Chapter 6
(Robbie)
My home truly was on the beach, set back off the street by a long driveway, with the water just a stone’s throw away from the back patio, where I fired up the grill before leading Nova inside, to the kitchen, which lay just behind the screened-in mudroom that sat between the house and the deck.
“Makes it easier to keep from tracking sand all through the place,” I explained, as he took in the wide, tiled shower stall with three showerheads mounted in the ceiling.
It was big enough for three people to fit comfortably, not that I brought many people home with me these days.
When I’d first had it built, I was still in my party boy phase, needing to celebrate every win and drown out every loss in the most intense way possible.
Booze and a willing body had typically played a big part in both, though the closer I got to forty, the easier it was to leave the parties behind me.
The kitchen was spacious because I loved to cook and saw no reason to have a separate room just for eating, so there was an oval island at the center, where I placed the groceries we’d picked up on the way home.
Four chairs sat around it, providing plenty of extra counter space for meal prep, in addition to spots to sit and eat, though that wasn’t the plan for tonight.
“There’s a cutting board in the center drawer to your left,” I explained as I reached for a knife in the block and handed the blue-handled blade to him.
“I’ll core the pineapple and wash the peaches so you can cut them into fourths and remove the pit.
Not too thin on the pineapple slices though, since they’re going on the grill along with the peaches. ”
“I’ve never seen anyone grill peaches,” he replied.
“Then you’re in for a treat. I brush them with my own special marinade before putting them on the grill, and they come out succulent and juicy, with just a hint of smokiness to them.”
“Is this one of those secret marinades that’s going to leave me mellow, floaty, and feeling like I should be watching Scooby-Doo?”
It took me a moment to realize what he was referring to, then I laughed and reached for the bottle in the cabinet, shook it, and passed it to him so he could see the note I’d written on the side of the jar.
“There’s no THC involved,” I explained. “Just olive oil, honey, sea salt, and cinnamon. For the pineapple, I just squeeze on some lime juice and brush with a bit of coconut syrup.”
“Sounds delicious.”
“I promise it will melt in your mouth.”
“Then I’d better get slicing,” he said as he cut into one of the peaches, dragging the blade around it until he could twist it apart and scoop out the pit.
Confident that he had the peaches in hand, I cored the pineapple, removing the husk in the process, and stood it on the cutting board for him before turning my attention back to the steaks and scallops we’d picked up.
A little sprinkle of salt, a few turns of the pepper grinder, and a dusting of garlic powder, and they were ready to go on the grill.
I took the steaks out, taking a quick peek over at Nova to see that he’d already finished with the four peaches and had laid the pineapple on its side to get to work on it.
Golden light struck his hair from the sunbeams that streamed in through the windows, and I took a moment to enjoy the way he looked, barefoot in my kitchen in those hip-hugging cutoff jeans of his.
As soon as I returned from positioning the steaks on the grill, I told the smart speaker to play two pina coladas, thrilled when he started doing a little shimmy shake and shoulder roll to the beat while still carefully slicing.
It had been months since I’d cooked with anyone, maybe even longer.
I tried to think back to the last time I’d had company over for dinner and found that I couldn’t even picture the face of my companion that night.
Something told me it would be a long time before Nova’s faded from my thoughts, especially when he started singing along to the song while I whipped up a batch of cowboy butter.
“If you’d like, I can mix us up some pina coladas to go with supper,” I mentioned, but only after the last notes of the song had faded away.
“Oh, that would be perfect; those always go down super smooth, and I absolutely adore coconut. Some of my friends give me shit when they visit my apartment, claiming it always smells like a tropical island in there, but the only candles I gravitate to are tropical-themed and usually have coconut in them.”
“Nothing wrong with that. My tastes tend to lean towards rain, palm tree, or sunshine scented.”
“Sounds like our candle preferences align.”
“I hope we uncover more alignments in our future,” I remarked as a loud meow preceded the slap of the cat door.
“Ohh, who’s this?” he asked as he passed me the pineapple on his way to wash his hands.
Merr?
