1 Sunshine Hunter

by Maddie Cochere

“Yes, we did,” he chuckled. “It was fun. We talked earlier today to confirm our restaurant reservations for tomorrow night, and he was free this afternoon, so I invited him over to hang out at the pool.” He chuckled again and shook his head. “He’s quite a character. More flamboyant than I’m used to, but he was fun. His real name is John Loudermilk. His friends call him Johnny.”

  “What did you guys do?” I asked with a big smile. I was enjoying Darby’s obvious happiness.

  “Well, it’s always kind of awkward getting to know someone new, but it helped we’ve talked online so much. We lounged at the pool, drank mai tais, and talked for a while. He’s really an intelligent and very interesting person. I enjoyed talking with him about his culinary school experience, and we have a lot of the same interests.” He hung his head, shook it again, and then laughed. “But when a group of Vegas showgirls came out to the pool, he was all purpleflamingo.”

  “Vegas showgirls?” I asked perplexed. “What are a group of Vegas showgirls doing in Florida?”

  “Well, they’re not really from Vegas,” he explained. “They’re six girls hired to be Vegas showgirl types for a convention in the hotel this weekend. They’re here early for a couple of days of vacation. And Johnny is all about putting on the show. He can turn on the drama queen with the snap of a finger.” He laughed again before continuing with his story. “Johnny corralled those girls into sitting down next to us, and then they all talked show business - costumes, headdresses, routines, even makeup. The next thing I know, he’s got all six girls in the pool, and they want me to be the judge and choose the best Esther Williams. When they ended up with about 15 more people in the pool trying to do synchronized swimming, it was too much. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. I wish you could have seen it, Susan. He’s crazy, but I think you’ll like him.”

  “That sounds like it was a blast,” I told him enviously. “I’m sorry I missed it.” I was looking forward to tomorrow night. I loved colorful people, and it sounded like Johnny was going to fit the bill nicely.

  Our pizza arrived, and it was delicious. Over dinner, I filled Darby in on my conversation with Mick. He looked at me affectionately, covered my hand with his, and said, “Susan, honey, I’m glad you two finally talked. I’ve always liked Mick, and it sounds like he needs a good person in his life, too. I just know things are going to work out for you two.”

  Chapter Nine

  “Two more days,” I said. It sounded good to say it aloud. Two more days, and we would be on an airplane headed for home.

  After a late morning brunch, we were lounging by the pool. Most of the chaise lounges were occupied, but there were no Vegas showgirls in sight today.

  Darby had gone to the pool bar to get mimosas for us, but he seemed to be waylaid at the moment and was chatting with the bartender. They were probably reminiscing about yesterday’s impromptu pool party.

  The bruise on my leg was painful and ugly today. I had opted to wear my new beige terrycloth swimsuit as I didn’t want to draw attention to myself or my leg by wearing the fire engine red one. I was lounging in my chaise, eyes closed, once again going over the jumbled mess of events in my mind. So much had happened in just five days.

  Jerry’s funeral was this morning, and I was sorry I wasn’t there. I still couldn’t believe he had been poisoned and was dead. Did the police know who did it yet? Did they have any leads? My money was still on the Thursday night man. Mick had seen him a few times. Maybe he would remember something about him, and I would have to ask him when we talked again. I made a mental note to call Samantha this afternoon to ask her if Larry had any more information about the case.

  Darby arrived with the rum drinks. They were cold and refreshing, but I was hot. “I’m baking in this sun,” I told him as I stood from my chaise. “I’m going to take a quick dip. I’ll be right back.” I heard him wince behind me and knew he was flinching at the bruise on my calf.

  The water felt wonderful. I swam two laps with an easy sidestroke, and climbed the ladder out of the pool. I raised my arms and hands to smooth my hair back and saw Darby looking my way with a huge smile on his face. I quickly looked down, but everything was where it should be. As I walked back to my chair, I noticed other people looking at me as well. Darby tossed a towel to me and said, “I see you bought a magic swimsuit.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked him. “What’s a magic swimsuit?”

