Chapter 14
14
W hen Sailor stepped off the ferry, Skeeter raced ahead and threw her arms around him. “Congratulations, what an incredible finish. Don’t scare me like that again.”
“Almost finished me,” Sailor said, shaking his head. He was glad to be home until the next tour date.
Skeeter playfully bopped him on the head. “I would’ve killed you if anything had happened to you.”
“Can’t you be more original?” He laughed and shifted his board bag to his other shoulder, trying not to wince as he did.
Skeeter picked up his backpack and slung it over her shoulder. “The Jeep is over there.”
Sailor was glad for her help. He was sore from the beating he’d taken. The next day, he’d surfed Pipeline with friends on Oahu before rushing to board a flight home without stretching or taking care of himself. Not the smartest thing he’d ever done, as the lactic acid had seized his muscles. He’d have to stretch and drink a lot of fluids once he arrived home.
After stashing his boards, Sailor said, “You can drive.” Aching, he climbed gingerly into the passenger seat .
Skeeter tossed him a bottle of water. “Thought you might need this. I always get dehydrated on those long flights.”
“Thanks.” Sailor opened the bottle and drank it down. “Good to be home. Anything new happen while I was gone?”
Skeeter fired the ignition and backed out of the parking space. “I think I found someone for you to take over the bike concession.”
“We’ve talked about that.”
“You need to focus on you.” Skeeter pressed her lips together, admonishing her brother. “I saw that on the screen. You weren’t paying attention.”
Sailor didn’t like being chastised by his younger sister, even if she had a point. “Maybe I’ll talk to the kid. Who is it?”
“A retired friend of Dad’s,” Skeeter replied. “I think he’d be great. His wife passed away and he needs to get out. He’s very dependable.”
“Can he handle the bikes?”
“He’s retired, not feeble. He could beat you at tennis.”
Sailor shook his head. “That wouldn’t be hard. I haven’t played since high school.”
“You know what I mean.” His sister grinned at him as if she had a secret. “You have a new neighbor.”
“Who moved?” He knew many people on the street.
“Babe rented her cottage.”
“She does that every week. Some of those people drive me bonkers, blasting music half the night. Even the walls shake from that thump-thump bass.”
“You sound old,” she said, laughing as she turned onto Orange Blossom Way.
“You’re the one who tells me I need to rest.” He tried to peer past the bougainvillea on Babe’s property as they drove by. “What’s so special about Babe’s new tenant?”
Skeeter winked at him. “I’ll let you guess.”
Chuckling, Sailor ran a hand through his hair. He wasn’t going to fall for this again. “I’m not going out with someone who lives across the street, so cut that out right now. ”
Skeeter turned into the driveway, grinning. “Me? I said nothing.”
After stashing his gear and showering, Sailor couldn’t stand Skeeter’s teasing anymore.
He sauntered onto the front porch and tried to get a look at Babe’s cottage, but trees and bushes obscured it.
Absently, he picked off some yellowed leaves from his robust schefflera. He’d inherited his mother’s green thumb. He enjoyed having a little jungle on his porch, which caught some indirect, dappled morning sun.
A dog or a couple of cats would be good company, but he traveled too much to care for them. He’d feel guilty about leaving them alone. Plants were a good compromise.
He was still puttering around on his porch when an older model red convertible wheeled around the corner and disappeared onto the side street. The woman wore a visor and sunglasses, and her chestnut hair was pulled back into a ponytail.
He could swear that was Maileah.
Sailor called through the screen door. “Hey, Skeeter. I’ll be right back.” He rushed off the porch before she could ask where he was going.
He trotted across the street but slowed to a stroll as he neared her car. He didn’t want to look too eager.
She was taking a shopping bag from the vehicle. The sun caught her hair just right, illuminating golden streaks he longed to brush from her face.
“Need a hand with that?”
Maileah turned around and pushed up her sunglasses onto her head. “Hi there. You can get the other ones, thanks.”
