Key West Wild (The Florida Keys Series) (2 page)

“Thanks. May as well get wasted and sleep in a homeless shelter tonight,” she joked. “It’s on my list.”

Josh sat down at the table. “That’s on your list?”

She nodded her head and pointed. “Yes, right here, third one. Do the Duval crawl.” She smiled up at him, her cheeks a bit flushed.

“Do you even know what that is?” Josh didn’t know anyone who ever finished the famed Duval crawl.

“I did research it for a second or two. Seems that you start at one end of the street and drink in each bar until you reach the other end.” She propped her hand on her chin and leaned forward. “Now that I see the famous street in person, it sure would be an enormous task. There are bars everywhere! I bet it would take weeks to finish.”

“Perhaps you should scratch that from your itinerary.” Josh leaned back and watched her. Her eyes lit up, there was a flash of excitement running across her face.

“Oh no, I’m doing the Duval crawl. It’ll just take me longer than planned.”

He laughed. “Good luck with that. I see you made a few friends already.” He nodded toward the two ladies.

“Yes, interesting girls. They came down on vacation and the second day here, got a call from their employer that the company they work for closed its doors.”

“Just like that?”

“Yes, seems it happens a lot. It’s sad. I explained to them how I built an on-line career within two years. Of course, I directed them to my website for some ideas for their own business.”

Josh grunted. “Make money on-line? I must be from the backwoods, because I just don’t get all that computer stuff.” Of course, he lived on the streets for the last ten years on assignment. He had a lot to learn about modern day living.

Sara’s eyes lit up as she reached out and touched his wrist. The warmth from her skin made him take a deep breath. “Your reaction is not lost on me. Most people laugh when I say I make my living on-line. Trust me, I have one company that pays me six figures and I wouldn't tell just anyone that information. You seem honest and a strait shooter, but, if you try anything, I’m warning you, I’m armed.” She patted the side of her hip as if she had a gun hidden.

Josh burst out laughing. “I checked you out and I’m certain you are not armed.” She began to laugh too, ending it with that adorable soft giggle and a tiny catch in her throat.

She teased, “Oh! I forgot, it’s in my purse.” Sara tilted her head and then reached for another sip of her drink.

“What’s the name of your company?” he asked, his eyes never leaving her lips as they moved back and forth on the straw.

“My Cashmere Life. I started out blogging about how I planned to make money on-line. Turns out others were following my steps and my numbers rose when I published how much money it made me month after month. After about two years of hits and misses and making lots of mistakes, I hit pay dirt. So now I help other women do the same thing.”

“That’s interesting. I’m not much of a computer person.”

“Maybe I can teach you.”

“Maybe.” He gazed at his watch. “We gotta go. I didn’t realize we were here almost an hour. Jake and Maggie are expecting us.”

“Go? What are you talking about?”

“You said you needed a place to stay until your brother gets back. I spoke with Jake, the owner of the B&B where I’m staying. He has a proposition for you and a room. Interested?”

She shot up off the chair. “Let’s roll.” Josh watched in amusement as she leaned over and gathered up her things from under the edge of the table. She flung the tote over her shoulder and looked at him. Sara patted her purse as if to remind him of her ‘gun’ in her hip. Then she pulled the oversized piece of luggage behind her and was out the front door waiting on the side walk before Josh had a chance to leave a tip.

He shook his head and headed towards the beautiful creature waiting for him. His simple dream was peace, quiet and a great shot of whiskey. All of a sudden he wanted more. In the form of a blonde bombshell with an assumed on-line income that smiled at him like he was her world.

<>

“Here, let me get that for you,” Joshua offered. He took the handle of the leather suitcase from her and pulled it along behind. She knew it wasn’t light, because she tried to pack everything she’d need in the suitcase.

Sara stopped in her tracks, watching him, amused as he strolled down the side walk toting a feminine blue and white striped name-brand suitcase. He was so muscular and tall. His body from head to toe was rock solid and he walked with a confidence that spoke volumes to the woman in her. She didn’t mean to stare. All of a sudden he looked back. “Something wrong?” he asked, oblivious to how he looked as he carted the chic aquatic suitcase with wheels.

