Dune Drive

by Mariah Stewart

  “I promised Gigi I’d make oyster fritters for her for tonight, and I’m on my way to the market now. Do you want to join us around seven?” Actually, she’d told Ruby she’d make oyster fritters the following night, but all of a sudden tonight sounded so much better, especially if Jared could join them.

  “Yeah, I’d really like that. Thanks. Can I bring anything?”

  “Beer, maybe?” She tried to remember if there’d been any left from the last time Lis and Alec had stopped over.

  “You got it. I’ll see you at seven.”

  He hung up right about the same time she did, and just as Cass was coming out of Bling.

  She called to Cass, who walked over to the car.

  “Since you’re coming over to the store later anyway for a makeup tutorial, why not bring Owen and plan on staying for dinner? I’m going to pick up some oysters.”

  “We’d love to. Funny thing, but Owen just asked this morning if we could have oysters for dinner. Thanks. What’s a good time?”

  “Dinner’s at seven, but you can come earlier if you want.”

  “Will do. Thanks again. You saved me a trip to the market. Want me to bring dessert?”

  “I’m going to be baking all day for the store, so I’ve got that covered. You could bring a salad, though.”

  “Consider it done. We’ll see you then.”

  Chrissie turned off the ignition, got out of the car and locked it, then walked three storefronts to the market, where she bought oysters and a big bag of green beans, some grape tomatoes, a bag of lemons, and a couple of green onions. She tucked the packages into the back of her car and returned to the island.

  “Gonna have some company, looks like.” Ruby walked into the kitchen just as Chrissie began to clean and shuck the oysters.

  “Owen and Cass.” Then as if it was an afterthought, she added, “And Jared said he loved oyster fritters, so I invited him, too.”

  “Good. I like that boy. He has him some good manners. Got a good aura, too.”

  Chrissie put down her shucking knife and turned around. “Gigi, I have never heard you use that word before.”

  “Manners? Manners be important. I been telling you that since you were knee high.”

  Chrissie laughed. “You know what I mean. Aura. I’ve never heard you say that someone had an aura.”

  “Well, now you have.”

  “Do I have an aura?”

  Ruby seemed to be studying her. Finally, she said, “Yes, but be different from the one you had when you got here.”

  “Why? How’s it different?”

  “Don’t be asking me to tell you things you already know.” Ruby shuffled in her white-sneakered feet to the door that led out to the store. “You be smart enough to figure that out on your own.”

  • • •

  THROUGHOUT THE DAY, Chrissie baked. She made two kinds of brownies, chocolate chip scones, and two kinds of cookies. She froze the brownies and the cookies and wrapped the scones tightly for the following morning. She’d still need something for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning, but those were all night-before goodies. The brownies and the cookies were for Gigi to sell while she was gone. There was no way she could leave her great-grandmother to a potential mutiny. The watermen were a tough crew, and she’d readily admit she’d spoiled them. She couldn’t in good conscience leave them without their morning snacks.

  She finished the baking and cleaned up the kitchen and was preparing to cook the dinner when she heard footsteps on the back porch. She looked out the window and saw Owen and Cass at the door.

  “It’s open,” she called to them.

  “I heard there’d be oyster fritters,” Owen said by way of a greeting.

  “There will be. I was just going to start getting them ready,” Chrissie told him. “And you’re welcome.”

  “Thanks.” He grinned and looked around. “Where’s Chandler? Gigi said he was coming to dinner.”

  “I told him seven.”

  “Why? I’m hungry now. And what’s going on with you two anyway? Cass says you’re going away with him for four days. You know what you’re doing, Chris?”

  “One, I baked all day, so you can wait another hour just like everyone else. And two, there’s nothing going on. Jared has to bring a date to his father’s wedding and he just invited me as a friend. So it’s not like a romantic four days, it’s a friends-and-family-having-fun weekend.”

  “Chandler doesn’t know how to be friends with a woman,” Owen cautioned. “I’ve known him a long time, Chris.”

