Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 139147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
I closed my eyes tight as I allowed the next part to emerge, opened them and gave him it all.
“When he’d come get me, every time, he’d pull me in his arms and hold me so tight, sometimes, I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t get it then and never processed it enough to put it together until now. It was torture for him to send me away. He couldn’t keep an eye on me if I was somewhere else. But he was torn between protecting me from what was happening with Mom, and just overall protecting me. He couldn’t win, and one of his daughters was gone. He was in hell, Cap.”
“He was, baby, but don’t take on the guilt of not putting yourself in his shoes. You were a little kid. I’m not saying don’t have the grace to put yourself there now and explore how you two can get your family back. I’m just saying that you both had your own hells to navigate, don’t take his on too.”
Good advice.
I wondered if I could take it.
I nodded regardless so he knew I heard him.
“Last night was a lot,” I said, “but when I saw how healthy he looked, when I glimpsed the dad I used to have…”
Could I say it?
I could.
“It gave me hope.”
“Scary, hunh?”
“How’d you know?”
“In the beginning, with Shirleen, always wondered when it’d end. When me or Roam would do something to make her put us out, or something would turn and it’d all go to shit.” He moved his hand to the side of my neck so he could rub his thumb along my jaw. “It takes time, but you settle in. I know it didn’t feel like it, but you two having those big blowups last night is good. He knows what you were feeling, you know where he was at. You built the springboard on top of the shit, so now you can jump off.”
“You and me are a pair, aren’t we?” I grumbled. “Connected by trauma.”
He cupped my jaw, the haze of the gummies retreated and my focus pinpointed on him.
“That isn’t our connection, Raye. Our connection is that we’re survivors, with a healthy dose of you being gorgeous, funny, strong, dressing great, and in the end, giving phenomenal blowjobs.”
I burst out laughing.
Cap was smiling at me when I finished.
“You wanna take the day off work and just chill?” he asked.
I shook my head on the pillow. “No. It’s work, but The Surf Club is also a sanctuary.”
“Then let’s hit it, baby. We got a cat to feed.”
It didn’t take two to feed Patches, but I nodded again.
He touched his mouth to mine.
Then he pulled me out of bed.
I was tying on my hot-pink server apron, which was the perfect pop of color to go with my army-green, linen crop pants and white racerback tank when I heard it.
“Keep your pants on! You’ll get it when you get it, honky!”
Tex.
What was he doing there?
Shouting.
And…
Honky?
I raced through the kitchen, dimly noting Lucia had lifted her head from slicing red chilies to listen, and kept right on going until I’d rounded the bar and hit the front area and the coffee cubby.
I skidded to a halt when I saw Otis and Tex squeezed into the small area behind the counter.
Tex was at the espresso machine.
Otis was pulling a cherry muffin out of the display case.
He was also grinning like a loon.
He spied me and said, “I love this guy.”
I turned my attention to Tex.
“Tex, what are you doing?”
He tugged at a portafilter in a way the entire heavy machine shifted an inch to the side.
“Makin’ coffee. What’s it look like I’m doing?”
“But…you don’t work here,” I pointed out.
“Nance is havin’ a spa day with Shirleen. What else am I gonna do?” he asked.
“I don’t know, sit by the pool, order in room service breakfast, read a book, do other vacation-type things.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because you’re on vacation.”
“Puh,” he replied.
“Please don’t make him leave,” Otis begged. “He treats the customers like shit, but it gets hectic up here in the mornings. I’ve been meaning to ask Tito for help for months.”
Tex indicated Otis with a stainless steel, steaming pitcher, and a slosh of milk escaped the side. “See?”
“I don’t care he’s loud and rude,” a customer piped up. He was loitering in the corner cradling a paper cup in both of his hands like it was something precious. “Hire him. I’ve never tasted anything like this coffee. I actually think I’m dead, and I don’t care, because this is heaven.”
Luna came up to my side. “What’s going on? Oh…hey, Tex.”
“Yo, woman,” Tex replied, then blasted steam into the pitcher.
She looked to me, apparently unsurprised Tex was spending his vacation working at the coffee cubby at The Surf Club. “You okay after last night?”
“What happened last night?” Otis asked.