“Not at all,” Sara said, shaking her head. He was one self-assured man, she thought, noting that self confidence was high on her list of must haves in any future dates. She hurried to catch up to Josh, bumping into her own luggage, causing her to take a few awkward steps in her wedge sandals. She needed to learn how to walk right with her new shoes. His hand shot out to steady her. His touch was electrifying, and she felt his warmth even after he let her go.

“Steady now. We’re almost there.”

“I don’t make it a habit to follow strangers down the street. I hope you realize this.”

“No worries there. Maggie and Jake will treat you like family. You won’t be a stranger for long.”

“I was talking about you.”

He turned his head and grinned. “Don’t worry, you’re safe with me.”

“Josh!” A man yelled over the buzz of the busy street.

Sara swung towards the deep voice. A man stood on the porch of an older two story house holding open the door for a beautiful woman who followed him. He had dark hair and wore well-fitting jeans and a tight t-shirt. Turning towards the woman, he planted a swift kiss on her mouth. Sara watched the exchange as the dark-haired woman reached up and touched the side of his face. They both turned at once to welcome their visitors.

Sarah followed Josh through the white painted gate and up a few steps to the large wooden porch. A plaque, attached by long chains hung down from the covered roof. It read, Welcome to The Inn With No Name.

“Interesting sign, isn’t it,” the woman said. “I’m Maggie, nice to meet you,” she greeted. “You must must be Sara Kelley.”

Sara nodded.

“Well, let’s get you inside and I’ll show you around.”

Sara glanced over to where the two men were talking. They were so deep in conversation that she doubted Josh would even realize she left the porch.

Maggie got right to the point. “I understand you came to Key West to stay with your brother, who is not home.” Sara liked Maggie, who seemed to be a no frills, get the job done woman, just like she was. She nodded.

“I’ll tell you what Jake needs and you can tell me if this is something you may want to do. Jake depended on his manager to keep this place running, but the man ran off, lock, stock and barrel, along with one of our housekeepers last night. The problem was that the housekeeper who ran off was living with the other one. When she found out, she ran off too!”

“Oh my, I do see the difficulty here.” Sara almost burst out laughing because it sounded like an old soap opera, but she held herself in check.

Maggie nodded. “I’m very busy right now and Jake runs a corporation. He bought this property not as an investment but a favor to a woman who couldn’t keep up with it. As you can see, it does need some work, but we just haven’t had the time to deal with this. I’m not sure what Jake’s plans are, but we need someone to run things until he makes that final decision.”

Sara walked through the rooms with Maggie, admiring the original wood floors and took a mental note of things that needed done to brighten up the place.

“I love those Bullet Blues,” Maggie mentioned. She pointed to Sara’s olive skinny jeans that fit like a glove from her waist all they way down to her ankles. “I would know that brand anywhere.”

“I just got these. You can’t imagine how the material feels against the skin.”

“I can imagine, I wear Bullet Blues too, they’re one of my faves,” Maggie told her. The two laughed.

“Believe it or not, this top is from her collection as well. It’s so comfy, I love the way it feels on my skin.” Sara wore a charbon scoop and one hem longer than the other on one side.

“No kidding? I haven’t seen the latest,” Maggie said, smiling at Sara. “Anyone who wears that brand has great taste. I think we’ll get along fine.”

Sara didn’t have many friends. Her life for the past ten years was so closed off from the world. Talking to people about her business on a computer and phone was one thing, but she never took the time for a friendship. When she lived with her ex, she didn’t dare bring anyone home. She never wanted anyone to know the kind of life she lived. Maggie and her seemed to click and all because they had something in common, American made blue jeans. “I have to confess, this company is one of a few that I buy from. The other clothes I have, I get for free.”

Maggie looked intrigued. “Let’s go get some coffee and you can explain what you mean.”

The two went into the kitchen. It was a large room with pastel walls and an island in the middle. Maggie took their cups over to a dark oak trestle table. They sat facing the long open French doors to see a perfect view of the garden, a canopy of trees and plush flowers encasing the area into a small oasis. “How lovely,” Sara whispered in awe.

