Chapter 5 #3
Miriam stepped forward and grabbed Charli’s hand. “And it’s lovely to finally meet you, dear. Dottie spoke about you so often.” She glanced dismissively around the dim bar. “I hope this is a good time.”
Steve snorted. “It’s never a good time for you to be in here,” he grumbled as he cleaned another glass.
Miriam’s eyes narrowed, and she glared at the bartender. “Zip it, Steve, before I make a scene and scare away all your customers.”
He snorted again and braced his arms on the bar. “Woman, you already have with all your caterwauling.” He made a shooing motion. “Can’t you take this somewhere else?”
Miriam gave him an evil grin and shrugged. “I can’t help it if this is where we found them.”
Jack laughed out loud and stood up, giving the hapless bartender a slap on the shoulder. “You can’t argue with that, Steve. If you give me the tab, I’ll pay it and then escort the group out of here.”
Steve never took his eyes off his nemesis as he answered Jack. “You get them out of here, and your drinks are on the house.”
Jack turned to Miriam. “Why don’t we walk down to Charli’s house and talk there? I’m fairly certain Art stocked it with some of that sangria I know you all like.”
The ladies nodded in unison.
“That sounds lovely,” Iris cooed, taking Charli’s other hand and giving it a caring squeeze. “We’d love to get to know you better. We have so much to talk about.”
As Jack stood from the barstool, the group surrounded him and fussed over him affectionately. Charli watched him smile tenderly as they bustled around him. They all seemed so tiny as he towered over each woman.
Steve cleared his throat obnoxiously. “Jack?”
That earned the bartender another glare from the group leader, but Jack diffused any further retaliation as he waved his hand at the old bartender. “Don’t worry—we’re leaving. Thanks for the drinks, Steve.”
“Don’t mention it,” Steve replied, placing both hands on the bar. He glanced at Charli. “I’m sure I’ll see you around town.”
She smiled. “I’m sure you will. Thanks.”
Charli caught her breath when Jack turned to her and held out his hand. He was so incredibly handsome.
He grinned. “You ready?”
She pressed her lips together and placed her hand in his as she slid off the stool. Charli’s heart pounded in her chest as he led her out of the bar.
“Oh, Jack,” one of the ladies cooed behind them. “You’re such a gentleman.”
There was a snort behind them. “Knock it off, Cornelia. Leave the boy alone and let him work his magic.”
Jack coughed and Charli clamped her lips together to stifle a giggle.
She squeezed his hand lightly in solidarity and he glanced down at her with a twisted grin, his dimples popping out.
An overwhelming urge came over her to trace them with her fingers, but she grimaced and looked down at the ground.
He released her hand and lightly touched the small of her back, leaning in to her as they walked, the ladies following them down the street. “You okay? I’m sorry if they embarrassed you,” he murmured.
She glanced up with a smile. “I’m fine, Jack. They didn’t embarrass me at all.”
His forehead wrinkled. “You don’t mind going back to your place, do you? I’m sorry. I didn’t even think to ask. I was just trying to get them away from Steve before there was an explosion.”
Charli huffed a laugh and waved her hand. “There’s no need to apologize.” She gestured around them. “I’ve had a very full two days. Today has just been a bit overwhelming, that’s all.”
He smiled tenderly and grabbed her hand again, lightly rubbing his thumb over the top. “I know, Charli. Don’t worry—it’ll all get better from here.”
* * * *
“And here’s to Paradise West! May it finally be restored to its original glory,” Miriam shouted from the other room.
“Cheers!” The sound of several glasses clinking together made Jack grin.
He shook his head as he put his phone in his pocket and walked back toward the kitchen.
Once the Royal Conch Society got on a roll, the drinking could go on all night, leading to some impressive hangovers.
He had learned his lesson a long time ago not to try keeping up with them.
“And here’s to Amelia! May she finally rest in peace,” Iris shouted above the din. Another round of “Cheers!” rang out. Jack stepped into the kitchen to find three empty sangria bottles on the counter and the ladies spread throughout the room.
“Wait, wait,” Charli interrupted, her voice slurring slightly. She sat in the center of the group and seemed a bit worse for wear from her initiation to the group. Jack grinned—he was certain she didn’t realize that this was her formal induction ceremony.
The group quieted and, as one, their eyes moved to her.
“Is everything they say about Paradise West true? And what does all this have to do with Amelia and her finding peace?” Silence stretched awkwardly until it was nearly unbearable as the ladies looked at each other.
Jack moved to the cabinet and took out a glass, filling it with water and setting it in front of Charli. Then he leaned against the kitchen island, folding his arms across his chest.
“Since the main house was where Amelia died, legend has it that her spirit can’t be released until the resort is brought back to its former glory,” he answered.
He chuckled as Charli’s brows pinched in as she tried to follow what he’d said, creating a cute furrow between her purple eyes. The urge to lean in and kiss it away was nearly overwhelming.
Charli’s face scrunched. “But if Amelia died in 1871, logic would tell us that she’s been haunting the house long before the 1920s when it was just one house on the block. How is restoring the resort, which includes three other buildings now, supposed to bring her peace?”
“Oh, there’s more to it than that, Jack,” Miriam nagged.
“You know that.” She flattened her lips into an annoyed grimace and gave her head a quick shake.
She took a deep breath and looked at Charli.
