Page 1 of Buck (Diver Downeast #2)

He felt odd. Strange.

Walking around as a civilian.

Buck had spent his entire adulthood, since the time he’d turned eighteen, in the Coast Guard.

Fifteen years . Fifteen years .

Why had he imagined that private sector life was a good idea? How could he have forgotten what it felt like, being in his hometown; undergoing scrutiny, whether real or imagined?

Not that it was all bad. He loved some of the people here. In specific, his parents. Because who didn’t adore Guy and Ellen Sothard? And they’d always believed in him, no matter what circumstances had decried.

The problem wasn’t his brothers, either. A bunch of them weren’t even currently around. Trask, Vincent, and Julian were still in the military, and Seifer was off skiing for his college somewhere.

Mason and Kyle were local however, police officers with two different departments, one here in Orono, and one in Bangor.

They were both being really chill about giving him the space he needed to acclimate.

And Spencer? Well, Spencer was the brother with whom he was about to open a rescue diving business.

They’d almost signed a lease on a property in Lincoln, but they’d missed their appointment with the realtor, and before they’d been able to reschedule, they’d stumbled across a small, free-standing building for sale, south of Orono in Hampden.

The location was closer to open ocean, more bustling, and fit all their needs.

Instead of leasing the property up north, they’d purchased the Hampden one, and were undertaking renovations which should have them opening within two months.

It boggled his mind how fast that had happened.

One minute the two of them were at sea, and the next… Boom . They were opting out of their respective re-ups, and were going into business together, forming the core of their new company, Diver Downeast.

Right now, however, Buck had specters to abolish, which wasn’t proving easy.

He was jumpy in his skin. Walking around downtown Orono was a blast from the past, but not…

the same. One time he’d been welcomed here; almost a fixture, being one of the renowned Sothard brothers.

Then Buck’s world had come crashing down, and just like that, he’d been looked on with scorn.

A pariah. Folks who had once treated him like a local son, had suddenly turned their backs and shunned him.

Buck hated the memories that flooded into his head as he strolled the length of the main thoroughfare.

They weren’t the good vibes from his early childhood.

Instead, the images imbedded in his brain were the ones that had followed him into the Coast Guard.

Chased him into the Coast Guard, if he were honest.

Buck tried to recenter himself, and squared his shoulders after dragging in a deep breath.

He could do this.

He looked around. A number of businesses he remembered were still open, but an equal amount were brand new.

On the street, certain faces passing by seemed familiar, yet he couldn’t put names to the people who looked at him with open curiosity before giving him a nod and moving on. It was all very…disconcerting.

Coming into town hadn’t necessarily been his idea. Spencer had prodded him—had kept prodding him—telling him he needed to face his past. Stare down his ghosts. So here Buck was, and it sucked.

Who knew that after fifteen years of being looked at by his fellow shipmates as a more-than-worthy and highly intelligent part of his unit, he could feel so…small.

Maybe it was his imagination. Maybe these almost-strangers were regarding him differently than he perceived.

If he was being recognized after having served his country for more than a decade, wouldn’t the old town guard understand that he was a changed man?

Not that he’d needed to change. He’d been fine just the way he was.

They didn’t know that, though.

The things he’d been accused of still boggled his mind.

The allegations that had driven him into the Coast Guard had all been fabricated; a lie.

In the end, however, only his family and a few close familial friends, like Chief Ildavorg of the OPD, had believed him.

And thank God for the chief. Without that man’s intervention, Buck would have ended up in jail with a record, instead of working for Uncle Sam.

Now, on land once again, he could start over, fresh.

Not here, though. Not in Orono. He’d made it clear to Spencer when they’d discussed where their new business would be located, that farther north or south was good. Buck wanted a town where pretty much nobody knew him. And even if they did, his past might not be so well remembered.

They’d made that happen.

Buck hesitated in his forward trajectory. The place of his worst nightmares was just ahead, but he was no coward. He forced his footsteps to continue. He headed toward the hardware store which had now been closed for twelve years, hoping for his own closure.

A reset of sorts, for himself alone.

