She had been beautiful enough in the moonlight, but she was breath-taking in the light of day. It wasn’t like me to get tongue-tied around anyone, but I felt tongue-tied in front of her. Her long, dark hair was loose, falling in waves that hung halfway down her back. She was wearing a black tank top, and her shoulders and arms were tanned and toned. One shoulder was covered with an intricate half-sleeve tattoo. Without staring too hard, I could see waves and stars and other intertwined designs. It suited her.
Her piercing brown eyes narrowed slightly. ‘Maybe,’ she said. ‘Depends who’s asking?’
I pointed at my chest. ‘I’m Jack. We met last night.’
‘Jack.’ Her frown cleared as she looked me up and down. ‘I didn’t recognize you with your clothes on.’
‘Well that didn’t take you long,’ Ray commented. ‘You’d only been in town for, what, two hours?’
‘Get your mind out of the gutter,’ she told him. ‘Jack is our neighbor. He’s staying in the cabin. Something you and my mother neglected to mention. We met down on the beach last night when we both went for a swim.’
‘Oh, you’re that guy,’ Ray replied. ‘You cut the lawn too short last time. Almost killed it.’
‘Sorry,’ I said, even though I knew full well the lawn was perfectly fine. There was clearly no point in arguing with him. ‘I’ll make sure I lift the lawnmower a notch next time.’
‘Good.’ Then, clearly bored with that conversation, he changed the subject. ‘I don’t need a menu. Just bring me the chowder and some cheesy garlic bread. And don’t be stingy with the cheese either. Last time I could barely see it, let alone taste it.’
I tapped at the iPad. ‘Extra cheese. I’ll make a note for the chef. And for you, Taylor?’
She reached out and plucked one of the menus out from underneath my arm. ‘Give me a minute. It’s been a while since I’ve been here; the menu might have changed.’
Ray sighed. ‘Make our orders separate so I don’t have to wait for her.’
‘That’s not very gentlemanly,’ she commented idly, scanning the menu.
‘You’re no lady.’
She tilted her head up at me. ‘I’ll have the tuna poke bowl. And a Coke, please.’
Ray snorted. ‘And you lectured me about sugar.’
‘So I’m a hypocrite. If you’ve got a problem with it, you can walk home.’
Ray jabbed me in the hip with a finger to get my attention. ‘Are you listening to this? Do you see what I have to put up with? It’s elder abuse. Help me, please.’
Taylor snorted. ‘It’s not even close. I can try harder though, if you like.’
‘Don’t just stand there,’ Ray said to me, his voice raised and agitated. ‘You heard her, she threatened me. Call the authorities. I want her arrested.’
‘Oh, uh.’ I froze, unsure what to do, looking back and forth between them. They both stared at me expectantly. ‘I… maybe we should all just, take a moment, to?—’
‘Relax. He’s having you on,’ Taylor said calmly. ‘If he had me arrested, he’d have no one to boss around any more.’
Ray chuckled. ‘Worth it. Look at his face; he’s like a moose in headlights.’
I sagged with relief. ‘You two are quite the comedy act.’
‘He’s been trying to get me arrested since I was eleven years old,’ she said. ‘No luck so far.’
His face darkened. ‘I know it was you who stole my letterbox and tied it to the flagpole in town.’
‘You couldn’t prove it then, and you still can’t,’ she retorted.
‘Why are you still standing there?’ he said to me. ‘The food isn’t going to order itself.’
‘It’s already ordered,’ I assured him. ‘As soon as I enter it on here,’ I tapped the screen of the iPad. ‘The kitchen receives the order and gets to work on it.’
‘It’s called technology, Ray,’ Taylor said loudly. Nearby tables turned to look. ‘TECHNOLOGY.’
