Had To Be You

by Juliet Chatham

  Rory wished she had a drink right about now.

  “Strip club? Well, now I know why Bobby claimed not to know the plan,” Lindsay said with a smirk. “And Murph isn’t able to make it out?”

  Jill shook her head. “Not for that. He’ll be here for the wedding. But Kevin got a text from him last night saying he couldn’t get the time off and switch to any earlier flights.”

  Rory chose to take the absence of Matt’s best friend from the bachelor party festivities as a symbolic show of solidarity, even if it was grasping at straws. After all, she needed someone on her side.

  “Anyway…Rory, we were actually going to see if you wanted to go out.” Jill looked over at her. “Make it a girl’s night. Though I might only be good for maybe a little dinner before I’m falling asleep at the table, but whatever you want to do.”

  “Yeah, we could do that,” she agreed, deciding she could always just leave tomorrow. What was one more day? Then she quickly narrowed her eyes, defense reflexes triggered. “Wait, this isn’t what I think it is—is it? Some pity party in my honor? Because I’m fine.”

  “Of course you are. We know that.” Jill swung her legs around to stand from the table, gripping her water bottle in her hand as she hoisted herself up from her seat. “But right now I’ve got to head back before my mom thinks I’ve fallen and can’t get up.”

  “Wait, did you walk over here?”

  “Jill has apparently discovered exercise,” Lindsay informed her in amusement.

  “Not by choice,” she grumbled. “Believe me, as soon as this baby is out? Right back to booze and inertia. I may even take up smoking, just for the hell of it.”

  “We’ll see you later?”

  “Yeah.”

  They watched her walk out into the hazy sunshine of the late morning, the screen door swinging shut behind her.

  “So, I haven’t really had the chance to talk to you alone.” Lindsay turned back to Rory with a questioning, doubtful smile. “Are you really okay with all this? With Matt getting married?”

  “Of course I am!” she said, although her voice sounded a little shrill to her own ears. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  Lindsay almost laughed, her eyebrows lifting. “Uh—do you really want to go there?”

  Rory only gave her a look.

  “Right, okay…and changing subjects again, what’s up with our parents-to-be? Are they ever getting married or what?”

  “Who knows?” Rory shrugged her shoulder. “Jill always claims she’s not interested in marriage. And Trevor hasn’t exactly made any attempts to ask, at least as far as I know.”

  “But he’s happy about the baby? It’s all good?”

  “Oh, yeah. They’re definitely in it together, and he’s very happy about it. It’s actually pretty sweet.”

  “Well,” Lindsay conceded, taking a berry from the bowl on the table to pop it in her mouth, “marriage is not for everyone, I guess.”

  Rory only smiled sadly, since she saw it a little differently.

  Maybe marriage is only for the people you thought you were going to marry.

  ***

  It was almost dark when they arrived at the bar. Rory couldn’t help her longing gaze from searching the crowd, even though she knew Matt wasn’t going to be here. After arriving in town with all these romantic reunion scenarios in her head, now she wondered if she would even get the chance to say goodbye to him.

  “Hey, hi there!”

  Turning in the direction of the cheerful voice, she saw Casey approaching.

  “Casey Conroy!” Lindsay greeted her. “Wow. How are you?”

  “Great! So nice to see you guys!” She gave them a quick wink. “Special guests get premium seating. Follow me.”

  She led them through the main bar and to a table on the outside patio offering the best water views.

  “Thanks.” Rory gave her a more genuine smile. It was rather pointless to feel anything like jealousy towards her now. “How is your night going?”

  “Okay. We had a decent early crowd, so that was good. Get them in and out. But it’s so boring here tonight with all the fun guys at Matt’s bachelor party.”

  The smile suddenly felt a little too tight on her face.

  “A waitress should be over in a minute.” Casey gave them a quick wave as she hurried away towards a large group just walking in. “We’ll chat later.”

  The waitress arrived to get their drink orders, promising to return in a moment as she hurried off to the bar. Lindsay excused herself to the ladies’ room.

