“I guess not.” I moved to the ladder, then stood on tiptoes to give him a kiss. “You think of everything, don’t you?”
“I try, but now all I can think about is you.”
“Oh, Har, you say the nicest things.” I kissed him again. “Let’s get this boat moving, before we get carried away and forget what we came here for.”
He laughed and retreated to untie the boat.
Knowing I was begging for trouble, I slipped off the shirt I’d worn over my bikini top and put sunscreen on my bare skin. Then I opened a bottle of wine, poured two glasses and took them up on deck.
“Nice,” he said, eyeing me as he reached for the glass.
I knew he meant me and not the wine. “Yes. It’s a very nice sparkling wine from California. Light, bubbly, and delicious.”
“Like you,” he said, toasting me.
“I’m hardly light.”
His eyes roved over me with appreciation. “You’re just right.”
“Take off your shirt,” I said to him. “I feel half naked next to you.”
“You are, but you don’t hear me complaining.”
“I better not.” I held his glass as he stripped off the shirt, and then I made a big thing out of putting lotion on his back. My hands didn’t know when to stop.
“Enough,” he said. “You keep that up much longer, and we’ll never leave the marina.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll keep my hands to myself.” I reached for my glass again and sat down next to him in the small cockpit.
We watched the city’s horizon slowly recede into the distance as we lounged next to each other and cruised around the bay. Lulled by the salty sea air, the gentle bouncing of the waves as we skimmed over them, I felt more content than I had any right to.
This was exactly what the doctor ordered. A chance to get away from reality for a few hours and leave all my troubles behind. How nice it would be to drift away with Harrison and never return.
“This is so relaxing. I wish we could stay out here forever.” I smiled. “But I guess we’d run out of gas.”
“That wouldn’t be so bad. You and me…alone at sea. I could take a month or so of this,” Harrison murmured, and nipped on my bare shoulder.
His arm rested behind me and I was able to lean against his warm naked chest. Did I mention what a fine, broad, muscular chest this man possessed?
Oh, I was so in trouble. He was the most lick-worthy man I’d ever met, and it took great will power not to drool.
I sat up a little straighter, telling myself that yes, I could enjoy this last night together, but not to let my emotions go astray. I had to keep a mental grip.
“What are you thinking?”
“That if we don’t eat soon, I might start nibbling on you.”
He laughed. “Okay. You’re that hungry are you?”
I looked into his face, and his eyes softened as if he could feel what I was thinking. “Candy?”
“Yes?”
“Do you want to build an appetite before dinner?”
“Uh…who would run the boat?”
“We’ll find a mooring buoy. I have a nautical chart and there are plenty of safe places to latch onto for a few hours. I was warned that the waters are shallow around here. They don’t want us throwing out an anchor because it might damage the coral reefs.”
He was talking about mooring, while I was thinking about making love. Of course I wanted to—I’m not a complete idiot. But I did have a strong protection shield that wisely guarded my heart.
My mind flipped back and forth—the devilish fun part said to say “yes, let’s rumble”—but the conservative side of me was a naysayer—cautioning me about getting over my head.
Making love to this man was intoxicating, and could easily become addictive.
Oh hell—I could dry out once he was gone.
“Yes, please.”
He got up, and offered me his hand. We went downstairs together.
Within seconds, he had my top off, and his hands were cupping my breasts as he tasted each one. I moaned his name and my hand ran over his chest, trying to memorize every nuance of his skin, each rippled muscle, each fine hair on his big, masculine chest.
The thought of not touching him, or kissing him, or being with him, nearly brought tears to my eyes, but I was a strong woman, and I’d dealt with loss before and I could do it again.
Our love making was tenderer than before, as if we both knew it might be the last. His kisses were sweeter, less urgent. I savored his mouth, in no rush to go anywhere else. My hands explored every line of his body, just as he explored mine. Patience for me had never been a virtue, but I didn’t ever want this exploration to end.
