Fish Perfume (Cozy Harbor Marina Series) Page 16

  “Hollandaise would work for me, too.”

  We finished off our ice cream on the way to the car. I was proud of myself. Not one drop landed on my new dress.

  When we got back to the cottage, Ian came around to open the car door for me. As we walked up to the cottage, Ian said, “Let me know what night Helen and Tony want to go to Newport. Or, if you would all like to come to my house for dinner, we could do that instead. Has she had a lobster yet?”

  “I don’t think so. That would be fun.”

  He laughed. “Well, I know where we can get some.”

  He put his hands on my upper arms, and pulled me in for a kiss. He gave me a long, delicious ice-cream-flavored kiss.

  We took a breath and I softly whispered, “Would you like to come in?”

  He bent down and touched his forehead to mine. “Meggie, if I come in, I won’t want to leave. I want to make love to you in the worst way, but I want to do this right. I want us to get to know each other a little better. I knew you years ago as a child, but I want to get to know the grownup Meggie. I feel it’s important that we don’t rush into anything. I would like to wait a little bit before we go to the next step.”

  I took a deep breath and said, “I’m so relieved.”

  “Why? You didn’t really want me to stay?”

  “No, I definitely want you to. It’s not that. I’m allergic to mosquitoes.”

  He looked confused. “What’s does that have to do with sleeping with me?”

  “The other night Helen and I sat out on the deck talking for a couple of hours, and I forgot to put my bug repellent on. I have huge bites on my thighs.”

  He started laughing. “You know, I think I changed my mind. I want to see those bites,” he teased.

  “No, I like your idea better.”

  He shook his head. “Meggie, you’re a mess.”

  “Yeah. I guess it’s a good thing you’re finding that out now.”

  He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a warm, sensual kiss. Then, softly whispered in my ear, “I like messes.”

  I murmured, “I’m glad.”

  He said, “I’d better get going or I’ll never leave. I’ll stop by and see you after work tomorrow.”

  I looked up at him. “Ian, I had a great time tonight. Thank you.”

  He winked at me and said, “Me, too, Meggie the mess. Goodnight.”

  I watched him walk away, and then I went into the cottage. I undressed, put some cortisone cream on the bites, and went to bed smiling.

  When I got up in the morning, I checked Helen’s room. She was MIA again, so I left a note on her bed to stop by and see me when she got back. Since I had a few minutes, I decided to check my e-mails. There was one from my parents, and one from Laura. I checked the one from my mom first.

  Hi, Meggie:

  Have you heard from your grandmother again? She’s been on my mind a lot. Your father and I are having fun, but I’m getting a little homesick. Our flight home is all set for August 5th and I can’t wait to see you. Maybe Dad and I will come up for a little visit while you’re still there. I hope things are going well at the marina. We’re very proud of our special girl.

  Love, Mom

  Ah! I answered her back.

  Hi, Mom:

  Everything here is going okay. Helen is here for a week and we’ve been having fun. The last time I talked to Gram she sounded really happy, so I think this vacation has been a good thing for her; I’m sure she’s fine. I miss you all and can’t wait to see you.

  Love, Meggie

  Laura wrote:

  Hi, Meggie:

  What have you and Helen been up to? Have you been out with that guy yet? Has Helen met anyone? A cop showed up at the door the other day and wanted to know who called 911. Aidan was standing beside me and said Eddie did it and ran down the hallway. The cop asked me who Eddie was and I shook my head and told him it was the dog. So, while my four-year-old is calling 911, I’ve been very busy potty training Danny. Thank God it’s summer and I can let him run around naked half the time. Throwing Cheerios in the toilet seems to help, too. It gives him something to aim at. Such is my exciting life. Hope all is well.

  Love, Laura

  I replied.

  Dear Laura:

  I have so much to tell you. First of all, Jimmy showed up late one night and begged me to take him back. He even went so far as to ask me to marry him. Can you believe that one? I told him no, of course. I actually was nice to him, even though he didn’t deserve it after the way he treated me. Whatever feelings I had for him are long gone, I’m happy to say.