  “Your suit. It seems to disappear when it’s wet. You can see through it,” he said with the big grin still plastered on his face.

  Oh my gosh! I was mortified. All those people staring at me. So much for not drawing any attention to myself.

  I flopped down onto my chaise with the towel covering my suit. “How can a swimsuit be see-through?” I asked not wanting to believe him. “That doesn’t even make any sense.”

  “It’s faint, but you can definitely see through it,” he said with assurance. He was obviously enjoying my predicament. I could only surmise the suit should have been lined, and the designer had not had it water tested.

  I picked up my drink and said aloofly, “It’ll dry soon enough, and I don’t know any of these people anyway, so I’m not going to worry about it.” But I didn’t remove the towel, and I was pretty sure my face was red from more than the sun.

  Darby lie back on his chaise. He was still chuckling, “Let me know when it’s safe for you to get up. I didn’t have a chance to check out the spa facilities yesterday, and we can do that this afternoon if you want.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  What was I going to wear? It had to be something special for dinner and for meeting Johnny. I had several outfits strewn across the bed. The only thing I was sure about was the pair of Kate Spade sandals. I was trying to build an outfit around them.

  It dawned on me that I should call Samantha to see how Jerry’s funeral had gone. I could make a decision on what to wear afterward. I sat in a corner chair and punched in her speed dial number. She answered on the first ring.

  “Hi, Susan. I’m so glad you called,” she said talking fast. “I have so much to tell you.”

  “Start with Jerry’s funeral,” I prodded her. “Did very many people show up? Was the weather good? Did his uncle provide a nice service?”

  “He did,” she said. “And the weather was beautiful. There weren’t very many people there; most of them were from the club, but, Susan, listen to this. The man from Thursday night was there, and when the service was over, the police were waiting to arrest him!”

  “I knew it!” I yelled jumping out of my chair. “I knew he was behind Jerry’s death somehow. I could just feel it. What happened? Is he being charged with murder? Does Dick know?”

  “He hasn’t been able to find out anything yet,” she said. “We were just so shocked when the police showed up. A police car arrived during the ceremony, but the officers waited at the road by the hearse. As soon as it was over, they walked up to the man, spoke to him for a few minutes, and then they put him into one of the police cars, and off they went.”

  “Well, I’m glad,” I said with satisfaction as I sat back down in the chair. “I actually feel better knowing he was arrested. Maybe we’ll have some closure on this soon.”

  “Yeah, I think so, too,” she said. “Susan, before I go …,” she paused, “have you talked with Mick yet?”

  “We talked yesterday,” I told her, “and I think everything’s going to be alright. He told me about his marriage and their divorce, and I understand better now. I won’t be able to see him again until Monday night, but I think we’ll be ok.”

  “That’s really good news,” she said. “I’m glad to hear it, and I know Larry will be happy about it, too. What are you doing tonight?”

  “We’re going to Polynesian Treasure to have dinner and see the show. I get to meet Darby’s online friend tonight.” I looked at my watch. “And I’m going to be late if I don’t get off the phone. I fill you in on all the details later.”

  “Ok,” she laughed
. Talk to you soon.”

  We both hung up. I only had 15 minutes to finish getting ready. I looked at the clothes on the bed. Now I was forced to make a quick decision. I grabbed the floral sundress. There were shades of fuchsia, lime, and peach in the flowers. It had a sweetheart neckline, a fitted bodice, and the skirt was full with loose pleats. It had a retro 60’s look to it, and it was one of my favorites.

  Darby was ready long before I was and had gone to wait in the lobby. I stepped out of the elevator and saw him chatting and laughing with the same desk clerk from yesterday. He certainly had a gift for meeting new friends.

  He saw me coming, let out a low whistle, and said, “Wow, Susan, you look fantastic!” The desk clerk was grinning from ear to ear but didn’t say anything.

  “Thank you,” I said twirling around once to give him the full effect of the dress. “You look pretty wonderful yourself,” I told him. I admired his choice of outfit. He looked like he had just stepped out of the pages of Esquire Magazine in a white button-down shirt under a light gray gabardine jacket. His light blue straight-leg jeans barely topped a pair of fabulous blue loafers with a silver accent across the top; he wore no socks. He had moved past adorable and was sexy hot tonight. He should have been on a runway in Milan.

