A Sixer of Tequila

by Tricia O'Malley

  “Smart guy,” I said. “I could likely add a few bits and pieces to your intel.”

  “Is that so? Care to do so now?”

  “Nope. Let’s just say that Luna and I came on this trip to keep an eye out for Miss Elva. We’re watching as well.”

  “Grand. We’ll reconvene at Lucky’s this week and discuss our findings?”

  “It’s a date,” I said, then dipped my face in the water, my cheeks burning. Why did I say the word ‘date’? I was in such a weird headspace today.

  We kicked out toward the reef, swimming gently in the water, and slowly the ball of angst in my stomach loosened as the water soothed me, as it always did. I loved nothing more than floating in the clear water, watching the fish swim around me, curious as to what I was. The reef here was untouched, and it filled my heart with joy to see it teeming with life, a veritable rainbow of color and activity. Cash and I hovered over the coral, watching as damselfish chased others away from their eggs, parrotfish smiled at us with their big front teeth, and an eel stuck his head out from a hole to see what the fuss was about. It was like spending time inside an aquarium. I felt like I could float for hours, just watching the activity.

  Sometimes, when I was feeling particularly creative, I’d make up stories for the fish on the coral, pretending the blenny was a grumpy old man telling people to get off his lawn, or the parrot fish was the geeky kid at school with buck teeth.

  Yeah, I can be a nerd. So what?

  Cash popped his head up, signaling for me to do so as well. I had to laugh, he looked so dorky with the mask squishing his face and his hair poking every which way. Which in turn made him even more adorable to me.

  “I think I see an opening over here.” Cash turned his head and nodded toward a small indentation in the rock wall. “Should we explore?”

  “Yes, but go slow – you don’t want the waves to slam you against the rocks,” I said.

  “Yes, mother.” Cash grinned and I poked him in the ribs with my finger. Reaching back, he grabbed my hand, and I let him hold it as we kicked over to where he’d seen the opening. His hand felt nice in mine – much larger – and I couldn’t help but think that I did like how Cash made me feel protected.

  Once we were closer, I could see a clear entrance into the opening. From the shore, it just looked like an outcropping of rocks, but once you swam in front of the rocks you could see the low tunnel cut into the side of the cliff. Without thinking much about it, I swam right into the tunnel, curious to see how far back it went. Cash followed me, as the opening wasn’t wide enough for us to go side by side. However, in just a few short strides we found ourselves in a wide-open cavern.

  I popped my head up and moved to the side of the cavern, where there were rocks I could stand on. It was hard to see – the only light came from the tunnel we’d swum into, which illuminated the water around us and turned it a brilliant green. Squinting, I tried to see further back into the cave. Without a dive light, though, there wasn’t much I could make out. Cash swam up to join me at the side of the cavern, stepping up so he balanced on the same rock as me, the water at our waist.

  “Wow, this is beautiful back here, isn’t it? I love how the light illuminates the water from below. It kind of reminds me of the blue grotto.”

  “It’s beautiful, but I wonder if there’s something more here. I’m dying to know what’s further back there.” I pointed just as a bat swooped around above, then disappeared into the darkness.

  “There’s another entrance then, if the bats are coming through,” Cash observed.

  “Exactly.”

  “What are you thinking?”

  “I think this could be Rafe’s pirate treasure cave,” I said absentmindedly, and then caught myself when Cash looked at me in question. Sighing, I realized I had to make a decision. Did I just be myself, or hide things from Cash like I had last time?

  “Rafe is…?”

  “Rafe is Miss Elva’s pirate ghost. I can see him and talk to him,” I said, and watched his face carefully. Though surprise registered, none of the disbelief or snark that I was expecting followed.

  “Okay, pirate ghost. Got it. Can you see all ghosts?”

  “No. Currently just two.”

  Cash looked around.

  “Are they here?”

  “No, they were hanging with Miss Elva on the beach. But I’ll tell you when they’re around if you’d like.”

  “And Miss Elva can see them?”

  “And Luna.”

  “Gotcha. But not Beau.”

  “No; unfortunately, while I find him to be magickal, he’s not that kind of magickal.”

