Page 51 of Whiskey Shivers

“Hi!” I called back and La Croix smoothly arced us out and around, and slid us right along upside the barge, stopping on a dime, with practiced ease, at the ladder over the side.

It was only two steps up onto the barge, and I made it well enough, if a little awkwardly with one arm strapped to my side.

Hex got up with me and caught the bags that La Croix tossed up. Alina took one, I took another, and Hex turned with the third over his shoulder as La Croix hoisted himself up and tied off the small boat.

“Welcome home,” Alina said, passing us up to kiss La Croix as he stood firm on the barge’s edge.

“Go on, now,” he ordered deeply and she followed me and Hex into the house.

“You’ll be back here in the guest room,” Alina said, leading us back to a door just past the small kitchen in a nook of a hallway on the right. Across from the open doorway to the small bedroom, there was a closet door with a stacking washer and dryer.

“How does this all work?” I asked impressed.

Alina smiled with a feral grin and said, “I had the same thought the first time La Croix brought me out here. This is his place,” she said. “I’ll give you the grand tour in the morning. For now, would you like some tea? It can be a bit chilly out on the water at night this time of year.”

“Oh, yes,” I said. “I would love some.”

Hex set my things down beside the bag I’d brought in on the bed and took the bag Alina had from her, doing the same.

“Alright, babe, I have to go,” he said.

“So soon?” I asked.

He gave me an apologetic smile and said, “I have to work tomorrow, so yeah.”

I felt my shoulders drop. Alina said something to La Croix around the corner in the kitchen and he answered in the affirmative.

“Alright,” I said and forced a smile.

We went out into the main part of the house and Hex turned to me again and leaned down to kiss me. I kissed him back, blushing a furious pink. My knee-jerk reaction was to stop things quickly because that was what I was used to – an almost ingrained response from Mark, who if I lingered too long, would get bent out of shape about it and all but accuse me directly of being embarrassing. I still wasn’t used to being around other people with Hex, let alone two people who watched us so intently – La Croix impassively, and Alina with an open, happy, beaming smile.

“I’ll see you Monday or Tuesday,” Hex declared, and he looked to La Croix. “Thanks for taking care of my lady.”

“Thankmylady,” La Croix intoned. “I’ll be at the club most of the weekend.”

Hex nodded and La Croix broke off from our little group and headed for the door with him.

I looked to Alina who winked at me and said out loud, “Pick your poison, honey. What kinds of tea do you like?”

“Oh, um, what do you –wow.” I blinked in wonder, and my heart went all happy and a little gooey at her countertop. The entire backsplash was lined wall to wall with jars of loose-leaf teas. Everything from white, to green, to reds, to blacks – herbals and spices mixed in some and each jar labeled beautifully with these antique looking labels, in a flowing and lovely script, with the name of the contents on each.

“This isfantastic!”I declared. “I’m a little jealous.” The front door shut behind the men and the screen clacked in its frame shortly after.

Alina touched my arm and said, “They’ll be okay, I promise. I get it though. It’s a bitch not knowing what they get up to.”

I bit my bottom lip between my teeth and turned back to her when the boat motor started up outside. She smiled at me and the sounds of the water coming to a boil in the electric kettle filled the small space with its low ceiling in the kitchen and the vaulted space out from underneath it over the living room.

“Did Hex do this?” I asked, looking out into the living room and the warm glowing golden wood climbing the front wall and crawling up the ceiling.

“Uh, yeah. How’d you guess?” she asked, turning to take down a pair of mismatching but beautiful teacups from one of the cupboards above the low hood over the stove. She set them down into equally mismatching but no less gorgeous saucers and I smiled.

“He’s got the same thing going on in his bedroom back at his house – the wood, and the ceilings. It has his flare.”

“You want to see impressive, you need to see the bathroom down here and the shower upstairs.” Alina pitched a low whistle. “I love it out here.”

I eyed the kettle, which was still going to take a bit, and said, “Why don’t you take me on a tour?”

She smiled and said, “Bet, follow me.”

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