“Dottie knew more about this than anyone and she would always say that Amelia had a mystery to reveal and a wrong to right before she could move on. But more importantly, Dottie said that it couldn’t be just anyone who discovered the secret.
It had to be the right person, or people.
” A murmur of agreement moved throughout the group.
Charli thought about that for a moment. “And all of you think I’m the right person?”
“Mmmmm,” Miriam affirmed with a nod. “Dottie knew you and Jack were the right ones from the start.”
Charli drew back at that revelation, her eyes widening. “I don’t understand.” She waved her hands in the air, looking to Jack. “What can Jack or I do better than anyone else?” She wobbled slightly on her chair.
He smiled tenderly at her. The woman could not hold her liquor...she was adorable.
“You’re overthinking it, Charli. This is all speculation.
” He shrugged. “The only thing we can do is what we’ve been tasked with—cleaning it up.
Which starts tomorrow,” he announced. “I have a crew set to begin cleaning out that front section in the morning.” He glanced around the room at the group of drunk women.
“Which means we need to bring this meeting to a close. Charli needs her sleep.”
“Oh, don’t be a party pooper, Jack,” Sadie cried. “Besides, we haven’t finished the initiation yet.”
Charli’s eyebrows shot up. “Initiation? What initiation?”
“Why, your initiation, dear...into the Royal Conch Society,” Hazel replied, ending with a loud belch. “You’re a member now, you know. We have to make it official.”
Charli’s face scrunched again. “What’s the process?”
Miriam snickered and raised her glass. “Exactly what we’re doing now—we all get drunk together.” She shrugged. “Of course, we get drunk together all the time, initiation or not.”
Jack snorted. “Ladies, I think you’ve accomplished your mission.
Charli has been officially initiated.” He looked around the group.
“How about I call Hal and ask him to bring the taxi around to take you all home? Then I’ll get Charli to bed.
We have an early start in the morning and she won’t want to miss this. ”
The group collectively groaned, heads dropping to the table.
“That’s probably a good idea,” Flora chimed in. “The room is starting to move on me.”
Jack smirked and pulled out his phone. “I’ll get Hal here in a jiffy. In the meantime, you each need to be drinking water.” He nudged the glass in front of Charli. “Including you. Trust me, you want to drink this down tonight. It’ll help with the hangover tomorrow.”
He held the phone up to his ear, waiting for a moment. “Hey Hal, it’s Jack.”
“Hiya, Jack. How’s it going?” Hal responded.
“I’m good. Listen. I’m at Dottie’s old place with the society and they all need a pick up.”
Hal groaned. “Oh, Lord. Are they all drunk again?”
Jack grinned. “As a matter of fact, they are. They were initiating Dottie’s niece tonight, but I shut it down before it got completely out of hand.”
Hal chortled. “Thank god. We don’t need them running naked down Duval again. Some things you just can’t unsee. I’ll bring the van. Be there in a few minutes.” Hal disconnected the line.
“Hal will be here soon,” Jack announced to the room. He looked down at Charli who was staring blankly at the glass of water in front of her. He nudged it toward her again. “You really need to drink this. You’ll feel better in the morning,” he cajoled softly.
That seemed to register as she bobbed her head. She carefully picked up the glass and began to take small sips.
A horn honked outside several minutes later. “Hal’s here,” Jack announced to the room as he walked to the door and opened it. He stuck his head out and waved to Hal. “I’m gonna need some help here.”
Hal groaned and got out of the van. “Figures,” he grumbled.
“Okay, ladies. Hal’s gonna take you home,” Jack drawled.
The ladies stood in unison and began to sway around the room while attempting to gather their things.
Miriam stumbled over to Charli and patted her on the back.
“Congratulations, dear. You are now an official member of the Royal Conch Society,” she mumbled as she leaned down for a quick hug.
“We’ll be in touch.” The rest of the ladies followed her out the door, patting and hugging Charli as they went.
Hal rolled his eyes and gave Jack a long-suffering glance. “You owe me one.”
Jack chuckled. “Don’t be so dramatic. They’re not too bad tonight. I cut them off before it really got out of control.”
Hal grunted and walked out, closing the door behind him.
Jack looked down at Charli who still sat silently at the table, staring off into space. He nudged her arm gently. “Come on. Let’s get you to bed.”
She stood and frowned at the glasses and bottles that littered the counters. “Oh no. I need to clean this mess up.”
“It can wait until tomorrow,” he answered. “Come on. We have an early start in the morning and you need some sleep.”
Her head bobbed again and she let him lead her up the stairs to her room. She stumbled into the bathroom and closed the door.
Jack glanced around the room and walked over to open her bedroom window.
The cool night air would help her sleep.
As he turned from the window, Charli emerged from the bathroom and quickly stripped off her dress as she crossed the room, weaving toward the bed in only a matching set of blue undergarments.
Jack swallowed hard and tried to avert his eyes as he helped her climb into bed.
He wanted to climb in with her and touch every inch of her creamy skin.
She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and his body’s response was obvious.
Luckily, Charli was too drunk to notice.
His better nature won out and he tucked her gently under the covers.
He smiled as she sighed and closed her eyes. “Thanks, Jack.”
Giving in to temptation, he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “You’re welcome, baby.”
Jack padded out of the room with the image of her smooth curves encased in matching blue underwear burned into his brain. He sighed...it would be a long time before he’d forget how utterly beautiful she looked.