Jack Beale 00 - Dangerous Shoals

despite the chill he felt from being wet. Now, as his eyes adjusted to the dim light of the room, he looked around. It was perfect.
    The bar itself was a long rectangle that took up nearly the entire room. There was seating on all four sides and the lone bartender worked from the center. The floors were painted concrete with patches of old carpet still glued down in some areas. The dark paneled walls were decorated with pieces of simulated memorabilia representing most beer and alcohol brands. It was a place that was made for hard use and had seen its share over the years.
    No more than a dozen people were in the bar on this rainy summer night, most sitting alone, sullen and staring at the drink in front of them. There were only two couples, one on each side of the bar. One couple was clearly having trouble. He guessed that they were probably in their fifties, but they could have just as easily been in their sixties. She was in his face about something while he just sat there, oblivious to her rantings. “Sucks to be you,” Kurt thought to himself.
    The other couple, though not much younger, was much more interesting. They had the same hard-life look about them, but something else was going on. While he sat passively, cradling his drink between his hands, she sat facing him. Part of her was always in contact with him. She would put an arm around his shoulders and then she’d remove it and just touch his arm. She’d move closer and whisper into his ear, and then she’d pull away. Contact all the time. Friends? A date? A pro working? Kurt couldn’t be sure, but one thing he was certain of, these two were going to end up in bed together.
    His beer was cold and its taste reminded him of a time long ago in a small bar in the east side when he was given his first job. He smiled at the memory.
    “Mind if I sit here?” the voice startled him.
    He turned toward the voice. He hadn’t noticed her when he came in. “Must have been in the ladies room,” he thought to himself.
    He nodded his assent and turned back to his beer.
    “Shitty night out.” It was half statement and half question.
    He had chosen this bar because it was the kind of place where you could easily remain alone. He needed some solitary time to think, but there was something about her voice that was enticing. If she was a pro trying to pick him up, she was good. He couldn’t tell for sure. He looked back at her and agreed. “It is.”

CHAPTER 89
    BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMING in awakened Jack. He turned his head and looked at Max. She was still asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he slipped out of the bed as quietly as possible and tiptoed out of the bedroom, closing the door softly behind. The first thing he did, even before using the bathroom or heating his coffee in the microwave, was open windows. He inhaled deeply, savoring the clean, fresh post-storm air. It was as if Mother Nature had violently and vigorously scrubbed the world. Gone was the sticky humidity that had been so oppressive and overwhelming, now replaced by the sweetness of wet grass, the salt of the ocean, and a host of other subtle smells that had been masked by the preceding days of heat and humidity. A light breeze filled his place with that freshness, cleansing it of all the ugliness that it had seen in the last several days.
    As he sipped his cup of microwaved coffee, he began to brew a pot for Max. Brewing coffee, like cooking bacon, was one of those smells that would fill the air, and in turn would stir memories and thoughts often long forgotten. While it brewed, Jack was transported back to days spent on Irrepressible when he was young and sailing around the Caribbean.
    “Penny for your thoughts.” Max’s voice startled him.
    “Good morning, Sunshine. I made you coffee. It’s all ready.”
    “I could smell it. Thanks.”
    She poured herself a cup and joined Jack at the window, looking out over the marshes and enjoying the light breeze.
    “I’m going to go see Tom this morning,” Jack said quietly.
    Max didn’t say anything, but she leaned ever so slightly against him and sighed.
    Jack continued, “I hope he has some news about our friend.”
    “How do we get into these messes?” Max said softly.
    “I don’t know, but we’re getting pretty good at it, aren’t we?”
    He smiled at her, she smiled back, and then those smiles turned to giggles. Those giggles became teasing, gentle nudges, and those nudges, offered and received, became bumps, which became a hug as