“I don’t know what you’re so worried about, Sawyer. Jade is very nice,” Aunt Victoria smiled.
My crew was already on the dock helping the band unload. “Welcome back, boys.”
“Sorry they’re late, Mr. Hawthorne. I was late getting to the marina,” Jade called out from the deck of her boat. “What time do they need to be picked up?”
“Sawyer, invite her in for a drink,” Aunt Victoria said from behind me. “She looks exhausted.”
“Hi, I’m Asher Hawthorne. I think we met already.” Asher stepped onto her boat. “We were wondering if you’d like to come in for a drink?”
“Oh, I can’t drink tonight, but thanks.” Jade pushed her sunglasses up. “And we did meet already, Mr. Hawthorne.”
“Hey whoa, I’m Asher. Let’s not do theMr. Hawthornething. That’s him.” Asher leaned on the railing, nodding at me and smiling at her. “You don’t have to have alcohol. I just meant cool off and stay a bit.”
“Yes, Jade, I’d love to chat with you some more,” Aunt Victoria added. “Just a few minutes.”
“Umm. Let me make a call, then I’ll come over. But just a quick drink.” Jade pulled her cell out of her pocket. “You can go ahead, I’ll catch up.”
She never even made eye contact with me but, now that she agreed to join, maybe this was my chance to start over.
I watched from behind my sunglasses as she jumped off the boat and slipped on her flip flops. She paced back and forth, talking on her phone, then put it in her pocket and walked toward us.
“Miss Jade, good to see you. How is your father?” Marcus asked from behind the bar. “What can I get for you to drink?”
“Hi Marcus, thanks for asking. Dad is doing ok.” She leaned on the bar. “Do you have cranberry juice?”
“One cranberry juice, coming right up.” Marcus began making her drink. “I heard your father fell through the dock.”
“Yeah, that dock has needed repair for some time now but, well, you saw first-hand what I’m up against.” I shrugged and took the offered drink.
“Jade, come sit over here with the girls. If anything, we smell better.” Murphy pointed to an empty lounger. “We’re not all up on what happened. Tell us about it.”
Hopefully, conversation would stay on the right now, and not on the before. I tried for a joke. “Have you pushed anyone in lately?”
“That’s a good one, Mr. Hawthorne. Right back at ya.” Jade smirked. “Tell me, how are you all related?”
“Victoria is my aunt and Asher’s mother,” I explained. “Murphy is Asher’s youngest sibling.”
“Murphy, you look like you got a little sunburned today,” Jade said. “If it gets to hurting, there’s an old island remedy for sunburn pain. All you do is dab tea on it.”
“Tea? Tell us more,” I said, sitting closer to her. “It may be helpful for my guests.”
“You boil water. Once it comes to a boil, take it off the burner and put in four black teabags for five minutes,” Jade explained. “Then, remove the teabags and let the tea cool to room temperature. Once it’s cooled, you take a cotton ball and dab the tea on the sunburn.”
“That’s all you do?” I asked with interest. “Marcus, add black tea bags to your list.”
“Don’t put sugar in it, though,” She added. “And it will stain clothes, but it really helps.”
“Well, if a native islander doesn’t have the right thing for sunburn, then no one will.” Victoria tapped her glass for a refill. “Do you have any more tricks for us?”
“There’s a lot of them. You should keep meat tenderizer down here at the beach in case anyone gets a jelly fish sting.” Jade laughed. “There is another thing you can do in a pinch, but not something any of you would want to do.”
“Well, you can’t laugh and leave us with that,” I smiled. “Share with us.”
“I don’t think so. You can ask one of the band, I’m sure they’ll know.” Jade shook her head. “I appreciate the invite and the juice, but I have to get back. I’ll send someone for the band. Just let me know when.” Jade stood and walked to the bar with her empty glass. “Victoria, if I don’t make it tonight, I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Are you sure you can’t stay longer? I need someone to dance with.” Asher stood and walked to the bar. “These people are no fun.”
“Asher, as tempting as the offer is, I believe you’re enough fun for everyone. Besides, my dad needs me.” Jade waved and started for the dock. “Maybe next time, though.”