The Flavor Of Love

by Shiree McCarver

  They shared an intense loss, both emotionally and physically, and it continued to be a draining story to recap but he felt better sharing it with her.

  “I’m scared too, Etta,” he whispered into her hair. “I’m scared that whoever sabotaged my car is still out there waiting until I’m happy again to strike once more. I’m scared for the same reasons you are, but you know what scares me the most?”

  She shook her head against his chest in silence.

  He buried his fingers into the silkiness of her hair. “I’m terrified to live the rest of my life waking up alone and being okay with it.” His voice broke with huskiness. “Regardless of what life gives us, love is a big part of living and I have to believe that if I didn’t die with my family that day, then I still have a lot living to do.”

  Keigo leaned to the side to look at her face. A tender smile came to his lips. Etta was asleep. He sure it was his fault, with him being in her home and she waiting on him hand and foot. As much as he hated to leave the comfort her home brought him, they only had a week before going to Bent Arrow and there was still much for him to do. He must return to his own quiet home. He looked at her once again and decided, tomorrow would be soon enough.

  ***

  “Reko will be here soon,” Keigo informed Etta. “I want to thank you for putting up with me. I owe you one.”

  “I think we can call everything even,” she said softly. “I appreciate what you’ve done by not forcing me into a jail cell and I enjoyed the company.”

  “Your mother and brother? Why haven’t I met them yet?”

  “Mom has a place around the block but she is currently visiting my brother Toby and his wife in Oakland. They are expecting their second child any day now. This time it’s a girl and mom is excited to see if she will take after her or not.”

  “You mean psychic?”

  “Yes,” she answered and smiled at him. “Watch it now. I might start to think you’ve become a believer.”

  “I must admit while being around you and Auntie Loo these past few days, I’m beginning to believe there is something unusual going on.” Starting with me. Keigo thought to himself.

  He held her warm gaze, wondering why they were sitting so far apart. He was on the sofa while she was on a cushion on the floor on the opposite side of the coffee table. After waking in his arms later in the afternoon, they enjoyed what Etta called a “stomach friendly” dinner of a lobster salad and freshly baked hard-crusted French bread. Etta had no alcohol in the house so he called Reko to bring him a bottle of Biltmore Estate Viognier white wine from his personal stash.

  After a fifteen-minute lecture about the wine from Etta, he managed to have an extremely pleasant dinner. Keigo realized not only could he get use to being with Etta on a full time basis, he also could get use to her cooking. She was a wonderful chef. So wonderful in fact, he felt guilty for gaining her free services for his camp. Of course everyone was there on a volunteer basis but after seeing all the patience and care into her preparing a meal, he realized she was very well worth whatever she charged for her services.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “I was thinking of how fortunate I am to get to eat your cooking for the next month. I almost hate sharing you with my kids; now that’s saying a lot.” Keigo’s body responded to the sound of her naturally throaty voice. He could no longer set aside the feelings that swept through him. “I was also wondering why you are sitting so far away,” he smiled.

  Keigo moved to the edge of the sofa and leaned across the low coffee table and braced his hands against the sturdy wood. He came close enough to her face that his eyes nearly crossed from their closeness. Gazing into her eyes, wide in surprise, he speculated about what he saw there. Did Etta feel the same strange and unexpected connection between them as he did? It’s been so long since he wanted something this bad. He almost forgot how wonderful it could feel.

  “Etta, may I kiss you again?” He licked his lips. “I want to know if it was as wonderful as I remembered or if it was the fever.”

  “Must you?” She licked her lips and his penis responded with wishful thinking. “It could complicate matters.”

  “I’ll take my chances,” he said intensely. “That is, if you are willing.”

  “I’ll let you be the…Judge,” she punned.

  “About damn time you allowed me to do my job,” he whispered before his mouth came down on top of hers and it was as impressive as he remembered. Her mouth was warm, soft and welcoming. He nibbled at her lips until she opened her mouth to him and then his tongue eased inside and God save him, that was better then he remembered. She tasted fruity and sweet like the mini-pastries she prepared with tea for him to take.

