Page 16 of Backdraft
"Great." I glanced around, and sure enough, a few people were looking at me. I smiled at those that were and was grateful the rest of the crowd were busy with their food and drinks.
"So are you going to tell me what brought you to Oak Creek or are you keeping it a deep, dark secret?" That was Shannon, getting to the heart of the matter right off the hop.
I shrugged. "Are you kidding me? Don’t you remember telling me about the opening?"
Shannon sputtered over her beer and then laughed. "Oh, yeah. I did, didn’t I? That was ages ago. I didn’t think you were going to follow it up."
"Well, I did.” I rolled my eyes, and she shrugged her shoulders, grinning.
I scanned the floor for a waitress and signaled her. I needed a drink something fierce. I wasn't ready for Shannon's interrogation, and liquid fortification might help.
“Dunno. It’s just the way I grew up." I tried to inject a bit of humor into my tone, but I'm not sure it came out exactly the right way.
The waitress put my beer in front of me, and I grabbed it to take a long drink. Nice way to stop the conversation. Even though I was good friends with Shannon, it was a topic I preferred not to discuss. My growing up had been painful, surviving the fire that took our house and my dad, everything that followed wasn’t something I like to rehash.
"Interesting though, that we were both at the same call." I decided to make a bit of small talk to redirect her.
"My area is quite wide, so being here wasn't as much of a fluke for me as it is for you,” she said over the rim of her glass.
A plate of nachos she must have ordered before I arrived was put in front of us.
"Whoa, I didn't realize how hungry I was." I reached for a very cheesy chip loaded with meat and jalapeños. The spicier the better. I topped it with dollop of sour cream, popped it in my mouth, and closed my eyes savouring the flavour
"I don't how you can eat that hot stuff." Shannon picked off some peppers and threw them on my side of the platter. I picked one up and popped it in my mouth, laughing when Shannon curled up her nose at me.
We fell silent for the next little while as we ate. I looked around the restaurant to see if I recognized anybody from the fire. Through the crowd, I noticed one familiar face. It was the guy who came over to my table when I was at the diner for breakfast the other day. I don’t think he’d seen me yet.
"So, do you think you could settle down here?" Shannon asked before taking a big scoop of sour cream on her loaded chip and putting it into her mouth.
"It’s possible. I won't know until I've been here a while."
She shook her head and reached for another chip, quickly flicking the pepper onto my side of the platter.
"Interesting. I heard you also got asked to go down to Key West. How did that play out? What made you pick here when you wanted to be there?"
I took a napkin and wiped the sour cream I felt hanging on my lip and took a swig of beer, trying to decide how to answer that.
"Good question really. As much as I love the Keys, there was just something that drew me here. I wasn't supposed to be anywhere until next week, but they called and asked me to come and check the place out early."
“So you haven’t signed a contract?” She sat back and ran her hands through her long, curly red hair, gathering it up into a bundle before letting it drop. She watched me with her pale-blue eyes, like a turquoise sea, and I knew that behind her beauty was a very sharp mind. She didn't miss a thing.
"Yes, I did, but you know me, it doesn’t mean I’m tied here.” She nodded, hopefully satisfied with my answer. Even though I still had no clue what I was going to do long term. That was me. Wandering aimlessly. I had to admit Oak Creek wasn't so bad. At least my first impression of it had been good.
And then there was Taylor. Him being here had been a totally unexpected surprise. It was good to see him and know he was here, and she was enjoying reliving the memories of their smoking-hot history, but that's all it was.
My mind drifted back to our time in Denver. The heat we made didn't hold a candle to the jalapeños on this plate of nachos. We'd agreed it was a one-time thing though. No ties. Just a weekend to enjoy each other and the pleasures of the body. We’d both been very happy with the way we left things and hadn’t exchanged contact info.
Something snapped in my face, and I blinked, refocusing my thoughts.
Shannon was snapping her fingers. "Where are you, girl? You were miles away a minute ago. And by the look on your face, it was a pretty pleasant trip."
I waved my hand dismissively. It's best to keep the history between Taylor and I private.
"Do you think we’re going to finish all these nachos?" I asked as I reached for another one and added a couple of peppers. I wasn't a fan of the salsa, it was overpowered with cilantro.
"If we don't, we can take it back to either your place or mine.
"Do you have a permanent home here?" I asked her.
