Love in Catalina Cove

by Brenda Jackson

  She thought the hardest thing she’d ever had to do was to stand there beside her daughter’s bed and hold tight to her hand while Dr. Telfair explained Kia’s condition to her. When the doctor left, Kia had cried in her arms first, then her father’s, and lastly her grandmother’s. The three people who loved her the most.

  Alma wanted to twist out of her husband’s arms when he wrapped them around her. “Baby, please don’t say that. We won’t lose her.”

  She swiped back her tears. “Then we need to find her. I don’t care if her mother doesn’t want to be found. We’re talking about a life or death situation. We’re talking about our baby. Our little girl.”

  They had come out of Kia’s hospital room and left her with Gloria. Kia adored her grandmother and Gloria was giving Kia a pep talk. Now it seemed Percelli was giving Alma hers, but she didn’t want to have a pep talk. She wanted their daughter well and back home where she belonged.

  “I’ve taken care of it.”

  She pulled out of his arms, swiping at the tears she’d tried not to shed in front of Kia, but couldn’t stop from flowing elsewhere. “What are you saying, Percelli?”

  He reached out and caressed her chin. “I contacted our family attorney this morning and told him to work with Dr. Telfair based on a life-threatening situation and obtain a court order to unseal those adoption documents. My only prayer is that the biological mother cares enough to want to help save Kia.”

  * * *

  SAWYER WALKED INTO his home and caught a nice scent from his kitchen. He followed the aroma and found his daughter busy at work at the stove. He had only one question to ask her for now. “Hey, Jade, whatever you’re cooking smells good. Did you follow the recipe?”

  She smiled at him. “Hey, Dad, and yes, I followed the recipe explicitly.”

  In that case he felt it was safe enough for him to ask, “What are you making?”

  “Pizza Porcupines and a tossed salad.”

  Maybe it wasn’t safe to ask after all. “Pizza Porcupines?”

  “Yes.”

  The name was a turnoff but the aroma in the kitchen was definitely a turn-on. “You got the recipe from Trudy?”

  “No, I got it from Ms. Vashti.”

  “Oh.” The mere mention of Vashti’s name sent pleasurable shivers up his spine and made him remember sand beneath his feet, the sound of waves crashing onto the shore and a kiss that he hadn’t wanted to end.

  “She made us some for lunch yesterday and it was so good. I asked for the recipe. They are easy to make.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.” He left to store his gun and a short while later he returned. After crossing the kitchen to the refrigerator he grabbed a beer and sat down at the able. He needed to talk to Jade about his date with Vashti on Saturday night. If nothing else he’d discovered she was tuned in to the town gossip by way of her friend Karen Libby. He wanted her to hear it from him before hearing it from anyone else.

  “Just thought I’d tell you that I have a date for Saturday night.”

  Jade snatched her head up so fast it was a wonder it didn’t snap. “A date?”

  “Yes.”

  “With someone living in Catalina Cove?”

  “Yes,” he said, watching his daughter closely.

  “Who?”

  “Vashti Alcindor.”

  A huge smile spread across Jade’s face and he was certain if she’d had space in the kitchen she would have been liable to do a cartwheel. Instead she thrust a fist in the air and said, “Yes!”

  “I take it that means you don’t have a problem with it?”

  “Of course not. Ms. Vashti is pretty, she’s smart and intelligent, a savvy businesswoman, a great cook, a real nice person, a—”

  “I get the picture, Jade.”

  “Good. And can I add that she treats everyone who works for her with dignity?”

  “Dignity?”

  “Yes. You know with respect. And she does it in a way that can bolster your self-esteem, regardless of whether you work inside the inn or outside in the gardens. It’s the same. I hope you know I plan to take credit.”

  He lifted a brow. “Credit for what?”

  “For introducing you guys.”

  If she wanted to take credit for that then he would let her. Besides, to tell her that wasn’t true would require a lot of explaining on his part.

  “So where do you plan to take her?” Jade asked, intruding on his thoughts.

  “The Lighthouse.”

  “Wow!”

  He could tell from his daughter’s expression she was impressed. He decided to finish off his beer and take a shower before she started asking him what he planned to wear. “I’m going to take a shower. I’ll be back down for dinner in a few.”

  “Okay, Dad.”

  He moved to leave the kitchen, glanced over his shoulder and shook his head. His daughter was actually in the middle of his kitchen doing a happy dance.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  “GOOD EVENING, Sheriff Grisham, Ms. Alcindor. Welcome to the Lighthouse. I’m Samuel, your maître d’ tonight and your table is ready. Please follow me.”

  Vashti felt a spike of heat when Sawyer reached for her hand and tucked it comfortably in his as they followed Samuel. She felt several pairs of eyes on them and figured word would get around town by tomorrow about their date. He didn’t seem to care and neither would she.

  Ms. Gertie’s funeral yesterday had been huge. It seemed like the whole town was there. One of the things she’d taken away from the minister’s eulogy was that Ms. Gertie was a person with a big heart who’d live a good life with no regrets. Vashti decided that’s what she wanted. To be a person who lived a good life with no regrets. She shouldn’t judge Sawyer by how shabbily she was treated by Scott. Julius hadn’t treated her shabbily; he just hadn’t given her the support she needed when it mattered. Deep down he might have loved her and admitted it in the end, but at that time he hadn’t loved her enough.

