercised. It’s one of those things that is too easily put off if you don’t force yourself to do it. So force myself I did; I used every one of the machines in the basement, finishing up on the treadmill as I always did. When I was finished I was huffing, puffing and sweaty; just what a good workout is supposed to do.

I heard an army of footsteps upstairs; knowing the girls were home I went up to a festive atmosphere. The word was out that Dan Blueburg was history, seems a lot of girls had a very low opinion of old roving hands Dan as they called him.

Jen was ecstatic that she was temporally assigned to the C-town barracks as a liaison for the task force. It was a reprieve from the bridge traffic and close to everything that was going on.

The group was involved in getting supper ready. I was told we were having salad, baked potato with crab cakes from the Inn, along with ice cold beer. It all sounded good to me.

I decided to look at the proposal from the college while I was waiting. My new title would be Director of Security and Safety. I could set my own work schedule based on needs. Along with a college supplied appropriate vehicle, I was to have a base salary of 200.000 a year. It was a five year contract.

No wonder Jenny said, “It was great!” It had my interest peaked.

Supper was still twenty minutes away so I had time for a shower before it would be ready.

I was in the shower just finishing up when Lorrie burst in, “You have visitors – Jen says they are Marines. She has them in the formal dining room”.

I quickly dried off, put on jeans, bra, shirt and tennis shoes and I went to the dining room. I noticed that it was deadly quiet as I walked through.

Gunny Sergeant Richard Day, Captain Horace Ryan, and Major Clarence Morgan from Quantico Marine Base were sitting at the table reading the newspaper stories about me.

The Major said “I see you have been keeping busy”. They were here to get me to re-enlist. They gave me their speech. The marines needed my training skills in hand to hand and self defense.

I still said, “No, I have done my time in purgatory.”

“We can pull back in under the reserve clause,” the Captain said.

“I will fight it every step of the way; on my last mission my life time girl friend, the girl that I shared slumber parties and went on double dates with died in my arms. I’m just now getting over that. If you check the medical records it was the doctors that forced my discharge,” I said.

“With your record we can guarantee all stateside duty, we can guarantee you a promotion for signing to full lieutenant,” the major said.

“No, I’m still not interested; it is just not in me any more. I am 30; there are few women in the marines over thirty and fewer in the things that I do,” I said.

“We will leave a copy of the paperwork for you to look over, but I’m sure we will be back to talk to you again,” the Captain said. I walked them to the door and thanked them for coming.

I turned and walked into the kitchen to stare at five faces with wet tears on their cheeks.

Jen said, ”You told me that your best friend had died, you didn’t tell me that she was killed in the war and had died in your arms – OH MY GOD”.

I was surrounded by five girls with tears running down their faces in a big hug and then there were 6 with tears running down their faces.

After what seemed like an eternity of hugs, sobs, and kisses I said, “Girls, cold crab cakes and hot beer don’t go together.”

Jenny said “I knew I heard a growl from somewhere.” That brought a chorus of giggles and “let’s eat”

The festive atmosphere returned during supper, the crab cakes were great and the cold beer made them even better. Lorrie, Ching Lee, Marcy and Vicky were filling each other in on the day’s gossip. Jen and I talked about her new office at the barracks and then about my little intelligence mission tomorrow.

The plan was for me to get there early enough to be out fitted with a cam and ear wick up at Joe’s office. The tech guys were going to be in a seized drug van parked out on the street. Everything that I saw would be recorded. With the ear wick they could direct me to things they wanted a closer look at.

Jen and I talked about cars, I decided that a Suburban was what would be best for the college, and if we ended up doing seminars at other colleges we could use it to carry all the gear and people.

I filled Jen in on the request and asked if she would be able and willing to help. Lorrie chimed in that she wanted to be a part of it to. Jenny added that the task force had already been approached by the safety council to develop a rape awareness program for them, modeled after ours.

After the dishes were taken care of I looked at Jen and said, “Tub” “YES” was the immediate response.

Lorrie added “Me too.”

“Anybody else going to join us?” I asked as we headed for the door.

I stopped at the refrigerator and grabbed a six pack. Jenny, Lorrie, and I stopped at the door, stripped off, grabbed a towel and out the door we went. I flipped open the cover, hit the buttons, check the temperature, set a beer in each of the holders and climbed in.

Lorrie and Jen stepped into the shower to remove their makeup, giving each other a soap-up with the mitt. As they stepped out Ching Lee and Marcy stepped in and washed each other.

Marcy said “That’s the first time I have had someone wash my back in years, I kinds like that.”

“Same for me, I like it to I think we are going to do showers together from now on when the shower is big enough for both of us to get in,“ Ching Lee said.

Ching Lee stepped out and Marcy waved Vicky in and washed her back. I couldn’t swear to it but I think I heard a sensual moan coming from the shower.

We all settled into the hot tub and just relaxed as we finished our beer. I got out and got a six pack and gave everyone one. I settled back into the tub and glanced around at the smiling faces and floating boobies that were all better than mine.

I let out a little chuckle; Jen looked at me and said “What?”

I just shook my head. A name had popped into my head for this place.

There was a wood-workers shop a few miles away. I would stop tomorrow and have them make me a weathered seashore type sign. The timer went off shutting down the spa. We climbed out, dried off and went naked, of course. We were a clothes optional household now.

Edit by Alfmeister