Hooked on You: An Annapolis Harbor Series Prequel, Lea Coll [love letters to the dead .txt] 📗

“I guess you have a restaurant in mind?”

He smiled a boyish smile that took my breath away.

“I love seeing the city through your eyes.”

“Good, because you’re about to see one of my favorite parts of the city.” He led me down a smaller side street and through a door with a small red and white wooden sign overhead that read, Landry’s Cajun Kitchen.

Immediately, an older man, short and stocky, came out of the back of the restaurant and clapped Gabe on the back. “Good to see you. It’s been awhile.”

“It has.” Gabe stepped back so his friend could see me. “This is Taylor Leeds. Taylor, this is one of my oldest friends, Jace Landry. The best red beans and rice in the city.”

“Yeah?” I asked as I shook his hand. Pleasure coursed through me that Gabe was introducing me to his friends. I remembered the first night at the bar when he’d gotten upset when I talked to Issac. He seemed to guard his friends closely.

Jace shrugged. “We do pretty well here for being off the main drag.” He gestured in the direction of Harrison Avenue.

“That’s great. I can’t wait to try it out.” I looked around the restaurant, my attention drawn to the man at the grill.

“He’s charbroiling oysters,” Jace said.

We moved closer to the counter in front of the kitchen area. The man placed the oyster shells on the grill, sprinkling seasoning and parmesan cheese over them.

“Do you want to go out back and sit on the terrace?” Jace asked, gesturing down a hallway. “I’ll bring out a platter of oysters when they’re done.”

Gabe glanced at me and I eagerly nodded. I loved eating outside. I enjoyed just watching people walk by or seeing the architecture and the neighborhood.

“Follow me.”

We followed Jace down a narrow hallway and out a rear door to the terrace where several wrought iron tables and chairs were arranged. Pots of greenery overflowed around the edges of the area and lights hung from the buildings on either side of the restaurant. It wasn’t a lake view but it was quaint.

Jace handed us menus, then paused. “Unless you know what you want?”

“Two orders of the red beans and rice. It comes with andouille sausage and white rice. If that’s okay with you?” Gabe raised a brow at me probably expecting me to argue but I knew if he’d brought me here to his favorite restaurant, whatever he suggested would be good or at least worth trying.

I smiled. “Of course.”

Gabe’s eyes stayed on mine.

“Is water okay or did you want a wine list?” Jace asked.

We were dining alone on the patio. Wine would make lunch more intimate—more date-like and after his regrets from the other night, I didn’t want him to reel me in and push me away again. I tore my eyes from Gabe’s. “No, water is fine. I have to go back into the office.”

I felt Gabe’s eyes on me, but I kept my gaze on Jace. “Water’s good for me too,” he said.

When Jace left, I asked, “Is it always this quiet here?”

“No, it’s not. It’s still a little early for lunch and Jace gave us some privacy seating us back here.”

“It’s cute back here.” And romantic. A small breeze moved the air so it wasn’t as hot and humid as usual. I was sure Gabe didn’t intend for me to think it was romantic, but it was. Suddenly nervous, I unfolded the cloth napkin and placed it on my lap. I wished my drink was here so I could soothe my suddenly dry throat.

“Did you know red beans and rice are a Monday meal because Mondays are traditionally laundry days?” His expression was open and relaxed. “Or at least it used to be.”

The atmosphere wasn’t affecting him. “No, I had no idea.”

“Yeah, it’s an easy meal to sit on the stove to cook while you get other things done. It’s my favorite meal, besides jambalaya of course.”

I relaxed a little since he was guiding the conversation. “It’s nice you love the traditional food. In Maryland, you’d run into the rare person who didn’t like seafood. How you can you grow up near the water and not like seafood?”

“What’s the specialty there?”

“We’re known for blue crabs. You can take the meat out and make crab cakes, crab dip, and soup with them. Or you can eat them cooked and you shuck the shells. It’s messy, but so worth it.”

“I’d love to try it sometime.”

Gabe had no reason to see Maryland, so I dismissed his comment as merely polite. A man who’d backtrack so quickly after almost kissing me wouldn’t be following me to Maryland to try out the food.

Jace set a long narrow platter filled with oysters in front of us. “Careful, they’re hot. Enjoy.”

He walked back inside, leaving us alone again.

Gabe squirted lemon on each of the oysters, using a small fork to pull the oyster of the shell, and held the fork in front of my mouth. Keeping my eyes on his, I ate the oyster from his fork, moaning at the rich flavor of the oyster, parmesan cheese, and parsley. “It’s so good.”

Gabe’s eyes heated in response.

I placed a few oyster shells on my appetizer plate. We ate in silence for a few minutes before Jace placed two plates of steaming rice and beans in front of us.

Gabe thanked Jace.

I took a bite of the red beans and rice. It was spicy and flavorful. “It’s so good. I’m glad I got this.”

“I told you.” He smiled knowingly and took a bite of his meal and we ate in silence for a few minutes. “It must be tough living half-way across the country from your family.”

“It is.” I didn’t elaborate. We weren’t at the point where I felt comfortable talking about Caleb. “Have you always lived here?”

“Yes. It’s in my blood.”

“I didn’t think I’d ever leave Annapolis.”

“Why did you?”

“I guess I wanted an adventure.” That was partly the truth. This was my first real trip away from home. My