He did not have to wait long for, in a moment, she turned and shifted her perusal over to the back of the bar where most of her friends were. He felt the instant her eyes met his…the widening of surprise followed by an immediate blush as she ducked her head. Turning away in haste, she leaned over and whispered something to Belle, whose face immediately fell before she nodded and gave her a hug.
Without a look back, she moved toward the door and walked out into the night. Belle, her name called by one of the other women, smiled her shy greeting as she approached. Even from way in the back, focused as he was, he could hear their conversation.
“Where’s Jade?” Jillian asked, looking toward the front.
“Oh, she said she had a headache and decided she needed to get home so she could take something for it,” Belle explained, as she slid into a seat next to Katelyn.
She left because of me, he thought, remorse filling him. Having had enough socialization for one night, plus the overwhelming desire to check on Jade, he stood, excusing himself. Slipping out the door, he looked up and down the street, dark except for the lights above casting faint illumination down on the sidewalk. No Jade. Hearing a car engine start, he looked over, watching as she drove by. He stood, staring, until her taillights were no longer in view.
Walking back to his vehicle, he climbed in but instead of putting the key into the ignition, he sat for a few minutes, his decisions now coming to haunt him. I came to Baytown to start over…but have I really? Or am I still stuck in the same shitty place I was when I got out of the Army?
Later that night, lying on his back watching the ceiling fan slowly turn as he did every night, he made two decisions. Call the Eastern Shore Mental Health Center for an appointment, and next, see if he could repair whatever he fucked up with the beautiful teacher who just wanted to share her sea glass.
He remembered her words as he drifted to sleep…Sea glass is proof that things can change…for the better. Life can break us into pieces, but we can change, become more beautiful than we were before.
Feeling foolish for having left the pub early, Jade walked into her apartment, kicking her shoes off at the door and tossing her bag onto the kitchen counter.
“I didn’t even stay long enough to get a beer,” she grumbled to herself. Grabbing one from the refrigerator, she moved over to plop onto her sofa and downed half the bottle at one time.
Sighing heavily, she started to turn on the TV but soon recognized there was nothing interesting on. Plus, I’ve got morning bus duty, she remembered, accepting that she did not need to spend half the night channel surfing to try to drown out the memory of seeing Lance sitting with their friends.
He had never been there before, at least not that she had seen. She had heard his name mentioned occasionally, but since he did not frequent their gatherings, nor hung out at the pub or other town establishments, she had never seen him until their run-in on the beach.
Why does he have to be so gorgeous? It would be so much easier to push him out of my mind if his looks didn’t draw me in. The first time she met him he wore sunglasses and, when he took them off, the anger on his face kept her from focusing on his unusual eye color. On their second fateful meeting, he stood in the shadows of his doorframe and it was difficult to discern much about his eyes. But tonight, even across the bar, she had been able to see his hazel eyes piercing hers. As usual, no smile, but just a stare that scorched right through her.
“Ugh,” she proclaimed out loud, as she stood and poured the rest of her beer down the drain. Moving into her bedroom, she grabbed her pajamas and headed into the shower, hoping the warm water would wash away the thoughts of him. Later, lying in bed, she had to admit, the shower was cleansing, but no such luck forgetting Lance Greene.
Another email. That makes one a week for the past three weeks.
Lance stared at the electronic missive, wondering what his mother’s motive was, other than ruining his morning. Always the same. He was selfish, he needed to stop running away and help his father run their business, he needed to see to his trust, take accountability for becoming a soldier, policeman, and then an artist, and recognize how each had only alienated his father more.
His finger hesitated over the reply button before moving to delete. His thoughts slid back to the the American Legion meeting, seeing some of the families represented. Three generations of MacFarlanes, from Finn, the grandfather, to Eric, his son and father to Aiden and Brogan. Mitch and his father, Ed, as well as Ed’s brother, and Jillian’s dad, Steve. Families that shared…cared. A foreign concept to Lance, but one he would have liked to experience.
