by Melody Anne
*****
“It may look like a dive, but I’m telling you, Aunt Mae makes the best food I’ve ever tasted, and I’ve traveled a lot.”
“You haven’t lived here very long, have you? I thought you moved here only two years ago.”
“I did move here two years ago, but my family owns a home on the other side of the island and we spent at least a couple of weeks a year here. I discovered Aunt Mae’s café when I was sixteen, and I’ve been coming back ever since.
“Well, I hope it’s as good as you say because right now I feel like I could take a knife and fork to a grizzly.”
Crew stopped and laughed before opening the restaurant door. He was relieved to see her want a decent meal, for too often she just picked at her food. If he’d thought for a moment it was because she was putting on airs or worried about her figure, he’d be disgusted. Women who did that irritated him.
With Haley, he suspected that stress was the biggest problem. If she was worried about something, or frightened, she didn’t function right. When she was happy or sated — he’d done a good job with that last night — then she seemed to have a bottomless appetite.
Well, he’d brought her to the right place. Aunt Mae liked to pile on the food. He didn’t even bother ordering when he came here. Whatever she decided to bring him was always top notch.
He could see the surprise in Haley’s eyes as they walked through the rickety door with tall, lush plants framing it. The building needed a fresh coat of paint and was in desperate need of new furnishings, but no matter how many times he’d offered his help, pleaded with her to accept it, or even tried to force it upon her, Aunt Mae had turned him down flat.
The tables were scarred, but she said that just added to the atmosphere. He knew that one of these days, the rickety chairs were going to leave him with his ass on the floor, but the food was divine and the décor just added to the experience.
Crew and Haley were lucky to find two bar stools open, and they sat down and rested their arms on the worn yet squeaky-clean counter. Behind it was an open window with a behemoth of a man wiping his brow with his forearm as he flipped burgers in the air.
Crew watched Haley eye the colorful posters announcing various menu items; there wasn’t a handheld menu in sight. The pies sat in a small display case on the end of the counter, and the oven-baked aromas drifted out to torment them, making Haley’s stomach rumble loudly.
“I guess you are hungry,” he said with a grin as Aunt Mae approached them.
Haley’s eyes widened at the stick-thin figure who couldn’t reach five feet tall if she were wearing heels. Aunt Mae planted her hands on the counter, then leaned forward and gave Crew a kiss on the cheek before turning suspicious eyes on Haley.
Crew had never brought another woman in here, so he could see the surprise in the woman’s eyes and knew she was judging Haley. He wasn’t worried. There was something about Haley that drew others to her, and he was sure that by the end of their lunch, Aunt Mae would be trying to coddle her and send her home with a doggie bag loaded with food.
“You haven’t visited me in weeks, Crew Storm. What makes you think I’ll serve up anything for you to eat?” she pouted, and Crew could see the surprise in Haley’s eyes at the deep, husky voice that didn’t match her petite face and body. Years of hard booze and cheap cigarettes had given her what was just one of her many charms in Crew’s eyes.
“I’ve been busy getting the new resort running, Aunt Mae. I’ve noticed you haven’t taken up my offer of staying a night and testing out my chefs,” he countered, and she blushed.
“I can’t stay in your hoity-toity resort. I’d never be able to sleep again in my shabby little room upstairs. I will make it over some night to get a free meal. I’m not telling you until it’s over, though. I don’t want you telling them to fix something special. The best way for me to see if they’re good enough to be cooking for you is for them not to know who I am.”
Though it wasn’t widely known, Aunt Mae had been a top-rated food critic when she was younger. Getting fed up with all the terrible dishes she had to endure, she’d given up her high-paying job and settled down to open her own place nearly thirty years before. The building had been old then, but in better shape.
Hard economic times had made the years rough, but she still had a steady stream of regular customers. One way or another, Crew would make sure she kept the place as long as she liked, even if he had to tie her down while the workers came in and made repairs.
“I wouldn’t dream of trying to fool you, Aunt Mae. You are far too wise a woman.”
