Fish Perfume (Cozy Harbor Marina Series) Page 10

  “That’s Mac.”

  “Well, I heard you check up on him. You tell him I’m taking care of his boat and I hope to see him soon.”

  “I will.”

  “Hey, you want to go out this weekend?”

  “I can’t. I’ve got to help Mo tomorrow night and Saturday night I have to clean the cottage. My friend is coming to visit for a week, so I have to get ready for company.”

  “Is she of the female persuasion?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, since my charms haven’t worked on you, maybe you could introduce me?”

  “I’ll think about it. You might just meet your match. She’s a man-eater.”

  He smiled, licked his lips, and said, “Well, sweetheart, I’m a tasty morsel.”

  I chuckled “See you later, lover boy.”

  “Night, hot stuff.”

  I went home, took a quick shower, ate some dinner, and went to check up on Mac. Mike was still there and Mac was doing a lot better. I visited for a while and headed home.

  * * * * *

  The next morning I was in my office e-mailing some supply orders when I heard a knock. I turned around and smiled at my Gram’s best friend, Dossie Woods. They’ve been friends since they were young girls.

  I stood up and said, “Mrs. Woods, what a nice surprise.”

  She gave me a warm smile back and said, “You’re all grown up, Meggie. Let me have a good look at you.” She lifted up my chin to look at my face and exclaimed, “Pretty as a picture.”

  I blushed and asked, “How are you?”

  “Good, honey. I came by to see if you’ve heard anything from your grandmother?”

  “I just talked to her. She’s with her friend in San Diego having a great time.”

  “Oh, I’m so glad to hear that. I miss her, but if anybody deserved a vacation, it’s Betty.”

  “Mrs. Woods, do you know an old friend of Gram’s named Cal O’Callaghan?”

  She looked nervously around the room and answered, “No, don’t think I can recall anyone with that name.”

  I pressed on, “Are you sure? Gram said she knew him years ago.”

  She shook her head, “No, I don’t remember him. Well, I hate to run, Meggie, but I’m playing in a little nine-hole tournament at the country club. If you can believe it, I’m the ringer in my foursome.”

  “Do you still play a lot of golf?”

  “Every chance I get. Tell your grandmother to call me when she has a minute.”

  “I will. It was nice seeing you.”

  “You too, dear.”

  She hightailed it out of the store. There’s no doubt in my mind that Dossie knows exactly who Cal O’Callaghan is. I can’t imagine my grandmother not telling Dossie every little detail about this big adventure of hers. I should have thought of Dossie a few weeks ago when I was up to my ears with worry. I guess I’ll have to wait a little while longer to find out more about the mysterious Mr. O’Callaghan.

  Later, it got crowded in the store, so I went out to give Journey a hand. Don and Geri on the She’s the Boss told me they were missing a big flashlight. Since they never take it off the boat, they couldn’t imagine where it had gone. They asked around if anyone had borrowed it, but everyone said no. I told them I’d put a notice on the bulletin board and let them know if someone turned it in.

  People here have never had to worry about leaving their boats open. I can’t imagine who would be stealing things. For now, I’m going to assume that the glasses and flashlight are just misplaced and will turn up eventually.

  I was hoping to catch a glimpse of Ian today, but no such luck. I closed up the store and went over to the Snack Shack to help Mo with the wings. Since she starts work as early as I do, she usually closes at 2:30 after she takes care of the lunch crowd. The Shack had a Closed sign on the door, but I could see her behind the counter. She waved me in.

  “How are things going?” I asked.

  “I’ve been busier than a rooster in a henhouse today. Everyone is down for the weekend, so I extended lunch until 3:00, and then I had to prep for tomorrow. So, my friend, I’m just startin’ on the wings.”

  “What can I do?”

  “Well, the first thing we need is mood music. Why don’t you go put that oldies station on the radio. When I’m runnin’ on fumes, I need good tunes to pick me up.”

  I went over and turned on the radio. According to the DJ, it was sixties night.

  Mo rubbed her hands together. “Boy, we hit the jackpot. I love sixties music. It brings back good memories for me.”

  We sang, danced, and worked on the wings. Mostly though, we talked. Curious, I asked, “Mo, where are you from originally?”

  “I’m from the great state of Alabama,” she proclaimed with pride.

  “How did you end up in Rhode Island?”

  “My brother Tom got transferred up here with his job about twenty years ago. Whenever I got leave, I would come up and visit him, his wife, Mary, and the kids. The kids are grown up now. The eldest one is Amy; she’s a beautiful girl. She and her husband, Neil, live here, and they’re expectin’ their first. The next in line is Becky. She followed in Aunt Mo’s footsteps. She’s a pastry chef at one of those ritzy, glitzy restaurants up in Providence. Matt’s the baby of the family, the apple of my eye. I don’t know how much you’ve talked to him since you’ve been here, but that boy is funny as hell. Well, by the time I got out of the Corps, our parents had passed on. I wanted to live near family, so I moved up here, bought my little house, and started workin’ here.”

  “Do you miss the South?”

  “Sure, especially in the middle of winter. I still have friends and cousins down in Mobile that I visit every January.”

  “Any more Internet dates?”