  “Okay, I’m listening, I’m accepting, I’m processing,” Cash said, and I smiled up at him. His hands came up around my waist, as if instinctively.

  “Thank you for not judging me.”

  “I’m learning there’s a lot more to this world than I can see,” Cash admitted. “Though right now, all I can see how is how beautiful you look in this light. I’m dying to kiss you, Althea.”

  “You can kiss me,” I said, feeling a bit shy again. Cash paused and dragged his eyes from my lips to my eyes.

  “What about Trace?”

  “We had a long talk this morning. We’re taking a mutually-agreed-upon break.”

  “You told him I was here?”

  “Ah, I did. And that I was attracted to you.”

  “That’s very honest and mature of you.”

  “I told you he’s my friend first. And even if you and I do get involved again, you’ll have to understand that I’ll always love him. He’s been a huge part of my life.”

  “That’s fair, Althea. I wouldn’t expect you to throw the people you love out of your life because of me.”

  “So… yeah. That’s where that sits, I guess.” Feeling incredibly awkward, I glanced around the cave again.

  “Hey, don’t be shy. It’s me,” Cash said, running his hand down my face and turning my chin to him. Before I could think much more about it, he pulled me to him, plastering my wet body against his muscled chest and taking my mouth in a kiss so blistering that I was surprised the water around us didn’t start bubbling up. Oh, did this man know how to kiss, I thought, losing myself in the sensation as his hands traced my body, massaging, touching, heat trailing everywhere as he expertly seduced me with his lips. By the time I finally came up for air and pressed myself backwards, my hand on his chest, I was gasping for breath.

  “That’s a down payment on later,” Cash promised.

  “I… um…” Great, Althea, way to be smooth, I thought.

  “Say yes,” Cash said, running his thumb across my lips.

  I nipped his finger, watching as his face darkened with desire. “Yes, Cash,” I said, smiling up at him.

  “We should go before I take you in this cave now.”

  Eeek! That would be awkward – and everyone on the beach would know what we’d been doing.

  “Right, let’s go.”

  “Hey, look.” Cash pointed above my head and I turned to see writing on the wall.

  “Skull and crossbones,” I murmured.

  “It looks like it’s put up in tar,” Cash said, leaning as close as he could to look.

  “It’s old; I can sense that. I’ll ask Rafe. There may be treasure back here.”

  “Um, should we look around further?”

  “How? We have no light. If we try to dive down we’ll see nothing, and kick up sediment. And if it’s further back in the cave, we’ll just hurt ourselves looking for it. Plus, if Calvin is involved in any of this, do you want to come out with armfuls of treasure?”

  “All valid points. We’ll come tomorrow, with dive lights and whatever other gear I can rustle up. Alone.”

  “That’s a plan. Now, let’s go before Calvin gets suspicious.”

  “What should we say took us too long?”

  “Let them think we were being naughty. Better for him to think that than to think we found his private cave.”

  “O
h, this will be fun,” Cash decided and smacked my bum.

  I laughed at him and snorkeled out of the cave, feeling all my emotions at once. To say my life was interesting lately was an understatement.

  We arrived back at the beach where Calvin stood, a worried expression on his face. As we took our gear off, Cash wrapped an arm around me and gave me a long languid kiss. I blushed and giggled, tucking my head against his chest for a moment, surreptitiously looking at Calvin under my eyelashes. I saw him give us the once-over, smile and nod, and stand down.

  Our plan had worked.

  “Did you guys just bang?” Beau called.

  I shook my head at him. “Beau, what’s happened to your manners?”

  “I lost them in the bottom of this rum punch,” Beau admitted sheepishly, looking down at his glass.

  “I mean, you do look like you…” Luna shrugged.

  “That’s enough, everybody. What happens on the rocks, stays on the rocks.”

  Calvin looked pleased, relaxation washing through him, and I could only wonder what else he was involved in.

  And just how deep I wanted to dig

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  There was no opportunity for me to grill Rafe on his cave, as we were all literally sitting in the same van with the man I suspected was neck deep in a slew of illegal shit. So, instead, I spent the time inching closer to Cash and listening as Calvin regaled us with stories about the locals.