When he entered me, I clung to his shoulders and bit back a sudden cry. He filled every inch of me, and as my body melted into his we moved like acrobats in perfect synch.
The climax came so sudden it shocked me. Both of us reached the point of no return at precisely the same moment. Our explosion rocked the boat.
For a long while we lay there, our hearts beating rapidly, our body’s slick with sweat. I was thinking of getting up to shower when a shout from a blow horn broke us apart.
“Coast Guard,” a man’s voice said. “Return to deck.”
Harrison rose so quickly, he knocked his head on the overhead ceiling. I giggled and tossed him his shorts.
Fumbling, he got one leg in, and then the other, and we heard the blow horn once again. “You are in unsafe waters. Please respond.”
Harrison poked his head out of the deck. “I’m right here. What’s the problem?”
“You’re drifting, and its low tide, sir.”
“The boat was properly moored.” Harrison looked around. “Shit. It must have come loose.” He scrambled up on deck. “Thanks for the warning, Officers. I’ll get it moving.”
“We’ll wait here and see that you do.”
I quickly dressed and followed Harrison up on deck. I could see swimmers and snorkelers less than a hundred feet away. I gave the coast guards a friendly wave, and spoke quietly to Harrison. “Holy crap. We’re darn near on shore.”
“Right. Let’s hope we can get this thing out of here and not go aground.”
Harrison started the engine. The boat churned the water, and glided forward. We glanced at each other and grinned. “Our lucky day,” he said, giving a thumbs up to the coast guards who guided us back into deeper water.
“You’re right. Let’s get back to safety, and then enjoy our lobster dinner.”
“Good idea. We’ll eat at the marina.”
As soon as the coast guards left, Harrison gunned the boat and headed back to the Rickenbacker causeway. Moored safely, we enjoyed the delicious food and wine that tasted nearly as good as Harrison had.
I was licking my fingers after eating stone crabs when I heard my phone ring twice. I let it go, unwilling to deal with one more thing tonight.
Harrison was the only world I wanted to know.
I followed him back to his hotel, where we spent the night together, and actually made love in a bed.
The following morning, I kissed him goodbye.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
As soon as I reached my son’s car, I checked all my messages. Carl Richards, the bar owner in Key West had called twice.
I hit redial. “Carl,” I said as soon as he answered. “This is Candy Thompson. I’m sorry I missed your call.”
“Nice to hear from you, Candy. So what’s up? You finally thinking of unloading that money-guzzling bar?”
I laughed. “You wouldn’t be interested in it, if it wasn’t the hottest bar around,” I told him. “I could be persuaded if the offer is right.”
“Well, now, it won’t be the same as a couple of years ago. I’ve heard some bad things about that area of yours. I can see why a lady like you might want to get out.”
“We’ve got no problems. Not sure about other places around here, but the Candy Bar is still as clean as a whistle, and financially sound.�
��
“That’s good to hear.” He coughed. “How about I come by next week sometime, and take a look. We can discuss business then.”
“Let’s do that. Give me a day’s notice and we’ll set a time to meet.”
“Nice talking to you, Candy. Stay safe you hear?”
“You too, Carl.”
I hung up smiling. I knew the offer wouldn’t match the previous one, but the timing couldn’t be better.
I wanted out, and as long as he didn’t intend to steal the place, he could have it. Magic and all.
I called Billy next. “Hey, hon. Just wondered if you were coming back today?”
“Yeah, we’re having breakfast and then we’ll be checking out. Should be home in a couple of hours. You need your car or anything?”
“No, but a few things have been going on here the past couple of days. I want to talk to you about it.”
“Like what? Don’t leave me hanging.”
“There’s too much crap to go into over the phone. Trust me, it can keep a few hours. Enjoy your breakfast, and I’ll see you when you get there.” I paused for a moment. “You’ll both be staying here with me, won’t you? Katie’s welcome, of course.”