  “Well, he knows how to be friends with me. Now, go inside and talk to Gigi,” Chrissie said.

  “Yes, please. Chrissie and I are going to play with makeup.” Cass nudged him in the direction of the store.

  “Maybe I want to play with makeup,” he told her.

  “It’s Chrissie’s turn tonight. Go.” Cass pointed to the door.

  “Yes, dear.” He went into the store.

  “No one’s buying that meek-little-man act,” Chrissie called after him. “Just so you know.”

  “Okay, so what do we want to do first?” Cass studied Chrissie’s face. “Maybe some foundation just to smooth out your coloring a little. Go wash your face, then come back.”

  “I don’t really have time to—”

  “So dinner’s three minutes late. Go. We can’t experiment on a sweaty face.”

  “Sorry. I’ve been baking.” Chrissie put the bowl of cleaned oysters into the refrigerator, then washed her hands.

  “I’ll be right back.” She went into Gigi’s bathroom and washed her face with the soap from the dish on the sink counter.

  When she came back out, Cass said, “Perfect. Now, sit down.”

  “I can’t. I have to make dinner,” Chrissie protested.

  Cass went to the sink and rinsed the green beans in a colander, then dumped them into a bowl. She placed the bowl on the table and got out a pot.

  “Sit down and snap the ends off these.” Cass put the pot on the table next to the bowl. “In the meantime, I’m going to play with your face.”

  “Okay, but be gentle.” Chrissie picked up a couple of green beans from the bowl. “And don’t get too crazy. I don’t want to scare off Jared, now that I’m looking forward to this trip. I saw some photos of Delia’s home online and it looks amazing. It’s like a true estate, with grounds and outbuildings.”

  “Take pictures on your phone and send them back while you’re away so I can live vicariously through you. Now, close your eyes. I want to try this color foundation.”

  Chrissie snapped while Cass applied the liquid to her entire face and blended it with a small sponge, then stood back to assess the results.

  “The color’s good, so we’ll put this aside for you to take. You definitely need some blush, though.” She tried and rejected several shades before settling on a rose. “You can use just a touch of this during the day, then layer a little more on for evening.” She set it next to the bottle of foundation.

  “Cass, I really should be starting dinner.” Chrissie started to get up.

  Cass pushed her back down. “Stay where you are. I’m not finished. Eyes. Close them.” As with the blush, Cass tried several different eye shadows, removing the ones she didn’t like and applying another choice. When she found something that pleased her, she added it to the collection on the side of the table.

  “Eyeliner, mascara, then we’re done.”

  “Cass . . .”

  “Don’t want to hear it. Close your eyes and keep them closed.” Cass vacillated between two shades of eyeliner, then made a choice. “Open your eyes. Yeah, that’s the right one. Now keep them open.”

  “Are you almost finished?” Chrissie was getting antsy. The last thing she wanted was for Jared to come in and find Cass showing her how to apply makeup.

  “Just need the mascara. Keep your eyes open.”

  Chrissie felt the brush on her lashes. When Cass finished, she took a step back to admire her handiwork.
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br />   “Terrific. You look beautiful,” Cass announced. “Like Chrissie, but more so; we’ve enhanced your Chrissieness.”

  “Let me see.” Chrissie went into the bathroom and stared at her face.

  Cass was right. She did look like herself, only more so. There was nothing overt that screamed makeup, just soft colors on her cheeks, and her eyes looked bigger, prettier, the green more pronounced.

  “So what do you think?” Cass stood with her arms folded over her chest, a knowing smirk on her face.

  “You were right. About everything. I like what you did.”

  “Want me to show you how to do it all yourself?” Cass asked.

  Chrissie shook her head. “No, I remember how. I just haven’t done it in forever.”

  “Then I’ll leave these things with you. Anything else I can do?” Cass snapped her fingers. “Oh, the earrings.”

  She took a small jeweler’s box from her bag and handed it to Chrissie. “Try them on.”

  Chrissie pushed back her hair and slid the long, shimmery gold earrings into the holes in her lobes.

