Cadence

Fifteen

Fifteen

 

Sitting in the hotel restaurant that evening Curtis casually sipped a cup of black coffee, mentally calculating the myriad of colors evident in Cadence’s eyes when the candle light danced across them. Violet, magenta, deep purple, blue, storm—not that storm was a true color, but in her eyes it was—lavender-gray… her eyes were mesmerizing, like prisms.

“Curtis, may I ask you something?”

“Yes, of course, ask away.”

“Why do you drink so much coffee? I thought sailors were supposed to drink rum.”

Curtis laughed. “I don’t drink that much coffee, do I?” At her affirmative nod he leaned forward. “Maybe I just like coffee.”

She arched a dubious brow, the gesture made her eyes look suspiciously like gems.

“Do you really want to know?”

“Yes.”

“Then it’s going to cost you.” Suggestively his eyes drifted down to the rosy swell of her breasts, peaking over the top of her new green gown. “Payment will be due immediately upon return to our room.”

“Agreed,” she flashed a devilish half smile and leaned in slightly. “Now tell me, why is it you drink so much coffee?”

“After I was… shot I felt cold all the time. It was the damndest thing, but I could be baking in the sun and freezing all at once.” He shifted, uncomfortable talking about the war. “I tried brandy to get warm, I tried whiskey, a lot of whiskey,” he added dryly, “but coffee is the only thing that worked. Of course during the war what we had wasn’t really coffee, just that bitter chicory.”

“I remember the chicory,” she made a face. “You must still feel cold.”

He averted her gaze. “Why do you say that?”

“You still drink so much coffee.”

For a long moment he felt very troubled, opened his mouth to form a reply, but could muster no more than, “You are very astute, my dear.”

“Why did you start blockade running?”

The peaceful atmosphere surrounding him that evening began to slip away. “What is this, the inquisition?”

She startled. “Curtis, I-I’m sorry, I just know so little about you.”

“As it should be,” he said a bit too forcefully. She looked positively crestfallen, her eyes suspiciously bright. “Cadence, I’m sorry.” he sighed reaching for her hand across the table.