  After a rocky start with Ian, that’s the guy I told you about, he and I had our first real date last night. It couldn’t have gone better. He’s the whole package. He’s handsome, fun, romantic, and he’s a great kisser. That’s as far as we got, but I’m hoping things will progress. I’m developing feelings for him, but I’m trying to hold back. My track record with men, as you know, hasn’t been the greatest. My head tells me what the smart thing to do is, and then my heart and body tell me something entirely different.

  Things at the marina are going well enough. There have been some thefts I’m worried about, but so far they’ve been minor. I heard from Gram. She said she’s having a great time, but I’m still worried about her. I probably won’t stop worrying until she is standing in front of me and I can see her with my own two eyes.

  Helen is having a ball. I’ll be surprised if she goes home. I’ll have her call you and fill you in.

  Good luck with the potty training and maybe you should hide the phone. Give the boys a hug.

  Love, Meggie

  I hit the Send button and went to open up the store.

  At around 9:00, Helen stopped by. The first thing out of her mouth was, “How was your date?”

  “It was great. No, it was perfect. We had a romantic dinner and then went for a walk around the wharf. When he brought me home, I invited him in, but he said he wanted us to get to know each other better before we took the next step.”

  “Boy, Tony was right on the money with the code thing. I think that is really sweet. This could be serious, Meggie.”

  I sighed, “I know it is for me, I’m halfway in love with him already. I refuse to get my heart stomped on again, though. How do you do it? I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that you were in love. Lust yes, love no.”

  “I don’t think I’ve been in love. You know what a cynic I am. I told you before, if you believe the worst, you usually won’t be disappointed,” she joked.

  “Maybe Tony will be the guy to break that barrier down and turn you into a believer in true love.”

  She pointed her finger at me. “You need to stop reading romances.”

  I laughed, “Never.”

  Helen said, “Ian’s really handsome. He reminds me of that hot doctor who was on the TV show ‘Lost.’ He has the same tall, lean, muscular body, and the strong facial features.”

  “You mean Matthew Fox? Now that you mention it, he does look like him. How was your night?”

  “Tony picked me up right after you left and took me back to his house. He made me a fantastic dinner. The guy’s a gourmet cook. He learned from his mother and grandmother. He made veal Marsala and roasted asparagus. It was delicious. When he was in college, he shared a house with three girls. He did all the cooking, while they cleaned and did his laundry. He is just too good to be true. I keep looking for the flaw, but so far I haven’t found one.”

  “Are you going to Block Island?”

  “Yeah, I’m just on my way down to the boat. We were going to spend the night out there, but Tony’s mom called and a friend of the family died. He has to go to a viewing tonight. Do you have plans with Ian?”

  “No. Great, we’ll do something
fun together. By the way, Ian wanted to know if you and Tony would like to come over his house for lobster some night.”

  Helen said, “Definitely. How about tomorrow night? Saturday night is my last night here, and Tony said he has big plans for us.”

  “Okay. I’ll tell Ian Friday sounds good. Have fun on the island.”

  She started towards the door, looked back, and smiled, “Oh I will.”

  Later that morning, a few more customers came in to see me. Dino from Atsa Ma Boat was missing some fishing pliers, and Donna and Dave on the Tireless were missing a fender. I informed them about the other missing items, and suggested that they start locking things up. I added their things to the lost-and-found list posted on the bulletin board. I made up a flyer informing everyone of the missing items and asked everyone to be on the lookout for strange people walking the docks.

  Since I didn’t eat breakfast, by lunchtime I was starving, so I went over to the Snack Shack. Sitting at Mo’s counter were Big H, Sexy Cathy, and Dancing Kathy. I took a seat next to Dancing Kathy who turned to me and asked, “How’s it going?”

  I said, “Pretty good, but more people have reported things missing from their boats. I’m going to put a flyer on all the boats this afternoon to warn people to lock things up.”

  Big H said, “That’s a good idea. What a shame. We’ve never had a problem like that down here.”