  The kiss only set him up for wanting more, but regretfully he lifted his head away from hers. It was too soon to press for more when he wasn’t quite sure where he was prepared to go to next.

  “That was nice,” she said dreamily.

  Nice, hell. He was on fire. Maybe he was losing his touch.

  “I think I need one more kiss. After all, it won’t hurt anything,” he murmured, eyeing her luscious mouth. He started to kiss her once more and stopped when he heard someone calling her name from the front porch. A deep scowl came to his face. “What do you have here an open door policy?” He leaned back on the sofa, placing much needed distance between his lips and hers.

  “Not usually.” Etta released a soft laugh and rose to her feet. “But I usually don’t have a man staying over for a few days nor do I kiss men I hardly know, so it seems to be the week for firsts.”

  “Etta! Why is the screen door locked?”

  “Coming, Mommy!”

  Keigo grasped her wrist and stopped her. “Mommy?” Keigo’s mouth dropped wide. “I thought you said she was out of town at your brother’s.”

  “Like I said, I don’t usually have men staying over. She probably flew in just to see what’s going on for herself. I’m sure Auntie Loo has filled her in on everything,” Etta spoke in hushed tones.

  “Flew in? On what a broom?” He laughingly teased, letting go of her wrist. He knew he went too far when she placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side.

  “You got jokes, huh? And for the hundredth, time we’re not witches, we’re psychics!”

  “I was just teasing.” Keigo caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. “If you aren’t witches too, how can Big Bertha shrink my...you know what?” He asked.

  Etta laughed.

  He got her to laugh and that was all that mattered.

  “Keigo, Bertha isn’t a psychic. She is a hoodoo woman,” she explained.

  “What is a hoo--?”

  “Etta Mae Jones! If you’re busy in there doing something you shouldn’t be doing, I’m going to tan your hide. Come open this screen door right now, gal.”

  Keigo’s placed a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter.

  “It’s not funny,” Etta hissed at him. “She’s serious. I got my last switching when I was seventeen.”

  “Etta May!” Keigo laughed. “I see why you dropped the rest of your name. I suppose its better than Etta February, Etta December or--”

  “M-a-e, you ass!”

  “I’m sorry. M-a-e,” he repeated. “Oh, that’s sooo much better,” he snorted.

  “Okay, I’m glad you think it’s funny because now that my mother is here, there will be no more kissing for you, Judge Ain’t Gonna Get None.” Etta licked out her tongue at him and disappeared down the hall.

  The smile dropped from Keigo’s face. “Damn,” he cursed softly and mumbled, “I’m going to get me some more kisses, Miss Etta Mae, even if I have to relapse until we’re alone again. I wonder how your Mommy would like that.”

  “Mommy wouldn’t like that at all, Judge Kyou.”

  Keigo looked up at the hall entrance at the sound of the authoritative voice. He swallowed deeply. A sheepish grin came to his lips and he felt his face and ears growing hot. “Mrs. Jones, nice to meet you.” />
  “Etta, stop that giggling like a silly school girl,” Fay Jones chastised. “So you are the young man Auntie Loo has been carrying on about. Okay, what is this I'm hearing about you and my baby girl being found half naked on the sofa?”

  Gulp.

  CHAPTER 7

  “I probably wouldn’t have done that if I hadn’t been ill, Mrs. Jones.” Keigo managed to say after being stared down by an older version of Etta. Fay Jones was about two inches taller with a more voluptuous figure, but she was still a looker. Her salt and pepper hair was pulled back in a chignon and she was attired in red dress pants and an ivory button-down blouse.

  “Is that so?” She lifted an eyebrow at him. “You sure you weren’t pretending to be sick that day?”

  “Mommy, he was really sick. Ask Auntie Loo, she’s been helping me take care of him,” Etta intervened.

  “Mrs. Jones, I don’t want you to think I’m trying to take advantage of your daughter,” Keigo reasoned.

  “I don’t mind.” The daughter in question winked at him.

