Down and Out in Flamingo Beach (8 page)

“Where did you have in mind?”

“If the Catch-All sounds good you can meet me there.”

“Okay.” She started the vehicle up again. She was doing this because Granny J's store needed remodeling. She was not at all attracted to Derek Morse and never would be.

T
he Catch-All was having one of those buffet-style deals, as much as you can eat for one set price. Even though it was late, the place attracted a fair share of families and young people out on a date.

Derek had just returned from the buffet line, his plate full to overflowing. The items he'd chosen were all healthy—plenty of greens, brown rice, catfish, chicken breasts and peas. He planned to wash them down with a huge glass of sweet tea.

Joya's own plate looked like the appetizer next to his. After the crawfish soup she'd been close to full so she'd had the shrimp and scallop dish served in garlic sauce with a little linguini on the side. Now she was beginning to regret going for the garlic.

She'd also noticed the looks they were getting. Speculative. Quizzical. They'd now been seen out two nights in a row. This could mean only one thing, the two of them were dating.

Joya waited until Derek had taken a large gulp of tea and it had settled. Her eyes fastened on his hands. Large hands. Clean hands. Hands that a lot of women wouldn't mind having on their bodies…

“Talk to me about the plans for renovation,” she said, uneasy at how quickly her mind had drifted to sex. A not-uncommon thing when Derek was around her.

He unfolded one of the paper napkins, found a pen in the pocket of his shirt and began sketching.

“Here's what I propose. We knock out one of the walls and widen your porch area. It would give you room to put in a glider and several rocking chairs, giving the place a homier look, plus you would have a place to display more quilts.

“The showroom should be larger and airier. That drop ceiling needs to go. I'd put in a loft.” Derek made a few deft strokes on the napkin. “This wall dividing the show room and the work room where the quilt guild meets—boom! Gone!”

“And where's the group supposed to meet?”

“They get together after hours for the most part, don't they?” He looked at her, waiting for her to concur.

“Yes, but on Saturdays, too.”

“With a bigger showroom, the sewing machines and stuff they need would be off to the side. I'd create a corner, one huge alcove with lots of shelving and storage space. Personally I think if customers saw quilts being made on the premises it would drive business and give people a reason to custom-order.”

Derek made a good point, but Joya wasn't sure she cared for the way he presented it, as if it were a done deal. As if he, and only he, had a say. Plus she wasn't sure Granny J would agree to such a drastic change. The old lady did tend to be set in her ways. Thoughts of her granny brought to mind the surgery scheduled for tomorrow. Joya prayed it would go well.

“No comments. You're not going to fight me?” Derek asked after swallowing his fish.”

“How much is all of this going to cost?”

“Not as much as you think, plus it can be done quickly. It's not like you have to bring an architect in. I can take care of the design for you.” He named a figure that made her blink once. “Basically we're talking about knocking down a couple of walls, putting in some shelving, raising the ceiling and building a loft.”

“Sounds pretty expensive to me, and messy.”

Derek finished up his meal and lined his knife and fork up on the side of his plate.

“Not messy if it's done properly. It will all be worth it. You'll see.”

“Hey Derek, I hear your great-gran's having a party. Make sure me and Winston are invited.”

Camille Lewis, the town gossip, was standing right over them. Joya hadn't even heard her come up.

Derek stood to greet the woman. Well brought up, Joya thought.

“Hi Camille, Nana Belle's made up her own list. I'm sure she'll invite the people she wants,” he said diplomatically.

“You two have something going on?” Camille asked, eyeing Joya shrewdly.

“Business,” Joya corrected, “This is a business meeting.”

“Looks like monkey business to me.”

“Camille!” Winston, Camille's husband's voice came from behind them. “We need to leave.”

“In a minute.”

“Now.”

“Business, uh, so that's what you call it these days,” Camille said, as her husband tugged on her arm. “Give my best to Granny J. Let her know I'm praying for her.”

“I'll do that.” Joya kept her expression neutral, at least she hoped she did. What Joya really wanted to do was strangle the annoying woman.

Camille finally left. By then Joya no longer had an appetite for dessert and said so. Derek signaled for the bill.

“You find the prospect of me and you out on a date that distasteful?” Derek joked.

Joya didn't want to hurt his feelings. Attracted to him or not, she just didn't see the point of starting something that she wasn't about to finish. Once Granny J was pronounced well enough to be on her own she was out of here, back to her old job. No point in leading Derek on. Why have him believe he stood a chance when he didn't? She was looking for a nice home in the suburbs, complete with two kids, the dog, the picket fence, the whole nine yards. She wanted to be home to raise those kids. She couldn't see Derek being in a position to give her that.

Joya threw some dollars on the table, her share of the bill.

“Keep your money,” Derek said. “Since this is a business meeting Shore Construction can pay.”

Was he being sarcastic or simply letting her know that he could afford to pay for their meal?

Better to be gracious and just accept. She picked up her money, leaving a twenty behind. “How about I leave the tip?”

“I have that covered.” He slid the bill back toward her.

Gentleman that he was, he walked her to her car.

“Thanks for dinner,” Joya said, at the same time depressing the button on the remote lock.

“My pleasure. What time is your grandmother's surgery?”

Joya felt herself tear up; just thinking of Granny J under the knife made her weepy and that was not at all like her. “Early. I plan on being at the hospital at seven.”

“You're keeping the store closed then?” Derek asked.

She hoped he hadn't caught on that she was trying her best not to let her emotions take over. “Not exactly. The student who works part-time can handle the morning activity.”