He knew Ginny was estranged from her family after she left the military, but with Brogan and now the whole MacFarlane clan in her corner, as well as the police department and the American Legion and Legion Auxiliary, she was well connected.
Rubbing his hand over his face, he shoved thoughts of his family from his mind. Looking at the early morning dawn painting the sky, he suddenly moved into action. Pouring a cup of coffee into a travel mug, he hesitated for a moment, then poured a second travel mug full of the steaming brew. Uncertainty crept in, but before he gave into the indecision, he added sugar and cream into one of the mugs. Screwing the lids on tightly, he headed out the back door, hoping his hunch would pay out.
He had walked for almost a quarter of a mile toward the north, when he spotted someone coming south. Too far away to clearly discern who the early morning walker was, he stopped and, moving back slightly from the edge of the water, sat in the sand.
His eyes stayed on the person, satisfied as they neared that it was Jade. The early morning breeze had become chillier and today she wore a green t-shirt with tight, black pants with the legs rolled up her shins. Her head was down as she walked along, occasionally stopping to pick up what must have been sea glass. As she came closer, she still had not noticed him. Pausing to lift her binoculars to her face, she peered out toward the bay. Pulling something from her backpack, he watched as she alternated between looking through the binoculars, looking on her cell phone, and writing on a small pad. After a moment, she put the paper away and picked up her small bag containing her collection of sea glass.
She drew nearer, but still had not noticed anyone else on the beach. He grew concerned, realizing how vulnerable she was, out here alone and, seemingly so unaware of her surroundings, focusing only on the ships or the shore.
Not knowing what to say, he cleared his throat loudly.
Squealing in fright, she jumped back, eyes wide, as she jerked her head around to see him now standing about ten feet away. Immediately her gaze moved from his face to over his shoulder, and she blurted, “I’m not near your property. I keep track of where I should stop. And I—”
Hating that he put such restrictions in her mind, he raised his hands up in supplication. “No, no. It’s okay. It’s no problem for you to…uh…be here.”
Jade sucked her lips in, staring at Lance, wondering what he was going to berate her about today. He slid his sunglasses up on his head, exposing his hazel eyes for her perusal, noting the golden flecks, causing her breath to catch in her throat. Hating that he had a mesmerizing effect on her, she dropped her gaze to his still raised hands, both carrying travel mugs. Before she had a chance to ponder that curious fact, he spoke again, once more drawing her attention back to his eyes.
“I…thought you might want…uh…coffee?” he stuttered, holding a mug out toward her.
Not moving, other than her nose scrunching in confusion, she stared dumbly, first at the proffered drink and then up to his face again.
“I didn’t know if you might be thirsty…you know…uh…from your walk.” His gut tight, Lance realized how rusty his social skills were, cringing at the sound of his own voice.
Staring at him, she tried to ascertain some hidden meaning in his words.
He observed her hesitation, as well as the doubt in her eyes, and rushed to say, “Honest…I just wanted to offer you some coffee.”
�
��Why?”
Her hand wrapped around her middle, an unconscious act of protection that did not go unnoticed by him. Heaving a sigh, his shoulders slumped at what he knew would be her blatant rejection. “No reason…other than to just apologize.”
At that, Jade visibly started, blinking several times, trying to figure him out. The idea of shutting him down—hard—was tempting, but she knew it was not in her nature to treat him the way he had treated her. “Apologize?”
“We’ve only met twice and both times, I was a complete ass—”
“Agreed,” she quickly interrupted.
“I know I don’t deserve it, but I’d truly like to apologize and hope you will accept it.” Lance watched as she stared at him for a moment and felt as though she was inspecting him as much as the ships out in the bay she was so fascinated with.
“I’m Lance. Lance Greene,” he continued, fear of her rejection creeping along his spine.
