Chapter Four

An hour later, with a couple more drinks poured into me, amazingly enough, I had all the wedding details memorized. It was going to be a simple beach ceremony in front of their place at sunset. Bonfires would spring up along their section of beach with food stations on Eric’s and Lily’s back patios, and music blasting from the speakers. It sounded more like a beach party from our teens years than it did a wedding ceremony on Christmas Day. However, it sounded perfect for them, and I couldn’t wait to be a part of it.

Henry’s sudden scream rattled down the stairs, and Lily popped out of her seat. “Sorry. I may be a while. He’s been getting these night terrors and it’s hard to settle him back down.”

“You know what, it’s late, Lil. You go take care of your baby, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She gave me a look that was a dead ringer for how my mother used to look at me when I’d volunteer to go and locate Lily at some party. Instant relief. “Thanks, Mo. Night, Jesse.”

With a quick wave, she disappeared down the short hall and up the stairs to her wailing son.

As I pushed myself up, my body felt as if it weighed 300 pounds and it took me more time than I’d like to get to a standing position. Perhaps I should’ve moved more rather than sit as still as a statue and pour back those merry drinks. I shook my head, which was the wrong thing to do as the room started spinning, and I tossed my arms out the side.

“Whoa.” Jesse jumped beside me. “A little too much to drink?”

I stared at his handsome face. He had a lot of scruff, that sexy 5 o’clock kind, and I wanted to run my hand over it. However, according to everyone in the room, I was still a married woman, and it would’ve been highly inappropriate.

“Nope.” I popped the p. “I had just the right amount, thank you, and I’m feeling pretty good.” I tried to whisper.

Eric laughed. “Well, those were some highly tainted drinks.”

I thrust a thumbs up sign and smiled. At least I thought it was a smile. “Awesome. Just what I needed.”

Jesse had an arm wrapped around my waist. “Let’s get you back to my place.”

His gaze pulled me close, and along with drowning my sorrows, the alcohol smothered my inhibitions. “Okay,” I breathed out as a sly grin stretched across my lips. It was far too easy to stare into those dark brown eyes, the irises lined with a halo of amber.

“Need a hand?” Eric asked.

“Why? I can walk on my own two feet.” I stood straight just to prove my point and then tittered to the left and caught myself against Jesse’s firm chest.

Jesse gripped my waist tighter as he answered Eric. “I’m good, man. It’s a short walk.”

A short walk that somehow seemed to take the better part of ten minutes because I couldn’t get enough of the twinkling lights in his yard and needed to stand and watch, mesmerized.

“They’re so pretty.”

“I’m glad you think so. C’mon. It’s getting cold out.”

Reluctantly, I let him lead me inside where indeed it was nice and warm. There was a hint of redness on his cheeks, and a sparkle in his eyes that matched the lights outside.

“It’s been quite the day, hasn’t it?” Jesse shrugged out of his jacket and helped me out of mine.

“Yeah. I locked all my belongings into my new place before I headed here. I haven’t even unpacked. Movers dropped off the boxes, and without a thought of what to do with my life now, here I came.”

“A new place is always nice.” Jesse pointed towards the stairwell. “Up we go.”

“Did you know I’ve never lived on my own?” I stepped on the first stair and contemplated the second. “Left home for college with roommates, and left college for Charlie, and now, I’m in my own place.”

I leaned against the wall after climbing four stairs. It required too much energy, and the little I had left I wanted to save for the climb into bed. Waiting a minute wasn’t going to hurt anything. Besides, I needed to catch my breath. I started sliding down the wall to rest on the stair.

“Oh no. Only a few more to go.” Jesse reached for my hand and gave it a gentle tug. “C’mon. You’re almost there.”

The alcohol seemed to give a voice to the words I’d held back for so long, and a little misdirection from the sweet guy wasn’t going to stop me.

“It was over between us for so long. He’d already moved out but graciously offered to let me stay in the house until it sold. Wasn’t that nice of him?” The last three stairs were the hardest, but I gave it my best with Jesse’s tugs and stood at the top victorious. “Ta-da.” My arms flew out to the sides. “Isn’t Charlie the best?”

“I honestly wouldn’t know.” He walked me to the door of my temporary lodgings. “Are you okay to … you know… take care of getting ready for bed?”

“Oh yeah. I’ll be fine. Thanks for your help.” I stepped into the room. “G’nite, Jesse.”

I slumped onto the bed and the room darkened.

 

# # #

 

I woke with a throbbing headache. What the hell had I done last night? And what was worse, what had I unloaded on Jesse? Faint memories tickled my thoughts and slowly, the realization of it came to fruition. I had confessed about my failed marriage. To a stranger. I hadn’t even told my own sister.

I sat up in bed, and after seeing it was after eight, listened. Aside from the faint rolling sound of waves crashing on the shore, there didn’t seem to be any other sound in the house. No movement, no shuffling of feet, not even a snore. After freshening up in a very neat and tidy bathroom, I inched my way downstairs and into the hall.

“Good morning.” Jesse’s low voice called out from the living room.

“Morning.” I averted his gaze and kept my head down low.

He rose off his seat, after folding the newspaper in half.

“There’s fresh coffee brewed and a bottle of Tylenol beside it. Help yourself to anything. Sorry that there’s not a lot of fresh food.” He opened a tiny drawer beside the fridge and pulled out a scratch pad and pen, along with a keychain. In terrible chicken scratch, he wrote down a name and address. “This is Lenny’s place. If you’re not familiar, it’s just off the main drag, tucked closer to the wharf.”

I was sure the locations in the Bay would come back to me once I drove around.

“And here’s a key so you can come and go.”