  “De shop is here. De one I tell you about. Miss Elva, you’ll like Mama Jean. She’ll take care of you. I drop you off and be back in two hours, ya? Dere’s food next door.”

  “Fine by us. Thanks, Calvin,” Luna said.

  We all piled out into the brilliant sunshine, stopping in front of a faded blue building with paint-chipped yellow shutters. A woman, easily double the size of Miss Elva, squeezed out the front door and smiled at us. I heard Rafe’s intake of breath.

  “Double lovemountain,” Rafe breathed.

  “Calm down, Rafe,” I whispered.

  He nodded, biting his tongue for once. I think he was as much in awe of the woman’s pendulous breasts and flashy style as we all were.

  Miss Elva and Mama Jean stopped and sized each other up. Acknowledging kindred spirits, they nodded in unison.

  “I’m Mama Jean.”

  “Miss Elva.” Miss Elva held out her hand, only to be embraced in a big hug from Mama Jean.

  “I got de best stuff on island.”

  “I don’t doubt you do. I love your dress,” Miss Elva said, following Mama Jean into the shop.

  “I made it myself. Come, look at my others.” Mama Jean glided back to a rack of floaty dresses bursting with colors.

  Miss Elva’s eyes bulged. She was in her mecca.

  The rest of us filed in, and I had to admit, Mama Jean had taste. Not just in the clothing she offered, but the art on the walls was fantastic. I wasn’t sure if she painted it or sourced it from on-island, but there was one particular acrylic print – the sun setting over the water and just the fin of a dolphin peeking up – that captured my heart. It was huge, and I had no idea how I’d get it home, but I wanted it. Circling around, waiting while Miss Elva and Mama Jean debated the pros and cons of a particular pattern, I stopped in front of a case of jewelry. My eyes landed on an intricate necklace, made of quartz stone and gold beads that looked to be an everyday necklace that could be layered or worn with everything. I loved how it sparkled, and I wanted it badly. Not to mention quartz was an excellent conductor for my psychic energies.

  “Do you like something?” Cash asked in my ear.

  “Oh, I do. This necklace,” I pointed. “Quartz is a great stone for channeling your psychic energy. And the dolphin painting, though I have no idea how I’d get it home.”

  “Let’s ask her,” Cash said.

  “I will, but Miss Elva is having so much fun,” I said.

  We turned to watch Miss Elva exclaim over a neon pink caftan with parrots scattered across it and little silver discs sewn into the hem.

  “That’s you,” I said to Miss Elva.

  Mama Jean beamed. “I was just saying de same.”

  “I have to tell you, Mama Jean, I think we should work together,” Miss Elva said.

  Mama Jean leaned backward, crossing her arms over her mountainous breasts, and I thought I saw Rafe’s eyes glaze over.

  “How so?”

  “Well, I’m launching a clothing line. Caftans, high-end resort wear, the works. All bright, all flowy, and everything from high-level fabulous to the more subdued for women who can’t quite pull off what we can.” They both glanced my way and then back to each other, nodding in unison once again.

  “Hey!” I said. “I wear colorful maxis all the time.”

  “I’m thinking maybe you could consult. Or we could work on designs together, and I’ll order the materials and have them made. See, these are nice in a breathable cotton, but some of this stuff I have to make with higher-end materials,” Miss Elva said.

  “I understand dat, honeychild, I sho do. I can only work with what I get. You get better materials? I make better dresses.”

  “Do you have an email or are you on the internet?”

  “Sure I am, I ship my stuff around de world,” Mama Jean said, handing Miss Elva a card.

  “What do you say? Are you interested?”

  “I say we should have a beer next door and discuss more.”

  “My kind of woman,” Miss Elva said and Rafe almost lost his mind looking between the two of them.

  “Before we go over, I’d like to buy a few things,” I piped up, pointing to the painting and the necklace. “Though I’m not sure how I’d get the painting home.”

  “I can ship it anywhere you like. Insurance included.”