  “Yeah, I went out with a good-lookin’ tall drink of water the other night. He lives in Providence so we met at a restaurant in Warwick for dinner. He was a nice guy, very mannerly, and I didn’t pick up any perv vibes, which is always a good sign. He’s a widower with two grown girls.”

  “Sounds promising.”

  “Yep. I’ll definitely go out with him again.”

  “What happened with the other guy who took you to the theater?”

  “He’s out of town. To be truthful, though, I had a great date with him but the sparks weren’t flyin’.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad.”

  She shook her head and said, “My big problem is I gotta get that big galoot out of my head.”

  “You mean Big H?”

  “Yeah. I think I’m being picky because I want every guy I meet to be him. Just when I think I’m over him, he stops by and chats with me for an hour, and then I’m all mushy about him again.”

  “Guys will do that to you.”

  “Any progress with Ian?”

  “Nope, I haven’t seen him since the other night. I was hoping he would stop by and ask me out, but no go.”

  “Hey, I’ve got a bottle of wine in the fridge here. Since we’re halfway done, let’s open it and have a few glasses. Girls have to have some fun on a Friday night.”

  “Sounds good to me, Mo.”

  She poured us each a big glass of wine. We were drinking and singing along with Aretha Franklin when there was a knock at the door.

  I opened the door and in walked Big H.

  “Evenin’, Meggie, Mo.” He looked at Mo and said, “Mo, I’m sorry I didn’t get to ask earlier, but I was wondering if I could get a couple orders of wings. I’m going fishing tomorrow along with every other boat around. I don’t believe in the chicken wing theory, but if all the boats catch fish with the wings and I don’t catch a thing without them, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

  Mo said, “No problem. I planned on makin’ extra jus
t for this reason. I figured tomorrow mornin’ a couple of extra people would show up wantin’ some.”

  “Thanks, Mo. Hey, I don’t know if you girls have plans to see the fireworks on Monday night, but if you don’t, you’re welcome to come with me. I’m taking the boat out to watch the town beach fireworks. It’s fun watching them from the water. I’ve invited my sister Sue and her kids, plus I invited Terry and Deb.”

  I said, “Oh, thanks, Big H, but I’ve got my friend Helen coming up for a week, and she gets here on Sunday.”

  He said, “She’s welcome too, Meggie.”

  I said, “Thanks. I’ll let you know.”

  Big H looked at Mo and asked, “How about you?”

  “Sounds good to me. What time you leavin’?”

  “Come around seven, after the parade. We’re having a potluck dinner first.”

  Mo told him, “I’ll bring somethin’ tasty.”

  He tipped his cap. “Well, goodnight, ladies. Mo, I’ll see you in the morning for the wings.”

  After Mo made sure he was halfway down the dock, she turned and said, “I can’t believe he invited me. That’s a first. See, it’s just like I said. I almost have him out of my head, and he pops right back in. He’s like a friggin’ jack-in-the-box.”

  I threw my hands up. “Men! Who knows what they’re thinking.”

  “You got that right, girlfriend.”

  We finished off the wings and the bottle of wine. I helped Mo put everything away, said goodnight, and went home. It was 11:00; I had just put on my pajamas when there was a knock at my door. Since it was late and dark, I peeked out the door. I was hoping to see Ian, but to my shock, it was Jimmy the Rat Bastard—in the flesh.

  I yanked opened the door. “What in the world are you doing here?”

  He said, “Meggie, I need to talk to you.”

  He sounded desperate.

  I was confused. “Why? I don’t really know what we’d have to say to each other. You pretty much said everything six months ago.”

  “Please, Meggie, let me come in and hear me out.”

  “I’ll let you in, but you’re wasting your time. How did you find me?”

  I ushered him in. I sat on a chair so he wouldn’t sit next to me, and he took the sofa.

  He said, “I ran into Laura and she told me you were up here. I remembered you talking about the marina and I remembered the name. I got directions on the Internet and drove up.”

  Curious, I asked, “So, what is it you have to say to me?”

  He took a deep breath. “Meggie, I was a fool. I felt that we were getting serious, so I panicked and told you I wanted to take a break. I’ve dated a few people since we broke up, and I finally realized that I would never find anyone like you. I know I blew it, and you don’t have any reason to trust me, but I’d really like you to give me another chance.”

  “What happened with Barbie?”

  “Oh, she was just too high maintenance. She always wanted me to take her somewhere. It was either a concert, a party, a new restaurant, or to a bar to hear some band. She was costing me a fortune. You were so easy to be with. You just liked to hang out and watch TV.”

  Boy, he doesn’t have a clue.

  I said, “That’s not true. I love to do things. Look, I was really hurt when you broke up with me. In the end, though, it was the best thing you ever did for me. I’ve thought about this a lot, and we were never right for each other. We have different interests. We wouldn’t have worked in the long haul.”

  He looked bewildered and said, “We had things in common.”

  “Not the important things. At least, not the things that matter to me.”

  “I can change.”

  “Jimmy, people don’t change, and I wouldn’t want someone to change for me. I want to love someone just the way he is, and I want someone to love me the same way. We were comfortable with each other, but that’s not enough, at least not for me. Besides, after the way you treated me, I don’t think I could ever forgive you. You killed any feelings I might have had for you.”

