Taco Bob smiled in the direction of the bathroom. Consuelo had surprised him several times recently with things she’d read. It was a side of her he hadn’t known about, and he did like a woman who reads. He glanced over at Slip, who was giving him a concerned look.
Slip cleared his throat like he wanted to change the subject.
“How’s the book coming?”
“Good. Think I’m onto something here with this one. Not that many guides to the perfect tropical lifestyle. Which reminds me, I need to ask my accountant if I can deduct fishing trips off my taxes now.” Taco Bob made a note to himself on the laptop. “Speaking of, how was the charter?”
“Tore ‘em up, if I do say so myself. Put the man on some nice fish and snagged a nice tip.” Slip showed a roll of bills. “Paddling gets a bit old at times, but the nice thing about riding a bicycle and fishing out of a kayak is you’re not spending any of your hard-earned on expensive damn gas.”
Consuelo burst into the room wearing her usual t-shirt and shorts ensemble and drying her hair with a towel. The shirt said, “Kiss her where it smells, take her to Pirate Jim’s!”
“We ready to go? You coming, Slip?”
The fishing guide looked to Taco Bob.
“I was about to ask him. As I explain in detail in chapter six titled Financial Planning and Boat Drinks,” the aspiring writer of tropical guidebooks pointed to his laptop, “if you’ve got enough money to afford seeing how many fish you can catch and how many sunrises you can see from the water, then you should have enough to afford insurance. Which I had, by the way, on the Wilbur. Got the check today, as a matter of fact. And since it’s such a nice afternoon, this lovely lady has offered to ferry us around in her spacious land barge so we can hit a few marinas and check out boats. We figured you’d want to come along.”
“Wild horses couldn’t keep me away. Actually, if you’ll give me five to pay Capt. Roy the twenty I owe him, I’d be proud to spring for Governor’s while we’re out.”
This got everyone smiling. Consuelo put the towel in the bathroom and came back combing her hair.
“Why don’t you run over to Capt. Roy’s and we’ll wait for you in the car.”
It was indeed a beautiful day as they locked up the houseboat and headed for the car. The first cool front of the season had shown up just that morning, and the breeze off the water had the touch of cool that residents of Key West looked forward to all summer.
Taco Bob had a seat in the old convertible and contentedly breathed in the cool air. Consuelo closed her door and put the key in the ignition. Taco Bob was looking up at the Bluebird sky and was surprised when Consuelo lay across the big bench seat with her head on his lap. A pair of bright blue eyes looking up at him.
“Sara saw Trish at Louie’s with a guy last night. She said they were looking pretty cozy.”
“The evening we were out on Shark Hunter’s boat I was supposed to be with her at a big dinner of some sort. She got pretty mad and we both said some things.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize that. You were off helping my sister and it cost you your boat, and a relationship.” The big blue eyes in his lap were going soft fast. “I feel pretty bad about that. I’ll try to make it up to you.” One of her hands was absently making small circles on his thigh.
“I’m sure it’ll all work out.” He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Consuelo’s eyes had begun to close as her hand’s movement widened. She emitted the softest purring. Taco Bob moved in his seat again, but only so he could lean back and relax. “Actually, that brings to mind an idea Skunk had before he left.”
Consuelo’s eyes popped open as she sat upright in the seat.
“Skunk? I’m sure any idea Skunk could come up with is a bad idea.”
Taco Bob sighed. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
EOF
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