South of Heaven (25 page)
“I was thinking we could boil up a batch of crabs tomorrow.”
“We’ve barely finished supper and you’re already planning tomorrow night’s meal. I love that about you, Dad.”
“I’ve had a good week, too, and with some of those reds you’ve been bringing home, I’d say we could cook up a feast.”
“I’ll make some slaw and Lindsey can cook us some of her famous hush puppies,” Kendra added.
In the silence that followed, Kevin’s stomach growled loudly. They all broke out laughing.
“See, my stomach approves of the plan,” he joked.
After another round of beer, Kendra stretched and tried to stifle a yawn. “I hope y’all don’t mind, but it’s been a long week. I’m going to shower and hit the sack.”
“No problem, honey. I’ve got Paul set up in Lindsey’s old room.”
She chuckled at his comment. “I’ll see you all in the morning.”
“I was thinking French toast and bacon in the morning,” Kevin announced as she stood.
“I can hardly wait,” Kendra grinned and bent down to kiss his cheek. “Goodnight everyone.”
Paul watched how Lindsey’s eyes followed Kendra’s every move and smiled. “Kevin and I were talking about a little friendly fishing competition tomorrow,” he told Lindsey.
“Are you going to give us the opportunity to win our money back from last time?” Lindsey asked.
“Sure am, unless you want to sweeten the pot.”
“Not the way you catch fish. You should have seen the size of that grouper, Dad. it was huge.”
“So he wasn’t telling me a fish tale?”
“No. Remind me to show you the picture tomorrow. That was the biggest grouper I’ve ever seen.” She looked up at Kevin. “Would you mind if Charlie went with us? He’s been a bit down, and I’m sure he’d appreciate any fish we could send home with him.”
Kevin smiled. “That’s fine with me. The more the merrier. I bet with five of us fishing we can send him home with plenty to eat.”
“Good, I’ll go call him. What time do you want to leave?”
“Nine should give us plenty of time to get ready.”
“Okay, I’ll be right back.”
Kevin watched her leave and smiled. “You raised a good one with her.”
“I think we both did right by our daughters. They’re strong, independent women.”
“That they are. Can you do one more round?”
“I do believe I can,” Paul answered and handed him an empty bottle.
“Charlie was tickled to be invited and will meet us at nine,” Lindsey told them when she returned.
“Good. Your dad and I are going to have another round before we call it a night. Do you want to join us?”
“Thanks, but I think I’m going to call it a night. I need to rest up if I’m going to out fish you tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, baby girl,” Paul told her. “I love you.”
“Love you too, Dad. See y’all in the morning.”
†
Kendra stood wrapped in a towel and brushing her teeth when Lindsey entered the bathroom.
“Darn, I was hoping to catch you still in the shower.”
“Sorry, baby, it sure felt good though.”
“We need to rest up. We’re going fishing tomorrow at nine. I hope you don’t mind, but I invited Charlie. Our freezer’s still full, so I was hoping we could fill his up with a nice catch tomorrow.”
“That’s very sweet of you. I appreciate your asking him. We’ll have a great time.”
“I think so too. I’ll hit the shower and see you soon.”
“I’ll keep the bed warm.”
Lindsey rushed through her shower, but when she entered the bedroom, Kendra was already asleep. She watched her beautiful lover sleep for several seconds, then turned off the lamp and crawled into bed.
Kendra stirred long enough to cuddle into Lindsey’s body. “You smell good,” she whispered, and then immediately started purring in her sleep.
Charlie was already on board when they arrived at the boat. “Good morning,” he called out, looking up from the table where he was cutting bait. “I remembered we had a few bait fish in the wet well, so I thought I’d go ahead and cut it.”
“Thanks, Charlie,” Kendra replied and introduced him to Paul. “Do you want to take us out to your honey spot, Dad?” she asked, holding up the keys to the wheelhouse.