“Don’t get cheeky with me, boy! Now, who’s this pretty little girl you’ve brought in?” she asked, turning her full gaze on Haley, who smiled big at her.
“Haley Sutherland. It’s nice to meet you.”
Crew was shocked by the ease with which Haley spoke to Aunt Mae. A lot of folks were intimidated by her at first, despite her diminutive stature. Haley seemed right at home.
“Well, well. What are you doing out with this hooligan?”
Haley’s grin never faltered. “He told me he was going to feed me the best meal I’ve ever had. I could hardly resist,” she said easily as Aunt Mae pulled out a cigarette and lit it, the smoke swirling in the air.
A man from a nearby table grumbled and Aunt Mae’s eyes turned to fire as she looked right at him.
“This is my place. If you don’t like the atmosphere, you know where the door is,” she said pleasantly as she took another drag.
The fellow looked down as he speared a piece of battered fish and continued eating. It appeared he was willing to risk his life with secondhand smoke for the food...that must be some food, Haley thought to herself.
“So, Haley, what do you do?”
“Nothing at the moment. I quit my job so I could find a good enough man to teach me how to be the perfect seductress,” she replied as if she were speaking of nothing more casual than going to the post office.
Crew’s eyes rounded in shock, and he choked on the water he’d just drunk. As he sputtered, he looked from her to Aunt Mae, wondering what his longtime friend was going to say to that remark. After a short pause, she put out her smoke and then laughed. The sound was raspy and a bit wheezy and asthmatic, and he always worried she was going to keel over when she did it.
“I like this one, Crew. I like her a lot, much more than some of those broads I’ve seen you with in town. I notice you’ve been smart enough to never bring one of them in here,” she said knowingly.
“I didn’t like them enough to give them the treasure of your cooking, Aunt Mae.”
“That’s a good answer, boy, a good answer,” she said. Haley’s stomach rumbled again and Aunt Mae turned her eyes back to her. “I’d better feed you before you turn into a skeleton right there in that chair.” With that she turned and scribbled something on her notepad before seeing to another customer, who had managed to snag a spot at the end of the counter.
“I like her,” Haley commented, making him glow.
It shouldn’t have mattered to him what Haley thought of Aunt Mae, but it did. Without realizing it, he’d been testing her. Shyness he could understand, but if she’d turned her nose up at a woman Crew cared about deeply, he wouldn’t have wanted to be with her.
“She’s a spitfire. Though she’s in her sixties, you’d never know it. I think she’ll outlive us all,” he said as Aunt Mae slapped down a plate between them.
At the look of lust in Haley’s eyes over the sizzling cheese, artichoke and spinach appetizer, he fell a bit in love. She’d barely touched his five-course meal, but Aunt Mae’s secret menu was making her drool. Haley polished off most of their appetizer, then dug in when her shrimp pasta was placed in front of her.
When she looked at his seafood sandwich with longing, he offered her a bite, then felt himself turning hard at her deep moan of pleasure when she swallowed.
No sex today, he reminded himself. Tomorrow. He’d have plenty of sex with her tomorrow. A
nd somehow he’d better keep her away from his bed for the day if he wanted to keep that promise to himself.
When their plates were cleaned, Haley leaned back with a satisfied grin. “You were right. That’s the best meal I think I’ve ever eaten. I’m going to have to come here over and over while I’m on the island. But right now, I don’t think I could eat another bite.”
“I don’t doubt it,” he answered with a chuckle since she’d polished off her meal, then eaten a quarter of his sandwich. It was nice to see her cheeks flushed and a relaxed look in her eyes.
“Here’s your dessert, Ms. Haley. This is my special cobbler. Don’t even try and guess what’s in it; just enjoy the heavenly taste,” Aunt Mae said as she placed a warm bowl in front of both of them with sugary berries beneath a perfectly browned crust and vanilla ice cream melting on top.
“I don’t know if we can…” Crew started to protest.
