The Siren's Call (Last Chance Motel Book 3) (9 page)

While he was concentrating on the bedroom, Mary tackled the bathroom. It was a disgrace. Putting on a pair of heavy-duty gloves, Mary doused everything with disinfectant. Then, using a brush, she scrubbed from the ceiling to the floor.

At last satisfied, she took as step back and studied the bathroom. It wasn’t pretty, but it was clean and safe for use. It would do for a man. With a new mop, she rinsed down all that she had scrubbed.

River poked his head around the bathroom door. “My gosh, it looks downright civilized. After listening to you, I was afraid to put my precious bottom on that toilet seat.”

“You’ll have to get a new seat. It’s cracked, and the medicine cabinet is rusted through and through,” she conveyed, pointing at the metal cabinet. “We can get them at the hardware store after you take me to lunch.”

Realizing that Mary was also offering to go shopping with him, River did a little jig in the narrow hallway and then held out his arm. “Madam, I think your carriage awaits.”

Mary smiled back while she pulled off her gloves, ignoring his outstretched arm. “Let’s wash our hands and then we’ll be off.”

“Sounds like a plan,” replied River, his eyes sparkling as he handed Mary a bar of soap.

N
ot only did River purchase a toilet seat and a bathroom medicine chest, but Mary saw to it that he had new towels, sheets, floor rugs, and decorator pillows for his couch.

River “thanked” her for saving him from the deprivation of being without what he called “frou-frou” stuff he said he never knew he needed in the first place.

Returning to River’s abode, Mary helped carry his new purchases in and set them on the small kitchen counter. She gave him explicit instructions as to the placement of each new decorator item. “Well, I’ll be off.”

“Listen, Mary, I can’t thank you enough for your help today. I never would have cleaned so well and gotten everything done in one day. You saved me a lot of time and effort.”

“I’m glad to help.” She looked around. “I have another free day tomorrow. You still need to go to the grocery store and spruce up the outside of this monstrosity you call home. If you want, I could stop by and help again.”

“Would you? That would be great. Maybe if we finish early enough, I could rent a boat and we could watch the sunset on the water,” River said.

“I’ll be here at nine. We’ll start early, and get all this done. If I’m not too tired, we celebrate somehow.”

River’s eyes twinkled. “I think that’s a plan. I’ll be waiting for you, Mary.” He started toward her. “May I give you a hug?”

Mary pursed her lips. “I should say not. I’m dirty and smell, and so do you.”

River remained undaunted and said, “One day, Mary. One day.”

H
earing a knock at the door, River opened it and peered out. It was raining hard, and he wasn’t sure who was standing there until he spoke.

“Mr. Egan.” Mike had on a wide-brimmed hat that mostly obscured his face.

“Mike, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Mike Bishop. Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure, come in. Get out of this awful rain,” offered River, standing aside.

“Thanks,” replied Mike, stepping into the trailer. While taking off his hat, he looked about and let out a whistle. “This sure looks different from when I was here the other day.”

“About that. How much do I owe you?”

“Nothing. On the house.”

“How about a beer then?”

“Won’t refuse that.”

River pointed to a chair as he went to the refrigerator. “Please sit. I have to admit the livability of the trailer is due to your mother. Nothing like a woman’s touch.” He handed Mike an opened beer bottle.

“Hey, this is really cold,” gushed Mike before he took a swig.

“The fridge is the only thing that works in this rust bucket,” River said before flipping off the cap of his beer bottle. “Here’s to swimmin’ with bowlegged women. Down the hatch.”

Mike gave a salute with his bottle before taking another long swig.

“Know who said that?” River asked.

Mike nodded. “Um, let’s see. That would have to be the old salty character from Jaws. What was his name? Quint, I think.”

River smiled. “So why are you here, Mike, son of Mary?”

“If I remember the movie, Quint wasn’t so nice to the ladies. I hope you’re not like that.”

“What’s that?”

Changing the subject, Mike put the bottle down. “I want to thank you for helping Jenny. We went snorkeling Sunday and had a wonderful time. Jenny struggled here and there, but she’s game for more.”

“That’s grand.”

“Eva and I think she made an important step in returning to the sea. Her mother loved the ocean and I want Jenny to love it too.”

“It would seem she is well on her way to recovery then.”

