Page 21 of Deception in Calusa Cove
Silas shrugged. "Where I come from, that’s the same as wishing them well."
"I'm so glad I could give you old ladies something to gossip about," Juniper said.
"Junie." Silas blew her a kiss. "You look like an angel. Can't imagine what Sterling here has done to deserve a woman like you."
"You know, they say the same thing about your wife," Juniper said.
"That's what they tell me." Silas grinned. "I'm still waiting for her to wake up and realize she could do so much better."
Jack lifted his glass. "Y'all have a good night."
"Thanks, Jack," Sterling said. It had to be hard for Jack to come back after twenty years of having to pretend he was dead. Twenty years of missing out on his son growing up. By the timeJack had been able to crawl out of the shadows, cancer had taken the love of his life.
Jack told everyone who would listen he was just grateful he got to say goodbye to Linda and that he'd get to meet his grandchild. But the pain was forever etched in his dull blue eyes.
The waitress, a young woman by the name of Maddy, who was in her second year of community college, appeared at the table with a smile and a bottle of wine he hadn't ordered.
"This is from Hayes," Maddy said. "On the house." She set it down along with two glasses. "And he told me if you argue I'm supposed to tell you that he'll pay for your meal, too. So, don't argue."
"Tell him I said thank you." Sterling had learned during a case he worked early on involving a firefighter, that Hayes was legit loaded. Humble about it, but the man wasn't hurting for money. Strange though, Hayes grew up in what could only be described as a fundamentalist religious group. His family was dirt poor, and he'd been a Navy SEAL and now a firefighter.
Sterling never asked how he got his money, but he'd been told Hayes had invested well and had been a minimalist until he got married.
Though, looking at how Hayes lived now—that was still kind of true.
Maddy poured a small amount in his glass and stared at him.
"Oh." He lifted his glass and put his nose into it like he knew what he was doing. But he didn't. Wine wasn't his drink. He wouldn't know good wine if it bit him in the ass. "Smells like a fine crisp pear."
"It's a Sauvignon Blanc," Maddy said. "From New Zealand. It's Chloe's favorite."
"Then it must be good." Sterling sipped. "Works for me."
Maddy finished pouring. "Tonight's specials are the Smoked Mahi Dip as our app. The soup is a She-Crab with a splash ofsherry, and our main dish today is a Garlic Blue Crab Cluster Boil with corn and red potatoes."
"I'd love the dip," Juniper said. "Want to share?"
"Sounds great." Sterling nodded. "Give us a few minutes to look at the menu."
"I'll be back shortly with the dip." Maddy turned and scurried away.
Juniper picked up her glass. "What shall we cheer to?"
"To good food, excellent wine, and great conversation." He tapped his glass to hers, impressed by his own words.
He'd never been any good at being romantic. Or even being in the moment when it came to women. He'd had relationships. He dated. But he always knew they wouldn’t last, so he had nothing at stake. Thinking about that made him feel like a real dirtbag. He wasn't a bad guy. He treated women with dignity and respect. He was kind. He was a gentleman. Only, he wasn't ever truly present. And he wasn't ever really himself.
The worst part was that he’d never invested in them.
"I don't know that much about you," he said. "So, tell me something I don't know. Anything at all."
She laughed. "That’s abigquestion and so hard to answer."
He realized he might have made a fatal mistake. Maybe if he gave her something he didn't share with many people, it might help. "When I was working for the CIA, and I'd come back from a mission, especially one that went sideways, which most of them did, I'd binge watch one of those real housewives shows, or Below Deck, or something on Bravo to help ease my stress levels. If a new one wasn't on, I watched an old one. Once, I even watched all twenty seasons of Sister Wives."
"That's not on Bravo."
"Don't care." He picked up his wine glass. "I have some strong opinions about that Kody guy and having all those wives."