  Mo suggested, “You should talk to Deb about it. Bein’ a retired cop, she might have some good ideas for you.”

  I said, “That’s a great idea. If any of you see her, tell her I’d like to talk to her.”

  Mo said, “Sure. What can I get you?”

  I ordered a roasted veggie wrap and an iced tea.

  I asked everyone, “So, what else is new around here?”

  Sexy Cathy said brightly, “Well, Just Howard has a new girlfriend.”

  Big H immediately stood up and said, “Well, I’m out of here. I’ll leave you ladies to your gossip.” He was out the door in a flash.

  I turned back to Sexy Cathy to get the scoop. “Really?”

  Sexy Cathy laughed and said, “Yep. He’s been strutting around the marina like a rooster.”

  I laughed and said, “Good for him. What does she look like?”

  Dancing Kathy thought a moment. “Well, I would say she looks to be a couple of years younger than he is, probably mid-forties. She’s short, which is good, since he’s vertically challenged. Her name is Barbara. She has short blond hair and she’s cute. She’s a high school music teacher, and she directs all the high school plays. Just Howard also bragged that she’s a songwriter.”

  Mo added, “She’s multitalented.”

  Sexy Cathy chimed in. “I thought I was hearing things the other day when I heard Barbra Streisand and show tunes coming from B dock. Barbara was playing the soundtrack from the Sound of Music. When I saw Mikey Murphy do a twirl on the dock like Julie Andrews did in the movie, I almost fell in the water laughing.”

  Mo chuckled, “Those Murphy brothers crack me up. I’m happy for Just Howard. He’s had a hard time with the ladies, bein’ so shy and all. I guess he must be gettin’ lucky if he’s lettin’ her play show tunes.”

  Dancing Kathy started swaying back and forth on her stool. “Oh yeah. His boat’s been a rockin’.”

  We all laughed.

  Sexy Cathy asked Mo, “Any new dates this week?”

  Mo said, “I’m goin’ out with that tall widower again. There were no sparks flyin’ last time we went out, but I thought I’d give him another try just to make sure. I’m still talkin’ on the Net with that one guy I really like. We have great chats, but he hasn’t asked me out yet. Also, I’ve been chattin’ with a new one, but he’s a taxidermist and I just can’t get past him stuffin’ dead things. I wouldn’t want those hands touchin’ me.”

  Sexy Cathy said, “I don’t blame you.

  Mo asked me, “So, how was your date with Ian?”

  Sexy Cathy said, “Oh, he’s a cutie.”

  I agreed, “He sure is. We had a great time. He took me to Newport for dinner.”

  Dancing Kathy sighed. “I remember those days when you’re first dating and the guys are all charming and they take you to nice places. Now Mike thinks he’s Mr. Wonderful if he picks up a pizza. I guess after twenty-five years of marriage and four kids, I should be thrilled with the pizza.”

  I said, “Wow, you have four kids?”

  Dancing Kathy laughed and said, “Yep, two boys and two girls. I’m a very busy woman.”

  Sexy Cathy said, “Meggie, I saw your friend and Tony take off on his boat.”

  I said, “Yeah, they went to Block Island for the day.”

  Dancing Kathy said, “She’s caused quite a stir on the docks. The guys are all drooling over her. I thought I was going to have to put a bib on Mike.”

  Sexy Cathy nodded, “When any of the guys see her, they yell to each other ‘Goddess alert.’ When is she leaving? She’s making the rest of us look bad. Kenny loves tall, thin women with big boobs.”

  Mo shrugged. “What guy doesn’t?”

  I smiled and said, “She’s always had that effect on men. She’s leaving on Sunday.”

  Mo said, “Tony’s gonna be heartbroken. I thought I’d never see the day, but that boy’s a goner.”

  Sexy Cathy asked me, “How does she feel about him?”

  “She likes him a lot.”

  Mo said, “Well, maybe they’ll keep it goin’ long distance. If anyone should breed, it’s those two. Their kids would be beautiful.”

  I smiled and said, “Tony’s mother would love that.”

