Chapter 13 Willow
Willow
“Oh my gosh, this is incredible,” I tell Jace.
My hands are wrapped around his waist, my thighs are cradling his hips, and the rumble of the motorcycle awakens my core.
Every once in a while, when we’re sitting at a red light or a stop sign, my lips graze the side of his neck, kissing him as much as possible.
He’ll squeeze my calf in acknowledgement and sometimes, it stayed there during our ride.
I have no idea what time it is. All I know is the sun is shining, the wind is whipping through my hair, which will surely be a knotted nightmare later tonight, and I’m with the man I’m slowly falling in love with.
I’m sure my legs will be sore, but then again, with all the sex we’ve been having, it’ll only add to the delicious burn between my thighs.
“Glad you like it, peaches. You want to grab a bite to eat out or eat at home?” he asks over the rumble of the pipes. We haven’t hit much traffic, and the scenery has been out-of-this-world amazing.
“I’m not ready to go back home yet.” My answer is enough for him to nod his head and continue on our journey.
“Food it is.” The light turns green, he shifts the bike, and we ride down a winding road before I see where we’re landing.
The Shack. From the outside it looks to be an older building, one that’s seen many sunrises, sunsets, and what I’m sure are a lot of storms. There’s a big statue of a man in a yellow slicker, hood pulled up, arm above his eyes shielding himself from the weather while he’s at the helm of a wheel.
“Do they have outdoor seating?” I ask as he backs the bike into a parking spot. The sign out front says ‘All you can eat shrimp for $24.99 every Saturday,’ so I’m not surprised by the cars lining the road. It’s only because we’re on a bike that we get upfront parking.
“Sure do. Should have a live band on right about now, too,” Jace replies once he has the kickstand down, motioning for me to slide off.
I use his shoulders to guide my way, and as soon as my feet hit the ground, I’m working the chin strap to take my helmet off.
“Let me.” He works the clasp with an effortlessness I’ve never experienced before.
When he’s done with mine, he does the same for himself.
“Thank you.” I lift to the tips of my toes as he bends down, knowing exactly what I’m after. A kiss.
“You’re welcome, peaches.” His hand finds mine, and he laces our fingers together as we set off for the restaurant.
The entrance is small, homey, and inviting. I can see why Jace likes this place. I haven’t tried their food yet, and I’m already thinking about coming back.
“Hi, welcome to The Shack. I’m Emmie. How many for you today?” A young blonde teenager looks from me to Jace.
“Two. Can we get a table outside, please?” Jace asks Emmie.
“Of course, if you’ll follow me this way.” We weave in and out of tables and booths. Checkered table cloths cover the majority of the tables. The booths are full to capacity, and the patrons talking all seem to be enjoying one another.
“Here you go.” She places the menus on the table. The deck is decently filled as well. The metal roof awning wards the sun off our bodies, and it’s the view that seals the deal—nothing but blue water as far as the eye can see.
“Xena will be your waitress. I hope you enjoy,” Emmie says as we take our seats.
“Okay, tell me what’s good to eat here,” I ask Jace. He’s on one side of the picnic bench, and I’m on the other.
“Never had a bad meal here. Can’t go wrong with anything in my eyes.” I look at the menu. My eyes must get as big as saucers, because everything looks so damn good.
“Apparently, you’re not lying.” Jace chuckles just as our waitress makes an appearance.
“Hi, I’m Xena. I’ll be your server for the day.
Our special today is the all-you-can-eat shrimp, lobster bisque for soup, and our house wells are two-for-one.
What can I get started for you?” I order a mixed cocktail.
Jace orders a soda and crab cake bites. A man after my own heart. He must know I’m starving.
“Take it you like the bike.” The man in front of me has a smirk on his lips when Xena leaves.
“Like? I’m pretty sure I love it. I may be begging for more rides if you’re not careful.” It’s a double entendre, one he picks up on right away.
“Any time, any place, peaches. I’m yours.” Xena returns with our drinks and appetizer, and we give her our order while she’s here. I have to say there’s something about fast service that makes me happy.
“Sorry, it’s the nurse for my grandmother.” The phone ringing in my pocket interrupts our time.
My stomach grumbles and mourns the fact that the waitress will be dropping off our meal in no time, and my meal of boom boom shrimp tacos, a perfect sweet and spicy sauce with a salsa, topped with cheese, and tomatoes will probably be sitting cold.
Then there are the hush puppies, French fries, and cole slaw that come along with it.
Clearly, I’m starving and have worked up quite the appetite throughout the day.
“No apology needed.” Jace crosses his arms over his chest and gives me a subtle nod. What I do notice is that he doesn’t dig into his food; he’s waiting on me, which means I need to make this quick.
“Hi, Brenda,” I answer the phone, trying to hold back the worry in my tone as I move away from the tables to take the call.
“Hi, Willow, everything’s okay. I didn’t give you an update after yesterday, so I thought I’d call you to do it now.
She’s been sleeping more today and repeating a lot of the same sequences.
We’ve been able to keep her smiling by folding laundry, and believe me, there’s plenty of that to go around here,” she jokes to help ease the tension. I wasn’t aware I needed her to.
“Oh god, thank you. I almost called this morning, but I know rounds can be hectic along with the shift change. I truly appreciate you taking time out of your day to update me. Do you think it’d be okay to stop by tomorrow in the early afternoon?
I don’t have to come inside the room, but I’d love to see her with my own two eyes.
” I’ve done my fair share of research and am well aware that she’s progressing faster with this disease than she was last year.
“Of course. I’m hopeful she’ll do better tomorrow,” Brenda replies.
“Except you never know. Thank you. I appreciate your help so much. Give her hand a squeeze for me.” I’d say a hug, but Grandmother doesn’t always handle those too well. Hence the hand squeeze I give her unless she’s having an exceptional day.
“I sure will. See you tomorrow,” Brenda says.
“See you tomorrow.” I hang up and place my phone in my back pocket, then return to the table. I moved to the corner of the deck so I wouldn’t bother the others eating their meals.
“Everything good?” Jace asks.
“Everything’s perfect. Please eat. I don’t want your food to get cold.” I take a sip of my mixed drink and eye Jace’s food, noticing it was dropped off and hoping I wasn’t on the phone for too long. He went with the dinner plate of gator, fries, cole slaw, and a hush puppies as well.
“Peaches, not eating while you’re on the phone with someone you care about.
Now, dig in. We’ve got all afternoon to do whatever it is you want.
Eat, have a couple of more drinks, listen to music, go on a little walk along the boardwalks, and then ride home.
The choice is yours, Willow, all yours.” With that, he tucks into his food.
I do the same, enjoying the soft touches Jace occasionally sends my way, and great conversation.