“Sure thing. You want to come with me?” he asked Paul.
“I’m right behind you, Captain Drake.”
“Let’s get a few chairs set out while Charlie finishes up the bait. We can load the bait buckets, and then set out rags and rods when he’s done.”
“I went ahead and put a case of beer in the freezer, too,” Charlie grinned.
By the end of the afternoon, Charlie had two coolers of grouper filets to take home with him. He also had the pot of eighty bucks for catching the largest fish, and he tried to give it to Lindsey.
“No way, you won it fair and square.”
“I know, but I owe you four hundred,” he whispered.
“Which you can start repaying next week, but today that’s yours to enjoy.”
Kendra helped him carry the heavy coolers to the back of his truck. “Can I come help restock tomorrow?”
“Absolutely,” she replied. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
†
The rest of the weekend passed in a blur. On Monday, Kevin and Paul were sitting up drinking coffee when Kendra and Lindsey came down the stairs.
“Good morning,” Kevin stated. “I know y’all won’t eat, but will you have a cup of coffee with us before you go?”
“Sure, Dad,” Kendra replied.
“When are you planning on leaving?” Lindsey asked Paul.
“Later this morning. If I don’t make it all the way, I may lay over in Atlanta.”
“Please be careful and let me know when you’ve made it home.”
“You sound just like a mother,” he said.
“Very funny,” she replied, but grinned at him. “I’m glad you came for a visit.”
“I am too, and I hope later in the fall, you all will come for a visit.”
“I’d like that,” Kevin and Kendra both answered at the same time.
“I guess that’s settled then.”
When Kendra and Lindsey stood to leave, they all hugged one another. Paul whispered in Kendra’s ear and she smiled before saying, “Thanks, I will forever.”
She turned back to her dad. “We’ll see you Friday, love ya.”
“Love y’all too. Be safe.”
Kendra draped an arm across Lindsey’s shoulder as they walked down to the boat. “That went better than expected,” she commented.
“Yes, it was a great weekend. I have to know, though, what did Dad whisper to you.”
Kendra stopped and turned to face her. “He told me welcome to the family, then told me to love and care for his little girl.”
Lindsey smiled. “I didn’t hear what you told him.”
“I said thanks, I will forever.”
“Forever,” Lindsey echoed, smiling.
“Or as long as you’ll have me.”
“Forever may not be long enough.”
Several readers have asked me to begin including recipes of some of the foods I describe in my books, so this will be the first. My dad, Charlie, frequently had cookouts or fish fries for the customers he served. One of his most loved dishes was his hush puppies. You definitely couldn’t eat just one. Here is a basic recipe that I hope you enjoy.
Charlie’s Southern Boy Hush Puppies
1 bag hush puppy mix – Preferably Dixie Lily in the red bag
1 finely chopped sweet Vidalia onion
1 can drained whole kernel corn
1 can Ro-tele tomatoes
1 can Budweiser beer
1 tablespoon ketchup
A pinch of Cayenne pepper
Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Add additional beer as needed to make a moist batter. Using a teaspoon, mound the batter on the spoon and carefully slide the batter from the spoon into a deep fryer with oil heated to 350 degrees. The batter will sink until it begins to cook. When done it will float to the top and be beautifully browned on all surfaces. Remove carefully and drain until cooled. Salt to taste while still warm. For a bit of spice, you could add diced jalapeno peppers.
Best served with seafood. Can be dipped in a variety of sauces or eaten plain. Highly addictive, so consider yourself forewarned!
Ali
Ali Spooner
Ali Spooner, a native of Florida, calls Pensacola her forever home. Ali has been writing for many years as a hobby, and with the assistance of the Affinity team, she has taken her love of storytelling to a new level.
Ali’s characters range from cowgirls and psychics to a healthy dose of supernatural beings. She has written stand-alone titles as well as series. Ali is an avid reader and her other hobbies include photography, outdoor activities, and watching college sports.
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