Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Maveryk
Alot was going on, so much to be done. Milo had the festival in hand, but was confused why he was entering, as they didn’t need the money.
Hunkered down at his desk in the office, Maveryk needed to avoid her at all costs and find something to do to occupy his time until the festival began. One last moment, he wanted to spend time with him, have them all spend time together until it was over.
One last moment to hold her hand, look at her lovely face, before forever burying those feelings he couldn’t squash. When it was over, he’d toss that stupid ring in the ocean and forget it if Milo wouldn’t take it.
That, another matter in itself, he sat leaning back in this chair, tossing a ball in his hand, thinking. “What am I going to do about these two?”
They were meant to be, but Delaney, determined to leave, knew Milo was going to sink into a slump he’d not recover from.
Maveryk was already seeing the evidence of it, the slower pace, which was slow to begin with. The lack of sleep and extra time spent at the piano, or guitar strumming music from a broken heart.
He loved, and she loved, and yet they couldn’t find a way to come together. If Maveryk had the energy, he’d lock them in a room together until she saw reason. “Why is she going home?”
He shook his head, unable to make heads or tails of it. He understood it; she didn’t want to start a business with Nova with nothing to offer in the deal. She had a life back home she needed to attend, whatever that meant, and her own thoughts about the future.
Still, it tore him apart, knowing it would be he who picked up the pieces of the miserable Milo after she was gone. “One last trip down memory lane, with a few sprinkles of new memories to make her see the truth before hitting the highway today.”
It was all he could hope for, knew not how it was going to happen, but buried himself in his work for a time.
Bills needed to be paid, and vendors were begging for money.
Orders needed to be made, and employees paid.
It was a messy job for a few hours, the door closed, and the sun was shining through the window from the early morning rise.
By the time he’d made his last payment, done the final deal on his agenda, Maveryk was tired. A yawn, and a quick check of the phone made it closer to noon than 6:00 a.m. Rising, a slow stretch, he wondered where everyone was, in particular Nova.
Throwing the door wide, he listened, certain she’d not stayed where he’d left her, at the bar. It had been rude, and he shouldn’t have done it, the second time in less than twenty-four hours, but he’d felt the need.
All was quiet, the first stirrings of staff arriving for the lunch opening. Fern stood wiping a glass. “Hey, morning.”
“Morning to you, too.”
“You look awful.”
“Thanks for the evaluation. I could say the same.”
She made a face. Youth was all he could think of. “Yeah, well, a nice argument with the boyfriend at midnight will do that to you.”
“Was it a full moon or something?” Curious and needing a diversion so he didn’t do something stupid, he walked to the bar and leaned into a seat.
“Heck, I don’t know. Could have been five full moons, and I’d not have noticed. I was knee deep in a major argument with my boyfriend, and there was no coming up for air. What’s your story?”
“Kind of the same, not an argument, but I did something stupid.”
“Ah.” She smiled, sat down at the bar, and continued her work. “Tell me about it, about her.”
“You know her, Nova.”
“I know. I was just fishing. You love her, don’t you? I’ve not seen you acting in such a way over any other woman since I started working here.”
“Yes, we go way back. I’ve always loved her, at least that’s how it feels. Yeah, I love her.”
“So tell her.”
“That’s the stupid part. I told her, bought a ring, and proposed marriage to her last night. She told me she loves me, though I’m not sure how much of that I believe. She then proceeded to inquire if all this, the love I admitted and ring, is because she’s a challenge.”
Her laughter echoed through the empty room.
Hitting walls and carrying across furniture, when Fern stopped, she studied him.
“Oh my goodness, you’ve finally fallen, and it hit hard.
And to boot, she doesn’t believe you because, well…
no one would, you’re Maveryk. I think half this town is going to fall over and pass out when they hear this.
If we hear wedding bells, the whole town might shut down. So now what?”