“Yeah.”

“Is there something else on your mind, Mike, son of Mary?”

“I don’t mean to pry, and I am grateful for your help with Jenny, but I’m wondering what’s going on between you and my mom.”

River took a long drink from his bottle and then put the bottle down. He folded his hands while leaning back in his chair. “That’s between Mary and me, don’t you think? At least, that’s the way I see it.”

“Here’s the thing, Mr. Egan. My father died very suddenly, and he was the whole world to my mother. She has had a very hard time coping with his loss.” Mike stopped for a moment searching for the right words. “My mother is a good, decent woman. I would hate to see someone take advantage of her good nature if they weren’t serious about her.”

“Mike, I can understand your concern. I really can. I lost my wife too, so I know how that can affect someone who’s been married for a long time. But I’m just a regular guy. I have no criminal record. I’ve never hit a woman in my life. My health is reasonable for my age, but there is room for improvement. I have my own money. I’m not a billionaire, but I’m comfortable. I’ve worked hard all my life.” River unfolded his hands and leaned in toward Mike.

“Your mother and I have many things in common. Both our spouses died before their time. We are of similar age, and we share the same memories.” River grinned. “We both saw the Beatles for the first time on the
Ed Sullivan Show
. We both practiced hiding under our school desks during the Cuban missile crisis. We both know exactly where we were when Kennedy was shot. We understand each other, and we’re lonely.”

“I don’t want my mother hurt. If you’re not serious, I would advise you to move on.”

“Advise me, huh? I suppose that’s fair enough since Mary is your mother. Now, son, let me advise you about something. Your mother is an independent woman and of sound mind. She’s still in charge of her own life. It’s really none of your business who she sees.”

“My family is my business, and that includes my mother.”

“Son, I don’t want to quarrel with you. You love your mother. You’re concerned about her. I respect that, but I would like you to respect that I might have feelings for her too. She’s too young to be thrown on a loveless trash heap.”

Mike rose. “I’ve said my piece. I’ll be going now.”

River stood up also and faced Mike squarely. “Let’s shake hands and part amicably. I want no hard feelings between us. I’ll tell you what–if I treat your mother badly, then you have my permission to take me out and beat the livin’ tar out of me. We both know you can do it. Does that make you feel better?”

Mike exhaled. He felt the tension leave his body. Shaking River’s hand, Mike smirked, “Oddly, that does. Thanks River.”

“I
don’t know why you are so upset. You’d think you would be happy that someone is interested in your mother,” Jenny heard Eva say to her father in the living room. Even though she was supposed to be asleep, she sneaked out of her bed and listened from the hall when she heard her father grumbling about Mr. Egan.

“But we don’t know anything about him,” argued Mike.

“Mary’s not running off to Tahiti with him. She’s a big girl and smart. Stay out of it.”

“It doesn’t feel right to me,” complained Mike.

“I think if you interfere with something that might turn out to be a blessing for Mary, she will have a difficult time forgiving you.”

Mike harrumphed. “That’s ridiculous.”

“No, it’s not,” replied Eva, clasping Mike’s hand. “You need to pay attention to me in this. Your mother spent years of her life looking after you and Jenny after Beth passed away. That’s over. Now she wants to spread her wings. Enjoy life a little. Less duty, more fun.”

“She say something to you?”

“She doesn’t have to. I know women, and I’m telling you that Mary is interested in River Egan.”

Eva continued, “Even you will have to admit that he is nice looking. He and Mary would make a darling couple. And so far there have been no red flags from him.”

“About being a creep?”

“Exactly. I hardly think he’s Jack the Ripper. If it would make you feel any better, have Jim Masterson do a background check on him, but be discreet.”

Jenny frowned, since she didn’t know who this Jack the Ripper was.

“That’s a thought.”

“And if River Egan comes up clean, then will you get off this train to nowhere?”

Mike smiled and pulled Eva onto his lap. “Maybe. Maybe not. Are we finished arguing?”

“I didn’t know we were.”

“Haven’t you heard of great make-up sex after an argument?” Mike whispered as he leaned in and kissed Eva on the neck.

Eva’s face brightened. “Then I guess we were arguing. Race you to the bedroom.”

