The sun was shining, the sky clear. Although I was glad to be outside, a brisk north wind was blowing cold air off the Gulf of Mexico, and I began to shiver. I gulped down the coffee but it did little to warm me. I had decided to head back inside when the gate rattled and Tanya entered the yard.
I jumped up and smiled. As soon as she saw me she skipped over to the steps, took them two at a time, and ran over and planted a big kiss on my lips.
She was dressed in pink sweats and an Alvin’s ball cap, and carrying two plastic bags. Even without makeup she set my heart racing. I wanted to scoop her into my arms and carry her back to the bedroom.
“These are for you.” She stepped away from me and held out the bags.
I took them from her. “What is it?”
“Why don’t you open them and find out,” she said.
I did, and found a pair of blue shorts, size thirty-six, and three large t-shirts. One was from Sloppy Joes, one from the Hog’s Breath Saloon, and one from Alvin’s.
“Thanks,” I said. I meant it. I didn’t dare go back to the boat until I’d settled this thing with Frankie. When this was all over I’d do something special for her. Maybe once I’d fixed the damage Bob had done to the inside of the boat, I’d get a chance to take her for a sunset sail.
She looked me up and down. “I’ve got to admit, I have ulterior motives.”
“Such as?”
“Well, from what you told me last night it doesn’t seem like you can stay on your boat right now. I was hoping you’d stay here. If we’re going to be hanging out together, not to mention sleeping together, you need more than one set of clothes.” She reached out and poked my shirt in three different places. “I ran the ones you’re wearing through the wash twice, and your shirt’s still stained.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to stay here. Frankie and Willie are going to be making a more concerted effort to find me now that Bob’s dead. I don’t want them to see us together. I need to find another place to stay.”
“I want you here.”
“When Frankie called he told me Destiny was with him. She might tell him I’m staying here.”
“I don’t think she’ll rat me out.”
“She’s capable of doing anything,” I said.
“Trust me, she won’t tell him. It wouldn’t make sense for her to do so.”
“I don’t think anything she does makes sense. I don’t trust her.”
“With good reason.” Tanya took hold of my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I think I know Gail better than you do. I’ve watched her pit one man against another just for the fun of it. I know how she thinks. Right now she figures that as long as she has Frankie chasing you, she’s flying under his radar. She knows once he finds you, he’s going to discover you don’t have the diamonds. That’s when he’s going to go after her. You’re her only shield from Frankie’s wrath. As long as he’s chasing you, he’ll leave her alone.”
“Maybe.” I returned her squeeze. “You do know Destiny’s crazy, don’t you? She wants those diamonds. Just because she used to be your friend, it doesn’t mean she won’t sic Frankie on you. Especially if she thinks it will work to her favor. Destiny’s looking out for Destiny. No one else. She’ll bring you down if it’s the only way she can keep the diamonds.”
“All the more reason for you to stay here,” Tanya said. “You can protect me. If I had my way, I’d stay in bed with you the entire time. That would keep me right by your side. Of course, I have a bar to run. And we can’t lose sight of the fact that if you want to get Frankie off your back, you need to find his diamonds and give them back.”
I searched her eyes for any sign of fear. I couldn’t read her. I had to admit, she was probably right. Having Frankie spend his time and energy trying to find me could work to Destiny’s advantage. It would give her the opportunity to get the diamonds, and get the hell out of town.
“I’ll stay,” I said. “But when I’m not around you need to take some precautions. You’ve got to promise not to go out walking or running by yourself. And I want you to take a cab back and forth to work. Understand?”
She nodded. “So now what?”
“While you were gone, my mother called. I agreed to have lunch with her. She wanted me to call you and ask you to join us.”
“You mean you didn’t tell her you were here, sharing my bed?”
“There are some things my mother doesn’t need to know. That’s one of them.”
Tanya laughed. “Lunch might be fun. Do I have to promise not to tell her I’m sleeping with you?”
“My mother’s a detective. I’m guessing she’ll take one look at us and know what’s going on. I’ve never been able to lie to her. Now let’s get back to worrying about you. Do you have a gun in the house?”
“As a matter of fact I do.”
“Do you know how to use it?” I asked.
“Of course. When my father gave it to me, he insisted I learn how to shoot it. He always said it doesn’t do any good to have a gun in the house if everyone in the house doesn’t know how to use it.”
“Smart man, your father. I want you to get it out and keep it close by when you’re here alone-in case Frankie shows up.”
“I told you I don’t think Destiny…”
I put my finger to her lips and stopped her. “Humor me,” I said. “If no one shows up, it’s not a problem. If they do, you’re armed.”
Tanya smiled, stood on her toes, and gave me another brief kiss. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll sleep with the damn gun under my pillow. Now why don’t you take those clothes I bought you and go change. I’m not about to be seen in public with you dressed in the clothes you have on. I’m sure your mother would feel the same way.”
***
My mother was pacing back and forth when we walked into the lobby. She took one look at us, moved to my side, kissed me on the cheek and took my arm.
“So where are we going for lunch?” she asked. “You’re a local girl, aren’t you Tanya? Why don’t you pick a place with some local color?”
“Conch fritters it is.” Tanya slid her hand through my other arm.
I could almost feel my mouth watering. I’d enjoyed the local delicacy several times since arriving, but I couldn’t help but wonder what my mother would think of them.
Tanya led us across Duval, behind the Ocean Key House Resort and across Mallory Square to a small food booth. We stopped and joined a line of six people waiting while a short, heavyset woman worked the deep fryer. She wore her bright red hair cut military style, and had ornate tattoos running up and down both arms.
“This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind,” my mother said.
“You told me you wanted a local opinion on where to eat.” Tanya grinned at me. “I guarantee you won’t find better fritters on the island.”
“There aren’t any chairs or tables,” my mother pointed out while we placed our order.
“Stop your whining, Mother.” I pointed off to the left of where we were standing. “There’s a bench over there, or we can always sit under the palm tree.”
The bench already had one occupant, a carved figure of a sea captain, complete with a sailor’s cap and a pipe. Under the palm tree meant sitting on the railroad-tie planting box that surrounded the tree. We ordered iced teas to go along with the fritters, and followed Tanya over to the palm tree. We took a seat facing the Shipwreck Museum and Tanya offered my mother the first fritter.
I scooped one out of the box for myself and asked, “What do you think?”
“They’re good.” My mother finished off the first one and reached for another. She pointed with it across the square. “Do people really pay to go in there?”
Tanya and I looked over to the shipwreck museum. “Sure,” Tanya said. “It’s what Key West used to be about. We’ve got lots of reefs and shallow water. Throw in all the tropical storms and hurricanes that hit the area and you’ve got a wreck magnet. Of course everything has changed with modern navigation, but boats are still lost on a regular basis.”