“I don’t know. Spend a bit more time together at the seafood festival and see. That’s about it. She’s probably buying the Beach View Inn, and we will be neighbors in the same town forever. Not sure how I’m going to handle that.”
“Wonder. Interesting. If she’s going to pay more over there, I might have to go work for her when she gets that hot mess back up and running.
It’s about time, I might add. Pay might be better considering she’s a businesswoman, unlike you two beach bums.” Cheeky though she was, Maveryk should have known she was teased.
“Maybe so. I encourage you to take a look at all your opportunities, but nobody is going to feed you like Milo. I got you there.”
“You do. So what’s he doing in the kitchen? It's still early, and we weren’t that low on bread.”
“He’s entering the competition with this magnificent dish, but I don’t know why. We neither need the money nor the recognition, so I’m really confu–”
The door from the kitchen burst open, and Milo ascended with two plates with small samplings of food on them. “Here, try this for you two.”
He set the plates down and handed them off. “Just let it sink in before you speak. This is what I’m taking to the festival competition today. Nova already told me her thoughts, sheer perfection, but I need more opinions.”
Over the years, Maveryk had many times been his taster, sampling the creations Milo made. Some were perfect, others not so much, and a few that were down and out bombs. Maveryk knew not what to expect as he studied a slurry of seafood, sauce, and vegetables on the plate. “Oysters?”
“Of course, brother, it's an oyster festival. I have to add oysters. They are the star of the dish, but I infused them with shrimp and a bit of scallops for good measure.”
Maveryk wasn’t in the mood to eat, his mind on other things, but the smell was more enticing to them than anything at the moment. Without a thought, he ladled the spoon and tossed it in his mouth in one quick motion.
When it hit his brain, the taste and texture, Maveryk closed his eyes, letting it linger. “Wow, that’s good, brother. In fact, I’d have to say that is your best creation in the last year or two. You’ve outdone yourself, and I hope once you win this competition, you put this on our menu.”
“I am. Don’t worry. Even if I don’t win, as it's not a sure thing, I plan that it is a permanent rotating choice on the menu.”
Maveryk wiped his face, tossed the plate back at his brother, not feeling the hunger he should have been feeling. “So why? Why are you entering?”
Arms folded over his chest, Milo leaned against the bar, smiling.
“For Delaney. She asked me for money to get home. I know they’ve not found all their stuff yet, and I’m not even sure our lackluster police department is doing everything they can.
We both know how they can be, on permanent holiday.
Anyway, I told her I’d give it to her, but I want to win this money so she can stay.
I know that’s a factor; nobody wants to start a new adventure leaning on someone else financially. ”
The pieces of the puzzle were clear, Maveryk smiled, a fist bump for his brother.
“Good thinking. I see where you're going with this.
If you can win this money for her, you can offer it up; it's not us paying her way, but a gift from something you did. She can stay, start the business with Nova if she wants, and you two can, well, finally get married.”
He saw the twinkle in his brother’s eyes as Fern dropped her spoon.
“My goodness, this is the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my life.
And you two are in love and talking about marriage.
Is this the Twilight Zone or something? Somebody call the preacher.
We need to have this place exorcised or something. This is crazy.”
Leveling her and his brother a look, Maveryk stole one more bit of food and tossed his rag at her. “You be quiet, can’t have you running around telling locals all our dirty secrets, remember who signs that paycheck of yours.”
She smiled. “Soon it could be your lady love, so I’d keep quiet before I start sharing some of my bar secrets. Hey, maybe I can talk her into opening a small outside bar on the beach for tourists and locals. I could work it and be outside and make money. How amazing would that be?”
Maveryk stopped and heard the clip-clop of fancy shoes against hardwood. She came into view, her eyes cool and tired. Delaney stood staring at the three of them, thoughtfully searching for something.
The bag in her hand, keys jingling, is not a good sign. He felt it, more than saw it, the spark of electricity in the silence around them.
