Read Online Salt Water Wounds (Oyster Cove #1) by Jennifer Foor - Free Book Online
Authors: Jennifer Foor
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will be the death of me. She challenges me every damn day. I don’t know what to do about it anymore. I’ve tried everything.”
“She listened.”
“I think you freaked her out. She wasn’t prepared for you to be so forthcoming. It almost turned me on seeing you go off. I’m not used to women taking up for me.”
“I don’t like it when teenagers are disrespectful. It rubs me the wrong way. She should appreciate how hard you work for them, not take advantage of you every second she can.”
He focuses on the food while responding. “I’m no good with women, especially the young ones. With the boys it was easy. She’s difficult. If I give her an inch she takes three miles.”
I place my hand on his shoulder. “One day she’s going to thank you for being her daddy. It’s probably not going to be any time soon, but it will happen. All teenagers hate their parents. My son thinks I’m the bad guy for keeping his father away, when all I’ve ever done was try to protect him.”
He sighs heavily. “I won’t hold my breath.” He begins making plates. “I wasn’t planning on having company, so all we’ve got is corn, and chicken, and possibly some butter bread, if there are more than two slices left in the loaf.”
I can’t help from getting a kick out of him. “I never expected you to cook for us. I would have been fine ordering a pizza for the kids.”
“I try to cook every night. I might suck at it, but at least there is always food on the table.”
I change the subject. “So, I’m pretty sure your daughter hates me.”
He makes a sound in between a cackle and cough. “Shit, join the club. At least you don’t have to deal with her after tonight.”
He’s right, but somehow it offends me, as if he’s adamant I won’t return. He walks into the living room and puts a plate in front of Nick. “Here ya go, bud. Dig in, before the rest of the crew gets here.”
“Crew?” Nick inquires. “How many people live here?”
“Seven. Me and the kids.”
“Are you seeing my mom, now?”
At the same time we both reply. “No.” Then I reiterate, “We’re friends, Nick.”
“Yeah, I forgot. We’re hiding from Dad.”
Instead of being able to fight with him, Buck pulls me back into the kitchen. “He’ll get over it. Let’s eat in here where it’s quiet.”
We sit facing one another. Buck has put barbeque sauce on the chicken, and I can already tell from the smell that it will taste wonderful. I’m used to making easy dinners, or bringing stuff home from my dad’s restaurant. My place has light fare, but it’s all fried. I butter my corn and raise the ear to my mouth, digging my teeth in for my first bite. It’s sweet, probably locally grown, and absolutely delish. “Mmm, I haven’t had this in a while.”
“We supply crabs to Ronny over on Beebe Rd. He’s always giving me fresh produce when I’m there. You should see the size of his tomatoes this year. He’s been growing them in a greenhouse to ensure there is enough when the tourists start rolling in. I don’t care where it comes from. It’s free.”
“Wow, all I get is beer and liquor. I’m in the wrong business.”
“Sounds like a perk to me,” he counters, while taking a bite of chicken. I watch him close his eyes and savor the mesquite flavoring. “You say your husband left you with a lot of debt? I was lucky with Layla. She had time to make sure our financials were in order. She always handled the money. I’d hand her my earnings at the end of the week and she’d take care of the business and the bills. It took a while for me to figure out organization, but I think I’ve got a handle on it.”
“You’ve never really talked about Layla to me before.”
He nods. “Yeah, it’s still hard. What you said earlier, the stuff you told Bristol, it was spot on. Her mother would never stand for that lip. She would have slapped the backtalk right out of her.”
“She’s at that age.”
“She’s always at that
“She listened.”
“I think you freaked her out. She wasn’t prepared for you to be so forthcoming. It almost turned me on seeing you go off. I’m not used to women taking up for me.”
“I don’t like it when teenagers are disrespectful. It rubs me the wrong way. She should appreciate how hard you work for them, not take advantage of you every second she can.”
He focuses on the food while responding. “I’m no good with women, especially the young ones. With the boys it was easy. She’s difficult. If I give her an inch she takes three miles.”
I place my hand on his shoulder. “One day she’s going to thank you for being her daddy. It’s probably not going to be any time soon, but it will happen. All teenagers hate their parents. My son thinks I’m the bad guy for keeping his father away, when all I’ve ever done was try to protect him.”
He sighs heavily. “I won’t hold my breath.” He begins making plates. “I wasn’t planning on having company, so all we’ve got is corn, and chicken, and possibly some butter bread, if there are more than two slices left in the loaf.”
I can’t help from getting a kick out of him. “I never expected you to cook for us. I would have been fine ordering a pizza for the kids.”
“I try to cook every night. I might suck at it, but at least there is always food on the table.”
I change the subject. “So, I’m pretty sure your daughter hates me.”
He makes a sound in between a cackle and cough. “Shit, join the club. At least you don’t have to deal with her after tonight.”
He’s right, but somehow it offends me, as if he’s adamant I won’t return. He walks into the living room and puts a plate in front of Nick. “Here ya go, bud. Dig in, before the rest of the crew gets here.”
“Crew?” Nick inquires. “How many people live here?”
“Seven. Me and the kids.”
“Are you seeing my mom, now?”
At the same time we both reply. “No.” Then I reiterate, “We’re friends, Nick.”
“Yeah, I forgot. We’re hiding from Dad.”
Instead of being able to fight with him, Buck pulls me back into the kitchen. “He’ll get over it. Let’s eat in here where it’s quiet.”
We sit facing one another. Buck has put barbeque sauce on the chicken, and I can already tell from the smell that it will taste wonderful. I’m used to making easy dinners, or bringing stuff home from my dad’s restaurant. My place has light fare, but it’s all fried. I butter my corn and raise the ear to my mouth, digging my teeth in for my first bite. It’s sweet, probably locally grown, and absolutely delish. “Mmm, I haven’t had this in a while.”
“We supply crabs to Ronny over on Beebe Rd. He’s always giving me fresh produce when I’m there. You should see the size of his tomatoes this year. He’s been growing them in a greenhouse to ensure there is enough when the tourists start rolling in. I don’t care where it comes from. It’s free.”
“Wow, all I get is beer and liquor. I’m in the wrong business.”
“Sounds like a perk to me,” he counters, while taking a bite of chicken. I watch him close his eyes and savor the mesquite flavoring. “You say your husband left you with a lot of debt? I was lucky with Layla. She had time to make sure our financials were in order. She always handled the money. I’d hand her my earnings at the end of the week and she’d take care of the business and the bills. It took a while for me to figure out organization, but I think I’ve got a handle on it.”
“You’ve never really talked about Layla to me before.”
He nods. “Yeah, it’s still hard. What you said earlier, the stuff you told Bristol, it was spot on. Her mother would never stand for that lip. She would have slapped the backtalk right out of her.”
“She’s at that age.”
“She’s always at that
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