“Thank you, Aunt Mae,” Haley interrupted as she picked up the spoon and scooped up a large bite, placing it on her tongue. When her eyes rolled back and she sighed in ecstasy, the blood rushed to Crew’s groin yet again. This lunch was going to bury him. Had he known eating a meal could be so damned erotic, he would have taken Haley to the corner for a loaded hot dog — extra onions.
When she was halfway through her cobbler, he watched as a piece of berry juice dripped out the corner of her mouth and her tongue emerged to lick it as best as she could. “Let me,” he said as he lifted his thumb and rubbed the trace of juice left behind over her chin and then her moist lower lip.
Without thinking — he couldn’t stop himself — he leaned forward and sucked on her lip, the taste of berries and ice cream sweet on his tongue. When the tip of her tongue slid across his lip, he had to fight to keep from clinging tightly to her and kissing her the way he wanted to. No, not in front of Aunt Mae. That was for later.
Pulling back, he locked his gaze with hers and filled his eyes with promise. He was going to take her to the furthest reaches of heaven and never let her settle back down on the ground again. The constant stirring inside his body was worth a bit of pain, because he felt alive and ready to conquer the world.
“Crew Storm, that kind of look should be reserved for the bedroom only,” Aunt Mae scolded as she set a bag on the counter in front of Haley. Crew couldn’t help his wide grin, knowing the woman so well. She couldn’t help but feed those she thought needed a little more plumping up.
“What’s this?” Haley asked brightly. Crew didn’t know how she could even think about wanting more food after the meal she’d eaten, but she eagerly opened the bag and peered in.
“That’s a treat for later. You come back and visit me soon, Ms. Haley — and leave Crew at home. I want to have some girl talk.”
“Hey...” Crew said with mock hurt.
“I promise I’ll be back soon,” Haley grinned. Crew had no doubt she’d be there tomorrow if she could get away.
“I gotta get cleaned up now, but I’d better see you both much sooner than your usual two weeks, Crew,” she said with a slight glare his way before leaning forward and kissing him on the cheek again, then patting Haley’s hand.
Crew pulled out his wallet and slipped two large bills into her tip jar when Aunt Mae wasn’t looking, and Haley picked up her prized takeout bag.
The warm breeze blowing outside was perfect for a walk. Strolling back to the resort took them half an hour, but all they did there was leave the bag at the front desk, making sure the staff would have it delivered to Haley’s room and refrigerated.
Crew took her on a walk through the touristy area that she hadn’t yet visited, and they spent the next couple of hours going in and out of small shops.
When she found a quaint antique store, she rushed inside and started fondling small trinkets and old antiques. An old woodstove with a cast-iron skillet from the eighteen-hundreds then caught Haley’s attention; Crew strolled over to a small glass case.
Inside was an old diary, the leather frayed on the cover and edges, but it was open and he could clearly see writing inside. He was certain that the stories it contained would be fascinating. On impulse, he purchased the treasured item and had it wrapped, knowing he’d find a good moment to give it to Haley as a gift. With her dreams of being an archaeologist, she would appreciate the words of an early settler.
When they left, he was also carrying her purchase, an old coffee grinder with a worn wooden box and small cast-iron handle.
“Why would you want that?” He didn’t see a use for it.
“Because it’s amazing. Imagine the stories that could be told about this box. It’s well over a hundred years old, and settlers used it to grind coffee beans in the early morning hours while they heated their water on the stove. Maybe a grandmother rocked her daughter’s newborn baby while the mother rested for a few minutes on the other side of a curtain. Doesn’t the past fascinate you? Don’t you want to know how our ancestors survived harsh winters, the devastation of ruined crops, and enemy attacks?”
Crew honestly had never thought about any of that — he was half asleep during his required history classes — but he didn’t want to admit that to her. That he’d ignored where he came from made him feel shallow and self-absorbed.
“We’ll have to go tour the one museum here, and more on the mainland.” he said.
