“Everyone’s always so damn cryptic around here,” I muttered as I followed Luna off the porch.
“I heard that,” Miss Elva called after me.
“I said I could use a damn beer!” I shouted over my shoulder.
“Child, I ain’t raised yesterday,” Miss Elva hooted withlaughter and I couldn’t help but grin as I climbed into Luna’s car.
As I said, Miss Elva is a favorite of mine.
Chapter Five
“Ahh,to whatdo I owe the pleasure of having such beauties join me for an evening?”
I rolled my eyes at Beau but leaned over the bar and smacked a kiss loudly on his cheek. Beau was one of our best friends and completed our little trio. We were the perfect foil for each other, Beau with his steadfast manner and dry wit, Luna with her kind heart and on point observations, and me…well, let’s just say that I added a little extra flavor to the group – if you can believe that a group made up of a psychic, a witch, and a gay guy needed any more flavor.
“We’re just here for food, not drinks,” Luna said pointedly as she pulled up a barstool. I rolled my eyes and shook my head slightly at Beau, indicating that he could ignore that particular order.
Lucky’s Tiki Bar was the hot spot in a town that consisted of one main street winding along a rocky stretch of beach. Space was at a premium here and Fins, the local general store, jockeyed for position with the ice creamparlor and the nail salon. Beau had purchased Lucky’s just out of high school with the help of an inheritance and had transformed it into the best restaurant in town with a not-so-secret after-hours gay club in the basement. Recently he’d acquired a new space at the other end of the strip, which he planned to transform into one of Tequila Key’s only upscale restaurants.
“We weren’t sure if you’d be here or at the new restaurant,” I said as I sat down, happy that Beau still saved us our regular spots at the long circular wooden bar. The restaurant was packed, and a line of people waiting to eat straggled out the door.
“We’re slammed this weekend so I need to be here. Construction is coming along nicely though,” Beau said as he made our drinks behind the bar. When Luna was looking at her phone, Beau poured a healthy dose of rum into my mojito and I gave him a quick smile.
“We can’t wait to come check it out,” Luna said.
“Yeah, and doesn’t your investor need to be here checking things out more often?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at Beau.
“You need to cut that man some slack. He’s very busy, you know,” Beau said, admonishing me for being annoyed that Cash hadn’t been back to Tequila Key but once since he’d left for Miami weeks ago.
“Excuse me? I am also a very busy person, I’d like to add,” I sniffed at Beau and sucked rum-soaked mojito through my straw.
“Busy being a pain in my ass,” Beau said sweetly before turning to help a customer at the other end of the bar.
“Yeah, like I’m a pain in the ass,” I scoffed, then turned to Luna. “I’m not a pain in the ass, am I?”
“Yes, but you’reourpain in the ass,” Luna said smoothly, studying the menu. “I think I’ll go with the blackened tilapia.”
Of course she would. My thoughts of a cheeseburger and fries were replaced with the sadness that was the salad menu.
“Sounds great. I was just going to get a garden salad,” I said nonchalantly, flipping the menu over while Luna laughed at me.
“Why don’t you get a bowl of chowder and a side salad? Something heavy and something light?”
“Good call.” I reminded myself that I was about to be prancing around naked on a beach in a very short time. One less burger tonight was not going to do much for the extra pounds that would be bouncing around on the beach later, but women have a way of deluding themselves about these things.
I found myself reaching for my mojito again.
What’s one to take the edge off?
“You need to not let those insecurities of yours kick in. Cash really does like you,” Luna observed.
“Listen, I can’t help if I’m weirded out by Cash not being around. He was all full court press and then poof! I’ve seen him once since then.”
“And how was that one time when you did see him again?”
My thoughts flashed to a tangle of limbs in my sheets, my body glistening with sweat while I gasped for air and Hank hid downstairs.
“I suppose it went well,” I admitted. Luna smacked her forehead.