  Matt came into the shack grinning ear to ear. “You ladies need to come down and see the fish hanging on the dock. The Bonnie Blue just got back from being out overnight. They got a 655-pound giant tuna.”

  Mo said, “Holy cow! Who caught it?”

  Matt said in awe, “Bonnie hooked it and reeled the fish in all by herself.”

  Mo said, “Now that’s girl power. Let’s go check it out.”

  We all went down to see the fish, the largest I’ve ever seen. Everyone was congratulating Bonnie, and Jim was taking pictures of her with the fish, telling everyone Bonnie was his lucky charm, his Queen of the Ocean.

  Matt turned to me and said, “Once word gets out about this fish, everybody in Cozy Harbor will be coming to take a look. You might be pretty busy this afternoon in the store. You should also order more frozen mackerel and butterfish. Everyone’s gonna be going fishing now that they know there are giants around, and they’ll want bait.”

  I went back to the office and did indeed have a busy afternoon. All anyone could talk about was the giant tuna. Journey and I sold a lot of fishing lures and T-shirts that afternoon. Ian came by the office later in the day.

  My heart took a little leap in my chest when I saw him standing at the office door.

  He gave me that melt-my-heart smile. “How was your day?” he asked.

  “Good. Really busy. Did you see the tuna?”

  “Pretty impressive. Bonnie makes a hell of a first mate.”

  I nodded. “I talked to Helen and she said Friday would be a good night to get together.”

  “Good. I’ll bring home the lobsters and pick up some corn and potatoes at the farm stand.”

  “I’ll make a salad and a dessert.”

  “Sounds like a plan. What are you doing tonight?”

  “Tony has to go to a viewing, so Helen and I are going to do something together.”

  “Great. I have a meeting of the Lobstermen’s Association. You girls have fun.”

  He looked out into the store, then pulled me out of my chair and kissed me. As soon as his lips touched mine, my knees went a little weak. After he left, I had a hard time concent
rating.

  After I closed up the store at six, I went down to the docks to deliver the flyers about the thefts. I saw Tony’s boat at the dock, but it didn’t look like anyone was on it, so I assumed Helen must be at the cottage. As I went down B dock, I saw a crowd in front of the Tuna Kahuna. Standing on the boat were the Murphy brothers and Helen. They all had a beer in hand. I walked up to the guys on the dock and asked Randy from the Blood, Sweat and Beers what was going on.

  He said, “The boys got a new radar installed, but they were having trouble getting it to work. We’ve been trying to figure out the problem all afternoon. Your friend came over and it took her all of about five minutes to solve the problem.”

  I laughed and said, “She’s a smart girl.”

  Randy said, “Beauty and brains.” He shook his head. “That Tony is one lucky son of a bitch.”

  Helen looked up, saw me, and waved.

  Don Murphy said, “Meggie, Helen’s not allowed to go home. We need her around here.”

  I said, “Fine with me.”

  Helen smiled and handed Don her empty beer bottle. “I’m glad I could help, guys. See you later.” As she climbed off the boat, all the guys scrambled to give her a hand.

  As we walked up the dock, Don yelled, “Hey, Meggie, I’ve got dibs on the next friend of yours who comes to visit.”

  Helen and I laughed.

  Helen said to me as we walked up the dock, “Between Bonnie bringing in that fish and me fixing the radar, it was a bad day for the guys down here. I hope they all don’t have pecker problems tonight.”

  I laughed. “Don’t you love it?”

  She said, “Damn right I do.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Since Helen had spent most of her time on Tony’s boat, I decided to take her for a drive around the area and give her a little tour. First I took her over to the Pier Area in Narragansett and drove down Ocean Road so she could see the Towers and the sea wall. Then I drove over to Galilee and took a little spin through the village. Both of us were hungry by this time, so I pointed the car toward Kelly’s. A burger sounded good. When we got there, all the tables were taken, so we sat down at the bar and ordered our burgers and a couple of beers. I asked the bartender if they had a band tonight, and he said they had an Irish band.