Jade carefully observed the man in front of her. Seeing him standing there, so large but so cautious, the coffee still held out in offering, her lips began to twitch into a smile. Nodding slowly, she realized how difficult this exchange must be for him and her heart softened.
“My name is Jade. Jade Lyons. And I accept your apology,” she said, her smile now fully in place. “I’d also love some coffee.”
Reaching out her hand, she took the mug from him, her fingers gliding along his hand. The warmth she felt had nothing to do with the temperature of the mug, but everything to do with the man in front of her. Eyes wide at the tingling exchange, she watched as he snatched his hand back, obviously feeling the same effect.
8
Taking a sip, Jade was pleasantly surprised at the flavor, having expected a man like Lance to drink his coffee black. Smiling up at him, she approved, “Wow, this is good.”
Letting out a breath he had not realized he had been holding, Lance offered a slight smile in return. “I wasn’t sure how you took it, so I…uh…just guessed you might like cream and sugar.”
Him taking the time to think about what she might like, caused Jade even more confusion, wondering what he was thinking. Nodding, she took another sip, not having any idea how to respond to the sudden and complete change in his demeanor.
“Would you like to walk…or sit…whatever?” he asked, hesitation lacing his words.
“We can walk some more. I’m parked fairly close today, so…” her voice trailed off as she watched him turn toward the south, as though he no longer minded her walking closer to his house. Deciding to not fight what was going on, she moved along with him, noting he shortened his stride to make it easier for her to keep up.
They walked in silence for several minutes, sipping their coffee as the sun rose high enough to paint the pink dawn a brilliant blue.
“I noticed your binoculars,” he began, glancing down at her. “What do you look at? I thought maybe the birds around.”
Smiling, she replied, “I do love the birds, but I was looking at ships.”
Lifting an eyebrow, he repeated, “Ships?”
Laughing, she explained, “I like to identify the ones anchored in the bay. I write down their information, if I can see it, and take pictures. Then I use an app on my phone or, when I get home, my computer to determine which ships are out there. From that, I can see where they came from and where they are going.”
Lance stayed silent for a moment, trying to figure out why she would care about the ships, but hated to ask. Looking toward the dunes, he could tell that they were only a few minutes from his house and wondered how she would react, considering how much of an ass he had been the two previous times she was near. His thoughts were interrupted when she stopped suddenly, shoving her coffee at him. Taking it, he followed her line of vision out to the bay, noting the cargo ship anchored closest to them. It had floated so that the side was clearly visible.
She positioned the binoculars over her eyes, her lips turned up into a smile. Dropping them, she shifted her backpack so that she could pull out her pad of paper and a pen. She jotted down the name and numbers from the side of the ship.
Looking up at his curious expression, she smiled as she reached for her coffee again. “I’m sure you must think me odd,” she began, “but I’ve been trying to get a picture of that ship all morning, but was never able to see it clearly.”
“Okay,” he mumbled, his brows drawn down.
“You’ve gotta be wondering why,” she teased, still grinning as she turned her face up to his.
At that moment, with her beaming face shining toward his, he did not care what her reason was for watching boats—he just wanted her to keep smiling. Seeing her look at him expectantly, he grinned in return, the smile feeling odd on his lips. “Yeah, I’m curious.” As her eyes drifted behind him, he looked over his shoulder and realized they were in front of his house. Jerking his head around quickly, he asked, “Would you like to sit for a bit? I’ve got some chairs at the top of the dune.”
Biting her lip, she hesitated before replying, “That’s okay…um…I’d better be going—”
“I’d really like for you to stay,” he hurried. “I’d like to hear more about the ships…” His voice trailed off as he realized how desperate he sounded. Waiting for her refusal, his heart skipped a beat as her smile returned.
“Okay,” she agreed, then laughed as she added, “If you don’t mind being bored, I’ll fill you in on my ship spotting!”
