Finding His Place – Chapter 14

The next few weeks were spent getting Sinjin acclimated back to life in America. He also made Dom happy by trimming down his 'combat tactical beard' as they sometimes called them in the Middle East down to something much more stylish. He wasn't ready to shave it all off but he trimmed it down quite a bit and went and got a decent haircut. Not quite a regulation cut but he figured it was close enough.

Sinjin began spending a couple days a week in an Army reintegration program that was specifically for those who spent unusually long deployments. His was one for the record books he supposed. Only a handful of other men had spent as long on deployment as he had as part of Special Ops.

He could be a little jumpy sometimes with really loud noises but that couldn't be helped. It wasn't PTSD it was just learning to relax now. Only time would help with that one. Thankfully both Dom and String understood it and were more help to him than the Army shrink who'd never seen combat.

The rest of his time was getting acquainted with what he'd be doing as part of his new job and doing some work around the hanger too.

The first stunt job that they did, he really enjoyed the technical aspects of it, more than he thought he would. String had been the pilot in the stunt but he'd coordinated on the ground with Caitlin while Dom was in the air filming with the cameraman. Sinjin and Cait had made a good ground team keeping things running smoothly and safely for String and Dom as it was a pretty dangerous stunt.

He could tell Cait was worried but she stayed laser focused on the job and he found that he really admired the redhead who'd stolen his brother's heart. He'd already liked her when he met her in Egypt but now he knew for sure that String had picked the perfect woman for himself. Sinjin was going to keep pestering String about when he was going to marry the girl. They were obviously made for each other.

Sinjin also knew he needed to get out of the cabin, he'd walked in on them making out like a couple teenagers the other night and even though they didn't know he was there because he'd quickly backtracked to his bedroom they sure didn't need him there to get in the way. No couple needs a third wheel around.

Sinjin checked in on the money he had socked away from his time overseas, wasn't like he'd used much of it so he had an actual fortune in savings plus he had one hell of a lot of money in the trust that his parents left him. A feather could have knocked him over when he talked to the man at the bank. He had nearly a million and a half in his trust and over a million in his savings. He'd have a tax bill of course on the trust except his part of his parent's life insurance. Government couldn't touch that money the banker told him. It gave him more than enough to buy a nice house and a decent vehicle with quite a bit left over and no mortgage or car payment would certainly help him rebuild his savings. Plus, he planned on helping String out with his wedding to Cait maybe spring for their honeymoon or something if the kid ever got the balls to ask her.

When they got back to the hanger late that afternoon after wrapping another minor stunt Sinjin asked String if he would take him to a car dealership. "I need to get my own ride, I can't keep borrowing Dom's Jeep all the time or yours," Sinjin told him and String shrugged.

"Sure, which one you want to go to?"

After telling Cait and Dom where they were headed, Sinjin and String headed off together to get him a vehicle. When they returned to the hanger a few hours later, Sinjin had a new silver F-150-Raptor which Dom had fun checking out and then complaining about all the computer 'junk' on new vehicles. That made String and Sinjin roll their eyes at each other behind his back and Caitlin hide a grin in her hand.

Later that evening at the cabin while Caitlin was upstairs in the shower, String looked at his brother on the couch and sighed.

"So, when are you moving out?"

"Hmm? What makes you ask that?"

"You just bought a new truck, just figured you are probably thinking of getting your own place. You're always welcome here just like Dom, ya know?" String told him and Sinjin smiled and took a drink of his beer.

"You never were dumb were you? Yeah, I am planning it but haven't found what I want yet. I don't know if I want to live in the city or find something here in the mountains. I'm kind of enjoying the solitude up here but not sure yet," Sinjin said.

"Well, let me know if you want any help finding a place, we'd all be glad to help out," String told him and Sinjin nodded. He knew his family would support him no matter what. It was incredible being back home and spending time again with String and Dom and now Caitlin. It was the right decision to come home, he was certain of that. Now he just needed to figure out what he was going to do on a personal level for himself. He already enjoyed working at the hanger again and the NRO/FIRM stuff was going to be interesting.

Next week, String was going to start training him on Airwolf. That, he honestly couldn't wait for.

A few days later, Sinjin drove out to meet with a real estate agent, they looked at a few houses he'd looked at online but didn't care for how close the neighbors were. Maybe he would prefer something closer to where grandpa's cabin…or he supposed now String and Cait's place was? He asked the guy about possible places up on the lower side of the mountain at Lake Waini, a little closer to town at Fox Ridge and the man said he'd take a look.

They were standing outside on the sidewalk at the last house he'd toured and the real estate guy, Tom had his laptop out and was taking a look at what was available.