Seeing that Eva and her father were heading toward the hall, Jenny ducked back into her bedroom. She didn’t understand why her daddy didn’t like River Egan. He was her friend. Why didn’t her daddy understand how Mr. Egan had helped her overcome her fear of the ocean?

Sometimes grown-ups didn’t make any sense at all.

R
iver was washing a few dirty dishes when he heard footsteps outside his door. He strode over and opened the door before there was a knock. “Mary, how nice to see you,” he said, surprised.

“Hey, you startled me,” replied Mary. “I didn’t even have a chance to knock.” She turned and pointed to an angry-looking sky over the Atlantic Ocean. “See that?”

River observed the sky. “Yep. So what?”

“I know you don’t have a TV yet, but that’s a tropical storm. She is gonna rock your little trailer world like there’s no tomorrow.”

River gave Mary a mischievous grin. “Really? Geez, people will talk about us.”

“That storm’s no joke, River. You better come home with me and wait her out. What you and Jenny went through was just a polite little rainstorm. Mike reinforced my house so it could withstand everything but the very worst storm. You might as well take shelter in a cardboard box as be in this trailer.”

“I thought it was sexist to refer to storms as she.”

“It’s a she, all right, and she’s looks mighty angry to me. Come on now. Get your stuff and let’s get out of here.”

River closed the door and locked it. “There’s nothing in there I want to save, and I’m sure not going to argue about spending time with you. Do you think we have time to have dinner at Aussie Jack’s before the storm hits?”

Mary scanned the sky. “Let’s try it. NOAA says we’ve got two or three hours before she lands. Besides, I’ve a taste for fresh Florida lobster. If we get caught, we can just wait it out at the Last Chance.”

“You mean the Pink Flamingo?”

“Don’t tell Eva that I called it the Last Chance, will ya?”

River mimed zipping his mouth shut and throwing away the key. “Your secret is safe with me, doll.”

R
iver watched the ocean nervously. “Are you sure this is not a full-blown hurricane?”

Mary laughed, “Of course I’m sure. This is just a lil’ ol’ tropical storm. She’ll be over in about three-four hours.”

“Then why are Jack’s employees boarding up the windows?”

“I didn’t say the winds would not get fierce. You felt how the car was buffeted so hard on the way over here that it was swaying.”

“I was wondering about that. I thought the wind was going to knock the car off the road.”

“Hi Lillian,” said Mary, greeting her friend.

“Hi folks. See you’re braving the high winds.”

“Lillian, tell this nervous Nellie that this is just a lil’ ol’ tropical storm.”

“Well, I trust your word on that, Mary. I’ve never been in a storm yet, but Jack is not closing. He’s open for business, so I guess there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Then why are the windows being boarded up?” asked River a second time, looking around.

“I’m told this is a common procedure here when the winds are predicted to be above 25 mph, and then once the storm has passed, they take the plywood down off the back windows. You’ll probably still be eating when the windows are open again.”

“See, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Shall we order?” Mary said to River. “Nothing to worry about.”

“I’ll get your waiter for you,” replied Lillian, scanning the room. She waved to a man who hurried over. “Joe, take care of these people. Consider them VIPs. They are special.”

“Sure will, Lillian.” He turned to River and Mary. “Can I get you a cocktail?”

“For sure,” jumped in River. “A Whiskey Sour, don’t be timid about pouring that whisky, and keep them coming.” River looked at Mary.

Then Joe looked at Mary.

“The same. We need Dutch courage, I see.”

“Dutch courage, hell. I need drunk courage,” laughed River.

“We get these storms a lot during the summer. You better get used to them if you want to stay in Florida, River.”

“I’ll be right back with your drinks,” reassured Joe before hurrying off. He certainly sympathized with River. He was from Ohio, and these storms unnerved him too. But he was going to give them the best service possible and pray for a big tip. That would make the evening bearable, since what he wanted was to take refuge in the kitchen. Maybe he and River could hide there together.

J
enny stared at the angry sky over the Atlantic Ocean while Eva calmed her guests. “Folks, I’ve been closely monitoring the Weather Service, and this is just a small tropical storm that may even play itself out before it hits the shore. I would not recommend boating at this time, but please enjoy the pool or swimming in the lagoon for now. I’ll keep you posted as the storm develops. And if you want to go out to dinner, all the restaurants are open, as well as all the stores.”