  Once seated, Samuel handed them menus. “Mello is your waiter tonight and he will be with you in a moment.”

  “Thanks.” Sawyer then looked over at her and smiled. “You look nice tonight.”

  She smiled back. “Thanks. You look nice as well.”

  She had been ready to leave as soon as she’d opened the door, with wrap and purse in hand. There had been no reason to invite him inside and that had been on purpose. It didn’t take much to remember what happened the last time she had invited him inside her home in New York.

  She glanced around and saw what a beautiful place the Lighthouse Restaurant was. The architecture, furnishing and design all had an elegant look. They’d been given a window that overlooked the gulf and the beam of light that used to steer ships home now gave a radiant glow to the sea at night. “This is a nice place. No wonder it’s hard to get reservations. You’ve been here before?”

  He shook his head. “No, this is my first time. What about you?”

  “Years ago when the Bradys owned it, but it wasn’t this elegant. The new owners transformed it into a really nice place.”

  “Last night I told Jade I was taking you on a date,” he said.

  “Oh? And what was her reaction?”

  “A happy dance.” He chuckled warmly. “My daughter actually did a happy dance in my kitchen. She likes you.”

  “And I like her. She’s doing a great job completing her assignments and following orders.”

  “And speaking of following orders, I should thank you for that, too.”

  “What? Her following orders?”

  “Pretty much. But in this case, following a recipe. She made those Pizza porcupines and they tasted great because she followed the recipe.”

  Vashti chuckled. “Most people do when cooking something different.”

  “Not my child. She used to think it
was her God-given right to deviate. You would not believe how many recipes she’s butchered, destroying great meals.”

  “Yet, you ate them anyway,” she said, knowingly.

  He smiled back. “I tried, but eventually we had a little talk. I was on the verge of sending her to cooking school.”

  Whenever he talked about his daughter Vashti could see that gleam in his eye that was so filled with love she could feel it. Jade was a lucky young lady. She’d told him that before and was about to tell him that again when the waiter appeared.

  “Did you hire a private investigator?” Sawyer asked after the waiter had taken their food order and served their wine.

  “Yes. He seemed confident that he will be able to tell me something one way or the other.”

  “If he’s good at what he does, he will. It will take a lot of digging, but first he might have legal hurdles to get beyond.”

  She took a sip of her wine. “I spoke to Kaegan this week and he told me the two of you went out on the water.”

  He took a sip of his wine as well. “We did. I love going out whenever I can and the fish were really biting that day. Do you like to fish?”

  “I’m not going to say I like to fish, but I love going out on the water. I find it relaxing.”

  He nodded and held her gaze. “Would you go out with me on my boat next Friday?”

  There was no escaping the way he was looking at her or the passion his stare was stirring. “You have a boat?”

  “Yes, I have a boat. Mine isn’t as large as Kaegan’s.”

  Vashti had heard all about Kaegan’s huge boat but the one Sawyer owned would definitely work for her. “Yes, I would love to go out on your boat with you.”

  His face split into a grin and at that moment the waiter returned with their dinner.

  * * *

  “BUT WHAT IF she doesn’t come?”

  Percelli didn’t say anything as his daughter looked at him with her big brown eyes. He had to give her hope. The same hope he’d given his wife and mother earlier before sending them to the cafeteria to grab something to eat. Kia had been in the hospital over a week and the doctors hadn’t said when she would be going home. She had started dialysis and hated it.

  He had told her that he’d hired a private investigator to find her biological mother, hoping she would agree to be tested to see if there’s a match. “If she doesn’t come, Kia, then we move to plan B.”

  “But that could take forever. My life is ruined. No school. No sports. I hate it here. I hate being sick. I hate getting dialysis. I want to go home, Daddy, and sleep in my own bed. I want to go home.”

  Percelli went to his daughter and held her when she burst into tears. He knew she was having a pity party and she was entitled to it. She’d been pricked and prodded for almost two weeks. He continued to hold her while she cried and it felt as if the weight of the world were on his shoulders. Closing his eyes he sent up a silent prayer for strength and for a miracle. Kia needed her birth mother to come through for her and he prayed that she did.

  * * *

  SAWYER WAS THOROUGHLY enjoying Vashti’s company. After dinner they had ordered the Lighthouse’s signature blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream. Then later they’d sipped blueberry coffee while she told him of all the things she’d done so far to the inn and the things she had yet to do.

  He could tell she was excited about the woman she’d hired who was an amazing chef. She also told him how she had connected with her former college, NYU, to institute an internship program with them next fall.

  He in turn had told her about his and Jade’s summer adventure and the two weeks they’d spent in the Great Smoky Mountains and the fun they’d had. He told her about their road trip when he’d picked Jade up from her godmother’s house in Texas and how they’d spent a week on Galveston Beach.

  Later, when he turned his car onto Buccaneer Lane the outside of the inn was lit up like a Christmas tree. Not only had she installed floodlights but there were also lights lining the driveway and flanking several trees in the yard. It had still been daylight when he’d picked her up and now he was seeing just how the placed looked at night.