“Seems like he’s asking the same question,” I said as we knelt on either side of the furry bastard who dug claws into my ass in the middle of the night if I accidentally stretched out into the part of the bed that he’d designated as his sleeping space.
“Meet Piper, named for the sandpipers that visit our beaches every fall,” I explained, giving his ears a good scratch.
“I thought he was filthy when he first wandered in and tried to scrub some of the brown out of his orange. It took a few well-tamed claw swipes before I got the point. He’s just that color.
Not quite orange, not quite brown, but you should see the rings and spots on his belly; it’s the only place he has them. ”
“My best friend, Megan, calls those spare-parts kitties,” he explained.
“She’s got a pair of the most unique looking cats I’ve ever seen.
One has stripes running through orange fur that is so dark it’s almost got a reddish hue to it; only its paws, tail, and ears are solid black, and one of its eyes is ringed in black fur too.
His name is Trick, of course; what else would one name a Halloween kitty?
The other looks like he was made of marble, with black bits of fur just flecked and swirled through the white like he got splattered.
There is absolutely no pattern involved and no consistency when it comes to the size and shapes of the black. ”
“Next you’ll tell me his name is Treat,” I said, giving Piper one last scratch before going to retrieve his bowl.
“Nope, her name is Pepper, because she looks like she rolled in it,” he explained.
“Nice. I should have asked before how you liked your steaks.”
“Bloody.”
“Then I’d better go flip them,” I said, washing my hands after giving Piper his bowl of cat food and the handful of treats I always sprinkled on top like a bit of garnish for his majesty.
The scent of rain and beef hit the moment I stepped onto the deck, making my mouth water as I lifted the lid on the grill and quickly flipped the steaks and added the fruit I’d snagged off the counter on the way out.
It took no time at all to brush the oil on the peaches or squeeze the lime juice on the pineapple before brushing them with coconut syrup.
The scallops I’d add while the meat was resting.
In just a few short moments, we’d be seated on the deck with our plates.
And not a moment too soon, either.
Not only could I smell the rain, but I could also hear the rumble in the distance and soon spotted the first flash of lightning on the horizon, amid a dark clump of clouds that was rapidly drifting our way.
I turned to shake the sand off the blanket that covered the small table I kept out here and spotted him watching me with Piper in his arms, the cat’s head on his shoulder as he snuggled like he’d known Nova for years.
Well, damn. He’d always been super affectionate, but I’d never known Piper to climb into someone’s arms or lap on the first meeting; he’d always tried to pretend that he was too aloof for that, even though we both knew he wasn’t.
Now there he was looking completely content as he lifted a paw to his mouth and began grooming it, whiskers bobbing and occasionally tickling Nova’s cheek, bringing out that brilliant smile of his.
It was seriously refreshing to spend time with someone who didn’t want to waste it bitching about all the things that had gone wrong over the course of their day.
Granted, he was on vacation, and I’d yet to see him with the phone that had brought out a hint of his growly side on the day we’d met, but the fact that I hadn’t seen it spoke volumes.
He’d said that he hated being glued to it, hated having to hand-hold someone through tasks they should already know how to do, and hated being asked questions people would already know the answers to if they’d read the information he’d left for them.
I’d heard those words before, from others I knew, including some of those private-lesson clients who showed up already embroiled in a business meeting that wound up running through a chunk of their lesson time.
As long as they paid me, I’d given up on commenting about them wasting time that could be better spent honing their techniques.
It was their money. While I was waiting on them, I updated my grocery list, waxed my board if it needed it, paid bills, and did a bit of online shopping if things dragged on too long.
Seeing Nova stick to his guns about unplugging was promising. With only eighteen days left in his vacation, I wanted to see us pack as many enjoyable moments into our time together as we possibly could, which wouldn’t have been easily accomplished with a phone in front of his face.
Merrrrr.
Nova giggled but hugged the loudly purring fuzzball as Piper nuzzled beneath his chin. “Awe, you’re just a big baby, aren’t you? You’re helping me not miss my babies too badly,” he said as he rubbed the spot on the back of Piper’s neck that he loved to have stroked.
“You have cats?”