“Oh yes, that would be so much fun. When I was a teenager, I wanted to own an antique store, but I realized I’d never want to part with any of the items, so I’d never be able to make it. My second dream career would probably be working with documents of the past, or in a museum. It’s all just so fascinating. But, if I get my way, I will lead an archaeological dig, discovering an unknown ancient culture. That is the brass ring as far as I’m concerned.”
Crew beamed at her and patted his pocket. He’d chosen his gift well, knowing she’d pore through the pages for hours. Paying attention when women spoke was a critical survival skill. He’d learned early that not paying attention could have dire consequences. His sister’s wrath when they ignored her had been deadly.
Crew and Haley continued to stroll the streets, but as the sun started to set, his phone rang with a minor emergency at the resort and he had to get back.
“I’ll meet you in a couple of hours,” he promised before escorting her to the elevator. As the doors shut, he sighed. His day had been far too enjoyable to even think about work right now. But, as his manager came rushing toward him, he put away his personal feelings and focused on his other woman, the resort, and on the man he trusted so well.
Chapter Seventeen
Crew’s minor mishap ended up being a couple on the fourth floor who’d left their tub running. By the time it was discovered, the room below it had flooded, too. He’d had to make sure the mess was cleaned up, his inconvenienced guests were transferred to a new hotel, offered full refunds, plus free stays and resort amenities, and the plumber was getting the job fixed quickly. Then, suddenly, it was three in the morning.
Though exhausted, he wanted to go straight to Haley’s room, but he didn’t want to wake her, so he instead trudged off to his own room, where he took a two-minute shower to wash off the grime from working in the slush, then fell face first into his depressingly empty bed.
Thinking sleep would be hard to come by, he was shocked when he woke up the next morning at eight, two hours later than usual. Not having time for the breakfast with Haley that he’d promised himself the night before, he raced to his office, where he was thrust into a whole host of problems that made him want to pull out his hair.
As the day crept by, he dialed her room when he had a minute, but when he never got an answer, he realized it was time the woman entered the cellular age. Placing a rush order, he had a smart phone brought to the resort and delivered to her room, then tried texting her several times but with no reply.
Where had she disappeared to? He owned neither her nor her time, but as the day wore on, he kept missing her — which was strange in itself. By the time t
he sun was setting, he found himself wandering through the resort, seeking her company. He was falling in too deeply, he knew, but he had no desire to pull back.
The ever-changing faces of new clientele checking in and others checking out would normally excite him, but nothing seemed to stir his anticipation these days except for a wisp of a blonde who, on paper, was all wrong for him.
None of that mattered.
He wandered into his favorite lounge and found Marlin busy as always with a full crowd circling the bar and filling up the tables as his new pianist lured people in.
The atmosphere was especially animated because tonight was the first day of the Catalina Film Festival, and crowds had flocked to the island in hopes of spotting a favorite Hollywood star. The red carpet was rolled out, limos were traveling through town, and the streets were jammed.
Crew would be lucky to get five minutes alone with Haley over the next five days.
With determination, he took a seat at the bar, determined to get information out of Marlin. His bartender and Haley seemed to be quite chummy, so Crew hoped his loyal employee might know where she was.
As he listened to the clink of glasses and the cheerful voices of his patrons, and waited for Marlin to have a free moment, Crew took out a cigar. He didn’t mind waiting — it meant his place of business was busy and a constant stream of cash was flowing in.
“Sorry I took so long, Mr. Storm. We’ve been swamped all afternoon and into the evening. I don’t expect we’ll be slowing down any time in the near future,” Marlin said as he pulled out a special bottle of single-malt scotch. He grabbed a glass and poured in three fingers of the fine liquor. Marlin pretended to be about to dull the experience with ice cubes, but Crew knew not to fall for that joke anymore.
Crew grabbed the glass and savored the first sip, enjoying the warm burn down his throat. With the night and day he’d had, he could down the entire bottle and still not lose the tension in his shoulders, but no — he wanted to be sober when he found Haley.