  “They are going to be perfect with that shiny dress. I wouldn’t wear another thing, honestly. Maybe a pretty ring, a thin bracelet or three, and you are set.”

  Chrissie didn’t want to admit she didn’t own a ring that would do justice to the dress, so she merely nodded.

  “I love the earrings. Are you sure you want to loan them out?”

  “Absolutely. I love them on you.” Cass gave her a quick hug. “I will want to see pictures of you in that dress, though. Make sure you take some.”

  “I will. Thanks again. For everything.”

  “You’re welcome.” Cass started to return all the rejected blushes and eye shadows to the bag she’d brought them in. “Now, let’s do something about getting dinner ready.”

  Chrissie had just finished preparing the oysters for frying when she heard the bell in the store ring. A moment later, she heard Jared and Owen talking, then Cass went in to say hello and take drink orders.

  Minutes later, both men came into the kitchen.

  “Gigi wants to eat outside on the back porch,” Owen told her. “She wants us to take a table and some chairs out.”

  “In the storage room.” Chrissie turned around and smiled. “Hi, Jared.”

  “Hey, Chris.” He tilted his head, looking at her as if he hadn’t seen her before.

  “Looks like Gigi’s going to make you work for your dinner.” She gestured toward the storage room at the back of Ruby’s apartment. “Owen, I think she probably wants the long walnut table, but she probably doesn’t care which chairs.”

  “I know which one. We’ve used it before. Come on, Jared. It’s going to take both of us. That table is solid and weighs a ton.” Owen opened the storage room door, and Jared followed after one look back at Chrissie.

  Cass giggled softly. “He’s looking at you like, ‘I know that’s you but something is different.’ See what just a little of the right makeup can do?”

  “I didn’t want it to do anything as far as Jared’s concerned. I just want to be able to hold my own among all the other women who are going to be at the wedding.”

  “The lady doth protest too much, methinks,” Cass whispered in her ear as Owen and Jared brought the table out of the back room.

  “Man, you weren’t kidding,” Jared was saying. “This thing is heavy.”

  “Solid walnut, bro. Gigi’s grandfather made this about a thousand years ago,” Owen told him.

  “More like about a hundred and fifty years, but a little exaggeration never hurt,” Cass said.

  They took the table out to the back porch and Cass followed to move rocking chairs out of the way. Soon they had the table set up and chairs in place, and Cass proceeded to set the table for dinner while Owen grabbed a few beers and poured a glass of iced tea for Ruby before he and Jared went back into the store.

  “What can I do next?” Cass asked.

  “Just put the green beans in a bowl and take those out, and I’ll be along with the oysters. I just have a few more to fry, so get the salad out, tell the guys to bring Gigi, and get drinks onto the table. By the time you’ve done all that, the oysters will be ready.” Chrissie looked over her shoulder at Cass. “Aren’t you glad you asked?”

  “I’ve got it under control. Always glad to help when the reward is a delicious dinner. And I know this dinner will be amazing.” Cass left the room to alert the others that it was time.

  Chrissie piled the platter with the oyster fritters and cut lemon wedges to serve with them. She scattered grape tomatoes and finely chopped green onions over the oysters, and when she was satisfied with the way it looked, she carried it out to the porch. She served Gigi first, and then the platter was passed around the table.

  She sat next to Gigi and across from Jared.

  “Wow, you really do make the best oyster fritters on the planet,” Jared exclaimed once he’d tasted one. “You should do these for Blossoms.” He met her eyes across the table. “Does Sophie know you can do this?”

  Chrissie shrugged and tried not to show how the praise made her feel slightly embarrassed. “I may have mentioned it.”

  “I think you should do more than mention it. You’re sitting on a gold mine here,” he told her.

  “Speaking of gold mines, did you hear about the Spanish ship that was just located down in the Keys?” Owen asked.

  “I did. Not one of our jobs, unfortunately,” Jared said.

  From there the conversation turned to the job they were on, when they might resume, what the latest word was from the agency that was reviewing the situation. By the time dessert was served—a plate of brownies Chrissie’d reserved for the purpose—she was ready to pass out. It had been an eventful and very busy day, from shopping to baking to cooking.

