Page 14 of The Beachside Cafe 5
TEN
“Here is to a job well done, Jaymee. Cameron.” Carmine Russo, Jaymee’s head waiter in the Saltwater Café, set down beautifully made cocktails in front of the two and turned to Cheyenne and Alex to give them their drinks. “And for all your help, as well,” he told the two.
“Thank you, Carmine,” Jaymee said with a smile. “I hope you made them.” She turned her gaze to her daughter and Alex across from her. “He makes the best cocktails ever. I think he should be my head bartender instead of waiter. But this isn’t really a bar so there wouldn’t be a whole lot for him to do, would there?”
“Maybe an expansion in business?” Carmine asked with a wink, putting the big round tray under his arm. He clasped his hands together in front of him and bent slightly at the waist. “Is there anything else I can get for you?”
“No, I think this is all. If you get a break, drag a chair over and sit with us.”
Carmine grinned wide at Jaymee. “I’ll do that. Thanks, boss.”
The group laughed softly as Carmine went back to the kitchen, disappearing behind the swinging door.
“He was a treasure to find,” Jaymee said, turning her attention back to her family. “It’s amazing what came out of this trial, isn’t it? We’ve all become so close.” She looked at her daughter. “Not that you and I weren’t close.”
“Oh, Mom,” Cheyenne said with a laugh. “We all know exactly what you mean. I wouldn’t be friends with Alex, you wouldn’t be dating Cameron. We would still be leading the same mundane boring lives we did before.”
“I think I’ve had enough adventure to last me a lifetime,” Jaymee stated, lifting the cocktail to her lips and taking a sip. It was delicious and fruity. She could barely taste the alcohol, though she knew there was some in it. She didn’t like heavy alcohol cocktails and Carmine knew that. He likely put a little more alcohol in Cameron’s, knowing the man liked it stronger.
“You’re kidding,” Cameron said, sounding disappointed. She glanced at him and did a double take, thinking how handsome he was. She wouldn’t mind waking up to that face for the rest of her life. “You’re done with adventure? You want to lead that boring, mundane life again that Cheyenne was talking about? Because I don’t think I can do that. I gotta keep things moving or I’ll get old and fat.”
Jaymee thought about his words for a moment, a pondering look on her face. “You know what? You’re right. I do need to have some kind of excitement in my life. And if being with a private investigator makes that happen, then I’ve got it made already, don’t I?”
“That’s right. We’re going to have an exciting time, if I can help it.”
“Excitement is fine,” Cheyenne said, lifting her glass in the air and gesturing toward Cameron with it. “Just no danger and death wishes.”
“I do not have a death wish,” Cameron responded, laughter in his voice. “Adventure, yes. Excitement, yes. Death, no. Not yet at least.”
Jaymee’s mind wandered as Cameron and her daughter continued talking. Alex looked on, more demure than usual, his vibrant self beaming with happiness that everyone was okay. She looked around her café, proud of what she’d accomplished. The restaurant was booming, driven by the good management of her head manager, happy staff members and grateful customers.
She was especially proud of the tubular fish tank in the middle of the room. Some had questioned her decision but she’d stuck by it, sure that it would be a customer grab. And it was. There was always someone around it, watching her fish and babbling on about it to one another. She’d added a few more exotic fish to the tank, one more beautiful than the last.
Her favorite was still her clown fish, her own little Nemo. She made sure to tell every child or interested adult she saw that it was her favorite fish. It was a good conversation starter. When people found out she was the owner of the Saltwater Café, they tended to talk about their life stories and chat with her for longer than if they didn’t know. Plus, she got a nice ego boost from their compliments.
She wasn’t as sad about Doug’s death as she thought she should be. It turned into guilt when she realized she’d given up on the man long before he disappeared. And if he hadn’t done all the things he’d done, she wouldn’t be with Cameron now, happy and enjoying the prospect of a happy, fulfilled future with him. Cheyenne was grown now and that was a good thing. She was dealing with the tragedy that was her father better than she would have if she’d been younger.
She knew it hurt Cheyenne either way. But she was glad her daughter was strong enough to handle what had been thrown at her.
“Do you want to take a stroll out on the deck with me?” Cameron asked, bringing her back to the present. She discovered they had all been quiet for a moment, pondering their own thoughts, just like her.
She nodded. “Yes, let’s do that. I’d love to look out over the ocean right now.”
They stood up and strolled out onto the deck, nodding at Cheyenne and Alex, who were content to be left alone together. Jaymee was positive something would come of that, too. Maybe they would even get married someday. They looked really good together and were both smart as a whip. They would have genius children for sure.
Tingles erupted on her skin when she stopped at the railing and Cameron put his arm around her shoulders.
“I’m so glad you opened this restaurant,” Cameron said in a low voice.
“I’m glad you invested in it and did a follow-up on your investment.” She smiled at him. He’d shown up the very day they’d discovered Doug was missing. If she didn’t know the truth now and hadn’t trusted him from the beginning, she might have thought he’d had something to do with it. But it wouldn’t make sense for a PI to get involved in a criminal activity. He hadn’t tried to steer her in the wrong direction. It was almost like God had sent him on the right day to make sure Jaymee didn’t ignore the huge change her life was about to take.
She tried not to remember what it had been like with the poison pulsing through her body. It had been the strangest feeling she’d ever had. Suddenly, she was burning inside, as if her organs were on fire. She remembered swallowing over and over. It was like the worst indigestion times a thousand.
The memory of the pain brought tears to her eyes. She didn’t ever want to sweat again.
“I’ll always wonder if that poison did damage to me or not,” she murmured. Cameron looked at her to acknowledge he was listening. “Maybe there are residual effects. Like people who took LSD or dropped acid or whatever. Doesn’t that leave strychnine in your body or something?”
“I think so,” Cameron replied. “But I’ve never done acid or any of that, so I don’t know. Had no reason to research the subject.”
