She closed her eyes against the tangy spray of a freshly squeezed key lime. He was standing near the sink persuading the delicate rind to release the membrane enclosed sections of fruit inside. The next question was would he eat it or wear it? He was such a sensually evocative person. A treat for the eyes, ears, mouth and especially the nose. She watched him pour a half cup of lime juice and a tablespoon of zest into the bowl. Fourteen ounces of sweetened condensed milk were coaxed into assimilating the juice and zest. He licked the spoon and handed it to her. The contents of the bowl went into a graham cracker crust.
He poured a cup of frothy whipping cream into a chilled glass bowl. After a teaspoon of coconut extract was added he whipped the cream until it was stiff. When fluffy mounds of white covered the luscious lime filling he sprinkled a half cup of shredded coconut on top. There was a bottle of Corona sitting out on the counter. She took a drink and smiled at him. The fresh bottle he opened was the perfect temperature. He dropped a wedge of lime in and threw the cap in the trash. She opened the refrigerator but he shut the door and shook his head. “You forgot the most important thing.”
“What’s that?”
The knife was perfectly weighted and balanced. A translucent citrus slice dangled from the edge of the blade. He cut a slit in the rind and twisted the edges away from each other to garnish the dessert. He smiled at her and put her beer back on the counter. Lime green chips of color glittered in his eyes. “You forgot to kiss the cook.”
Some impulse made her reach for the wafer thin circle on top the pie. She dropped it down her shirt and smiled. “You forgot the most important thing.”
“What’s that?”
She pulled her shirt off and leaned against the counter. “That dessert won’t be ready for at least eight hours so we have some time to kill. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” It turned out he wasn’t the only one who had a zest for limes.
This recipe orignally appeared in the January 2000 edition of Red Book Magazine. The characters were added to enhance the recipe.