Fish Perfume (Cozy Harbor Marina Series) Read online

  The guy in the black shirt smiled at me and asked, “Is anyone sitting here?”

  “My friends are, but they went for a walk. You can sit until they get back,” I said.

  Mr. Black Shirt sat next to me, and his brother next to him.

  Black Shirt smiled and introduced them, “Hi, my name is Dick Van Dyke and this is my brother Dave. What’s your name?”

  I thought, you’ve gotta be kidding me. I chuckled and said, “Mary Poppins.”

  “Sure it is. You think I’m kidding about my name being Dick Van Dyke. I go through this all the time. Here, let me show you my license,” he said.

  He pulled out his wallet from the back pocket of his shorts and showed me his license. Sure enough, it said Dick Van Dyke. He looked at me with one eyebrow raised.

  I said, “Okay, I believe you now. My name is Meggie.”

  “Nice to meet you, Meggie. My mother was a big Dick Van Dyke fan, and since our last name is Van Dyke, she named me Dick. Dave got off easy and I’ve been making him pay for it his whole life.”

  Dave agreed. “Yeah, you wouldn’t believe the guilt trip I get. I think it would’ve been easier if I got the Dick name. We know almost all the locals around here, so you must be here on vacation.”

  “I’m here for the summer. I live outside of Philly. I’m working at my grandmother’s place, Harbor Marina,” I said.

  Dave said, “Oh, we know Harbor Marina. Are you enjoying yourself?”

  “Absolutely. I’m having a great time. I love Rhode Island.”

  “Well, here’s to Rhode Island,” said Dave, holding up his beer in a toast.

  By this time, the bar was getting really crowded and the band started their second set. A guy came up to the twins. He was as tall as the twins but a little stockier. He had a shaved head, a pug nose, and a brown mustache. He shouted over the band, “Hey, Dick, Dave, how you doin’?”

  “Great, Buddy, how are things with you?” Dick asked.

  Buddy said, “I’m working too hard. I need a whore and a vacation.”

  At that point, Buddy turned and looked at me.

  Dick laughed. “Don’t look at her. She’s a nice girl. Besides, Dave and I saw her first.”

  They introduced me, ordered another round, and handed me a beer. I’m not much of a drinker and I was already feeling my first two beers, but I figured what the hell. I wasn’t driving and I hadn’t been out in weeks.

  I glanced around looking for Journey and Dash and spotted them in the back of the bar talking to some people. Journey gave me a wave and I waved back. I took a look toward the front where the band was, and just as I was turning back to talk to Dick, the front door opened and in walked Ian with a girl. She was petite with a great figure; all her curves were in the right places. She had long, shiny, chestnut-brown hair, and a cover girl face. My heart dropped down to my toes and my great mood vanished into oblivion. Now I had my proof. He really is dating a Victoria Secret model. No way could I compete with her. No wonder Ian hadn’t stopped by to say hi. Why waste his time with me. I was having a pretty good night until they walked in. I tried to keep myself from looking in their direction again. I didn’t want him to notice me. Since I was surrounded by linebackers, there was a good chance he wouldn’t.

  The boys decided to order some shots.

  Dick handed me a shot and I asked, “What’s this?”

  Dick gave me a big smile and said, “We thought because you’re a redhead we’d get Red- Headed Sluts.”

  Amused, I asked, “What’s in it?”

  Dick said, “One shot of Jagermeister, one shot of peach schnapps, and it’s topped off with cranberry juice.”

  I needed something to ease my pain and drown my sorrows, so I downed it. The boys were commenting on all the women in the bar. Three women walked in. They were in their forties, attractive and dressed as if they were on the prowl.

  Buddy said, “Look, ‘Sex and the City’ plus twenty years.”

  The twins laughed.

  I was horrified. I looked at Buddy and said, “You’re awful.”

  I was thinking to myself, that will probably be me in another fifteen years.

