Page 44 of Bayou Sunset

As he stood in the warm spray of the shower, he watched intently as the inky black water swirled down the drain, mesmerized by the gradual transition to clarity. He could feel the soothing lather of the soap as it worked its way across his skin, carrying away the day’s residue and leaving him refreshed and clean. He longed to summon the courage to invite her to relocate to Baltimore with him, but he couldn’t shake off the uncertainty of how she would react. Although they hadn’t been officially together for an extended period, it was increasingly clear that they had both harbored feelings for each other for quite some time. Would it be enough? It would be for him, but he would ask her to leave everything behind. Was that fair?

It may be time for him to leave HIS and settle in his hometown.

Chapter Twenty-Six

AS DAISY MAE gazed at the wreckage in her living room, a pang of despair welled, but she pushed it aside. She had always believed that dwelling on negative emotions was an obstacle to progress. With a deep breath, she resolved to tackle the chaos and continue her life. Yet, tears streamed down her face, and she was sure Steve had noticed them as he walked past.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she strengthened her determination to solve the mystery and restore balance to her life.Mario.

Excited and determined, she eagerly anticipated the opportunity to search Mario’s boat that night because Steve and his friends had refused to assist her. They embraced the virtues of honor, law, justice, and other similar ideals. Their boat hadn’t been the one that exploded, and their homes hadn’t been ransacked not once but twice. Frustrated and determined, she had reached her limit and decided to gather evidence and build a case against Mario, if necessary, to end his actions.

By the time Steve came out of the shower, she had tidied up the living room and her bedroom. Despite its imperfections, her home was a sanctuary she cherished dearly. While material possessions could be destroyed, her unwavering love for her home remained indestructible.

Feeling embarrassed after shedding tears earlier, Daisy Mae could not meet Steve’s gaze. Instead, she lowered her head and made her way to the kitchen. “I be making us some dinner.”

“I be glad to help.”

“Non!” She realized she’d already screamed it and softened her reply. “Non. I’ll cook. Ya relax. Ya worked hard today.” He had bravely worked to halt the spread of the fire and rescued her remaining possessions from the water. He had to be exhausted.

“So did ya,” he said from the doorway to the kitchen.

As she turned, her eyes locked with his, and a surge of heat coursed through her veins at the mere sight of him. He dressed entirely in black, sporting a fresh black ball cap. She assumed it was new, considering it didn’t carry the faint scent of smoke. Did he bring a new one on every trip? How odd and anal.

“I be fine. Now, go. Talk to the people ya need to talk to to get some answers. I will cook.” She lightly pushed him to get him out of the kitchen.

At first, she thought he’d catch her hands, but he let her remove him from the room.

“I do need to catch up with Grits. Are ya sure it be okay?”

“Oui.” She turned and opened the small pantry, hoping something was left to cook. All her meat and seafood had been spoiled, so packaged food it was. She looked over her scant options and decided on a meatless jambalaya, peas she’d canned, and homemade biscuits. It wasn’t gourmet, but it would fill their gullets.

The first thing she did was boil some water to make tea. She longed for a tall, chilled glass of iced tea to soothe her parched throat. Despite drinking water all day to stay hydrated, nothing could match the revitalizing taste of sweet, iced tea.

Next, she began working on dinner. It took just over half an hour to prepare everything, but she had managed to crush the powder for Steve’s drink. Despite feeling guilty, she knew she had no choice but to search the boat tonight. With more people arriving tomorrow, she couldn’t wait, no matter how she felt.

“Dinner be ready,” she shouted to Steve, who had been on the phone nearly the entire time she’d been grinding and cooking.

“Hmm. Smells good.”

Daisy Mae was startled as she felt someone sneak up on her. She couldn’t believe he had approached her so silently. She hoped he hadn’t seen her grinding the sleeping powder with thesurviving mortar and pestle.

“Grab ya a plate and bring it to the table.” She fixed herself a plate and grabbed water instead of iced tea. She’d had some before she added the sleeping powder to it for Steve. She hoped it was just enough, not too much. She didn’t want to harm him, only make him sleep so she could sneak away.

“Interesting mix of things for dinner, but good,” Steve said, grabbing a mouthful of biscuits. Her brothers had always said she made the best biscuits in the family.

She smiled and served him more iced tea. By the end of dinner, he was yawning.

Steve pushed his chair from the table and stretched. “Rocket, that be the best meal me had today.”

Beaming, she picked up their plates and headed to the kitchen.

“Ya cooked, I clean,” he said behind her.

“Non.Ya be more tired than me. Go lie down, and I be right there.”

He yawned again, and she inwardly smiled.Not long now.“Go, Steve. I already cleaned all but our plates.”

“Okay. If ya be sure.”

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