  Rory studied the small paper pub menu, even though she had no real appetite.

  “Are you okay?”

  She glanced up, surprised to hear a twinge of genuine concern in Jill’s voice.

  “Yes, I keep telling you—I’m fine,” she assured her.

  “Well, I’m not,” Jill said, sliding from her seat. “Now that Lindsay had to bring it up, I have to go to the bathroom, too.” She drew the word out with weary emphasis. “Again.”

  Rory edged the table back to give her more room, acutely conscious of the little belly that now jutted out like a round shelf. The fact it housed an entire tiny human being was kind of starting to freak her out.

  “Do you need help?”

  “Going to the bathroom? No, just take me out into a field and shoot me if it actually comes to that.” Jill said. “I’m good.”

  Rory’s amused smile faded once she found herself sitting there alone, and her gaze traveled out over the early evening summer harbor.

  ***

  The small boat cut a slow path through the shimmering, sunset-stained water. Matt stilled the motor as they approached the public landing, coasting the rest of the way in until the bumpers hit the dock with two soft thuds.

  They spent the whole afternoon off the outer beach, anchored next to other boats on the wide strip of sandbar that appeared with every low tide.

  Rory and Kevin hopped off to help with the lines and Matt gave her a wink as she caught the frayed rope easily in one hand.

  “I’m going to make a decent first mate out of you yet,” he joked.

  “Okay, bye guys! Thanks, Matt!” Lindsay called out, grasping Bobby’s hand as he helped her hop off to the dock. “What time is the big party tomorrow night?”

  Matt lifted his hand in farewell. “It starts around five.”

  “Okay, we’ll see you then!”

  “And it’s probably going to take me that long to get the sand out of my crotch,” Jill announced with a grimace, standing on deck to tug at her tiny bikini bottom.

  Trevor hoisted the cooler in his arms, and sighed in mock adoration. “Ah, and she’s all mine!”

  Kevin shared a lingering smile with Adam. Rory had only been home from New York for a day, but already suspected things might be getting serious between the two of them.

  “What’s the plan?” Kevin asked. “We can’t just stop drinking now.”

  “No,” Matt agreed. “Because that might be advisable.”

  “They’ve got a good band playing up the Boathouse tonight,” Jill suggested, her bikini disappearing under the striped sundress she had slipped over her head. “Drinks are cheap. And so are we.”

  Rory noticed Kevin hesitate and she made a point to catch Matt’s eye. His brother was the youngest of the bunch, a month shy of twenty-one. Matt gave her a quizzical frown, but then seemed to understand.

  “They’re not gonna card you there, bro,” he tried to assure him.

  The Boathouse was a private club, a townie exclusive if there ever were such a thing, and therefore its rules regarding the legal drinking age were a bit lax.

  “It’s not that.” Kevin grimaced. “I think Mom and Dad said earlier that they were going there for dinner.”

  “Yeah, for the early bird lobster special in the restaurant downstairs. We’re going up to the bar on the top deck.”

  Kevin still seemed skeptical.

  “You want to go someplace else?” Rory jumped in, empathizing with him.
They shared a more cautious nature that his brother did not. “We’ll go someplace else. Not a big deal.”

  Matt’s smile twitched at the corner of his mouth as he finished packing things away and started hosing down his deck. “The lady has spoken.”

  “No,” Kevin replied with a sudden determination, exchanging glances with Adam. “No, forget it. Let’s just go.”

  They all headed up the dock, sun-bronzed from a day out on the water, sunglasses propped on heads. Matt made one last sweep of the boat to make sure it was secure and Rory held back, waiting for him as the others made their way up the swaying ramp.

  He jogged up, his eyes as blue as the water behind him. When he reached her side, she leaned in, bumping shoulders playfully.

  “I kind of got the impression that was a little bit more about who he was with, rather than where we were going. But your parents have to know on some level by now, right?” she asked, speaking softly even though they were yards behind.