He was a little taken aback by her casual greeting, not that he expected her to shower him with affection. That wasn’t her style.
“You’re not surprised to see me?”
“I knew you were coming back.” She shrugged as though stating the obvious. “Babe introduced me to Skeeter. We all watched you at Cuppa Jo’s.”
“So I heard.” He picked up the rest of the bags and followed her into the cottage. He’d never been inside the small house before, although he’d been to the Babe’s for the occasional backyard barbecue.
“You can put those in the kitchen,” she said.
Sailor glanced around the cozy rooms. “I didn’t know you were planning on moving.”
“It was time. Junie and Knox needed their privacy, and I wanted a place where I could work.” She paused. “It’s been a long time since I lived alone. I thought it would be quiet, but the birds wake me every morning.”
“We have a lot of them,” he said. “I hear them in the morning when I take off.”
Something seemed different about her, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. She acted cool toward him, or maybe she was just preoccupied. After all, she hadn’t been expecting him.
As if reading his thoughts, she opened her mouth to say something but closed it. She began putting cleaning supplies away.
He tried again. “This looks like a great place. Has Todd seen it?”
“Nope.”
He rubbed his neck, unsure how to follow up on such a short answer. “Hey, are you hungry?”
She looked up, suddenly interested. “Isn’t Skeeter around?”
“She picked me up. I just got back, and I’m starving. You don’t know this about me, but I make the best grilled cheese sandwiches you’ll ever taste. Come and join us. Skeeter would like to see you again.”
Maileah sighed and shook her head. “How can I resist that? I’ll be there shortly.”
After returning home, he hurried into the kitchen. He had yet to do much decorating, other than buying a retro red dining set that he thought looked good with the black-and-white linoleum tiles. Many people on the street had updated their kitchens, but he needed to be home longer to bother.
Skeeter sat at the table eating an apple. “So, did you see her?”
“Stop playing matchmaker. Do we have stuff for grilled cheese?”
She gestured toward the refrigerator. “There’s leftover pizza if you’re hungry.”
“No, I promised Maileah a grilled cheese sandwich. Did you get any food?”
A smile touched Skeeter’s lips. “I bought some sourdough bread and deli cheese for sandwiches.”
He washed his hands at the sink. “What kind?”
“Havarti, muenster. Some salami, too.”
Sailor checked a mental list. “That might work. Come on, help me get the place cleaned up.”
“Oh, no. All this is your mess, bro.” She took a leisurely bite of her apple.
“Please? Just throw everything in the pantry.” When his sister looked at him with a funny grin, he said, “Never mind.”
He shook water from his hands. Opening the pantry door, he shoved mail and papers inside and tossed in a hoodie and sneakers.
“This is interesting,” Skeeter said, observing him with her chin in her hand.
“I’m just being neighborly.” He opened the refrigerator. “You have one slice of cheese left. How am I supposed to make grilled cheese sandwiches with that?”
She grinned. “I must have missed your culinary shopping list.”
Sailor sighed and grabbed the keys on the hook by the door. “I’ll go to the store. If she comes over, can you entertain her until I return? ”
Skeeter tossed her apple core into the trash and plucked the keys from his hand. “I’ll do it.”
“You don’t know what I need.”
“I have a good idea. But text me if you’re going to put truffles or something exotic on them.”
“Wait.” He scribbled a few items on a piece of paper. “Now get out of here.”
Skeeter laughed. “Did I hear a please in that?”
“Please get out of my house. And hurry.” He passed a hand over his face. Why was he acting like a complete fool?
He only wanted to make a good impression. Besides, Maileah was dating Todd. No, he only wanted to welcome her to the neighborhood.
While he waited for Skeeter to return, he brought out the utensils and plates he would need.
Through the window, he saw Maileah walking toward his house. He noticed she had changed into a turquoise sundress that showed off her sun-kissed shoulders.
Drawing a breath, he gave her time to climb the steps before opening the front door.