“Oh my yes, it is. Perfect place to spend time to yourself or with your lover. Now, can you explain what you were telling me about your earlier statement?”

Sara, caught up in the beauty of the gardens, lost track for a moment. “Ah. It’s very simple. One of the companies that I run trials name brand products. I started it about three years ago on a whim.”

“Interesting. Go on.”

Sara didn’t want to give too many details about her personal life, because she started the company when she made the decision to get rid of the no-good husband of hers who kept her broke and in second hand clothes for years. He was either buying drugs or alcohol or things for his selfish hobbies that kept them broke and living just above poverty level. It was awful, and when he hit her, Sara decided she wasn’t going to live that kind of life any longer.

She really didn’t want to mention too many details of a failed marriage, not yet anyway. “Before I started several on-line businesses, I worked as an administrative assistant. I needed clothing for the job, but I wanted to dress nice. My home life was so crappy, I wanted something to make me feel good. I wanted designer brands. So one day, out of the blue, I contacted a company to see if they offered trials for their product. One thing led to another and I was wearing these gorgeous name brand leather drivers, testing their newest product and filling out five page forms. I got to thinking, if I can do this for a pair of shoes, why not try other products as well.”

Maggie took a sip of coffee. “That’s so incredible. You speak of companies, as in plural. What other companies do you run?”

Sara shrugged, she knew Maggie was interviewing her. “Oh, I just have a few. You see, my brother Morgan mentored me well with internet marketing. He showed me how to build websites and blogs and get my sites up and running to show up on the first pages of the search engines. That’s before he got so busy with his own work.”

“It sounds like it paid off.”

Sara nodded. “It’s kept me in new designer clothing and I also get to teach women how to build their own business working from home.”

Maggie smiled. “How will you run several on-line companies and manage the Bed and Breakfast?”

Sara shrugged. “It won’t take up much time, believe me. I’m not sure what you are offering here, but I spend maybe an hour daily updating. It almost runs itself.”

“Jake is offering you this position because of Joshua, a trusted friend of ours. He is staying here and we know that we can count on him.”

Sara didn’t even know what the position entitled. All she wanted was a bed to sleep in and a place to take a shower. “I’m not sure that I want a job, Maggie. I need to find my brother.”

“I understand that. I would feel the same way, but there’s no place to stay in Key West at the moment. Perhaps we could help each other out for now.”

“Just what does this position require of me?” Sara didn’t want to become too tied up in working, she didn’t need another job.

“Here comes Jake, let’s ask him.” Maggie got up and pulled a couple of cold beers from the refrigerator for the men. Joshua leaned against the counter, across from where Sara sat on the wooden chair. Jake sat down beside his wife. He placed one arm over the back of her chair.

“Sara, I understand you’re searching for your brother,” Jake began. “I do need some help here, at least until the festival is over next week. I have a big project in Marathon that needs my attention, otherwise I would take care of this mess myself. My company bought the bed and breakfast as a favor to my Dad. I didn’t want it, but the prior owner was someone special to him. I couldn’t say no, even against my better judgement.”

Perhaps his job offer can benefit both of them. “I think I’m getting what you are saying. You want someone here to run this place until you decide to keep it or get rid of it. What makes you think I can do this?”

Jake shrugged. “I have no clue. I know Josh is here to relax, he sure deserves to, but I’m hoping he’ll give you a hand.” Jake looked up at his friend.

“You can depend on me, Jake. I’m getting bored.”

“I don’t expect you to be here twenty-four-seven. Just a few hours in the morning and afternoon or when the guests need help. It will give you a chance to look for your brother much easier since you’ll be so close to everything. Plus, it’s a place to stay, free.”

“I like free,” Sara laughed, turning to see Maggie smiling and nodding in agreement.

Jake stood up. “Good, we need to get moving. Maggie?” He held out her chair, and took her hand as she stood. He took a long look at his love and then turned back to Sara. “I’ll assume we can settle on a decent salary in the morning? Get some rest. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Maggie hugged her before she scribbled down some numbers and tucked them into Sara’s hand. “Call me if you have anything urgent. I may not hear the phone at first, but I’ll check it on occasion and get back to you. Bye, Sara, and good luck.”