  The band was really playing some great dance music, so I took turns dancing with Buddy and the twins. The Philly girl came out in me and I became a dancing fool. I’m a pretty good dancer, if I do say so myself. Of course, the alcohol probably helped a lot. A little liquid courage never hurt anyone. The band was in the middle of their last set, and I had just sat down for a break. Somebody tapped me on the shoulder and I turned around to find Ian behind me.

  He smiled and said, “Having fun?”

  I guess he saw me after all. I smiled back and said, “Oh yeah. I’m having a great time.”

  “Journey told me you came with them, and I told her I’d give you a ride home since they’re going in the other direction.”

  I looked up at him and said haughtily, “That’s okay, Ian; I can get a ride, and I wouldn’t want to interrupt your date.”

  “I’m not on a date.”

  Why was he so cheerful and lying to my face?

  “I saw you come in with a date,” I fired back.

  “That’s my cousin Christine. She came down from Boston for the weekend. She left with some friends of hers a little while ago.”

  Now I felt like a moron.

  I told him, “Well, I appreciate the offer, but I can get a ride.”

  “Meggie, do you know these guys you’ve been dancing with all night?”

  “I just met them, but they’re my new best friends,” I answered meekly.

  He gave me a steely-eyed look and said, “I don’t think it’s a good idea to get a ride from them. They look pretty wasted to me.”

  “I could just call a cab.”

  “No, Meggie. I think you should let me take you home, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”

  I asked, “Are you leaving now?”

  “Yep, I’ve had enough and so have you.”

  “Who are you, the party police? You’re acting like my brothers. I’m twenty-eight, Ian. I can look after myself.”

  “I’m sure you can, sweetheart, but tonight I’m looking after you and you’re coming with me.”

  “All right, all right, just let me say goodbye to the boys.”

  I gave big hugs to all the boys and left the bar with Ian. As soon as I got outside, the fresh air hit me, and I realized I was drunker than I thought. I tripped on the curb and Ian caught my arm. I then felt a stone in my sandal and started to limp.

  Ian asked, “What’s wrong? Did you hurt your foot?”

  “No. I have a stone in my sandal.”

  Ian stooped down and gently undid the strap on my sandal, removed it from my foot, shook the stone out, put it back on, and buckled the strap. How sweet was that? Jimmy the Rat Bastard would have never done that.

  Still in amazement of his gallant gesture, I said, “Thank you.”

  He looked into my eyes and said, “My pleasure.”

  We walked down the block, and he helped me into his truck.

  As we drove away, he asked, “Meggie, do you always party like this?”

  Embarrassed, I said, “No, I’m not really a big drinker. I haven’t been out in weeks, so I just wanted to have some fun tonight.”

  “Well, you sure looked like you were having some.”

  “Did you have a good time?”

  “Yeah, I like to go to Kelly’s once in awhile and listen to music. I always run into people I know.”

  I’ll just bet he does. Probably all blond, hot, big-boobed sluts.

  Being brave, I said, “I’m surprised you didn’t have a date tonight. Don’t you have a girlfriend?”

  He turned to me, smiled, and said, “I have l
ots of girlfriends.”

  “Oh, lucky you.”

  “How about you? Any boyfriends back home?”

  “Nope. Had one, but we broke up about six months ago. He dumped me for a bimbo.”

  He laughed and said, “Well, you sure attracted a crowd tonight.”

  I smiled. “Yeah, I did, didn’t I? You should have come over and danced with me.”

  He gave me a smirk and said, “I’m not much of a dancer. I have other talents.”

  “I’m sure you do.”

  He pulled up to the cottage, got out, and came around to help me out of the truck. I was okay, just a bit wobbly. I gave him the keys and he opened the door for me.

  He said, “Drink a lot of water before you go to bed. You’ll be glad you did in the morning.”

  I turned around and he was inches from me. It could have been the alcohol, but I couldn’t help myself. I leaned in and kissed him on the lips. He seemed surprised at first, but then he started to kiss me back. I opened my mouth and he dove in, deepening the kiss even more. His arms came around me and he held me close while he kissed the life out of me. Our tongues mingled and explored as our bodies meshed perfectly together. I put my arms around his neck and held on. He was turning me into a wet noodle. I don’t know how long we kissed, but it wasn’t long enough. I was hoping we would still be at it in the morning. I was so turned on, I wanted to rip my clothes off. He eventually broke the kiss, and we looked at each other. He looked as surprised as I felt.

