Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Dex
I was starting to get tired of these two bozos. I’d decided to go back to town for a few supplies, mostly cans of sardines for Gus—he’d earned them today—and I glanced into the café. My motive there was to catch another glimpse of Aria. She was a splash of beauty in an otherwise gray existence. When I saw the two thugs who’d trespassed on my boat and then threatened all the people I cared about, I knew I had to go inside. I hadn’t planned on another meal, and my meager budget wouldn’t allow for more than a plate of fries or a piece of pie, but I saw them sitting at the table, and the idiot who’d left his spitty sunflower seeds all over my cabin was leering at Aria as if she was something edible. My fists curled instantly, and before I knew it, I’d pushed open the door.
Aria didn’t look too pleased to see me. She probably figured she already had enough trouble sitting in her small café. She said sit anywhere, so I chose a table right across from the men. The clown I’d crowned with the frying pan was sporting a big bump and a sort of lost look. He probably should’ve gone to an urgent care, but that wasn’t my concern. My concern was that my arrival to the cove had brought these two thugs to town, and I was going to make sure that trouble didn’t spill over into the community—especially not to Aria.
She marched over with a menu. “Didn’t expect to see you again today.” She dropped the menu in front of me.
“Did ya miss me?” I couldn’t stop myself with her. I guess I just wanted to keep our chats going, no matter how much it made her chin lift.
Her brown eyes shifted sideways briefly. “Friends of yours?” she asked with barely moving her lips.
“Friends? Nope. I’ll just have a plate of fries,” I said before she could walk away. “Well done,” I added with a smile.
“I don’t normally serve them raw.” She walked away. There was less lift in her chin, and I was sure I caught a glimmer of a smile. I realized I hadn’t really seen it yet, but I was sure it wouldn’t disappoint. I pulled my eyes from my main targets for a second to watch as Aria stopped to talk to a woman at the counter. The other woman was fairer with blonde hair, but the same cocoa brown eyes. If they weren’t sisters, then they were two friends who looked alike. The other woman snuck a peek at me over her shoulder and then immediately faced forward when she realized I was looking at her.
I leaned back, crossed my arms and let the two goons know that I was watching them. The guy I hit with the pan tried to avoid eye contact, but his buddy turned around completely to glare at me. We didn’t say a word to each other, but if looks could kill, we’d both be dead.
A throat cleared next to me. I dragged my gaze away from their table and looked up. It was the officer with the shiny badge and clean-shaven face. “Do you own the tugboat moored in the marina?” I knew walking in that this would be a problem, but I wasn’t about to let that stop me from entering the café.
“Yes. I know. The registration is overdue. I’m working on it. Can you give me a week?”
He pulled out his ticket book.
“Really? You can’t give me a week?”
“I’m just writing you a warning, and I put a date for a week from today. I’ll be back out to the marina to check that registration.” He ripped off my copy. “And this way, we’ll both have a record that we spoke about this. One week.”
He walked away, seemingly pleased with himself. He dropped some money on his table. “See you later, Aria.” He paused and gave a special smile to the woman at the counter. “Ella, it was nice seeing you.” He gave me an admonishing head nod, and I lifted the paper to let him know I’d taken his warning seriously. Then he walked out. Even though he wasn’t exactly Clint Eastwood, “make my day” material, it was nice having him there as a buffer between me and the thugs at the next table. I had no intention of starting anything with them. I’d just wait them out. I wasn’t leaving the café until they left.
I noticed that Aria’s only server was carrying food out to everyone, but when it was time to deliver their lunches, Aria carried it out herself. She held herself stiffly, even her face, as she set their plates down. As she lifted her hand, the jerk with the overload of tattoos grabbed her wrist.
My chair scraped the floor, and I was out of my seat before my mind even registered what I was doing. Aria’s brown eyes looked at me, and the fear in them made my chest tighten. I’d brought this. This was my fault. The jerk still held onto her wrist. It looked small and vulnerable between his thick fingers.