  “Yeah, you’d have to think so,” Matt said. “Maybe they want him to just come out and say it, or bring a guy home for the first time. I don’t know, it’s hard to tell. You know they aren’t exactly known for their progressive, enlightened way of thinking.”

  Upon arrival, they climbed the staircase that scaled the side of the gray-shingled building on the pier until they reached the roof deck where the thumping beat of live music carried out on the wind. Rum drinks were served in plastic cups, and the beer flowed from tapped kegs, but it attracted just as much of the elite yachting crowd as it did the local lobstermen.

  They found a spot to claim as their own. Matt surprised Rory with a drink—something fruity, though no doubt deadly—but for every sip that made it into her mouth, some more splashed onto the sticky floor as the music stirred and jostled the crowd around them.

  “Where’s yours?” she asked, needing to raise her voice to be heard.

  Matt lifted his empty hands. “I’m good. Besides, someone has to watch out for you.”

  She dropped her mouth open, mostly just pretending to be outraged.

  “I am fine, thank you very much!”

  He just grinned and laughed, and his hand smoothed up and down her back in a quick, reassuring caress. Jill appeared at that moment, draped over Trevor as he hooked his arms through her slim legs and hiked her up on his back.

  “I need food!” she said with a pout, arms around his neck as she rested her chin on his shoulder.

  “Come on, drunky,” he said, but with affection. “I’ll go grab you a burger or crabby patty or something downstairs.” He glanced back to them. “Hey, have you seen Kevin and Adam?”

  Rory and Matt shook their heads. They had been so wrapped up in each other, it was easy to lose track of everyone else.

  “Okay, I’ll go see if we can find them. I’m hoping the kitchen is still open downstairs. We’ll be back.”

  Rory returned her attention to the band, glancing up at their ceiling of open starlight, and took another brief sip of her cocktail before placing it down on the bar. She preferred to drink in the ocean air.

  Eventually, she turned to him with a slow smile.

  Matt only had to catch a glimpse of the look in her eyes. “Oh, no,” he laughed skeptically. “Uh-uh. No way. You’re not getting me out there.”

  “Please?”

  “Don’t give me that look!” he said, shaking his head. “It’s not fair.”

  Rory grasped the front of his shirt, fisting the cotton fabric in her hand as she started to move away from the bar towards open floor. Underneath, her fingers grazed all his solid warmth. She wanted to feel more of him, and wanted him to feel all of her.

  “Why isn’t it fair?”

  The crowd opened briefly, then like the tide moved in all around to push them up close. He was smiling down at her now in this proximity, head bowed, lips almost close enough to kiss.

  “Because you turn those big, beautiful eyes on me and you know I can’t resist. I’ve never been able to.”

  His large hands skimmed down to hold her at her waist, and Rory slid hers up the solid wall of his chest before encircling his neck. They swayed to the music a moment before he grasped her, twirling her out around and then right back into his arms. Laughing, she draped her arms around him, and nestled her head into that perfect spot. Closing her eyes, she breathed in the leftover sunshine and sea air, all those scents that were uniquely him. He stroked the back of her hair before his arm encircled her waist to hold her that much closer.

  “Matt!” Trevor suddenly burst through the crowd, looking alarmed. “You need to get downstairs. Now!”

  He didn’t hesitate. Rory followed as best she could as he pushed through the crowd, and then the three of them clattered down the flight of wooden plank steps outside. She spotted Kevin immediately in the parking lot below, bitter tears streaking his face. Mr. O’Shea was there and he was shouting something at him. Jill stood a few feet away, looking sick with worry.

  “Just walk away, Dad! Go ahead!” Kevin yelled. “Turn your back! You’ve been doing it your whole life—don’t stop now!”

  “What’s going on?” Matt demanded, and placed himself between them.

  “Get him out of my sight!” Mr. O’Shea growled. He then pointed a finger at Matt. “I’m holding you responsible for this, by the way. Him in here, stinkin’ drunk and underage! What’s your mother supposed to think?”