I stared at it as it skittered across the island. “But you don’t… I’m a…”

“You’re Lily and Eric’s sister. That’s enough for me. Besides, small towns talk, right?” His empty coffee cup rattled in the sink as he set it down.

I nodded. Slowly. “About last night…”

“I promise to not say a word.” He gave me another once over but settled his gaze on my face. “I need to work for a bit today, but I should be back by two.”

“What do you do?”

He hesitated, and his mouth opened quickly and shut with a snap.

“Sorry, I was being nosey. You don’t need to answer.” I wrapped my fingers around the keychain and lifted it into the air, still avoiding eye contact. “I promise to guard it with my life.”

He moved a couple feet closer toward the front door and stopped. “Would I be out of line to see if you wanted to go to dinner tonight?”

I blinked twice and looked into his eyes, feeling a gentle pull into them. “No. Not at all.”

“Perfect. I’ll see you later.”

With that, he left his house, leaving me alone. As my stomach growled, I inched open the fridge to see what was quick to grab for a bite to eat. He wasn’t kidding when he said there wasn’t much; it was nearly empty. I did a little poking around his bare cupboards, noting a few things while setting up a small list of items to buy. Assuming there was still a grocery store in town, I was going to stock his fridge and pantry full. After all, he’d put me up for a night, and had helped me with a flat tire. It was the very least I could do, and I hoped I wasn’t overstepping.

Once, when I was down on my luck my first semester in college, my dad had done it for me. Dead broke, my roommates and I couldn’t even scrap together enough cash between the three of us to buy a bag of apples and a jug of milk. Dad took it upon himself to fill our cupboards and fridge and freezer. To this day, I’ve never forgotten how savoury a fresh apple was and how wonderful it felt to not have to eat another bag of cheap ramen, which incidentally I noted Jesse had a small stash of.

After meeting with Lenny, I wasn’t too comfortable with going back to Jesse’s house and just hanging out, so I walked the main drag in Cheshire Bay wondering how much things had changed. Spoiler alert, nothing had. The store names remained the same, all funky little town Mom & Pop types of names; Belles et Garcons, Daisy’s Delights, Sylvia’s Bakery. All stores I remember visiting when I was in my teens, especially the bake shop with its gigantic cinnamon buns.

As the snow fell in picturesque flakes, Christmas carols played from some mystical places, as I never saw any speakers. The storefronts all had a holiday display of some sort, whether it be holly and berries, or angels, or a nicely painted Christmas tree.

It was overload though, and the thought of hearing ‘Have Yourselves a Merry Little Christmas’ was enough to make me leave. I couldn’t be the only one in town who didn’t enjoy Christmas, and yet, as I scanned the street, people were chatting with smiles and friendly pats as their arms were loaded up with bags.

Maybe I was the only one.

I popped into Whimsical Whims, a tchotchke paradise. The window display promised something for everyone, and I appreciated a good challenge. Near the front of the store there were a variety of handmade ornaments, and I searched the tree for a better part of a half hour looking for the perfect gift for Lily, testing the stores promise. In addition to the sizeable cheque for her wedding gift, I wanted to find a nice ornament to bestow upon her as a memento of the season. Mom had always given us a special one for the tree every year since I was born, until… she couldn’t.

While I was on the hunt for Lily in a half-hearted effort to reboot the tradition, I stumbled across one for Jesse - a twinkling Christmas tree that reminded me of his front yard. I held the lightweight ornament in my palm and in doing so, spied the gift beckoning me. Buried into the branches was a silver snowflake baring an etched sentimental saying about the love and bond between sisters. It was too perfect to not get it, even if Lily and I weren’t quite there in our relationship, it was certainly on its way.

I took both up to the register, stopping at another display case filled with hand-carved wooden ornaments. “These are gorgeous.”

Despite the multitude of options, I selected a 2D snow globe and added it to the two others.

“Would you like this engraved?” The teenaged boy asked as he pulled out a pile of tissue paper. “It would go here.” His nail-bitten fingertip touched the bottom.

“Sure.” I tipped my head to the side in deep thought and glanced to the display, hoping there was a sign or something to give me a spur of the moment idea. There was nothing. “What about ‘The Morris Family’ and add the year?”

It should work. Something to commemorate their Christmas Day wedding.

“Sure thing, ma’am. It’ll take about an hour for Gus to do it.”

“That’s fine.”

I was getting some tummy growlies and wanted to grab a bite to eat anyway. I paid for the gifts, and tucked my receipt into my purse, and held the little bags in my hand.

Exiting Whimsical Whims and away from Mariah Carey’s only holiday hit, I spotted Jesse walking across the street.

“Hey!” I waved.

He crossed over the street after a sedan passed, a smile leaking slowly off the edges of his pinkish pout. “Doing some shopping?”

“Well, you know. Keeping the locals in business.” I lifted the couple of bags. It wasn’t much really. I’d spent most of my money so far buying groceries.

“That’s kind of you, and I’m sure they all appreciate it. Where you heading next?”

I looked up and down the street. “Peter’s Pitas. Lenny went on and on about them.”

The older man had a wrapped order on his desk and even through the wax paper, the hint of spices and cooked meat was mouth-watering. I didn’t need his accolades, but it sure helped in securing a place to have lunch.

“They’re just up here, off the drag.”

“Do you have time to join me?”

He nodded and checked his watch. “I’ll need to be back in the office at one for a quick order arrival, but yeah, I have time.”

“Sounds fun.”

He was dressed pretty casually in jeans and a sweater, so not likely an office job. Maybe he worked at one of the little indie businesses? Or helped fill shelves at the grocer, although I would’ve seen him this morning.

Jesse stood a little straighter. “Not really. I have a shipment of urns coming in.”

My face fell.

“I’m a mortician.”