“Problem?” he sneered at me.
“Big problem,” I said through gritted teeth. “Let her go or I will tear your arm from the shoulder and then I’ll shove the whole arm, stubby fingers and all, down your throat.”
“Maybe you should mind your own business,” he growled, but he seemed far less confident than a few seconds earlier.
“You want to do this, let’s go outside. Just take your hands off her, or I can’t be responsible for what happens next.”
He hesitated only a second before unwrapping his fingers from Aria’s wrist. He’d left behind red marks. I couldn’t stop myself from taking hold of her hand. “Did he hurt you?”
“I’m fine.” She pulled her hand free.
Ella, the woman I’d pegged as Aria’s sister, reached us, slightly breathless and with her phone in her hand. “Officer Tuttle is on his way back.”
I picked up their plates. “Wrap these burgers to go. These guys are leaving.”
“Never mind. I don’t like to eat my lunch next to garbage.” The man got up from his chair and gave the table a push to get his obviously concussed partner moving. They walked to the door.
“You ought to take your buddy to the ER. Seems like something bad happened to his head,” I called to him.
I walked to the window to watch them walk down the sidewalk and get into their truck. I turned around and immediately crashed into Aria’s harsh glare.
“You’re welcome,” I said.
“I was handling them just fine by myself.” She crossed her arms to make her point.
“Well, technically, Aria,” Ella started and stopped when Aria’s gaze turned her direction. “My sister was doing just fine without your help,” she added, reluctantly.
“Then why did you call back Deputy Shiny Badge?” I asked.
Ella looked at her sister for help.
“Because, frankly, this café was suddenly overrun by big—scary—troublemakers. I’ll bring you your fries in a to-go container.”
“Then I guess my next question is going to be met with equal scorn,” I said.
She stopped her march to the kitchen and swung back around. “I’m sure you’re right but go ahead.” She was working hard on that rage, but there was a glimmer of something else in her dark brown eyes. I just didn’t know what.
“Well, at the risk of being laughed out of the cafe”—I pointed to the sign taped to the window. “I was a short-order cook for three years after I left the army, and I’ve worked at a few restaurants. I could give you a list of references. You were running yourself ragged this morning. Thought maybe you could use a cook.”
“And you want the job?” she asked.
“No, I was just mentioning all of that for fun.” Her sister giggled, and Aria stopped it short with a sharp glare. It was easy to see that she was the big sister in the duo. I knew that look too well. “Yes, I’d like the job, especially now that I need to get my boat registered.”
“I didn’t tell you to come into the café, and if you recall, this morning, I lied to keep you from that predicament, and I hate to lie.”
Ella nodded. “It’s true. She does.” She seemed to be enjoying the whole scene as an enthusiastic spectator.
I rubbed my chin and realized my beard stubble had gotten heavy. “That’s right. You did lie to law enforcement for me this morning. Why is that? Maybe you aren’t as repelled by me as you pretend.”
“Well, we were all mentioning this morning how good-look—” Ella started, then she sealed her lips shut and pointed her thumb over her shoulder. “My grilled cheese is getting cold.”
“I couldn’t possibly hire you,” Aria said.
“Why not? Gus won’t tag along, I promise.”
“It’s not Gus. It’s—it’s—it’s that I hired someone already.”
“Did you?” Ella asked excitedly from her stool at the counter.
Aria ignored her. “So, you see, I don’t need a cook because I have one. Ing—Ingrid will be starting soon.”
I nodded. “Too bad. I make an omelet that will melt in your mouth, and my pancakes are so light they practically float off the plate.”
“Then I’m sure you can find a cook job somewhere else. I’ll get your fries.” She hurried off and shot her sister another glare as she swept past.
Linda, the other server, handed me the fries with a flirty smile. “Aria says they’re on the house. That was pretty darn heroic, what you did.”
“Yeah, I’m a regular superhero. Tell her thanks for the fries.”