  It was a 45-minute drive from the hotel over to Polynesian Treasure in Tampa. We didn’t feel the need to do any talking, so we relaxed and listened to a smooth jazz station on the way.

  The afternoon had been a lot of fun. We scheduled a couples massage and spent the entire time talking about food and cooking shows. Neither of us was a superior cook, but we weren’t bad cooks either, and we enjoyed trying new ideas and recipes.

  We laughed again about the day we got together in my kitchen to try out a shrimp scampi recipe with habanero peppers in the butter sauce. It turned out perfectly. We plated it over angel hair pasta and roasted tomatoes, and then poured accompanying glasses of a lovely Sauvignon Blanc. We sat down at the table with our mouths watering. The aroma was wonderful from the butter and peppers. Because we’re not shy eaters, we both took huge bites - and nearly choked to death from the heat. We drank the whole bottle of wine trying to put out the fire. A further inspection of what went wrong showed Darby had purchased Scotch Bonnet peppers by mistake and used twice as many as the recipe called for. I’ve never seen a man’s forehead produce so much sweat in such a short period of time. We both ended up tipsy from the wine and laughed all evening.

  We’d had a lot of good times in the kitchen together and it was fun to remember some of them as well as to plan future strategies. After the massages, we had facials and mani/pedis. It felt wonderful to be pampered, and we both had a perfect glow to go along with our excitement in anticipation of the evening.

  The soft sounds of the saxophone rendition of If I Ain’t Got You by Eric Darius filled the car. I loved the song, but it made me more aware of my homesickness, and I broke our silence, “Are you nervous about seeing Johnny again?”

  “Just a little,” he replied. “He’ll be in his element tonight, so I’m sure I’ll get more insight into his personality. I can only hope he doesn’t think I’m too boring for him.”

  “You could never be too boring for anybody!” I exclaimed. “Darby, you’re one of the most interesting and fun people I know. You’re never cranky, I’ve never seen you mad, and you enjoy life so much. What’s not to love?” I gave him a little shove. “Besides, could you imagine two high-energy people together all the time? It would be like being on mega doses of caffeine and never coming down.”

  He laughed and said, “I know you’re right, but Johnny is such a character. We’ll see how it goes tonight.”

  We lapsed back into silence and enjoyed the ride and the music.

  We pulled up to the front of the restaurant. It was a large, beautiful building. Palm trees were abundant all around as well as luscious flora and fauna. The roof was thatched, and a faux waterfall cascaded down the left side of the building. Tiki torches were lit all around.

  “Wow, look at this place.” I said in awe. “It’s fantastic!”

  “Johnny said we’d be surprised. There’s isn’t anything else like it anywhere,” he said.

  We valet parked the car and walked up the wooden bridge to the entrance. Lovely, dark-haired girls wearing colorful, floral bandeau tops and sarongs greeted us. One of the girls offered an orchid to me to tuck into my hair. It had a sweet smell and was a lovely ivory color with a fuchsia center. It matched my sundress perfectly.

  Darby lightly grasped my hand to lead me through the doors and said with a big smile, “No one will want to watch the show because they’ll all be looking at you.” I blushed and lightly punched him on the arm.

  We walked through the entrance into a large foyer. There were a few shops and a tiki bar to our left, a restaurant was to our right, but we were directed straight ahead into the main showroom. It was much larger than I expected. The lights were low and the stage was already set with a Polynesian village theme. Tiki torches all along the walls provided additional lighting to the room as did a candle on each table. The tables were set with white linens; the chairs were bamboo with overstuffed red cushions.

  Darby turned to the maitre d' and said, “Two for Tapley.”

  “Ahhh, yes,” the maitre d’smiled as he checked his book. “Friends of Johnny’s. He told me to be expecting you.” He looked at me and put his hand on his chest, “Ahhh, be still my heart. You are a vision.”

