AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He cut her off and walked into the kitchen.
I turned my head quickly trying to pretendlike I didn’t hear the unpleasantries. “Good morning. I’m about to put the food in the dining room.”
He nodded his head, curtly,with a slight smile.
I’d gotten moreout of him than I did her, but I wasn’t going to passjudgment because not everyone was a morning person. I’d learned over the years to let stuff like that roll off my shoulder.
“Well, I can’t do anything about that right now. Bye. No, bye, D. Because I told you to be nicer, but you act like telling someone you appreciate them will kill you. So, no, I don’t want to hear it right now. Bye. Love you, bye,” she retorted and ended the call, slipping her phone into herpocket. She walked into the kitchen with a smile on her face. “Sorry about that. Good morning. Denim. You?”
I looked down at her, withholding the urge to call hershort since I learned that most short women hatedit. “Quinci. Quinci with an I.I love your name. Denim. That’s unique.” I grabbed the plate of eggs and put them in the pan to be taken to the warmer.
She smiled.“Thank you. This is a nice place that you all have.I also read that you all have one on the beach as well.How far is that? Does it have a private beach access?”
I chuckled.“It’s not like that.The beach is beautifulandis spacious enough to have some privacy, but not like taking a skinny dip privacy. However, you can takeaboat taxi to the FloridaKeys,and they have plenty of private beach areas there. It’sathree-and-a-half-hourscenic boat ride. Might even see a few dolphins,” I told her as I put the rest of the food in the pans.
“Hmm.That sounds like a plan.”
I stacked the pans on the carrying rack and walked into the dining area with Denim beside me.
“Denim, let her do her job,”her partner hissed.
“It’s not a bother,” I responded to him.
He didn’t respond to me, but he kept his eyes on Denim.
That annoyed me becausehis meanness had nothing to do with it being morning time; he was just a mean person in general.One thing I couldn’t standwasa mean person, but I’d learn how to deal with it.
“I’ll be right back with the juice and milk,” I told them and walked out of the dining area, back into the kitchen. My mom had just walkedin the kitchen with the empty shake bottle.
“Yougot it smelling good in here, baby girl.”
“Thank you,girlll. You know I only learn from the best.”
“You better not let your grandmother hear you say that.”
I opened the fridge andpulled the milk and juice jugs out. “Grumpy man alert,” I whispered when I saw Denim’spartnerstand up from the dining table. My mom raised her eyebrowsand winked at me in response. “Good morning,” she spoke and smiled.
He nodded his head. “Hello.” He didn’t give my mother a chance to say anything else to himbefore he was in and out of the kitchen.
“Well, isn’t he a breath of fresh air,” my mom whispered. “Did you get the milk out of the freezer?That needs to go down to your grandmother’s before you go to the grove.”
“You told me, Mom,” I dragged.
BernetteEverlywasthe type of mom I wished for every girl on Earth.She wasthe type of mom who was my friend but never let me forget that she was my mom first. I was never scared to talk to her about anything.She made the hardest conversations seem easy.
Walking back into the dining room,Denim had her phone back up to her ear while forkingsome eggs.I set the orange juice on one side of the table and the water on the other side.
She sighed. “I already told you those specific temp agencies weren’t going to send anyone. You’vegot to do it until I can…” She paused. “And who’s fault is that? I am trying to fix this thing with Roy and… okay, bye.” She put her phone face down on the table.
“Good morning, Denim. Did you sleep well?” my mom spoke.
“I’m doing well. And I slept prettygood.Your house is amazing, by the way. This is a family-owned business?”
“Yes.It’s been in our familynearlyfortyyears. My mother and my husband’s mother manage the other onedown at the beach.Ourdadsused tohelp them before they passed away.Oh, we also have a tour at ourfamily’s Citrus Grove a few miles up the road. Now, that is my husband’s family business. You really have to let Quinntake you up there and give you a tour.”
She smiled. “That would be lovely, if we have time.”
“Rooms one and two have left already, and I’m about to take a plate of food up to room three,” my mom expressed.“And don’t forget tofix you a plate because you know how you be forgetting to eat and then get out there in the grovein all that heat.”