  “I’m right here! Talk to me—not Matt!” The volume of Kevin’s voice went up, breaking Rory’s heart a bit when it cracked with emotion. “That’s all you care about, isn’t it? What people think? Well, screw you. I won’t embarrass you anymore.”

  With that, he took off, running away through the lot. Mr. O’Shea just shook his head in a show of disgust and walked back into the restaurant.

  Matt sighed, muttering a few harsh curse words under his breath.

  “We have to go find him,” Rory said.

  He nodded in agreement. “My truck is still down the marina.”

  From the others’ accounts of the incident, they gathered that Kevin (full of some misguided liquid courage) had actually gone in the restaurant with the intention of confronting his father, and to flaunt his relationship with Adam—who, of course, promptly left, not wanting any part of that family drama.

  It was so completely out-of-character, in such direct opposition to his quiet and sensitive nature that Rory couldn’t imagine the hurt and embarrassment he must be experiencing now. She understood, however, the feeling of wanting to hide out from the world.

  They checked first at the boat, and then drove around town for what felt like hours, checking everywhere, calling his friends. Matt’s concern gradually lost its edge of irritation and worry creased deep in his brow.

  “Where the hell did this kid go?”

  Rory reached over to give his hand a gentle squeeze. “He couldn’t go far. Maybe he’s back at the boat by now. It’s somewhere to sleep, right?”

  Matt almost smiled as he glanced over to meet her eyes. It had been their place once, on summer nights very much like this.

  When they returned to the marina parking lot it was nearly deserted, so the faint glimmer of light from the port window of Matt’s boat stood out like a tiny beacon. Rory eased into a tentative sense of relief as he parked and they climbed out of the Jeep, but she lagged behind as Matt hopped aboard and head below deck.

  Wrapping her arms around her body, shivering in the wind off the harbor, she stood far enough away to grant some privacy to the muffled murmurs of conversation, but smiled when she heard the sound of Kevin’s laugh after a long while. Finally they emerged up onto the deck together, and Matt convinced his brother to come home.

  When they pulled up to the house, Mr. O’Shea was waiting on the front porch. Rory felt a tiny lurch in her stomach, a sympathy pain on their behalf. Growing up, it was always an unspoken rule that you never wanted to make him angry.

  “He’s going to kick my ass, isn’t he?” Kevin muttered rather deject
edly.

  “Probably,” Matt agreed without missing a beat. “Right after he kicks mine.” He glanced at him. “Ready?”

  Kevin shook his head. “Thanks, but I think I should do this alone.”

  Rory and Matt lingered at the edge of the front yard at his request. Shoulders hunched, Kevin crossed the shadowed lawn to climb the porch stairs. He hesitated on the top step, facing his father, but immediately dropped his head, shaking with quiet sobs. Mr. O’Shea only reached out to pull him into a hug, his arm slung around his son’s shoulders to guide him into the house.

  Rory swiped at her eye with a tremulous smile.

  She turned to Matt, who was obviously relieved, but also looked pretty drained from the whole thing.

  “It’s late. You must be exhausted, and tomorrow is your big day,” she spoke softly. “I can walk home to my mom’s from here.”

  “Don’t,” he said, just as softly, and reached for her hand. “I don’t want you to go.”

  They gazed at each other a long moment in the darkened, moonlit yard without saying a word.

  “Will your mother be worried if you don’t show up there tonight?” he finally said.

  Rory shook her head. “I’m sure she’s been asleep for hours.”

  They returned to his truck, and drove back to his apartment. Stepping inside, Rory ran her fingers through her hair. The wind today had whipped it into a tangle, they were swimming in the salty ocean waves, plus she had that sticky, fruity drink spilled on her at the bar.

  She grimaced. “I could probably use a shower.”

  Matt arched his brow as he tossed his keys on the kitchen counter.

  “I didn’t want to say anything—but, yes, you could.”

  “Hey!” she laughed.

  He inclined his head. “Come on.”

  The bathroom was on the first level, but it was unexpectedly large, with both a tub and a separate wide glass-walled shower stall. He grabbed a few folded towels from a shelf, placing them on the edge of the sink counter.