SEAL Forever Read Online Free PDF

break the connection, but maybe, just maybe, she could help.
    â€œYes, we own our apartment. You know it is only two blocks away. It was my mother’s.” Her bottom lip shook. “But I can’t get work.”
    Maura wracked her brain. “What do you do again?”
    â€œI do bookkeeping and accounting, and…”
    â€œAccounting! Really?” Maura tapped a finger on the desk, did some mental math, and came to a conclusion. She could still keep herself solvent and hire Mrs. Bolijier. It meant a pay cut for her, but for now it would work. “I could pay you for accounting on a temporary basis, or we could barter your accounting services for membership.”
    Mrs. Bolijier was out of her chair and hugging Maura. “Thank you. I had no idea you would say this. I will work hard. This will get us back on our feet. I will take the first option with a hope of moving to the second by the end of the year.”
    Maura hugged her back. “No worries, and promise you’ll keep looking for work. If something better paying comes along, take it, and no hard feelings.”
    â€œOh, this is so much better. Thank you!” Mrs. Bolijier clapped her hands. “My Tats loves it here, and Simi has just started classes. I will make it work, and yes, I promise to keep looking in a little while. For now, I celebrate.”
    Maura still wasn’t sure it was going to be enough money for three people to eat and pay bills with, but she was thrilled that she could help in some small way. The economy was a tough place right now; even the military was taking cuts. What would it mean for the future of their country?
    Closing her eyes, she breathed in the aroma of the gym. She’d come to love the smell of running shoes and sweat. This was the scent that made her want to be a better athlete, to run and sprint faster and push herself beyond her comfort zone.
    Maybe that was what the gym would do for her, push her to get past all of her limitations and to go beyond what she imagined for herself. Having Mrs. B. here would make her stick to that promise. She wanted everyone who came here to be part of a gym family and to be striving to become the best version of himself or herself.
    * * *
    At home in her apartment…so much for an enlightened attitude of going with the flow. Now she was being paranoid. Maura checked the blue polka-dot backpack picnic basket for the third time. She took everything out and then repacked it again to reassure herself that she had included everything important. Yes to the corkscrew, California Chablis, and wineglasses, along with plates, napkins, silverware, and the giant containers of food. She didn’t know why she was so panicked.
    She toyed with a plastic vase, putting it in, taking it out, and then putting it back in the basket. Would it be romantic to include a flower, or was that dorky? She picked up the single yellow rose she’d bought on her way home from work and breathed in its sweet essence. Mmmm. It smelled so good.
    Was she overthinking this dinner? Was that her problem? She’d been known to do that. Of course, it had been nearly five years since she’d been with someone. That was enough time to throw a few doubts into a first date.
    â€œChill, Maura.”
    What would she do if Declan didn’t like her choices? Did he eat meat? Who was she kidding? He was a SEAL. He probably ate…like a cow every day of his life! Was a whole rotisserie chicken going to be enough? She tapped her foot nervously.
    She seriously needed to get herself together. She purposefully sat down, closed her eyes, and performed a relaxation exercise. It helped her feel centered. Her dear friend, Shannon, had taught her that trick in high school. Who would have thought she’d still be doing it today?
    A sharp knock at the door made her jump.
    Laughing at herself, she smoothed down her hair and walked calmly to the front door. Well, her heart was racing like a car in