by Donna Fasano
“I know what I’m going to do. Make love like there’s no tomorrow, and come tomorrow, send him home.”
“Harrison’s the best thing that’s walked into your bar for a very long time. And I want you to fall in love, get married, and be as happy as Susie, Fran and myself.”
“Sure. Then we all can have our kids together, and go to playgroups and everything. It’ll be peachy keen.” I didn’t try to hide the sarcasm. “Come on, Lyd. You know that’s never going to happen. Besides, you started without us. Your little guy’s already in preschool.”
“So? Just means you have some catching up to do.”
Instead of giving me hives, the idea of creating a family with Harrison warmed my heart. “Did you forget that Harry boy lives in Boston, and my life is here?”
“No, I didn’t forget. That’s a minor problem we’ll have to figure out at a later date.” She hesitated for a second then blurted, “Heck. Tell me at least you’re having wild sex with him?”
“Yes to the wild sex. But only today. Maybe tonight...I’m not sure. The kids are coming back tomorrow and he needs to return to work. So you see, that will be that.”
“I don’t believe it. When there’s a will, there’s a way.”
“True, but I don’t have the will. Billy would be furious if he knew the things I was doing with Harrison. I promised him I’d stay clear. Billy thinks it’s creepy, and I guess it is.”
“Making love to this magnificent man is not the least bit creepy. You deserve happiness in your life, and I have a feeling that he does too. A man like that does not stay single long. You can mend his broken or lonely heart, while he puts a little patch on yours.”
“I love you. You know that, right?”
“I love you too. Now, tonight, make the most of it. Enjoy every second you have with him and make it count.”
“Yes, Mother. I’ll do my best.”
“That’s a good girl.”
I chuckled and said good-bye, then called to fill Susie and Fran in on the latest developments.
They both nearly wept when I told them the Candy Bar was temporarily closed. I didn’t know when Jake would be able to work there again. It could be days, it could be never. The thought of replacing him was unbearable, and I wasn’t up to the job. Not now. My heart simply wasn’t in it any longer. Besides that--I was so saddened and so angry with the dirt-bags who were destroying the way of life on the once peaceful and dignified Hibiscus Street. If they came near me, I might rip their heads off.
Chapter 18
Harrison called later in the afternoon and asked if I could meet him at the Rickenbacker Marina, Key Biscayne. It was only a fifteen minute drive from my apartment. I told him I’d bring a cooler and wine.
The few hours apart had been long enough for me to realize I’d miss him when he left, and that maybe my friends were right. I did deserve a man like him. Now–how to convince him to try a long distance relationship?
As soon as I arrived at the marina and unloaded the car, I made my way toward the boat ramp. I spotted him a few seconds before he saw me and had a moment to enjoy the view.
Harrison—anytime--is a worthy sight, but dressed in shorts and a tee he looked young, sexy, fit, and incredibly delicious. Even more pleasing was the fact that for the day he was mine for the taking. When he turned, a big grin lit up his face. He waved, and my heart swelled as I waved back. He jogged over to me, taking the ice chest out of my hands. “Hey, gorgeous.” He gave me a peck on the cheek. “Hope you didn’t mind me not picking you up, but I didn’t want to waste a minute.”
“Of course not. It’s such a beautiful day, and I’m really excited about going boating. It’s a shame that I live on the water, and haven’t been out cruising for years.”
“We’ll have to see if we can rectify that. I have a small sailboat in Boston. I’d love for you to visit--and often.”
His words pleasured me, but I knew things would change once he returned home to his normal routine. I’d fade into a nice, but distant, memory.
“I can picture you on a sailboat,” I said with a teasing smile. “A lazy afternoon out on your yacht--watching the white billowed sails in a perfect blue sky, while the breeze gently ruffled your hair.”
He grinned and ran a hand through his thick hair. “You’ve got quite the imagination. Sailing is hardly relaxing. It requires a lot of work.”
“Uh-huh.” I glanced down at the Sea Ray Sundancer that he’d rented. “So, you’re feeling lazy today?” I could see that it was a nice size boat with a cockpit, a comfortable deck to enjoy the sun, and had a cabin beneath.
What could we do in the cabin, I wondered?
“You bet. No work today. I’d rather make memories.” He jumped on board and put the cooler down, then offered his hand to me.
Once I was on deck, he took me into his arms and kissed me properly.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered next to my ear, and his hands moved to my backside.
I wiggled out of his embrace, and pretended that his words didn’t thrill me. Cool as a cucumber—yup, that’s me. “Not yet, big fella. I want to see the rest of this boat you rented. It’s a beauty.”
The hatch was open so I scooted down into the cabin and saw a small square table, cornered with two cushioned seats, a head, and a small sleeping area in the front. Harrison had taken care of everything. I admired a man who thought ahead.
“See anything you like?” he asked, poking his head down the hatch to look at me.
“I do.” Pretending that I hadn’t noticed the bed, I walked over to the food basket on the table. “What have we here?”
“The Rusty Pelican made us a nice dinner. Steamed lobster tails, a big green salad, plus another pasta salad, and fresh rolls. I had them toss in some large stone crab claws with mustard sauce.” He winked and grinned. “We won’t starve.”
“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 more tender 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 19
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 fro
m 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.