“Leaving so soon.”
Delaney
“I was going to soon, but Nova begged me to walk around with her at some festival. I guess I could take a bit of time before heading out. I don’t like to drive in the dark, so I don’t want to leave too late.”
After waking, Delaney had eventually run into Nova, who came back to the cottage to make some phone calls. At first, the conversation was cool, confusing, and sad. Delaney could still hear it in her head.
“How did you sleep?”
“Okay, not long enough, but okay. How about you?”
“Enough. I was talking to Maveryk and Milo, and he’s entering some food competition at a festival that starts at noon, just a few ways down the beach. You wanna go? One last adventure before you depart.”
Delaney already regretted her decision, still finding the right words to express what she felt, why, and what needed to happen was a challenge. Rather than do that, she simply nodded. “Sure.”
“Great.”
She recalled Nova taking her leave after that, phone calls, and other things needing to be done. She was left to her own time to clean up and pack up what little she had.
Delaney had come to the Brew House to find her friend and hopefully get a fresh start, walk the festival, and hopefully find the right words to help her see. There was still so much to do; she wasn’t sure she’d ever find her stuff.
Her eyes instantly went to Milo, seeing him, feeling him, wanting to be close; it was hard to tear them away. When they looked at each other, she felt so much love, want, need; the depth of emotion she felt for him was humbling.
She swallowed the nervousness that bubbled up inside him. Something was different about him. So subtle it had been since her arrival, she’d not paid attention. Opening her mouth to speak, Milo held up a spoon. “Try it.”
She wasn’t in the mood for food; her belly had been upside down since waking after the night she’d had. Still, Delaney wouldn’t refuse. The intimate moment, his hand held to her lips, a spoonful of food atop it, made her heart skip several beats.
She shivered as she opened her mouth, and he placed the spoon there. Her lips quivered, the taste of mouthwatering good touching her tongue barely registered until she could no longer ignore it.
“Milo. I…”
Her hand instantly came up, mind redirected to the taste and texture. “This is…Milo. I don’t know what you’ve made, but it's heavenly. You are entering this in the competition?”
He smiled, sending waves of happiness and pleasure through her body when their eyes met. “Of course I am. And we are going for a walk, you and I. Nova will just have to wait. I want to talk to you.’
Delaney was pulled along gently, the spoon gone from her hand; she had no choice but to follow. Her heart did a little dance, feeling like a teenager again, being pulled along on some adventure by a boy she liked.
Surreal and yet half embarrassing, she promised herself she’d let it go for a while, just so she had another memory to take with her. By the time Milo slowed, they were in the sand, her bag left at the entrance door to the Brew House.
The sun blazed hot down upon them, the bustle of people coming and going as the festival got underway. She wondered where Nova was, what she’d say when they were back together.
She spoke, the first thing that came to mind, her mind adrift on scents, sights, and what promised to be a mouthwatering event. People from all walks of life she’d scarcely known lived or frequented the town, set up tents and tables, laden with food, drinks, and beach-themed items.
Delaney looked at her fill, as Milo had slowed his pace. She wondered why he’d brought her to this little adventure, as he’d yet to say anything to her. To her right, he seemed tense, stiff; it was obvious something was on his mind.
Though she knew not what, she had a good guess it was the festival. “Yours is going to be the best, I can tell you.”
“You don’t know that. It's all in the taste. You see, many are setting up samples for people to try. There are two parts to the competition. One is the judges' decision, and then there is another smaller prize, it’s called the people's choice award.”
“Really? What are you going to do if and when you win, with the money?”
“Give it away to someone who really needs it.”
“Oh. How thoughtful.”
Suddenly, he pulled her beneath a canopy of tents above, stakes around them, a table with their cloth and banner at the front. No one around, all else faded away as the waves crashed against the ocean behind them.
“Don’t go, Delaney.” His arms around her, pulling her close, Delaney lost all train of thought.