  Darby squeezed my hand lightly and smiled. I’m sure I blushed again.

  “Follow me,” the maitre d’ said as he proceeded to wind his way around the tables until we were seated at a table set for nine in the center of the room.

  “These are fantastic seats,” I said to Darby as I was craning my head to look around the room. “Where do you suppose Johnny is?”

  “I’m not sure, but I expect he’ll be out to see us pretty soon.” He was fussing with his place setting, and I realized he was more nervous about seeing Johnny again than he was letting on.

  “Don’t worry,” I said leaning into him. “You guys had a great time yesterday, and I’m sure he’s looking forward to seeing you again, too.”

  “I hope so,” he said nervously. He moved his water glass to the other side of his dinner plate. “He has such an interesting background, and I do think I’d like to get to know him better.”

  He settled down, and we both looked around the room at the diversity of people who had come for the show. There were families with children, senior citizens, couples on dates; all ages appeared to be represented. There was even a bridal party at the far corner of the room.

  A waiter arrived to take our drink and dinner order. It was hard to decide as there were so many choices. We both ordered a concoction of rums and juices to be served in a pineapple. I then ordered the Tahitian Lobster, and Darby ordered Char-crusted Mahi Mahi. We hoped it would be as fantastic as the menu described and the pictures looked.

  The room was nearly filled now, our drinks arrived and they were delicious, but there were still no other people at our table.

  Just as I was starting to think Johnny might not actually want to see Darby again, there was a commotion to the left of the stage. Six gorgeous girls, followed by an attractive, energetic guy, had come out from a side door and formed a conga line.

  Darby laughed out loud, “That’s Johnny. And those are the Vegas showgirls!” He laughed harder.

  All seven of them were wearing Polynesian headdresses with their faces made up with brightly colored makeup. Their dance movements were exaggerated with hips swinging and toes kicking. With every kick, they would wave to the audience and throw their heads back. They made their way through the room to our table.

  They entire audience enjoyed the unexpected show and gave a big round of applause as the seven of them turned and took their bows.

  Darby stood up, and Johnny rushed over to give him a big hug with air kisses on both cheeks. “Darby, it’s sooo good to see you again.
You remember my friends from your hotel pool,” he said as he waved around the table at the girls. “And this must be Susan.” He came around behind Darby to my chair and clasped both of my hands in his. “Honey, you are divine!” he said as he leaned down to air kiss me on both cheeks.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Johnny,” I said as I air kissed him back. I was still laughing from the conga dance. “That was quite an entrance.”

  “Dahling,” he drawled, “it’s all about the entrance!” He waved his hands theatrically in the air. “I don’t usually eat dinner on the nights I’m dancing, but tonight is a special occasion. All of my new friends are here, and we’re going to celebrate.” He snapped his fingers to garner the attention of our waiter. “Rum juleps all around. We’re celebrating new friends tonight!”

  Johnny took his seat next to Darby and addressed the table, “I can’t thank you all enough for coming tonight. I meet a lot of people here at the restaurant, but the group of friends at this table is very special.” He addressed the showgirls, “Ladies, I have enjoyed your company immensely these past two days. The Hilton Hotel has called and said poor Mr. McMasters will make a full recovery after the synchronized swimming accident yesterday,” he paused as the girls golf-clapped their relief, “and Busch Gardens has notified the police the flamingo has been returned to Jambo Junction, and they won’t be pressing charges against any of us.” He fanned himself in a gesture of relief, and the girls followed suit.

  I gave Darby a puzzled look, and he looked back at me with a huge smile and a slight shake of his head as if to say, “don’t ask.”

  The waiter arrived with the drinks. Johnny held up his glass and said, “And especially I want to thank Darby for coming to see me. It has been a pleasure, and I hope we will become very good friends indeed.” He raised his glass higher, “A toast to you all!” We all raised our glasses; the rum juleps were delicious.

  Johnny leaned in front of Darby, reached over to touch me on the arm, and asked, “Are you enjoying Florida, Susan? I hear you are having some man troubles.” He furrowed his brow. “If you need any advice, I can help you straightened that man right out.”