long-waisted, her curls threaded with gold and her nose dusted with a band of dark tan freckles. Thin wrists, wide hips. And those eyes. That startling gray-blue that had caught him by surprise the first time he had seen her close up in daylight.
He tried to picture her melting and cooing over Eli, but he couldn’t do it. She always seemed so alone, even when she wasn’t. Just yesterday he had found her sipping cold water on the stoop with the other maids, but even with Stacy sitting close enough to bump elbows, Blue had looked lost somehow.
No. Lost was the wrong word; lost implied a degree of fear about being alone, and she didn’t care. If anything she seemed at ease with it.
Eli came back. “I got it,” he said. “I knew there was an RN around here somewhere. I remember talking to her just the other night.”
Gabe tried – and failed – to hide his annoyance. “So you just hired some random nurse you found drinking in your bar? Isn’t there like a vetting process or something?”
“I was just sounding her out. Jesus, Gabe – what crawled up your ass and died lately?”
“I’m sorry.” Gabe took a mouthful of beer. A real drink; it tasted like adulthood, not like that blue, sugary shit. Trust Eli to come up with a cocktail that made you feel like a kid all over again. “I guess I’m just stressed. Worried about Gloria.”
“I told you. You worry too much. Everything is going to be fine; wheels are in motion and she’s going to get the best of care. That chick just hooked me up with some phone numbers - people who specialize in elder care. Gloria’s going to get the best nurse in the whole damn state if I have anything to do with it.”
“Thank you.” No matter how much he told himself Eli was serious, Gabe couldn’t help but think Eli was already fantasizing about hot girls in candystripes. Even Eli’s accountant wore sexy librarian glasses and often had so many top buttons undone that you could see her bra. It was like he lived his life in some kind of strange, real-life porno.
“No problem. I’m here to help.” Eli waved to someone. The next thing Gabe knew that brunette was making her way over to the table.
“Hi...”
“...oh, you look good enough to eat...”
She laughed knowingly, like she knew what it meant to be eaten. Gabe pictured Eli’s tongue snaking between her thighs and shivered, his stomach tightening at the thought. He imagined her pink and shaved and soft and how she’d still taste of Eli when he got to go down, her body and her pleasure like a barrier between him and Eli, keeping everything where Eli wanted it, even in the heat of their wildest nights.
“Gabe, this is Monica.”
“Hey, Gabe.” Lazy cat eyes with thick wings of eyeliner. Her hand was soft and bony. “This your little brother, Eli?”
“Cousin,” said Eli, pushing Gabe’s foot under the table so that his knee nudged against hers.
Monica raised her eyebrows. “Kissing cousins?” she said.
Eli laughed. “No, not quite,” he said. “But that’s no reason we can’t have fun.”
4
The boat was back. In the daylight it was brilliant white, and for the first time Blue saw that it had eyes painted on its prow.
She tried not to stare too much at it, but as the crowd of embarking tourists thinned on the jetty, she kept catching glimpses of Gabe. His laughter carried up the beach, and she was surprised to find how much she wanted to run down there and ask him what was so funny. Share the joke.
She knew what it meant, this small but sharp tug towards him. She recognized the symptoms, but right now she was going for an afternoon drink with Stacy, and she had never wanted to be the kind of woman who neglected her female friendships the moment a man came along.
“Shit,” said Stacy, digging her ringing phone out of her pocket. “One second. I gotta get this.”
“Okay.” Blue tried to look indifferent, but she found herself turning back towards the sea. He was standing on the
He tried to picture her melting and cooing over Eli, but he couldn’t do it. She always seemed so alone, even when she wasn’t. Just yesterday he had found her sipping cold water on the stoop with the other maids, but even with Stacy sitting close enough to bump elbows, Blue had looked lost somehow.
No. Lost was the wrong word; lost implied a degree of fear about being alone, and she didn’t care. If anything she seemed at ease with it.
Eli came back. “I got it,” he said. “I knew there was an RN around here somewhere. I remember talking to her just the other night.”
Gabe tried – and failed – to hide his annoyance. “So you just hired some random nurse you found drinking in your bar? Isn’t there like a vetting process or something?”
“I was just sounding her out. Jesus, Gabe – what crawled up your ass and died lately?”
“I’m sorry.” Gabe took a mouthful of beer. A real drink; it tasted like adulthood, not like that blue, sugary shit. Trust Eli to come up with a cocktail that made you feel like a kid all over again. “I guess I’m just stressed. Worried about Gloria.”
“I told you. You worry too much. Everything is going to be fine; wheels are in motion and she’s going to get the best of care. That chick just hooked me up with some phone numbers - people who specialize in elder care. Gloria’s going to get the best nurse in the whole damn state if I have anything to do with it.”
“Thank you.” No matter how much he told himself Eli was serious, Gabe couldn’t help but think Eli was already fantasizing about hot girls in candystripes. Even Eli’s accountant wore sexy librarian glasses and often had so many top buttons undone that you could see her bra. It was like he lived his life in some kind of strange, real-life porno.
“No problem. I’m here to help.” Eli waved to someone. The next thing Gabe knew that brunette was making her way over to the table.
“Hi...”
“...oh, you look good enough to eat...”
She laughed knowingly, like she knew what it meant to be eaten. Gabe pictured Eli’s tongue snaking between her thighs and shivered, his stomach tightening at the thought. He imagined her pink and shaved and soft and how she’d still taste of Eli when he got to go down, her body and her pleasure like a barrier between him and Eli, keeping everything where Eli wanted it, even in the heat of their wildest nights.
“Gabe, this is Monica.”
“Hey, Gabe.” Lazy cat eyes with thick wings of eyeliner. Her hand was soft and bony. “This your little brother, Eli?”
“Cousin,” said Eli, pushing Gabe’s foot under the table so that his knee nudged against hers.
Monica raised her eyebrows. “Kissing cousins?” she said.
Eli laughed. “No, not quite,” he said. “But that’s no reason we can’t have fun.”
4
The boat was back. In the daylight it was brilliant white, and for the first time Blue saw that it had eyes painted on its prow.
She tried not to stare too much at it, but as the crowd of embarking tourists thinned on the jetty, she kept catching glimpses of Gabe. His laughter carried up the beach, and she was surprised to find how much she wanted to run down there and ask him what was so funny. Share the joke.
She knew what it meant, this small but sharp tug towards him. She recognized the symptoms, but right now she was going for an afternoon drink with Stacy, and she had never wanted to be the kind of woman who neglected her female friendships the moment a man came along.
“Shit,” said Stacy, digging her ringing phone out of her pocket. “One second. I gotta get this.”
“Okay.” Blue tried to look indifferent, but she found herself turning back towards the sea. He was standing on the
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