Dockside
by Janice McCrostie
Chapter 6
Clare had to get out of there. The look of utter horror on her sister’s face was torture, mostly because she wanted to laugh and cry for her at the same time. But better than anything was the look on Keaten’s face, it was taking everything in him not to jump Maeve’s bones.
After Maeve had run into her room to put some clothes on, Keaten let himself in through the screen door and apologized to Clare.
“Is she coming out any time soon?”
“Not likely.” And she laughed herself up to her room. When she’d gotten dressed and come back down the stairs he was still waiting in the living room.
“Best of luck to you!” she chimed as she jumped out the door to her car. Oh to be a fly on the wall.
He must have sat there on the futon for at least thirty minutes before Maeve had the guts to come out. She had completely covered up her body, wearing an oversized sweatshirt and blue jeans. Just to be safe she had layered a black camisole and long sleeved NYU t-shirt underneath. To say that she was sweating was an understatement; she was dripping like she’d just taken a shower.
“Hi,” was all she said.
He stood and turned towards her, both of them just waiting for the other to react first. The look that Clare had seen on his face the week before seemed to have become a permanent fixture. Keaten looked pained and angry. Maeve had the impression that his silence wasn’t brought on by nerves.
“How are you settling in?”
“Good. It’s been good. How, uh, how are you?”
“I’ve been better.”
Maeve had no idea how to react to this. With Sam it had always been silent sulks, never actually saying what he was feeling. He never came right out and said what was on his mind. She had come to the conclusion that all men were like that.
“Can I get you anything? I think we have beer in the fridge.” She walked into the kitchen and opened the door, it cooled her down a little bit so she stood there with her back to him a while.
“I’m alright.” He crossed to the sink and put his hands on either side. He gripped it the same way that he had held onto his steering wheel all those years ago.
Maeve couldn’t believe how little he had changed. He was still the strikingly handsome guy that she had fell for all those years ago. Yeah, he had gotten older, but the years of manual labor had made him look worn in a way that was comforting. He was, in this moment, the sexiest thing she had ever seen, probably because she had been stuck in the land of the white collars for five years. “You look good,” he said.
“You too.” She grabbed a bottled water out of the fridge and finally closed the door. “What brings you by?”
“Oh.” He turned and leaned on the edge of the counter. “Thought it was time I stopped by, welcoming committee.”
“That was nice of you. Did Clare say when she’d be back?”
“No. No she didn’t say. How’ve you been, you know the last eight years or so?” An easy smile perked up at the corners of his mouth, the tightness in his body had worn out.
“I’ve been good,” Maeve laughed. “Got my CPA, playing with Corporate America’s money, you know that old chestnut.”
“Well that’s good.”
“Yeah, and you?”
“Good.” His sarcastic response to her over use of the word didn’t escape her notice, so she gave him her best teacher face and he continued. “Working with my Pop, my mom passed away a few years back.”
“Yeah, I heard that I’m sorry.”
“It’s been rough, but your Grandmothers been a big help.” That same smile was etched on his face.
“I bet she has.”
“She says you’ve visited a few times. Never caught you though…”
Maeve didn’t know how to respond to that. Was “I worked hard to make sure you didn’t” an appropriate thing to say?
“Yeah I only really had time to pop up for small visits, didn’t really have time for socializing. That’s corporate life for you.”
“I guess I wouldn’t know.”
“I guess you wouldn’t.”
That awkward silence came back again. She didn’t mean to sound so harsh, it just kind of happened that way. Maeve MacArdle was a lot of things and one of those things was awkward.
“I didn’t mean it the way that it sounded.
“It’s fine. It’s true, I don’t know anything about desks.” There was a glint in Keaten’s eye that told her he was teasing her. “Now baiting on the other hand I could teach you about.”
“Ughh, no thank you.”
The memory of a nasty boat trip where Maeve nearly got sick off the side of the boat flashed in both their memories and the two were laughing again, like old friends. Everything seemed really simple with Keaten, like riding a bike. It surprised Maeve that everything was going along so seamlessly.