  “You look wiped out, girl,” Cass said as they were clearing the table. “Why don’t you head on upstairs and go to bed? You worked like a dog today, all that baking you did, then dinner.”

  “That would be rude,” Chrissie replied.

  “No, it wouldn’t be.” Jared put one hand on her shoulder, and with the other, took the plates from her hands. “Ruby told me all you’d been up to today. It would be ruder if you collapsed and we had to revive you.”

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?” She addressed the question to Cass. “I hate leaving you with this mess.”

  “Those oysters were worth it. Totally. I’ll wash and these two clowns can dry,” Cass said.

  “Okay, if you’re sure . . .”

  “We’re positive,” Owen told her. “Go.”

  “And if all I have to do for a meal like this is to dry dishes,” Jared said, “count me in.”

  “See you all later.” Chrissie stopped to hug Ruby on her way out of the room. “Don’t eat all the brownies, Gigi.”

  Ruby cut a brownie in half and took a bite. “You be minding your own business.”

  Chrissie laughed and left the room, all the while knowing Jared’s gaze followed her. If she hadn’t been so tired, she’d have probably given more thought to that. As it was, it was all she could do to climb the steps to the second floor, toss off her clothes, and fall into bed.

  Chapter Nine

  Chrissie, you best be getting ready to leave,” Ruby called up the steps. “Jared be along anytime soon.”

  “I just need one more minute,” Chrissie called back before ducking into the bathroom and taking one last look.

  The hairdresser Lis’d taken her to the night before had worked a color miracle. Chrissie had never imagined her hair, which she’d always worn pulled back in a ponytail, could look as good as it did. The highlights were subtle, blending and shading different tones of blond, and the cut, while not drastic, had evened out the length all the way around. She’d put on a minimal amount of makeup, but even that had been enough to change her look.

  “Pretty. I look—pretty,” she’d whispered to herself, as if afraid to say it too loudly, in case she was wrong.
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  Chrissie heard the car pull into the parking lot out front and went back into her room. She grabbed the garment bag holding the dresses and the suitcase holding everything else. The one she’d brought with her when she’d fled to the island had been a beaten-up affair, and when Cass saw it, she said, “No-no-no,” so quickly it sounded like one word. She’d brought Chrissie one of hers, an expandable Pullman with enough room for shoes and all the clothes that weren’t on hangers. Chrissie’d filled it, debating unsurely over this shirt or that, these shorts or that skirt. Finally, she’d made her decisions and packed what she thought she’d wear. Only after she’d finished that chore did she get dressed.

  The day was sunny and very warm, so the sundress she’d picked out at Bling was perfect. It had wide yellow and white horizontal stripes and wide straps, and the short white cardigan she’d bought was just right to toss over it. The dress was cotton, though, so she hoped she wouldn’t be a wrinkled mess, but it was so cute she almost didn’t care.

  “Chrissie.” Ruby called her name.

  “I’m on my way, Gigi,” Chrissie called back.

  She grabbed the garment bag and the suitcase, which she had to roll down the stairs instead of carry. For one thing, her arms weren’t long enough to lift it over the steps. For another, it was heavier than she’d thought.

  “I’ll get that.” Jared came halfway up the steps and held out his hand for the suitcase, then he stopped. “You look . . . great. Great.” He took the suitcase and carried it down the rest of the way.

  “You behave yourselves, hear?” Ruby stood at the door. “You tell Delia I send her my best and that I be happy for her and her mister.”

  “I will. Promise.” Chrissie kissed her on the cheek. “Don’t forget. Take the scones out of the freezer the night before and unwrap them but keep them covered. The brownies, same thing. The cookies—”

  “Girl, I be pretty sure I know how to defrost. You just go on about your weekend and have a good time.” Ruby appeared to be debating whether to say something else, then did. “I be fine here. No harm be coming my way. Owen and Cass, Lis, Alec, all be checking in.”