Southern Comfort - Fern Michaels [72]
Determined not to let something equally horrifying ruin Rosita’s life, Tick considered asking Kate if he could join their investigation. Off the record, of course. It was time he got back into the loop of life. He allowed himself a mental picture of Sally cheering him on, giving him a high five. She wouldn’t want him pining away the way he had been for the past eight years. Nor would Emma or Ricky.
Wearing nothing but a towel, Pete strode into the minikitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee before sitting down at the breakfast table. “Coffee smells good.”
“I hope you plan on getting dressed. We have company, remember?”
“Yes, I remember. I just needed a caffeine fix, bro. Cut me some slack.”
“You get any sleep?” Tick asked, pouring a cup for himself.
“Not much. I couldn’t stop fantasizing about the neighbors,” Pete said, smiling into his cup.
“Neighbors as in plural?” Tick felt a sharp pang of jealousy. Pete didn’t have any business dreaming about both of their neighbors.
“Yep, bro, that’s what I said. Though I think the serious one, Kate, has the hots for you. She kept staring at you when you weren’t looking.”
“Really? You saw her?”
“With my two very own eyes. For your info, I don’t have any interest in her whatsoever, so if you want, she’s all yours.”
“Shit, Pete, you make her sound like leftovers!” Tick shook his head and got up to refill his cup. Something told him he was going to need all the energy he could muster even though the day was still young.
A tapping at the door sent Pete running for cover. Tick raked a hand through his hair, wishing he’d showered, but it would just have to wait.
Kate and Sandy stood on his miniscule porch, both looking as though they could use a java jump start. He opened the door and stepped aside.
“Good morning, ladies.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Sandy observed as she immediately headed for the kitchen, where she made herself at home by grabbing two cups and filling them with coffee. She handed a mug to Kate. “Our girl still sleeping?” she asked after she’d taken a sip.
“Sound as a rock; I checked on her when I got up. I swear she was smiling. I can’t imagine why she’d smile under the circumstances, but it did my heart good.” Did I really say that? It did my heart good. I sound like a character in one of my novels.
“Morning, Tick.” Kate offered up a huge grin to her host. “Let’s let her sleep a while longer. When she wakes up, I’d like to question her before I call Jelly.”
Tick felt like jumping to the moon and back. Kate smiled at him like she meant it, like there was something more to come. Hot damn, if Pete wasn’t right about this woman! Telling himself she wouldn’t have smiled at him had she not been a wee bit interested, he quickly excused himself. “I’ll leave you two alone while I take a quick rinse. There’s more coffee. There are mangoes, bagels, and eggs in the fridge if you’re hungry.”
“I, for one, am starving. I’ll start breakfast while you do your thing.” Sandy made quick work out of slicing several mangoes, toasting bagels and placing them on two plates, then scrambling a dozen eggs. She scrounged around until she found paper plates, napkins, and plastic forks in the cupboard above the sink.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’ve been here before,” Kate said, getting up to refill her cup. “You’re comfortable here.”
Sandy laughed. “I am, aren’t I? Wonder what that means?”
“That you’ll have dinner with me?” Pete declared as he stepped into the kitchen dressed in navy shorts and a yellow polo shirt with an alligator emblem on the top left of the shirt, his wet hair slicked back like a first-grader on picture day.
“I don’t think so. I’m working, remember? I can’t just up and take off to Key West or wherever for dinner just because . . . just because. Right, Kate?”
“No, actually you can go to dinner with Pete. I’m okay with watching the compound. I bet Tick would join me if I asked him to.