  “Etta, you aren’t helping,” Keigo and Fay snapped at the same time. Stunned, they threw their heads back in laughter and the tense moment subsided.

  “Judge Kyou, please call me Fay.” She held out her hand to him. “Thank you for keeping my smart mouthed daughter out of jail.”

  Keigo accepted her hand. “Call me Keigo and it seems to be working out in my favor. Etta will be an asset at my camp.”

  “Well, anyways, I was just teasing you. My daughter needs some good kissing and anything else she can get to put a smile on her face.”

  “Mommy!”

  Keigo grinned. Seeing Etta embarrassed was priceless. “I don’t know if I can help you there. Now that I’m no longer ill, I don’t know if I still want to kiss her.”

  Keigo received a sound kick to his chin and Etta was the one who cried out and hopped around on one bare foot. They laughed.

  “I’m glad you two think it’s funny,” Etta pouted. “I think I might have broken my toe. Your blasted leg is as hard as your head.”

  “Etta, why don’t you take that handsome young man named Reko some of your pastries and some tea while I get to know the man that will be taking my only daughter away for a month, unsupervised. He pulled into the drive about the same time I did.”

  “Mommy,” Etta whined. “I’m not a child.”

  “No, you’re just sounding like one,” Faye looked over her shoulder as she slipped her arm into the crook of Keigo’s elbow and led him to the couch. “Now, go on, sweetie. I need to find out what’s going on. This one here is stealing your kisses while the one out in the car says he taking you to Las Vegas to get married.”

  “What!” Keigo and Etta exclaimed in unison.

  Fay chuckled. “Yeah that’s what I thought. I knew I needed to visit before you left town and get things settled.”

  ***

  Twenty minutes later, Etta was walking him out to the waiting car.

  “You really aren’t going to tell me what you and my mother talked about?” Etta asked him for the third time.

  “Okay,” he gave in. “Basically, she told me something that surprised me and has me wandering if life is one big coincidence or are some people just destined to meet?”

  “Destined, of course,” Etta stated without hesitation. “What did she tell you to have you thinking this way?”

  “I rather not say right now because it probably will open up another conversation that I don’t have time for at the moment,” Keigo explained and added, “We also discussed the camp.”

  She nodded at him and he was surprised she didn’t ask him to elaborate more. Most women he knew would have hounded him until he disclosed everything. Keigo stood there a moment staring at her. He was more curious about Etta now than when he arrived two days ago. She constantly amazed him and if it wasn’t for the curious onlookers, he’d sweep her in his arms and kiss her once more.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” she smiled up at him.

  “You’re not going to pester me about what your mother said?”

  “You will tell me when you’re ready.”

  “You’re going to go in and ask your mother, aren’t you?” He did a little predicting of his own.

  To amazement Etta shook here head. “No, because she wouldn’t tell me if it’s something shared between you two. In a way, we are like doctors. We keep to ourselves what we see about others during a reading unless it’s necessary to share, and then she will only disclose what I need to know.”

  “I don’t think I ever met women like all of you,” Keigo said in wonder. “I’m very glad to have met you Etta and I look forward to spending more time with you at the camp.”

  “Me too,” Reko interrupted, plopping the last bite of apple strudel in his mouth. “I never tasted something so wonderful. Thank you Etta.”

  “Well, it will be great having you in my kitchen Reko,” Etta remarked. “I have to be the one to judge if you are as good at slicing and dicing as you claim.”

  “Reko, what is this I hear about you whisking Etta away to Las Vegas?”

  “A woman this pretty, fine and can cook, I propose right away,” Reko crossed his arms over his broad chest. “No reason to waste time and let her get away from me. That is, unless you’ve already staked your claim.”

  Keigo had two sets of eyes on him and he cleared his throat, not about to declare his interest in Etta to his best friend before he had the chance to broach the subject with her.

  “Shouldn’t you be waiting at the car?”

  “I came to tell you Nan’s been trying to reach you but your messages are going straight to voicemail.”

