Chapter 22
Listening to Sid and Jace chat about old times felt nice. Grace went upstairs and brought Chiefy”s dishes down. Filling her food bowl and adding fresh water to her water bowl, she smiled as she watched her pup happily eat. She”d managed all this turmoil so well last night and she slept good.
For that matter, Grace slept good last night too. Sid made her feel safe and wanted. It had been years since she”d felt either of those things. It was weird how a person could miss something so much but not realize what it was they were missing.
Jace stood up. ”I”m trying a new recipe today. You two can be my guinea pigs.”
Grace laughed. ”Oh, dear. Well, is there something I can do to help you?”
”Nope. I”m a solitary chef. You and Sid sit there and talk to me.”
Sid put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. ”He doesn”t like anyone hovering about while he”s cooking. But, I can tell you he”s a great chef. All those recipes on the menu at the Sandbar are Jace”s.”
”Really?” Jace bowed and they both laughed at him.
Chiefy paced by the door so Grace walked her outside. She enjoyed the warmth of the sun as it rose. Today was supposed to be in the eighties here. She looked forward to that. One of the reasons she chose to move to Florida was for the weather. She could work all day in the sweltering heat and sweat like a pig and it didn”t bother her. She just kept herself hydrated. But, she hated the cold.
Some birds began chirping loudly to each other, likely warning that she was out here and Chiefy too. Chiefy squatted and peed, then kept herself busy smelling all the shrubs and bushes in the landscaping. She scared a bird from a bush and ran across the yard as if she”d catch it. She found a frog near the base of a bush and barked at it. Grace laughed at her playfulness. She was nearly five years old and she still acted like a puppy. It was cute.
”Come on, girl. Let”s go in.”
Chiefy ran to her and she held the door open to let her inside. She immediately ran to her water dish and took a good healthy drink. Grace sat next to Sid at the table and he took her hand in his.
”Your hand is warm.”
”It”s getting hot out. It”s supposed to be in the eighties today.”
Jace clapped his hands. ”That”s excellent news for a bar owner on the beach!”
Grace laughed. Sid”s phone rang.
He answered it and stepped away. Grace tried not listening. If he wanted her to know he”d tell her about it. The aroma from the stove wafted over to her at the table. ”It smells fantastic, Jace. What are you making?”
”Chorizo steak, hash browns, and eggs. Obviously I”ve made the hash browns and eggs before, but this chorizo recipe is one I just worked out. So, you and Sid are my taste testers.”
”Well, if it tastes anything like it smells, it”ll be amazing.”
Sid sat at the table. ”That was Quinn. He”s sending two guys over today and they”ll fix your windows.”
”Really? That”s wonderful.”
Sid chuckled and took her hand in his. He stared into her eyes and she stared right back into his. Those deep brown orbs were incredible. Such a beautiful tone of brown and one that spoke to her.
”You two need to stop making googly eyes at each other.”
Grace felt her cheeks heat up and Sid laughed. ”I don”t think you know what that actually means.”
”I know what it means. You two stare at each other all the time.”
”We do not.”
Sid shrugged but he turned to her and winked. He was going to bust Jace”s balls a bit.
Jace brought them each a plate of food. The wonderful aromas rising up to meet her were incredible. ”Eat while it”s hot and I want only honest opinions. Otherwise you can pack up and leave.”
She laughed as she picked up her fork. Sid grumbled something but said no more.
The first bite she took was incredible. The steak was absolute perfection, but she didn”t want to say that right away, it looked like she was only saying it because they stayed there last night. She took another healthy bite to make sure she really liked it.
She nodded her head and Jace”s brows rose into his dark hair. ”Yes, it”s fantastic.”
”Honesty only.”
”It”s great. I love the blend of spices. I”ve had chorizo meat before and it was delicious, but this is a bit better. The heat is softer. It comes a bit later, which is a nice surprise. It”s also not so hot that my eyes water and it doesn”t drown out the flavor of the meat itself.”
Jace stopped at the table and stared at her for a long time. She began to fidget then he said, ”Do tell how you know all that.”
Laying her fork on her plate, she inhaled and swallowed. ”I used to manage a seafood restaurant back home in Maine.”
Sid leaned back and stared at her, surprise on his handsome face. Jace clapped his hands and laughed. ”Now that”s fantastic. You”ll always be my new taste tester. I promise I”ll keep you both fed as long as you give me honest advice.”
”Deal.”
Sid chuckled. ”It”s hard to pass up great free food.”
She swallowed another bite of her food then asked Sid. ”What time is Quinn sending the guys over?”
”He said in an hour.”
She looked at her watch. It was six-thirty. She”d slept all of three hours. At the moment she felt wide awake, but the day may sap all her energy later. And, what happened if the bikers came back? She”d make sure to have her phone handy at all times so she could call.
Sid leaned over and softly said, ”If you need me to stay at the house, I will. If not, please call me if those bikers come around. I”ll be right there and you”ll have Quinn”s men, one of which is his son, Jared. He”s honorable just like his dad.”
”He has a son old enough to work for him?”
”He does.”
”I thought he only hired former military.”
”He does. So, Jared had to go into the service to get a job with his dad.” Sid and Jace both laughed.
Jace sat at the table with a plate in front of him. ”That”s the truth. Quinn said he wasn”t breaking that rule for anyone, including his son. Man was his ex-wife spittin” mad. I thought she was going to kill him.”
Sid chuckled. ”I did too. I offered my place in Minnesota for him to hide in until she calmed down.”
Jace grinned. ”He wanted to be right here under her nose, so every time she saw him she knew Jared listened to him.”
Grace finished her last bite, then said. ”I”m glad he came back okay.”
Both men stopped and stared at her for a moment. ”As a parent, that”s a tough call, right? Send him into the military which will make him a man and teach him so much. But, it can also harm him or kill him.”
Jace shrugged his shoulders. ”It”s an honor to serve our country. It”s an honor to die for it too. Not that we want to, but it is an honor.”
Grace swallowed. It was the truth and one she’d repeated to others in the past.
Sid stood and picked up both their plates. ”Are you ready to go, Grace?”
”I am. Let me run upstairs and get my backpack.”
Jace nodded. ”You can stay tonight again if you need too. The place is here.”
She smiled at Jace. He was handsome with his dark hair and olive skin. His eyes were dark brown. But, he was chiseled in a way that he could look hard if he didn”t smile. She wondered what his story was, but didn”t have time to get into it. ”Thank you so much, Jace. I sure do appreciate it.”
He waved her away with his fork. ”Anytime. Really.”
She turned and saw Sid waiting for her in the doorway. ”Thanks, bud. I”ll talk to you later.”
”Keep me up-to-date on the happenings.”