"Oh, what do you know, there are two up for sale, don't always have many up at Fox Ridge it is so popular these days. One is just a tiny place, fishing cabin well more like a shack but still, one bed, one bath. Way, way below your budget but is a piece of junk really. Nice land though, you could build to suit," Tom explained. "The other is a little big for a single guy though and near the top of your budget."

"Yeah, I want a family one day though so it might be good, oh wow, that place is nice," Sinjin said as he looked at the photos on the screen. It was really nice. And even at the top of his budget he had set it still left him a lot of money.

"Maybe I should take a look at them in person," Sinjin suggested and Tom nodded.

"Sure, if you have time now, I don't have another client today. I was just going to do some paperwork this afternoon so we could go up there now if you have time," Tom suggested.

"Works for me, be even faster if we fly up," Sinjin suggested.

They returned to the hanger and Sinjin introduced Tom Miller to Dom, Cait and String.

"You want a second opinion?" String asked and Sinjin laughed.

"Might not hurt," Sinjin said but String's next words surprised him.

"Take Cait, she can give you a woman's opinion," String suggested and Cait looked at String in surprise as well.

"You like how nice the addition to the cabin is don't you? The size of the bathroom and the bedrooms and stuff?" String said then and that made Caitlin start to smile.

"Yeah," Sinjin said wondering what that had to do with a woman's opinion.

"That was Caitlin's excellent suggestions when I was working up the new addition. You'd have had something pretty basic if it had been up to me, she was the one who recommended the heating system and the large guest bath suite rather than just another extra bathroom," String told them. "I figure have her take a look, see what she thinks. You say you want a family one day, who better to see what a house needs for a family than a woman with good taste?"

"Thank you, String. I didn't know you appreciated my taste and opinion so much," Caitlin said with a grin.

"You love me, so of course you have good taste," String said teasingly and Dom threw a grease rag at him and Caitlin slapped him on the arm. Even Tom laughed, thinking they were a rather nice family.

So, Caitlin joined Sinjin and Tom to go visit the two houses. Tom called the Fox Ridge real estate office he worked with and arranged a car to meet them at the small airport there.

About an hour later they were at the first property.

"Well here is the smaller place but it has three acres of land with a half-acre right on the waterfront. You'd need to build but then you could build whatever you want," Tom explained as they got out of the car to hike out to where the small fishing cabin was.

To say it was a cabin was an insult to cabins really, it was more of a hut. He could live in it while they built something but it wouldn't be comfortable. The view was beautiful though and a great spot on the lake. It had a lot of trees that they'd have to take down to allow for a landing dock or pad. If he wanted to build exactly what he wanted it would be a perfect place to do it.

They headed off to the other house and when they drove down the winding drive, Sinjin liked how secluded it was even though it was still very close to town.

"Oh, my," Caitlin whispered when they cleared the last curve up to the cabin and it was spread before them.

"Damn," Sinjin whispered and Tom smiled.

"It is a lovely place and under market value, the former owner lived here for many years but after his wife died he just couldn't live in it anymore. It was their dream house and he just couldn't bear to live in it without her. He's wanting to sell fast," Tom explained as they got out.

The house was gorgeous, built of stone and logs, a mix of Swiss chalet and western classic style with a steep roof. It had beautiful tall windows and three stone chimneys jutting from the roof. The front door was set back from a portico doorway accented by a colonnade of polished logs.

"This is gorgeous!" Caitlin said and Sinjin nodded.

"How big is this place again?" Sinjin asked Tom.

"Four bedrooms, four and a half baths so each bedroom has its own private bath. It has a big open floorplan for the kitchen, living and dining areas, the deck and dock out back is amazing too, all the appliances are brand new and the heating and cooling system is only a year old," Tom explained as they went up to the door.

He entered the code on the lock and let them in. "Electronic door lock," he said as they entered.

They were greeted with gorgeous high cathedral ceilings with polished logs and a shiny wood floor. There was a huge floor to ceiling flagstone fireplace in the living room flanked by floor to ceiling windows with a view of some of the lake and the woods.

They turned and Caitlin gasped. "Oh, what a gorgeous view, this is just about as good as the one at our cabin," Caitlin said.

This was further down the mountain so there was a valley like effect to the lake and trees here unlike their clear unobstructed view of the mountains and sky but just as lovely. The river and waterfall that connected Eagle Lake to Lake Waini made sure the water here was as blue as it was at the top of the mountain.

The kitchen was huge, facing the dining area and then the living room and that fireplace were the focal point of the living area. Caitlin inspected the kitchen, opening cabinets and appliances and Sinjin just grinned at her. He'd never have paid much attention to that stuff. He couldn't cook worth a damn, he never had any reason to other than something over a campfire.