  Keigo removed his cell phone from the clip at his waist and saw that his battery had died. “Did she happen to say what she wanted?”

  “You two o’clock was moved up to one o’clock and it’s been rescheduled twice so it’s a must or you will lose out on the bid.”

  “Damn,” Keigo washed a hand over his face. “I suppose the vacation is over.”

  “I’ll talk to you soon Etta,” Reko winked and waved. “Thanks again for the breakfast. Anytime you want to feed me, I’m game and I don’t have a sensitive stomach like Keg here.”

  “Don’t you need to do whatever it is you do?” Keigo voiced roughly.

  “I help watch your back and I drive because I can’t convince you to give it another go,” Reko pointed out. “Right now, I’m guarding your back because Etta is eyeing your ass like a diabetic eyeing a chocolate bar. She’s not sure if she should take a bite knowing it’s not good for her, but it’s not keeping her from wanting it…badly.”

  Etta’s mouth opened, then shut, then opened, then shut, as she gawked at Reko incredulously. “Reko, do you really want to piss off the woman that will be overseeing your meals and in the kitchen with you holding a big knife?”

  Keigo grinned as her face flushed red in the late morning sunlight. “Etta, are you checking me out?”

  “Both of you can leave now.”

  Reko laughed. “Aye caramba, oh hell, I think it will be in my best interest if I go wait in the car. I suppose I’m not the one you want to go to Vegas with,” he joked. “What about your Moms, Etta? She’s hot. You think she’d be interested?”

  “I don’t think so. She and Frank have been dating for the past two years.” Etta shook her head smiling. “If you want a sure thing, I suggest you ask Auntie Loo?”

  Keigo laughed.

  “Err, no thanks, she’s already offered and even though I pride myself for my prowess, I don’t think even I could handle Auntie Loo. Do you know she has done everything in the Karma Sutra?”

  “She’s had a lot of years to get through the book,” Keigo reminded.

  “No, she’s had time to get through the book twice. Now, she says since last week she wore out the guy she was sleeping with, she was wondering if I were interested in giving it go!” Reko exclaimed with a visible shudder.

  Keigo and Etta laughed.<
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  “Hand me your overnight bag, Keg. I’ll put it in the car.”

  Reko held out his hand and took the leather duffle bag he’d delivered to Etta’s place with personal essentials such as pajamas, underwear, grooming kit and a change of clothing the morning after Keigo had passed out.

  “If we’re going to make it across town in time, you have ten minutes to say your goodbyes. See ya soon, Etta. I’m looking forward to working with you.”

  “Likewise, Reko. See ya,” Etta waved.

  “I’m right behind you, Reko,” Keigo said before turning to look at Etta. “So, did I make the cut?”

  “Pardon me?” Her face showed her confusion.

  “Does my ass meet your expectations?”

  “Reko was pulling your leg,” Etta rolled her eyes at him. “I had plenty of time to check you out…everywhere when we wrestled you into your pajamas.”

  Keigo’s cheeks reddened. “Oh, I thought Reko did that.”

  “He helped, but he was useless because he couldn’t stop laughing.”

  Affronted, Keigo asked, “laughing at what?”

  “You don’t want to know,” Etta warned.

  “I do want to know.”

  “Okay, remember you asked.” He saw Etta’s eyes were practically twinkling with amusement. He was beginning to wonder if he wanted to know.

  “Auntie Loo insisted on checking to see if your bottom felt as firm as it looked,” Etta managed to say between laughing.

  Keigo’s bottom chin dropped. “You mean the old woman had the audacity to molest me while I was helpless.”

  “Hey,” Etta opposed. “I wouldn’t quite go that far. After all, your Reko was in the room and he was doing his job of guarding your body.”

  “Not well if Auntie Loo got to cop a feel.” Keigo’s elongated eyes narrowed. “Etta, what about you? Did you do your own squeeze test?”

  “Yes,” Etta admitted to his surprise. “It was on the sofa. Just in case you forgot, you were doing a little squeeze testing of your own, Mister.”