Page 22 of Fire and Ice

"Good! Because you'd be relieved to know that Maia is used to these affairs."

"What do you mean?" Jack's eyes narrowed, not sure he was going to like what his friend was about to say.

"She has this ritual: three-week long vacations on an exclusive resort somewhere, hookup with whoever catches her fancy and when the vacation is over she moves on. It's the way she copes with her life, she says. For a few weeks she gets to pretend to be a girl in a hot affair with sex on the beach ..."

"She tells you these things?" Jack cut in incredulously.

"Sometimes over tequila when she's shit-faced enough to feel like sharing," Derek said as if in fond remembrance. Jack made a mental note about plying Maia with tequila.

"And Callahan?"

"A moment of weakness, she said. Callahan went gonzo when Maia disappeared for two weeks and he went all DA on Viktor. That got ugly," Derek said and then continued solemnly, as if in male camaraderie. "I have faith in your ability to keep your heart out of it, Jack. Let her go after this whole mess with the Russian is over."

***

Grace was preparing chicken and dumplings for dinner while Maia put the groceries away in the pantry and refrigerator. Grace's nephew, Kyle, drove up in a beat-up pick-up truck to deliver the order for the weekend: rack of lamb, eggs, some cold cuts, flour, apples (for the apple pie), butter, Halloween candy and a slew of other dried goods.

Maia invited Kyle to stay for dinner after making sure that Betty didn't need him back at the store. It was Kyle's evening off anyway so everything worked out well.

Kyle Banning was a big kid. He had dark brown wavy hair, chocolate colored-eyes and was built like a quarterback. No question, he had made more than a couple of high-school girls swoon. He also acted very mature for his age, a clear sense of responsibility already etched into his eyes.

"Do we even get trick or treaters up this way? The house is some way off from the main road." Maia wondered.

"You'd be surprised actually. Jack is rarely home, the local kids think this place is haunted so they come by to check it out," Grace replied as she dropped dumplings into the broth.

"What do you do when Jack is not around?" Maia asked curiously.

"I come in once a week to make sure everything is clean and running smoothly. When Jack has functions in New Park, he brings me in to take care of the apartment and sometimes the menu if it's just a sit-down dinner. If it's a large function he lets me oversee the catering. He keeps me on retainer and is a very generous employer."

"Have you worked for him long?"

"About nine years."

All this time, Kyle had been quietly staring at her so Maia looked over to him and smiled. "I'd offer you a beer but I don't want to get thrown into jail."

Kyle's color heightened a bit, he gave a half-grin and looked down at his glass of what looked like iced tea.

Yup, Kyle's was working up the charm with that sexy half-grin. The boy was going to be breaking plenty of hearts before he even got to drinking age.

"Dinner is almost ready," Grace announced. "Kyle, get the bowls and set the table."

Over dinner, Maia was careful not to talk about herself and asked about recreational activities in Westcove besides fishing, sailing and lying on the beach.

"You need to try hang gliding," Kyle suggested. "I'd be happy to show you."

"Sounds scary." Actually, Maia knew how to hang glide quite proficiently.

"I guess the busiest time of the year is still the summer, huh?" she continued with her lame line of questioning.

"Westcove is almost its own community of locals. We don't get the majority of the tourists. Most of the folks who live here are retirees and caretakers of those expensive beach houses you've seen around," Kyle clarified.

"Explains why Westcove Tavern was packed last night," Maia added.

"Westcove Tavern is an institution. Everyone in the Outer Banks comes up here for the burgers," Kyle stated proudly.

"Good people," Grace said.

Kyle's eyes clouded. "There have been a few shady men rolling around town lately, Aunt Grace. They've been here a couple of weeks. I don't trust them."

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