She had expected to feel more anguish seeing him than she did. All she felt right now was comfort, happiness and little hint of lust. She took a sip of her water to clear up her cotton mouth, and besides that one minor impairment of his presence, everything was fine. They continued on like that, talking about how life had changed and who’d they’d become.
She didn’t mention her engagement and he didn’t mention his son. They talked about little things, how was Mom and Dad? Was Clare completely crazy or was it Maeve because she had followed along? How was the fallout from his father’s new ‘relationship’? Town gossip and the success of the lobster season so far, conversation flowed.
“I better get going.” He said finally, “I need to get some work done on the boat before tonight.”
“Tonight?”
“Didn’t your grandma call you?”
“No she…” Like a cue in a movie the phone rang. “How the heck?”
He laughed and began walking backwards towards the door. “Oh and by the way, when I said you looked good I meant it. I meant every inch of it.”
She felt the blood rush to her face as he let himself out the door. She reached for the phone.
“Hello.”
“Alright, so dish.”
After Clare hung up with her sister she turned to her Grandmother and smiled.
“I think an old love has been rekindled.”
Gram gaped over across a sea of articles from the newsletter she edited.
“Got to go!” Clare hollered and headed out the door.
“Wait just a minute missy!” Gram crossed around the table and caught the door behind her. “You girls better be here by , I’m not cooking all this food on my own.”
“Yes, madam!” Clare called over her shoulder.
As she road down the two lane high way towards the liquor store she couldn’t help but giggle. After all her hubbub Maeve had given about seeing Keaten, she hadn’t had one problem with it, well once she was clothed anyway.
Clare found herself getting more and more excited as she followed the easy contours of the road. Tonight, if Gram and Clare and Mike had their way a new line of Moose Isle Mac Ardles was about to be born with the McGuire last name.
Even though she never said it, Clare could tell that Maeve was ready to settle down. It was the little things that let it show, like how distracted she had gotten at the super market when the young mother walked by with her newborn baby. Or when they were down at the beach and the father and son duo searching for sea shells became a topic of conversation.
It was time, Clare knew for something to go right in her sister’s love life. She had it charmed with school and work, getting good grade and excellent jobs, but she’d never had it any luck with the men. Clare was going to change that, amendment to her bring the freak out in her sister plan, she was also going to help her have everything.
She was giggling about that when she entered the liquor store and spotted the two young fishermen. She flashed them a bright smile and headed towards the beer. It had always been her drink of choice, her way of proving that she was one of the boys.
“So many choices.” She mumbled to the freezer.
“You’re telling me.” One of the fishermen was standing next to her, grinning down.
“What you got?” she gestured towards the six pack in his hand.
“Just some Heinekens. Where you coming from?”
“My house actually.” It was laced with her usual sarcasm. “Out on Barton Street .”
“Nice.” His friend called his name from the front of the store. “Well we live over on Homer, if you feel up for some, fun, tonight.” He began backing away down the aisle, his grin turned devious. “54 Homer Street .”
“Maybe.” Clare flirted back; boys can be so much fun.
Chapter 7
When she walked out the front of the store Clare spotted him immediately. Jasper Clay was leaning on her driver’s side door, two teenage skanks talking his ear off. The one wore a purple t-shirt with tight black pants and stood back a little from the car. The other was inches from Jasper, leaning in with a form fitted black top and miniskirt. Both girls had ditzy blonde hair and huge sunglass. The uncomfortable look on his face made Clare laugh and she hung back a second to watch the scene unravel.
“So you’re, like, a doctor?” Ditzy Blond #1 leaned in closer.
“I am.”
“So could you tell me what this is?” she pulled her strap down off her shoulder and leaned in towards him.
“I’m not that type of doctor actually, and that’s a mole.”
“Ewww. What do you mean you aren’t that type of doctor?”
“I have a Doctorate in Anthropology.”
“Oh. What’s that?” Ditzy Blond #2 rolled her eyes and tugged at #1’s arm.