"The kitchen pass muster?" Sinjin asked and Caitlin smiled.

"Yeah, this is real nice. Great appliances and layout, but you don't cook, do you?"

"When have I had time to learn? I went in the Army at 18, been there ever since. Most I know how to do is cook some fish over a campfire or a frozen pizza in the oven from when I was a kid. Other than that, it's been MRE's, restaurants on the odd R&R and cafeteria food at base," Sinjin said and she laughed.

"How the heck did you get all those muscles eating that crap?"

"A lot of hard work," Sinjin laughed. "I guess ya'll can teach me so I don't starve."

"Yes, we'll get on that tonight if you want," Caitlin told him.

They checked out the bedrooms, baths and laundry room which Cait gave a through look and declared it good enough. They then went out to the deck and dock area. It already had a landing pad and boat slip. Sinjin let out a whistle and looked around.

"This is amazing," Sinjin said looking around. It was better than amazing but he wondered if it was too much for just him but like String had said, he did want a future wife and kids.

He could use one of the rooms as a gym and have two guest rooms like String had until that time, it had room for a home office off the living area too.

"Cait, can you hang out here while I talk with Tom?"

"Sure," Caitlin said, wondering if Sinjin was going to buy this place. She didn't know how much he had to spend but Tom had said it was under market value for a fast sale. He might get quite a deal here.

He returned inside where Tom was at the counter with his laptop.

"So, you said it was near the top of my budget but the guy wants to sell fast, if I were to pay cash immediately, no financing that'll save some won't it?" Sinjin asked and Tom smiled.

"Well, yeah it saves quite a bit on closing costs and so on. There will still be some fees of course but not as much as financing it would be," the realtor said and looked up the owner's number on his laptop.

"Let me give him a call and see what he'd be willing to settle for," Tom said and took his phone out.

Sinjin walked back out to the deck where Cait was.

"You going to buy it?"

"Depends on what the owner decides. Tom is calling him now. I really like the place and with it already having a landing pad I think it would be a good place for a future family and it isn't terribly far from you guys either," Sinjin said.

"Do you want to try to look at other places though?" Caitlin asked.

"I looked at four in the city the last few days and know I don't want to live there. Either I build new at the other site, or I buy this place. I don't really want to wait and I need to get out of ya'll's place," Sinjin said.

"No, you are always welcome, Sinjin," she told him and he smiled.

"I know that but you and String need your home to be yours again," Sinjin told her.

"Well, it is up to you of course but it really is a nice house. Seriously, you can afford this place?" Caitlin asked and Sinjin laughed.

"Yeah, I can, even if the owner doesn't wiggle on the price and still have money left over, Cait," Sinjin told her. "I never had to use much of my pay over the years, hell I could buy this house outright without even touching my trust fund or using everything in my savings as it is now."

"Oh, I guess not having to pay for housing for 16 years helps," Cait said with a laugh.

"Yeah, especially with the extra pay for the work I was doing. We got a pretty hefty bonus for the nature of the ops we were on. Plus, the most I spent money on was a good meal here or there over the years or a nice hotel if I got R&R so I'm sitting pretty good," Sinjin told her.

She knew String was in a similar situation with the cabin, not having to pay rent or a mortgage each month he was able to save a lot of money from his work over the years plus he had a trust from his parents he'd never even touched. Dom didn't use a penny of any of the insurance money from their life or home insurance after their deaths for the kids. He raised them on his own pay and what they got in Social Security because they were orphans.

"Okay, well, if you get this place I think you'll really love it here," Cait told him. "It's quiet, beautiful and not far from town or from our cabin."

Tom came out then and told Sinjin that they might have a cash deal. Sinjin stepped back inside to talk with him and make arrangements to meet the following day to get the paperwork rolling. The owner was ready to sell.

When they got back to the hanger and Tom left, in his car, Cait and Sinjin went in to find Dom and String in Dom's office.

"So, how'd it go?" String asked, getting up and giving Caitlin a little kiss in greeting.

"Well, tomorrow I'm meeting Tom at his office to work on the paperwork, I'm buying a cabin near Fox Ridge right on Lake Waini and it is gorgeous," Sinjin told them and Dom smiled.

"Congratulations, son!"

"Thanks, Dom. The place has a nice kitchen so Cait wants me to start cooking lessons tonight, I'm sorry, String," he told his brother who laughed.

"I'm sure she won't let you screw up too badly, so this place is what you want?"

"Yeah. Already has a helicopter landing pad, a great deck, wooded acreage and a dock right on the lake. It is bigger than I need right now but hopefully one day that'll change," he explained.

"That sounds really nice, Sinj," String told him. "One really cool thing, you have nothing to move."