  He took a step back and abruptly said, “Goodnight, Cinderella,” turned around, and practically ran out the door.

  I shut the door and had to sit down on the couch to catch my breath. I put my hand in front of my mouth and exhaled. Yep, just as I thought, beer breath. My first kiss with the man of my dreams and I had beer breath.

  Well, I did find out what two of Ian’s other talents are. One is kissing, and the other is the hundred-yard dash.

  I sat there and relived the night—the kiss, the music, the kiss, the dancing, the twins, the kiss. Finally I got sick of myself and got up and went to bed. I guess I couldn’t have been too drunk, because I set the alarm and it went off at four in the morning. I dragged myself out of bed and got in the shower. I wasn’t feeling so good. There were cloudy skies in my head, but I knew I had to rally. I opened up the store and went into the office to make some coffee. Saturday mornings are the busiest, and both Journey and I were struggling. She was as hung-over as I was. I let her take lunch first. When she got back, I went over to the Snack Shack for something to eat.

  With the lunch rush over, I found Mo all alone. She took one look at me and said, “Meggie, you look like a hurtin’ cowgirl.”

  “Yeah, Mo, I had a little too much fun last night at Kelly’s.”

  “I heard you were the life of the party, dancin’ up a storm.”

  Surprised, I said, “Did Journey tell you that?”

  “No, Don and Mikey Murphy on the Tuna Kahuna came in for coffee this morning and said they saw you at Kelly’s.”

  I moaned. “Boy, I guess there are no secrets around here.”

  “Well, honey, I’ll fix you my hangover cure. How about a cheeseburger, fries, and a big coke?”

  “Sounds great. I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck and I’m suffering from party remorse.”

  “Why? There’s nothin’ wrong with havin’ a good time.”

  “Well, I agree with you there, but I really blew it with Ian. He was there and saw my performance. The thing is, I saw him come in with this gorgeous girl, the every-man’s-fantasy type. I was crushed and got a little bummed out and had a few too many cocktails.”

  “Oh yeah, I heard he took you home.”

  My jaw dropped and I said, “You’re kidding?”

  “Afraid not.”

  “Well, it turns out it wasn’t his girlfriend but his cousin Christine.”

  “I’ve met her. She comes down once in a while from Boston for the weekend.”

  I confessed, “I’m going to be so embarrassed next time I see him. He walked me to my door and I kissed him.”

  Mo leaned on the counter. “Now that I didn’t hear. This is gettin’ better and better. Did he kiss you back?”

  “Yes, I’ve never been so thoroughly kissed in my life. Then he said ‘Goodnight, Cinderella,’ and ran out the door. He couldn’t get away from me fast enough. It was probably my beer breath.”

  “Oh, honey, I think he might just be your Prince Charmin’,” she said, laughing and shaking her head.

  “I wish. He probably thinks I’m a big party girl now. If he wasn’t interested before, I probably ruined any chance I had with him. Besides, he told me he has lots of girlfriends.”

  Mo, trying to make me feel better, said, “Keep the faith, honey, you never know. Guys are slow-movin’. They might love you to death, but they fight it every step of the way. I don’t know why. I guess they’re all born with the stupid idea that quantity is better than quality. Eventually, they do smarten up, and then they’re happier than a bear with a picnic basket.”

  She served up my lunch and I ate every bite.

  “Mo, you’re a lifesaver. I feel so much better now. I’m going to bed early tonight and I’ll be a new woman tomorrow.”

  “You’re welcome, honey.”

  I got through the day and went home. I checked my e-mail and had one from Laura.