  “We can just take it on the plane. Remember, Captain Woodley is flying us.” Beau grinned at me, and I suspected Captain Woodley would happily do anything Beau asked of him.

  “Oh, that’s right. Great. Is the painter local?”

  Mama Jean slapped her knee and bent over, laughing so hard that the chasm between her breasts yawned open and I thought Rafe was going to dive right into it.

  “Oh, dat Calvin. He sho is a quiet one, isn’t he?”

  “Calvin did this?” I was surprised and walked forward to look at the signature in the bottom of corner. Sure enough, I could just make out a ‘Calvin’ in the scrawled signature.

  “He sho did. He’s really famous, but he likes to take on other work. Says it keeps him humble.”

  “I’m shocked. It’s beautiful. I’d love to have it.”

  “And I’d like to buy the lady the necklace,” Cash said when Mama Jean began to ring me up. Mama Jean paused, taking in Cash with one long lingering look. Then, turning to me, she nodded her approval.

  “That’s okay, Cash. You don’t have to do that. I can afford it.”

  “I’d like to.”

  “When a man wants to buy you gifts, you accept, honey,” Mama Jean said, making a tsk-tsk noise with her mouth.

  “I just don’t want men to think they have to buy me gifts,” I protested.

  “No man thinks he has to buy a woman a gift. He buys a gift if he wants to buy a gift.” Mama Jean beamed at Cash. “And dis sexy man wants to buy you a pretty necklace, so when it touches your skin you tink of him.”

  Oh my, I thought, bringing my hand to my neck. When she put it like that…

  “Thank you, Cash, that is very sweet of you,” I said.

  Cash fastened the necklace around my throat, and I ran my hands over it, loving the cool stones against my neck. Reaching up, I pressed a kiss to his cheek.

  “Now, we leave de painting on de wall and take it down when Calvin gets back. Anyone else for purchases before we grab our beers?”

  Everyone bought something – Luna a simple tunic in shimmery white that made me think of a pearl straight from the ocean; Beau a jaunty straw hat with parrots on the band; and there were several dresses Miss Elva couldn’t decide between
so she just took them all. Seeing that Cash was buying nothing, I held a small keychain up when he wasn’t looking and Mama Jean smiled, adding it to my total.

  Outside we wandered to the open-air bar next door, where the smell of conch fritters and BBQ filled the air. After we’d all ordered a Kalik – even Luna – we settled onto the picnic benches and looked on as Mama Jean and Miss Elva began negotiations.

  “I got you something,” I said, and slid the keychain across the table to Cash. A grin flashed across his face and he held it up, examining the design. It was a gold-plated shark tooth design and inside it was a small flashlight. It had made me think of him – always on the hunt, and yet incredibly beautiful. I loved sharks, respected their great beauty, and was always impressed with their power. They kind of reminded me of Cash.

  “I love it. Thank you,” Cash said, flipping the light off and on. He slipped it into his pocket before reaching over the table to play with my fingers. Once Miss Elva and Mama Jean were deep in conversation, I nodded to Luna and Beau.

  “We found a cave,” I whispered, and motioned for Rafe to stop staring at the women’s bosoms and pay attention. He settled in by my shoulder.

  “What cave?”

  “I found a cave. Last night and today. It has skulls and crossbones in it. In tar on the walls. Sound familiar?” I asked Rafe, speaking quietly over my shoulder. Beau, who was used to me talking to Rafe at this point, paid no mind. Cash, to his credit, looked a little startled but then remembered my words about Rafe.

  “That’s it, that’s my cave,” Rafe said into my ear.

  “Can you tell me more about it?”

  “There’s two entrances, I’m remembering more clearly now, though most only know of one – from the land side. But if you swim through a tunnel to the ocean, you can get the loot out. I loved that cave because there were two ways out, and nobody suspected it. It’s because there’s a sharp turn in the back cavern. But you can get to it.”

  “Where’s your treasure?”

  “It’s all the way down by the tunnel. If you go in by the water, you can find it more easily than by land. I hid it that way specifically because nobody would think to go that far into the cave. It was tough, with a torch, because the air was thin back there. The light would keep going out.”