“I study people.”
“Cool.” The girl played with her hair and Clare had enough, “I really like your car.”
She put on her sassiest walk and strutted over.
“You mean his girlfriend’s car.” The quiet girl tugged a little harder on her friend’s arm. Clare moved right between Jasper and the ditzy blonde #1, wrapping her arm tightly around his waste. “Hey, baby.”
“Hey.” He looked down at her, a shit eating grin across his face.
“You always loved the purple.”
“I do.” They gawked at each other with ooey-gooey eyes so fake that Clare had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing.
“Jasper, you’re being so rude, introduce me to your new friends!”
She couldn’t tell if ditzy blonde #1 picked up on her sarcasm, but #2 definitely wanted to leave.
“Oh this is…”
But #1 realized before he could get to it that he didn’t in fact know her name, so she interrupted with “Tiffany,” a bright moment in very few, “and this is Megan.”
“Nice to meet you girls, babe we have to get going. My parents have dinner on the table at 6 on the dot and we still have to get back to, umm clean up the bathtub from this morning.” She winked at him slyly. “Come on!” She tapped as his butt and pulled at the driver side door. After she was inside she heard #2 say “Come on!” And with a mumbled “goodbye” the two were gone and Jasper leaned into her window.
“My knight in shining armor…”
“I do try.” She said in her sweetest voice possible. “How’d you get yourself in that pickle?”
“I have no idea.”
“What are you doing right now?” He looked at her with intense curiosity in his eyes and she met his gaze with one equally mischievous. “Get in.”
There was something about how awkwardly comfortable he looked trying to be cordial to those girls. The way he leaned tenderly on her car with his hands across his chest, trying to keep his frustration at bay. It didn’t take years of flirting to know that when a man leans away, it’s not a good sign. Now when he gets in the car and drives off with you, definitely a good sign. Very Pretty Woman.
They were speeding down Route 2 before Clare even figured out what she even planned to do with him. All this talk of love had made her frisky and on an island this size she figured she can find somewhere secluded they could grope like teenagers in heat. She’d never really hesitated when she knew what she wanted, and in this moment she wanted Jasper.
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere.”
“Enlightening.”
Clare eyed his knee next to her, his fingers drummed slowly on the denim. She knew exactly what it was that made him so tempting to her, the fact that he was the complete opposite of everything she had ever dated in the past. Clare was one for the stoic fairly feminine types, the artist, the musician, the actor. If he shared his emotions through any form of expression, had tattoos covering his body or piercing on any portion of his person, Clare was absolutely drawn to him. Clare wasn’t one for relationships; she was one for friendships with benefits. Boys were too messy and an obligation she didn’t need. If she never stuck around long then she didn’t have to witness the fall out.
She pulled down the driveway of one of the many beaches on the island. Excellent, she thought, apparently the late afternoon hour made this hot spot less hot then usual. She tucked the car into a corner and giggled.
“What’s so funny?” Jasper asked no concern in his voice. He’d driven off with a near stranger and they were now parked hidden from the road on an island with no cops. She could be crazy for all he knew. She partially was.
“I was just thinking about how many kids have pulled into this very spot to get it on.”
“Is that what we’re doing here?”
Clare thought back to last time she’d had sex, it was right before Christmas. She had gone home with the bassist from a band she had gone to see with friends. He was nice, but not much more. Poor Malcolm had called every day for two weeks, but after she’d left his bed she was done. There had been something that night that made her realize it was time to turn over a new leaf, something in the coldness of a touch that should have been warm. She had gone through the motions, but where lust had once taken the place of heart, there was nothing. It was time, for Clare, to wait it out for someone special.
Jasper Clay was nothing special, but it had been too long. She figured she had to take safety breaks every once in a while to keep from a complete relapse.
Looking across Jasper’s lap, Clare was ecstatic about her smaller form.
“Stay.” Hopping out of the car, she ran around the back, flipping her head over to fluff up her hair. Clare opened the passenger door and propped one foot up.