  “I’m sorry you feel that way and I never meant to hurt you. I came up here ready to ask you to marry me.”

  I was floored. I couldn’t believe what just came out of his mouth.

  “Jimmy, I’m sure there is a right person out there for you; it just isn’t me.”

  What I really wanted to say was, “Are you out of your freakin’ mind?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “You can’t blame a guy for trying. We did have some good times, though. I hope you remember those.”

  “Of course I will.”

  He narrowed his eyes and said, “Is it because you’ve met someone else?”

  “No. That’s not it at all.”

  He asked hopefully, “Is there anything I can do or say that would make you change your mind?”

  Sadly, I said, “No.”

  He stood and said quietly, “Well, I guess I better go. Is there a motel around here? I’ve just drove six hours and I’m beat.”

  I couldn’t believe it, but I felt sorry for him. I said, “You can sleep on the couch. I get up at 4:00. I’ll wake you up and you can head back and beat the traffic.”

  “Thanks. I’ll get my bag from the car.”

  I went and got him a blanket and pillow. He came back into the cottage, I showed him where the bathroom was, and said goodnight. I shut the door to my room and sat on the bed, my mind constantly flashing back over the three years Jimmy and I were together. I heard him use the bathroom and get settled on the couch.

  It was a pretty restless night for me. I dragged myself out of bed when the alarm went off, dressed, and walked into the living room. Jimmy was already up folding the blanket I’d given him.

  I asked cheerfully, “Did you sleep okay on the couch?”

  “It was comfortable, but I didn’t get much sleep. Are you sure about us, Meggie? Maybe you just need a little time to think about us being together again.”

  My response left no doubt. “I’m sure. I won’t be changing my mind. I’m sorry, but we’re over. Come on, I’ll walk you out on my way to the store.”

  I may have been imagining it, but I actually thought I saw tears in his eyes. He was probably welling up thinking about all the money he would have to spend dating. He grabbed his bag and we walked out to his car in the marina parking lot.

  He turned to me and said, “I hope you’re happy, Meggie.”

  I gave him a hug and said, “I hope you are too, Jimmy.”

  I watched him drive away. I thought to myself, I gave that guy probably three of the skinniest years of my life. Since he dumped me, I’d daydreamed that he would come crawling back, begging for my forgiveness. Of course, I would turn him down and enjoy every minute of it. Now that it’s actually happened, I just feel sad. As I turned toward the store, I saw Ian standing next to his truck watching me with a cold stare. He slammed his truck door and stormed off toward the dock. I knew right away what he thought he saw. I ran after him to clear up the misunderstanding.

  I yelled, “Ian, wait!”

  He ignored me and kept walking.

  I ran after him. Finally catching up to him, I said breathlessly, “Ian, that wasn’t what you think it was.”

  He said stiffly, “It doesn’t matter what I think. We had a couple of kisses, no big deal. You can sleep with anyone you want. It’s none of my business.”

  I pleaded with him. “Please, let me explain.”

  He wouldn’t even look at me. He shouted, “I’ve gotta go, I’m running late.” He jumped on his boat, started the engines, and pulled away from the dock.

  I watched the boat until it was out of sight. I felt sick to my stomach and tears streamed down my face. I hadn’t even realized I started to cry. Why can’t I get a break
? Why does everything always have to be so hard for me? He just assumed I went out last night, picked up a stranger, and brought him home for a wild night. That is so not who I am. He must have a very low opinion of me. It hurt that he didn’t care enough to give me a chance to explain. When will I ever learn? Well, I’m done making a fool out of myself. No more mooning over Ian. Obviously, he wasn’t interested in me anyway. If he cared at all, he wouldn’t have been so quick to jump to the wrong conclusion.

  Well, back to plan A: no more men this summer. I’m going to keep my nose to the grindstone, have fun with Helen, and keep this marina running to the best of my abilities. I’m doing it for Gram. I just wish my heart didn’t hurt so much.

  * * * * *

  This was the busiest Saturday since I’ve been here, which was a good thing because it took my mind off my nonexistent love life. A lot of the fishermen were out fishing with their chicken wings, but we had a steady stream of tourists come through. I don’t know what I’d do without Journey. She’s great with the customers and knows the area so well. She’s always giving someone directions, recommending restaurants, or helping people decide which local beach they might prefer. We both breathed a sigh of relief when we locked up at 6:00.

  Before I went home to clean the night away, I decided a walk out on the docks might cheer me up. I noticed most of the fishing boats on B dock were still out, so I took a stroll down A dock where the cabin cruisers sat. All of A dock was in Fourth of July party mode. People sat on their deck chairs having cocktails, blenders buzzed, and music blared. I walked up to the Dancing Queen. Sitting on the boat were Kathy and Mike, Marion and Pierce, and to my surprise, Sexy Cathy and Kenny. They were drinking martinis. I guess all’s forgiven and peace reigns on A dock.

  Dancing Kathy looked up. “Meggie, come have a martini with us. Mike makes the best dirty martini you’ll ever taste.”