Silence at the other end. I figured they were discussing it. Then Billy answered, “No. We’ve decided to stay in a hotel. Gives everyone more space. We’ll only be here another night then we want to head back to Gainesville.”
“Okay. But you can come over for dinner, can’t you?”
“What are you cooking?” he asked in a teasing voice. “My favorite meatloaf?”
“If that’s what you want, that’s what you’ll get.”
“Nobody cooks it like you.”
“Thanks, hon. I’ll run out and buy the ingredients.”
“By the way, I like driving your car. Wanna swap?”
“Not in this lifetime. Keep it safe, and under the speed limit. There’s always a lot of radar traps around.”
“I know. Don’t worry. Oh, we had some good news. Someone found our wallets and turned them into the police station. Credit cards were gone and the cash, natch, but we do have our licenses. Saved us from having to replace them online.”
“That’s good. Was there anything else?”
“School I.D. Library cards, that sort of thing.”
“Well, at least it’s something.”
“Bye, Mom. See you soon.”
I stopped on the way home and did my grocery shopping, so I wouldn’t have to go back out again. I thought of calling and inviting Harrison to join us for dinner, but the thought of sitting through a meal with him and the kids—pretending that nothing happened between us—was too big a task.
I might be a decent actor, but that was setting the bar too high.
Soon as I got home, I took a long shower, washed my hair, and got rid of Harrison’s scent on me. He was inside me now, and a part of him would remain there, but like every other man in my life he would leave, and I’d let him go.
I had bought three types of chopped meat for the specialty meatloaf and had it all mixed in a bowl when I heard the key in the front door.
Billy and Katie barreled in and filled my apartment with exuberance and joyful good spirits.
I noticed Billy dip his fingers in the uncooked bowl and sneak a taste when he thought I wasn’t looking.
“Gross,” I said, laughing. “Why do you always do that?”
“It’s no different than eating steak tartar.”
“I guess it can’t hurt you. Hasn’t killed you yet, in any case.”
Katie smiled at me. “Thanks so much for giving us this great vacation, Ms. Thompson. We really appreciated it. And trusting us with your car. Awesome!”
I gave her a hug. “You’re welcome, sweetie. Glad you both had a great time.”
“Did you invite Dad tonight?” she asked.
“No. I didn’t think to.” I turned aside, so she couldn’t read my face. “There’s enough food if you want to call him.”
“No, it’s okay. I spoke to him on the ride here, and he said his office has a problem. He’s flying back to Boston first thing in the morning.”
“Oh.” My stomach dropped to the floor. Why hadn’t he called to tell me that? How long had he known? I guess it didn’t really matter.
It was the end after all. Harrison was leaving.
I braced myself, not allowing my emotions to show. Going to the refrigerator, I pulled out a chilled jug.
“You must be thirsty. Who wants an Arnold Palmer? I made it from scratch. Iced tea and Crystal Light lemonade, with plenty of lemons.”
“Sounds good,” Katie said.
I poured three large glasses over ice and set them on the table.
“So what’s the news?” Billy asked, taking a seat next to me.
“It’s been real crazy.” I drew in a quick breath. “While I was away, Jake got arrested.”
“Holy shit! What did he do?” Billy’s eyes widened. He folded his arms over his chest, and wore a worried expression.
“Nothing—that’s the thing.” I took a big sip and then pushed my glass away. “I didn’t tell you this, but a month or so ago we had some creeps come into the Candy Bar and demand protection money.”
“What the crap for?” Billy responded.
“Heck if I know. We shouldn’t need it—and it makes me so angry that this crime element is being ignored. Anyway—three thugs showed up, throwing their weight around, acting like mobsters you’d see on TV. They looked like they ate tires for breakfast. Thick necks, big muscular arms, lots of tattoos—scary looking dudes. Anyway, I wasn’t going to kowtow to them, so I told them to get lost.”
“Weren’t you scared?” Katie asked. “Maybe you should have called the police.”
