the beach. Slowly it began to churn and bubble contentedly, filling the clearing with the tantalizing scent of coffee. Slowly one by one, it drew the crew and she happily plied them with coffee and bottles of water from the stack she’d bought days before.
By mid-morning an old blue Chevy Tahoe drove into the clearing pulling up alongside her truck. She watched as an old guy with a yellowing beard climbed out, removing his hat and wiping the sweat from his forehead with a bright red bandana which he shoved back into the back pocket of his jeans.
‘My it’s a hot one,’ he smiled as he held out his hand. ‘Name’s Jed, from Island Market, you spoke to Martha yesterday?’
‘That’s right,’ Ava returned his friendly smile as she shook his hand.
‘Got your order in the back,’ he nodded toward the car. ‘Gotta say that’s an awful lotta meat for such a skinny girl.’
Ava laughed, hiking a thumb over her shoulder toward the bustling crew behind her.
‘Got a lot of mouths to feed.’
‘So I see,’ he nodded. ‘So, it’s true then, you fixing the place up?’
‘Looks like,’ she replied.
‘I’m glad,’ he decided after a moment. ‘It was awful sad to see such a fine-looking building rotting away.’
‘You not a ghost enthusiast then?’ she asked.
‘No Ma’am,’ he turned his wide brimmed hat over in his hands before placing it back on his head to shield him from the sun beating down on his thinning hair. ‘I couldn’t say if there’s such a thing or not, but I do hate wasted potential. That house there is part of our island history and it don’t deserve such cruel neglect.’
‘Well I’m glad to do my part for the island then,’ Ava decided, charmed by the old man.
‘Is it true you’re Hari’s grandkid?’
‘That’s right,’ she replied.
‘She was a fine woman,’ he nodded, ‘a real looker. Knew your granddaddy some too. He was a good man, shame what happened to him.’
‘I heard he died in an accident,’ she replied.
‘That’s right,’ he nodded. ‘Taken too soon, God rest his soul. Still,’ he changed the subject, ‘where should I put this then?’ He opened the back of the Tahoe to reveal several large coolers and crates.
‘Just there is fine,’ she indicated the shaded side of the RV.
She tried to help but Jed was having none of it. He waved her off and, in the end, she just stood and waited for him to finish.
‘Thanks,’ she handed him a wad of bills and shook his hand.
‘You gonna be feeding them on a regular basis?’ he nodded toward the crew.
‘Probably,’ she replied. ‘I like to cook, and it gives me something to do.’
‘Well you mind those boys pay you. You can’t be feeding them all for free,’ he warned her in a kind of sweet overprotective way, ‘and you’re obviously gonna be needing supplies on a regular basis, so come down to the market and we’ll open you an account. Make sure you get a good discount too.’
‘Thanks Jed,’ she smiled genuinely as her heart softened, ‘that’s really kind.’
‘Well you’re part of the island now, Miss Cortez and we take care of our own.’
‘Ava,’ she corrected, ‘please.’
‘Ava it is then,’ he nodded as he climbed back into his car and leaned out of the open window. ‘Now make sure you stop by; I’ll tell Martha to expect you.’
‘I will,’ she promised, standing back as he drove away.
Wasting no time, Ava broke open the new barbecue she’d purchased the day before, eager to play with her new toy. Before long she’d set up a folding table, fired up the grill and was cooking up a storm.
Killian rounded the corner of the building. He’d spent the last half hour inspecting the glass summer house at the back of the property, but as he approached all he could see was a cluster of his men gathered around, near Ava’s truck and RV. He headed over to see what was going on when he caught the smell of something delicious wafting on the breeze.
The crowd parted and he found Ava in the middle of them, beside a folding table which was piled high with salad, drinks, condiments, plates and napkins. Ava herself was standing beside a grill upon which were dozens of fat, sizzling sausages and burgers.
‘Hey Killian,’ she greeted him as she handed a plate to another of his men, ‘you hungry?’
‘I am now,’ he stopped in front of her. ‘What’s all this?’
‘Lunch,’ she replied easily, ‘I figured y’all would be hungry.’
‘Ava you don’t