“Your grandmother's going to be just fine,” Derek said, the back of his hand grazing her cheek in an incredibly intimate gesture. Joya felt herself go warm all over. She gulped back a sob.

“I hope so. Now I'd better go. Morning comes around faster than you know it.”

“That's true,” Derek said, closing the space between them and enveloping her in a tight bear hug. He felt safe, even smelled safe.

His mouth pressed against hers in a chaste kiss that soon heated up and took on a life of its own. When he parted his lips, their tongues dipped, danced and melded. The heady scent of his soap filled her nostrils. Joya clung to him, enjoying the feeling of his rippling muscles under her hand and the searing kiss that was both exploratory and passionate.

Then good sense returned. What was she doing?

“Uhhh,” she said, “Uhhh,” wiggling out of his hold. “I've got to get home.”

Derek's arms fell to his sides. Joya used that time to put several inches between them. Her lips still tingled and felt raw. She was wired and jumpy. They stared at each other for what seemed an eternity.

“I suppose I shouldn't have done that,” Derek eventually said. “But I'm glad I did.”

“I didn't exactly stop you.”

Joya fled for her car. “Thanks again for dinner,” she said hurriedly.

“You're most welcome.”

She closed the vehicle door quickly and put the key in the ignition, starting it up.

Derek was still standing there staring. He raised his hand in a half salute. She wiggled her fingers at him and quickly backed the automobile out.

She should never have allowed this happen. And she didn't plan on it happening again.

 

Next morning, a perky nurse came bouncing into the waiting room where Joya sat restlessly flipping through a magazine. While relatives of other patients paced, ignoring the no-cell-phone policy, Joya tuned out the snippets of conversation and tried not to think of Derek's kiss. And what a kiss it had been!

“How's my grandmother?” Joya asked, putting the magazine aside and heading off the nurse who was there looking for someone other than her.

“Stable. She did great. A bit woozy from the anesthesia but otherwise fine.”

“When can I see her?”

“As soon as she's fully awake.”

Joya sent a silent prayer up to God for bringing Granny J through this. It would have been devastating had anything happened to her grandmother.

The nurse was already busy talking to another family. Now would be a good time to step out of the waiting room, call the shop and check with Portia to see how things were going. Joya also badly needed some fresh air. Despite her vow to go straight home to bed last night, that had not happened. She'd lain awake thinking of Derek Morse and his kiss. She should never have allowed that to happen, and she promised herself for the umpteenth time it wouldn't happen again.

She slid into a surprisingly crowded elevator and rode it down to the lobby. The grounds surrounding the sprawling building with its many annexes were lush, well-tended and had the stamp of a landscape architect's work. Every blade of grass was perfectly arranged.

A profusion of exotic flowers and shrubbery made you think you were strolling through a serene park with plenty of walkways and hidden oases. Joya strolled down an impatien-lined path, palm trees swaying overhead. She plopped down on the first bench she spotted and got her cell phone out.

“Hey Portia, how's it going?”

“I'm glad you called. It's a little on the slow side. Mrs. Williams wanted to come by for her quilt, but I can't find it.”

“Did you look under the counter where the register is? It's in the same brown shopping bag that it was handed to me in.”

“Hold on a second.”

Joya waited while Portia went off to look for the bag. Eileen Brown had handed her the finished quilt before she'd left the shop last night. Joya had put it on a shelf under the register for safekeeping. And Eileen had also asked her to make sure and collect the balance owed by Molly Williams, and to take the store's share before writing her a check.

“Uh, Joya,” the student's voice trembled.

“Yes, Portia.”

“The bag's there but the quilt has big cuts in it. It looks like someone took scissors to it or a cat went to work and had happy feet.”

“What! It was in perfect condition when Eileen handed it to me. I took it out of the bag to admire the Princess Feather pattern.”

“Well it's not in perfect condition any more. What should I do if Mrs. Williams comes by?”

“Stall her,” Joya said quickly, wondering what the heck was going on. “Fib a little. Tell her Eileen hasn't come by with the quilt yet. When I get back I'll take a look at the quilt and see if it's repairable.”

“Trust me, it's not. I have to go now. Two customers just walked in.”

Joya shoved the phone back into her purse and sat with her head in her hands, thinking. She'd scrutinized that quilt last evening, admiring the workmanship and complimenting Eileen for the superb job she'd done. There had been no tears, rips or signs of destruction.

She'd been down here almost half an hour. Time to get back to Granny J.

But Granny was still not in her room when Joya poked her head in.

“Your grandmother's still not back,” the elderly woman who was Granny J's roommate said. “I asked the nurse if there was a problem. She said ‘no.' Seems like a long time to be gone though.”

Joya wondered if there was a complication that the nurse had failed to mention to her. Maybe it was time to find someone who could give her answers.

She approached the nurses' station and waited patiently for someone to acknowledge her. Finally one of the nurses broke away from what she was doing.

“Can I help you?”

“I'd like to speak to Dr. Benjamin if I may. He performed surgery on my grandmother and she's still not back in her room. I need someone who can tell me what's going on.”

“Just a moment,” the nurse said, turning away and going off to pick up a phone that she spoke into quietly.

“Dr. Benjamin will be right up,” she returned to say. “You can wait comfortably in the lounge, and I'll get you when he's here.”

Joya thanked her and returned to the waiting area, hoping this wouldn't take too long. Once she was assured Granny J was on the road to recovery she needed to get to the store and find out what had happened with that quilt.