  “I see you took my advice,” he said, pulling into her driveway.

  “Yes, but I’ll probably cringe when I get the first electric bill.”

  “Maybe, but you can’t put a price on safety.”

  She chuckled. “Spoken like a true cop.”

  After bringing the car to a stop he turned to her. “I enjoyed myself tonight.” The glow from the yard was shining in the car’s interior and making her look even more beautiful. He was getting aroused just looking at her, being in close quarters with her and inhaling her scent.

  During dinner he’d managed to keep his libido in check thanks to the steady flow of conversation between them. But that didn’t mean he hadn’t desired her, because he had. What man wouldn’t? Tonight she had chosen a pretty pants set that looked good on her and showed just how well-proportioned her body was, especially her curvy hips, shapely breasts and small waist.

  He wanted her. The more he was around her the more he remembered how it felt to be inside her, moving in and out of her, skin to skin. He wondered how tonight would end. Would he walk her to the door, say good-night and leave? Or would she invite him in?

  “What are you thinking, Sawyer?”

  He grinned sheepishly. “What makes you think I was thinking anything?”

  She smiled and his heart raced. “Well for starters, you were staring at me without saying anything.”

  Yes, he had been. He would admit that. “I couldn’t help it.”

  “Why?”

  So, she wanted him to spell it out for her, did she? How could he explain that whenever he was around her he felt hot, smoldering lust? But then, he knew he didn’t have to explain anything to her since she could probably feel it with the same intensity that he could. But if she wanted to hear it from him...

  “I want you, Vashti.”

  She didn’t seem surprised by his direct honesty. Instead she reached out and with the tip of a polished fingernail she caressed the line of his jaw and said in a voice that was velvety soft, “In that case, I think we need to go inside.”

  Hell, leave it to her to make his already aroused body that much more stimulated. He quickly reached out and unsnapped her seat belt and then unsnapped his own before opening the door to the SUV to get out.

  He all but sprinted around the front of the vehicle to open the door for her. She grinned as she eased out of her seat and he closed the door behind her. “Boy, don’t you have a lot of energy tonight,” she teased.

  “Yeah,” he said, taking her hand and leading her toward the steps. “You want me to show you how much?”

  “I’m hoping that you do,” she said, and at that moment he thought she was simply amazing. She wouldn’t be playing games with him and was letting him know that she was all in. He remembered another night she had been all in and the off-the-charts lovemaking that had resulted. Those memories had gotten him through the last few months when he would think of her, want her and had thought he would never have her again. He hoped that things would change tonight.

  Holding tight to her hand they walked up the steps. It was a beautiful night and the scent of the sea flowed through his nostrils. She opened the door and he gave her time to turn off the alarm system before following her inside and closing the door behind them.

  That was as far as they got before he reached out and pulled her into his arms, claiming her mouth with a degree of passion he felt only with her.

  * * *

  SAWYER HAD A way of turning her life upside down but in a good way. Vashti wanted this and she wanted him. He wasn’t the only one with wants. Dinner was great but this was the part of the evening that she’d been anticipating, when he would kiss her in a way that could make her purr.


  The moment his tongue tangled with hers, a level of passion she could feel only with him began rushing molten heat through her veins. He was kissing her with an intensity that replaced all of her senses, common and otherwise, with a need that radiated all through her. Something she’d come to expect from a Sawyer Grisham kiss.

  He wasn’t just taking her mouth—he was making love to it. His tongue was touching every inch of hers. Searing it with wild, undeniable hunger. Then his tongue began moving in circles, driving her crazy with lust. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she hung on, fearful if she didn’t the yearning she felt inside would take over and she would become a woman possessed. But then, she was almost there.

  It seemed he always had a new and different way to kiss her, whether using a tried and true technique or merely experimenting, it didn’t matter. What mattered was that she knew he was getting the intended effect. If it was his aim to push her over the edge with this kiss, make her regret every single day she’d put distance between them and goad her to never make that mistake again, it was working.

  He pulled away from her mouth to rain kisses down her neck and to reach out and gently cup her breasts through the material of her top. More sensations rocked her when he touched her there and she could only throw her head back and moan. That gave him more of her neck to lick.

  “Sawyer...”

  “I love it when you say my name,” he crooned, close to her ear before licking along the side of it as well. She thought of making some kind of saucy comeback comment but found she could barely breathe. That meant she needed to leave well enough alone. But well enough in the form of Sawyer Grisham had no intention of leaving her alone, and he showed her how serious he was when he suddenly whipped her top over her head.

  She sucked in a quick breath. She hadn’t seen it coming but undoubtedly he did and knew his next move. Unsnapping the front clasp of her bra he quickly worked the straps from her shoulders.

  “Black lace. Nice.”

  Vashti had figured the night would end this way. At least she had hoped and decided to be prepared. That’s why she’d pulled out her matching bra and panties set. She was a lace woman and he’d told her the last time they’d made love that he was a lace man. She liked colorful lace underthings and he liked black lace. Tonight, for him, she had worn black lace.