“Am I your little pet or something?” Jasper looked up at her out of the corner of his eye.
“You have no idea.” And with one swift movement Clare climbed inside the Saturn and straddled him.
“Apparently not,” he took a deep breath and let it out. Clare could feel it on her neck; maybe she wasn’t as tiny as she thought. She pulled back a bit so she could look at him, just for a while. He was strikingly beautiful, she might as well soak it all in before her eyes were closed and her lips were biting his ear.
For a moment time stopped. There eyes met and it was all that clichéd crap that Clare tried so hard to avoid. She felt like she knew every part of him. He was a good man, she could tell that by the fact that his hands lay on the top of her thighs and not any other of the numerous places they could roam. And he was shy too, that was apparent by the shock and embarrassment that had been in his eyes. Her heart did something funny and it made her breath catch in her chest. She didn’t like it, so she kissed him.
She tried to make it urgent, sexual, reckless, but he wouldn’t let her. He slowed her down; put his fingers in her hair. Every inch of him was passionate but his fingertips and lips, they were tender on her skin, wanting more but not wanting time to move too quickly. She had the sudden inkling to melt into him and Clare pulled away; usually she was halfway to home base by now. He pulled her close and began kissing her ear and neck.
At that point she’d had enough. Clare sat up as much as she could in the cramped space and cracked her head on the roof of the car.
“Ow! Damnit!”
Jasper laughed and she glared down at him.
“Stop acting like a dork and figure out a way to take your pants off.” She toyed with her belt buckle, not sure why her hands were shaking.
“No.” Her head shot up again and another thud echoed through the small car.
“What?” she rubbed at the knot that was now growing on the back of her head.
“I’m not going to have sex with you inside a purple Saturn.” He looked around at the tight squeeze they were in. “I’m not even sure it would be possible.”
“Fine.” She didn’t even take the time to let her humiliation set in. She climbed off of him directly into the driver seat. “Close the door.”
They were back in the parking lot of the liquor store in a matter of minutes; Clare had pushed the Saturn close to 70 on the 45 miles per hour road.
He leaned across the passenger seat and pressed his lips to her ear.
“When we have sex Clare, now that I know it’s a definite option, we will be in my bed, after a real date and possibly a little impaired by an extremely expensive bottle of wine. And that’s a promise.” He kissed her on the cheek and climbed out of the car.
Clare sped off the minute the door clicked closed. What the fuck had just happened?
Maeve was all aglow when Clare got back and she wanted to punch her in the face. When she came up to the house her sister was pulling weeds, rocking out to Sheryl Crow with a huge goofy smile on her face. So what? She’d been reunited with Mr. Right, the rest of us don’t give a shit. Sickening.
Clare slipped by hoping the music had drowned out her car engine. Even though she wasn’t all about the happy right now, she didn’t want to bring her sister down. Maeve had been mooning for eight years; Clare’s crappy moods came and went. But this one was brought on by Jasper Clay, the uptight mama’s boy probably raised on the Upper East Side being spoon fed by silver… spoons.
Clare took a moment to breath, it didn’t help. She took another deep breath and headed into the kitchen, threw the beers in the fridge and pulled out a cold one from the back. Without hesitation she cracked it open on the counter top and began chugging it down. It was the most refreshing thing she had ever drank, the cool carbonation dancing down her throat while the hops popped on her tongue. The brew was nearly gone before she came up for air.
“Jesus Clare, you want a funnel?”
“Actually, yeah.” She took some final gulps and turned to open the fridge. “You mind driving tonight?”
“Not at all.” Maeve gave a slight laugh and grabbed an apple off the counter. “Gonna get loaded?”
“That’s the idea.” She took another sip and glared across at her sister, still glowing.
“Want to talk about it?”
“Nope.”
Clare trekked up the stairs, stopping half way up to poor some more beer down her throat. She dug her camera out from under a pile of clothes and turned to look at her space. It needed something, that’s what she would work on tomorrow. Covering the walls with her photos, but right now she needed another beer.
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