“On hindsight, perhaps I should have,” I admitted, wondering if it would have saved Jake and me an unnecessary headache.
“But I didn’t,” I said quietly. “Then when I was down in the Keys they came back. Jake told them the same thing—no dice. Next day, some detective came in, saying he’d got a tip, and when he looked, he found cocaine behind the bar. Right then and there he arrested Jake for possession with intent to sell.”
“As if Jake would peddle drugs out of your bar,” Jake muttered. “He’s a good guy and thinks the world of you.”
“I know. I trust him completely.”
“This really stinks,” Billy said. “What are you going to do?”
I glanced at Katie. “Your dad helped me bail him out, so he’s home now, at least until his hearing.” I glanced up and forced a confident smile. “Lydia—my friend,” I clarified for Katie’s sake, “is an excellent lawyer and she’s going to handle it.”
“That’s good then. So what happens now?” Billy asked. “He has a trial or something?”
“I’m waiting to hear from Lydia. Jake should appear before a judge today and be read his charges, and will have a chance to enter his plea.”
“That’s it? Then he gets to go home?”
“Well, the judge learns if it’s his first offense or not, and then makes a decision on his bail; whether it remain the same, or if they think he’s a flight risk it could be raised.”
“Well, he’s never been charged with anything before, has he?”
“That’s a bit of a problem. Apparently he’s got a juvie record.”
“No way!” Billy exclaimed. “What did he do?”
“He admitted to us that he’d sold grass when he was in high school. So I’m not sure how that will affect him now. I always thought a juvenile’s record was sealed, but apparently not. They have to apply to have that record sealed or expunged, and if they didn’t it can come back to haunt them.”
Katie nodded. “I’ve seen it happen. Daddy’s tried cases like that.” She bit her lip. “I don’t mean like Jake, but for adults who are selling heroin or cocaine and had prior records. That’s what I meant.”
I felt a moment of dread, then reassured myself that Lydia was more than capable of handli
ng Jake’s case, and proving his innocence.
He was in good hands. Still I jumped to answer the phone the moment it rang.
“Lydia? What’s going on?”
“Things went pretty smoothly, all things considered…”
Impatient, I interrupted her. “What about his prior conviction?”
“Good news. His parents had had his Juvenile record sealed before he turned twenty-one. It was a minor offence; the amount of weed he was dealing was minimal.”
“Oh, thank God.” I patted my thumping heart.
“You can say that again.” Lydia added, “I wish you had told me about these thugs coming into your bar and pressuring you. This is a police matter, and we’ll get them looking into it, I promise.”
“Thanks, Lydia. I feel better knowing it’s in your hands.”
Reassured as much as I could be, I sat down and had a nice conversation with Billy and Katie about menial things—anything that could take my mind away from the Candy Bar, Jake, and the fact Harrison was leaving without a goodbye.
CHAPTER TWENTY
The following morning, Susie and Fran showed up at my apartment with a bag of coffee and donuts from a famous baker down the street.
“What’s this for?” I asked, eyeing the sinfully-good half dozen tray of donuts that none of us would normally eat. “Do you see this as the end of the world?”
Susie laughed, and grabbed one with a strawberry cream filling. “The end of the world as we know it.”
Fran reached for one with chocolate icing and nuts sprinkled on top. “Don’t worry, Candy. It won’t be the end of Hibiscus Street, or the Candy Bar. Susie and I have a plan.”
I picked up the remaining donuts and took them into the living-room, where we could sit in comfort and the donuts wouldn’t be quite within reach.
“I like the idea of a plan.” I sipped from my large, steaming cup and found to my delight that it was a delicious mocha latte.
We were celebrating—but what, I wanted to know. “So give me a hint? What are we going to do to change things around this place?”
“The three of us are going to start a Neighborhood Watch,” Susie said. “Today we have a lot to do, so we need our energy. Hence the donuts,” she said with a grin.
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