Finn watched as Rachel poured coffee and juggled jars of maple syrup. She maneuvered amid a barrage of breakfast orders, the comings and goings of men, and the scuff of their boots along the wooden floor. He’d heard from his brother that Rachel had started work here a week ago, and he had to see for himself.
He sat with the newspaper spread across the table and the carpetbag at his feet. When she came to take his order, he looked up from the paper into the curiosity on her face.
“Finn,” she said, then she looked around the restaurant as if checking on other customers. “Did you come with my bag?”
“It’s at the shop,” he said, hoping she’d come over after work, and he could see her again.
“I’ll be sure to stop by then.” There was a warmth in her voice, as if she was fond of him. The scar on her head looked roughly sewn together, a nubbly line of red tissue that receded into her hairline. He only wanted to win her over. He wanted her to know that he’d saved her as much as Nathaniel had. If he hadn’t sailed the boat, they would’ve been wrecked by the squall.
She took his order and smiled. Out of all these men, he wanted to be the only one that she was here to take care of. The other men ordering their breakfasts were a mere distraction. He was the one who mattered, and she was the relief he needed from the cold reception he received at home. He ate slowly and watched her swipe tips from the tables into her apron pocket. He deserved a woman who paid attention to him, and Rachel had paid attention to him on the boat.
As the restaurant emptied, Rachel washed down the tables. She appeared to be waiting for him to leave. The way her backside filled out her dress as she leaned over a table to close a window, the threadbare fabric pulled so that the seams of her underthings showed. He imagined her body beneath the dress, the soft pale skin over each curve of hip and thigh, her legs strong, pliant beneath her stockings, and her arms around him. With her face turned up to him, he would receive her like a gift.
“How about keeping me company for a minute?” Finn called to her.
“Work doesn’t stop when everyone leaves,” she said. She ran the rag across the table, then wiped her hands on her apron.
“Everyone needs a rest during such a busy day,” Finn said.
He pushed the chair across the table out with his foot, then watched her consider him from across the room. She was still tired from the accident and not used to being on her feet all day, he could see that. Mrs. O’Shea wouldn’t mind if she joined him.
“It looks like you’ve healed well,” he said, tapping his forehead. “I’m glad.”
“Mrs. Butler took very good care of me.”
“I went to visit you, but Meredith sent me away. I don’t like her,” he said.
“She took very good care of me.”
“It was rude. I only wanted to see how you were doing,” he said. “I wanted to tell you how sorry I was that you were injured. I sailed the boat over to you and Nathaniel and helped pull you onboard, but you were unconscious. We were so worried—”
“It was a storm. There was nothing you could do about it. I was horsing around. I should have gone below like I was told. It was my own fault.”
Finn wanted to change the subject. “We had fun before that.”
“When you were flirting with me?”
“You flirted back.”
When Rachel didn’t respond, he said, “You work hard.” He pressed his fingers down on the tines of a fork to rock it up and down like a seesaw. “I’m surprised there isn’t a young man come along to take care of you.”
“Maybe that’s not what I’m looking for.” She turned from him to face the window, bounced her leg up and down as if she were about to run from him.
“That’s what every young woman is looking for.”
“I’m not every woman.”
Rachel watched the harbor where the fishermen on the mackerel smacks unloaded crates of fish. Finn followed the line of her gaze to the wagon from Butler Fishing Company that stood by while fish were packed with ice, the crates nailed shut, then stacked on the wagon like tiny coffins. When she turned away from him, he leaned closer with his elbows on the table. His loneliness opened like a ditch. He was overtaken with the impulse to hold her hand, so he put his hands back in his lap and continued.
“You’re the nicest thing I’ve seen around here in ages.”
Rachel turned to watch the gulls near the jetty, then she pushed herself back from the table. “You’ll have to excuse me,” she said. “I need to get back to work, but I’ll see you this afternoon.” She turned to go.
“Yes, of course,” he said. He waited until she disappeared into the kitchen before he took his leave, thinking maybe, after all, he could get something he wanted.