Dom started laughing. "I didn't even think of that, you don't have anything but what's in your duffle bags. I doubt you want anything from your old bedroom."

"Yeah, I think I'm too big for a twin bed and a bit old for a dresser with Iron Man stickers on it," he agreed with a laugh.

"Long as you were a ground soldier you could have mine with the Captain America stickers," String told him and Sinjin laughed even harder.

"I don't think they'd match the woodwork," Sinjin told them.

"Well, then you get to have some fun decorating," Caitlin said with a happy grin.

"Oh, I have a feeling you are going to end up having fun decorating," Sinjin told her.

"Don't give her a free pass unless you mean it, brother," String warned him.

"What do I know about decorating?" Sinjin asked with a shrug. "I'll be glad for the help so that if I ever do bring a woman home she won't look at it and think I'm a moron or colorblind or something."

"As long as you don't decorate with animal furs and trophies, no flashing beer signs and no camo you'd probably do fine," Caitlin told him with a grin and Sinjin laughed as they closed up the hanger for the evening.

Two weeks later, Sinjin was following Caitlin and Marella around a furniture store. "This would look really good in your living room, Sinjin, what do you think?" Caitlin said as she pointed out a nice living room set with wood accents and copper nail heads with a rich brown leather. It was nice but he wasn't sure about leather.

"I like it but how about something more comfortable than leather," he offered and she nodded. He didn't want to have to peel bare legs off leather if he wore a pair of gym shorts around the house.

"No leather…let's see," she and Marella set off ahead of him and he grinned at them as he followed along like a big kid following his mom or something.

"What about this one, same style but in a fabric instead," Marella suggested and Caitlin nodded at it and looked at Sinjin.

"Hmm, that is nice actually," he said walking over to it and running his hand over the fabric. It had a nice feel to it and he liked the rich dark russet color of it.

He walked around and plopped down on the couch and bounced a little on it making Marella roll her eyes a bit.

"Yeah, I like it," he said and stood up. "So, the couch, the loveseat and chair and…" he paused as he looked at a set of tables in another display. He liked the solid look of them, they matched the cabin with such a rustic style. "And those to go with it," he said pointing and Marella looked at them as did Caitlin.

"Maybe there is hope for you after all," Marella muttered as she went over to the tables to give them the once over. Caitlin just laughed as she followed the other woman.

"What about these lamps, Sinj?" Caitlin asked as she pointed out a set of lamps with ironwork bases and lampshades that looked like they were sewn together with leather cord. It made him grin when she called him by String's nickname for him.

"Yeah, I like those," he said thinking they looked rustic but also kind of elegant too.

A sales person came over after finishing up with another customer buying a recliner and apologized for not helping them sooner. They were a little shorthanded today.

"No problem. I'm moving into a new house and the ladies here are helping me pick out furniture so it won't end up looking like a big man cave or something," Sinjin told him with a laugh.

The salesman grinned at him. "I see, what all do you need Mister?"

"Hawke, Sinjin Hawke. And you are going to love me if you get commission because I need everything. And I do mean everything," he told the younger man and the guy's eyes widened.

"Uh, how big of a house?"

"I need bedroom sets for 3 bedrooms, home office, living room, dining room, outdoor deck, do you have that here?"

"Oh, uh, yeah we do. Let me get my clipboard," the guy said and ran off already imagining how happy his wife was going to be. They'd been saving for a vacation and a commission this big was going to make it a nice one.

The guy came back a few minutes later. "All right, Mr. Hawke, where do we start?"

"Well, we've already picked that set there, the lamps over there, the tables over there," he said as the salesman whose name tag said Darren on it ran around and wrote down the numbers he needed for them.

Once they left the furniture store, Sinjin said he was going to head back to the hanger and see if String had time for another lesson with Airwolf and Caitlin and Marella both looked at him oddly.

"What?"

"Sinjin, you need more than furniture or do you plan to sleep without sheets or blankets or take showers and just air dry with no towels?" Caitlin asked with her hands on her hips and he looked at her for a moment.

"Oh, man. Can…can you ladies just do that stuff? I honestly don't care, well I mean I do care but as long as it isn't pink or lacy or something I would be fine with whatever it is. I mean, it's just sheets and towels and stuff."

"And plates, silverware, barware, wall art, rugs, you'll probably want things for the bathroom, cleaning supplies too," Caitlin ticked off on her hands.

"Oh," he said realizing he never really thought about any of those things. They were always just there when he was on base.

"You might also want to pick up a computer and printer for that home office, do you want a TV or something and didn't you say you wanted to make one room a gym?" Marella suggested.

"Err, yeah…okay, ladies, lead on," he said with a sigh and they led him down the sidewalk to another store. It was going to be a long day.