He knew a lot of long-time Orono citizens were still upset over the store’s departure from town, and that they blamed him for the demise. The owners, however, had assured Buck’s parents differently, never once thinking it had been their son who had been responsible for what had occurred.

But the stain on Buck’s reputation here, remained.

He sucked up his fortitude, strode forward, and made himself stop just outside the old building.

The place had been repurposed into offices of some kind.

Flower barrels were planted out front, and looked well-tended.

The exterior had a new paint job and new signage.

Buck sent his gaze farther afield. The entire area looked…

rejuvenated. It seemed to be thriving. A restaurant with outdoor seating had opened up next door to the old hardware store, and everything looked… bustling.

Damn. Parts of him were glad to be home, despite feeling like an outsider.

The smells from the restaurant wafting in the air made Buck’s stomach growl, despite that it had just been nervously roiling, because, duh, it was just after four, and he hadn’t eaten lunch.

Sustenance was one of the things that continued to stymie Buck since he’d separated from the service.

Feeding himself was…hard. He hadn’t had to think about food as a Coastie.

The ships and bases where he’d been stationed had always been blessed with mess halls and a fairly regimented meal schedule.

Being on his own, Buck often forgot that he was currently the only one in charge of his stomach.

He gave a silent nod of recognition to the now, non-hardware store, and glanced at the restaurant again. Could he do it?

It was one thing to walk around town. It was another thing entirely to sit amongst townspeople in an eating establishment. Did he dare…?

Buck’s phone rang in his pocket.

He plucked it out and looked at the screen.

Yes . Saved by his brother, from having to make an immediate decision.

“Hey Spence,” Buck greeted.

“Where are you, bro?”

“Nice to hear from you, too,” Buck countered with a chuckle. “I’m actually walking the streets of downtown Orono, trying to blend in.”

“How’s that going for you?” Spencer asked with real concern in his voice. “This is the first time you’ve been to town since you got home, isn’t it?”

Yeah. It had been nearly two months since Buck had stepped foot on dry land, but he was tired of being a chicken-shit. He couldn’t spend all his time south of here in the town where he and Spence were establishing their new business. Buck had known that sooner or later he’d have to face his past.

“It is, and it’s…interesting,” Buck stated, forcing himself to stop in front of the restaurant to talk. “A lot of the businesses have changed hands here, though, and the crowd seems…younger.”

Spencer laughed. “That’s because you’re an old man, now.” A short silence ensued. “Have you, uh, seen anybody you know?”

“I don’t think so,” Buck responded thoughtfully. “Maybe a few people who look a little familiar, but certainly nobody who’s wanted to stop and talk. Or yell.”

“Nobody’s going to yell at you,” Spencer huffed. “What happened was over fifteen years ago. Everyone’s moved on except you.”

Buck grumbled, but didn’t disagree. But he knew full-well there were a few people who would never forgive him for his supposed digressions.

Buck changed the subject.

“To what do I owe the honor of this late-day call when you have so much shit on your plate?” It was Friday, and not only were Spencer and Tabitha getting married tomorrow, their rehearsal dinner was set for two hours from now. Buck ought to know. He was one of the groomsmen in the wedding party.

“The caterer for tonight called, and they’re down a vehicle. I know you have that big-ass mom-van, and I was wondering if you could head to the caterer’s around six and help them out?”

Buck laughed out loud. “Ah, I see. Now who’s making fun of my choice to buy a mini-van, huh? It’s okay to dis me when it suits you, but now that you need my help…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Spencer snorted. “Bite me. Can you, or can’t you?”

“Of course I can, old man.” Buck loved to tease Spencer for being born just a year before him. “Give me the caterer’s address.”

Ellen Sothard was taking tonight off; sitting this one out. Normally she cooked for every family or neighborhood function, but Spencer had begged her, as the mother of the groom, to simply sit back and enjoy this weekend.

She’d reluctantly agreed once it had been decided that not only the dinner and rehearsal were to be held on the family property in the big barn out back that had been scrubbed clean, it would also be the venue for tomorrow’s wedding.

Subsequent to their mother reluctantly standing down, Buck had been aware that all the food was being shipped in, but he’d had no clue what company had taken on the job.