Page 13 of Haze's Jewel

I deadpan right back, “Sex is exercise. I read somewhere the human body burns up to five hundred calories during an intense sexual encounter.”

One of his eyebrows shoots up.

The server shows up to take our order, just as he murmurs, “I did not know that. It seems like we could use that to our advantage somehow.”

I try not to blush as I open my menu and quickly scan over their offerings. They have a turkey club sandwich that looks like it’s to die for, so I order that with an iced tea. Of course, Haze goes for a big juicy burger, sans the bun, with a side order of sweet potato fries.

When the server walks away, I realize he’s staring at me intently.

I wonder if he’s being judgmental about my choice, he’s clearly into healthy living. “Is this about me carb loading?”

His eyes grow unfocused for a moment as if he’s trying to work his way through my thought process. Finally, he answers my question, “Hell no. I’ve got enough on my plate worrying about my club, my family, and my shop. I don’t have the time, energy or interest in policing what you eat or any damn thing else you choose to do. Men shouldn’t be doing that kind of shit to women.”

He seems genuinely annoyed, so I quickly explain, “My stepmother used to count the carbs I had in a day. Once I hit the limit, I was done eating for the day, whether I wanted to be or not, my dad never commented on it.”

“I can’t believe some people are like that, damn,” he shakes his head.

“My mom wasn’t like that, it was only when I stayed with my dad and his new wife,” I added hurriedly.

“Still, policing someone’s diet is a one-way road to disordered eating.”

I nod, trying to lighten the subject I ask, “What about your parents? You and your brother are pretty cool, so I imagine your parents are good people to have raised you well.”

I obviously said the right thing, because Haze’s face breaks into a massive grin, “Yeah, my mom and dad are the best. They had me and my brother a bit later in life, so they’re both retired now. I’d love you to meet them, but they’re on a road trip right now, just reached Denver.”

“Wow, that sounds amazing,” I say.

“My dad had some cash put away for retirement, they were thinking of doing something boring with it like getting the driveway re-tarmacked, but we told them to go for it. And they did, they got a huge RV, and rented out their house for a year.”

The server arrives with our food, and I wait until she’s laid it down before responding, “Living the dream.”

“Absolutely,” Haze takes a massive bite of his burger. He swallows and says, “Does that appeal to you? Just taking off somewhere?”

I’d had plenty of time to think of my life’s choices while stuck in the hospital bed, “It does. Either taking off on a road trip or sailing away to a desert island.”

I see something flash across his face at that. “You like boats?” he asks.

I let out a sigh, I’d been trying not to think about my shitty life. Before my parents got divorced, I’d remembered many childhood vacations where my dad, mom, and me would go sailing on my father’s yacht. Obviously, once he got remarried, that was way in the past. I tried to shake away the memory, “I did, but it’s been a while since I sailed.”

“Maybe that’s something we need to remedy,” he says with a lazy smile.

I wasn’t sure what he meant, seeing as Las Salinas was quite a drive from the coast, it was a nice dream anyway. With that we went back to our meal.

.

Chapter 6

Haze

We leave the restaurant, each lost in our own thoughts. I’m not so dense that I didn’t see that flash of sadness cross her face when she mentioned sailing. She’d told me a bit about her parents, or more specifically her father and how he changed when he got remarried. I didn’t like to pry too much, because she’d shut down, and I sensed there were things that she didn’t want to share with me. I hope that eventually she’ll open up. After that I tried to ensure our conversation stayed off of heavy subjects and keep things light and fun.

Somehow, in the few short weeks I’ve known Anna, she’s slipped through the walls I’ve built to protect myself from women getting too close. Before I met her, I’d been intent on staying single for many long years. In order for that to happen, I had to shore up my defenses. Women are soft, pretty, and delicate. They pull at man’s protective instincts and lure us in without even meaning to. I suppose with Anna, my heart secretly wanted to let her in. That’s the only possible explanation for why I haven’t been able to leave her side, why I find myself opening up to her in a way I’ve never done with a woman before. I find myself considering the idea of a relationship, and I find that it’s not such a bad thing after all. My club brothers always joke that men who say they’ll never settle down, always fall the hardest. I don’t know about falling, but I’m finding that Anna is in my thoughts more often than not.

After lunch, I drive us back to Las Salinas and take Anna to our local mall, she’s gazing at the windows, but I gently steer her towards a salon.

Anna immediately comes to a staggering stop just inside the doorway. She whispers, “Wait. What are we doing? I thought I was here to buy a couple of outfits.”

“Nope. We’re here to spoil you with all the things women need to feel good about themselves. You’ve had a rough couple of months. You deserve someone to lift you up and I want that person to be me.”

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