  Subject: Miss you

  Hey, Meggie:

  Just got back from the shore. The boys had a great time and Danny came down on the weekends. My mother-in-law babysat a couple of nights so Danny and I could go out for a few cocktails. Went to the Windrose and ran into Jimmy the Rat Bastard. He isn’t dating Barbie, the Bimbo anymore. He didn’t say who dumped whom but I hope he was the dumpee. He asked about you and I told him you were up in RI for the summer having a wild time. He looked really sad when I shared that news. Of course, I enjoyed every minute of it. Talked to Helen, and she is really looking forward to coming up. I miss you. How are you? Have you seen that cute guy again?

  Love, Laura

  I answered her back.

  Hi, Laura:

  I’m so glad to hear from you. Too bad about Jimmy and Barbie. Do I feel sorry for him? NO! I’m having a good time and I don’t really think about him anymore. Getting away has been good for my mental health. The marina keeps me busy and I did go out last night to a local pub. I drank too much, danced a lot, and am totally hung-over today. I’ve made an ass out of myself a few times since I’ve been here, but what else is new. You know me. Anyway, I did run into that cute guy again last night. His name is Ian. I knew him as a kid up here. He’s a lobsterman who keeps his boats at the marina. He is hot, hot, hot. I’m totally infatuated with him, but unfortunately, I don’t think he’s interested. I’ll let you know if anything changes. Any advice for the lovelorn? Give the kids a hug.

  Love, Meggie

  I hit Send and shut my computer off. I made myself some dinner and got in bed with The Maiden and the Monk.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  I can’t believe next weekend is the Fourth of July already. Independence Day is a big deal in Cozy Harbor. People decorate their homes and yards in preparation for the traditional Cozy Harbor Fourth of July Parade. It’s usually pretty hilarious. I’ve been here for a few of the parades and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

  Greg came by yesterday. He told me he would haul out the decorations for the marina that are stored in the shop and enlist Matt and Brian to put them up. This is the busiest weekend of the summer at the marina. Everyone who has a boat will be down for the festivities. I’m predicting that Journey and I will have a pretty hectic week. We’ll have to make sure the shelves are well stocked, which means I’ll have to do inventory and order more supplies.

  I had a busy morning, the
n I left Journey on her own so I could keep my date with Mac. It was another beautiful day with blue skies and low humidity. We haven’t had a lot of rain this summer. Luckily, when it has rained, it’s usually been in the evenings or in the middle of the night. So far, it’s been a great summer weather-wise for boaters and beachgoers. I met Mac on his boat, and we headed over to the tidal flat, our favorite spot. We clammed for about an hour and did pretty well today, getting almost a bucket full. After we were done, we took a little boat ride over to Potter’s Pond.

  I asked Mac, “Are you playing poker tonight?”

  He laughed and said, “Yeah, I’d better show up, too. I won the pot the last two weeks in a row, and the guys will be out for blood tonight.”

  “Is it a high stakes game?”

  “Just a nickel a hand, but the guys take it serious. You’d think we were playing for big bucks.”

  “Sounds fun.”

  He nodded and said, “Oh, it is. We’ve known each other for years, and we reminisce a lot and tease each other unmercifully. Hang on to your old friends, Meggie. There is nothing better than having lifelong friends you share a history with. You laugh at the same things and have the same values. Our opinions differ sometimes, but that makes life interesting.”

  I told him, “I’ve had the same two best friends since grammar school. After high school, we went to different colleges, but we’ve never drifted apart. My friend Helen is coming to visit next week.”

  “She’s invited to go clamming with us any time. I’ll look forward to meeting her.”

  “She’d like that, Mac. I just have to warn you; she’s a character.”

  “You girls should have a good time then.”

  “Oh, we will.”

  “Have you seen Ian lately? Any progress?”

  I blushed and told him about Friday night and that I haven’t seen Ian since.

  “Well, I think Ian’s starting to come around. First he insisted on taking you home. That’s a good sign. I don’t think he liked you dancing with those other fellas. Second thing is, if he kissed you back, then he is definitely interested. It’s not like you’re some girl he just met. Ian’s known you and your family for years. If he kissed you, he meant it.”