Walking up the dune, he reached out and grasped her elbow to offer steadiness in the shifting sand. Wondering what had come over him, he almost laughed at the long-forgotten social niceties, glad they had not left him entirely.
Arriving at the top, Jade had the opportunity to see the back of his house, noting the large screened porch on the side that led to a plank deck containing a few wooden rocking chairs. The back of his house was mostly windows, through which she could make out living room furniture. She followed him to the deck and settled in one of the chairs, smiling as she immediately began to rock back and forth. “Oh, I love rocking chairs,” she exclaimed. “They remind me of my grandmother’s front porch.”
It was the first personal tidbit she had shared and Lance considered inquiring about her family, but caught himself. Asking her opens the door to her asking me about mine…and I have no desire to go down that road. Settling into the chair next to hers, he moved the conversation back to her beach activities. “So, why do you try to identify the ships in the bay?”
“It’s for my kids. I taught first grade last year, but have moved up to second this year and I love it. It’s amazing the change in just that one year of age. In first grade, so much of our time is spent teaching reading, but in second grade, I can be more creative with other subjects, like science and geography.”
She held his attention and he welcomed her enthusiasm, noting that the more she talked, the faster she rocked. Nodding, he encouraged her to continue.
“I check the ships anchored in the bay and see if I can find out where they’ve come from. We have a large map, as well as a globe, and we pin pictures of the ships onto the map. It helps the kids to learn about the oceans and basic continents. Obviously, at this age, we don’t get into memorizing the countries, but it helps to expand their minds while realizing that the world comes to the bay right next to their town.”
Her hands had fluttered about as she talked and now settled onto the arms of her seat as she continued to rock, her smile firmly in place.
“That’s really interesting,” he said, his eyes never leaving hers.
Blushing, she ducked her head. “I guess it sounds pretty lame to some people, but,” she looked back up, “I really love teaching.”
Desiring to ask her more, he hesitated again, not wanting the conversation to turn toward him, so he just nodded instead.
“Also, I’ve gotten to know some of the local commercial fishermen and can watch them go out into the bay as well. George Caday, the Carsons, and the Taylor family fishermen.”
; “I’ve met George and the oldest Carson at the American Legion. Can’t say I know them, but I recognize their names.”
Grinning, she added, “Sometimes, I meet the ships when they come back into the Baytown Harbor and will buy some fresh fish before their catch heads to the restaurants. George Caday is a sweet man who doesn’t mind filleting the fish for me, because I am terrified of fish bones. Oh, but talk about terrifying—I can only chat with the Taylors because they go crab fishing and I hate the squiggly crab claws. The Carsons are a family run business and I have the littlest one in my class.” Laughing, she said, “They are Richard, his son Rick, and the next generation is Ricky.”
Realizing he had lived in Baytown for over a year and had not discovered buying fresh fish from the local fishermen, he watched her obvious enjoyment as he pursed his lips.
Easing into silence, Jade looked at the bay. Confused by his change in demeanor toward her, she wondered if she were overstaying her welcome. Slowing her motion, she pushed up on the arms of the rocker, standing. “Thanks for the coffee, Lance. It was a surprise…uh…a nice surprise.”
He stood quickly, taking the empty mug from her hands, replying, “I really am sorry…I’m out of practice being…well, I’m sorry for the way I acted.”
She turned her face up toward his, her attention held in place for a moment by the look in his eyes, knowing she could so easily stare into their depths for a long time. Reaching out, she placed her hand on his arm, offering a little squeeze, loving the feel of his warm skin underneath her fingertips. “See you later,” she said, just before turning and walking back down the dune to the beach.
Wanting to look over her shoulder to see if he was watching, she finally gave in and sent a quick glance back. He was standing on his deck, his hands on his hips, his eyes on her, and to her disbelieving eyes, he threw his hand up in a small wave. Smiling, she waved back before breaking into a jog as she continued up the beach toward her car.
Picking Up the Pieces Page 6