by Gerri Hill
Jordan stood up. “Don’t say you’re sorry,” she said. “It took two. It wasn’t just you.”
Her mother held both hands up. “Okay…stop. Now…what?”
Jordan walked in front of her mother. “Annie and Matt…were…”
“Dating?”
“Not exactly,” Annie said.
“Then what?”
“Mom…let’s don’t go into details,” Jordan said.
“Of course I want details,” she said. “You’re telling me that Matt fathered a child?”
“I know you’ll want to do paternity tests and all,” Annie said. “And that’s fine. I just thought you should know.”
Her mother leaned back in her chair. “You’re pregnant with Matt’s baby?”
Annie nodded. “Yes.”
Her mother turned her gaze to Jordan. “And you knew?”
Jordan nodded. “Yes. She told me a few weeks ago.”
Her mother looked back at Annie. “I had no idea that you two were involved. I mean, I’m glad to know that he had someone, but I wish he’d shared that with me.”
Annie looked at her helplessly, and Jordan gave a slight shrug. Was it so bad to let her mother think that Matt had a love in his life?
Her father finally stirred and she recognized the shock on his face. Shock…and something else.
“Matt’s baby?”
Annie simply nodded and that nod brought a smile to her father’s face. “Wow,” was all he said.
Her mother got up and went to Annie, wrapping her arms around her. Annie looked at Jordan over her mother’s shoulder and Jordan saw the relieved look in her eyes. She smiled at her and Annie seemed to relax into her mother’s hug.
“A baby,” her mother said. “We’re going to have a baby.” She pulled away from Annie, her smile big. “That’s wonderful news, dear. We, of course, will help you in any way you need.”
“I’m glad you’re living here with Jordan,” her father said. He looked at her. “You’re not charging her rent, are you?”
“No, Dad.”
Annie held her hands up. “Look, I didn’t tell you this because I wanted anything from you. I don’t. But you deserved to know that Matt…well, that Matt—”
“Annie, it’s only right that we support this child, that we support you,” her mother said.
Jordan stepped forward. “Mom, let’s give it time to sink in, okay. Right now, Annie is fine living here. And there’s a lot of time to go.”
“When are you due?” her mother asked.
“The end of January,” Annie said.
“Matt was born in January.” Tears gathered in her mother’s eyes, and Annie was again engulfed in a hug. “That’s wonderful.” Then she pulled back and studied Annie. “You’re not even showing yet.”
Jordan watched as Annie’s hand went to her abdomen. “My clothes are getting a little tight,” she said.
“It’ll happen soon enough.”
Her mother then went over to her father and hugged him. “Isn’t this wonderful news, Dave?”
“It sure is.”
Annie glanced over at her with a smile, then took a step in her direction. Jordan walked closer too, letting their shoulders touch. Annie leaned into her.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Told you,” Jordan whispered back.
Chapter Nineteen
“How do you want to work the festival?” Annie asked as soon as Jordan walked into the office.
Jordan raised her eyebrows. “What festival?”
“On the Fourth of July,” she said. “Everyone will want to go.”
Jordan sank down onto the sofa and took a sip from her coffee cup. “There’s a festival?”
“Oh, Jordan, there’s been a festival on the Fourth of July since we were kids. How can you not remember?”
Jordan shrugged. “I forgot a lot of stuff,” she said. “So will we be busy here?”
“There’ll be more people in town than normal, but most of them will be at the festival. We rent a booth there so we’ll have to have someone work it too.”
“We do?”
“I guess I didn’t think to mention it to you. Matt always handled all of that,” she said. “We take mostly T-shirts and a few things that are unbreakable.”
“Okay. Well, that shouldn’t be too hard, right?”
“We’ve got to have the store covered, the booth covered, and give them all an opportunity to go to the festival itself,” she explained.
“What did you do last year?”
“Matt took the booth. Everyone else took short shifts here.”
Jordan groaned. “I’m not crazy about the idea of working the booth.”
Annie smiled at her. “Too many people for your liking?”
“If they all want to go to the festival, wouldn’t it be easier to split the shifts at the booth?”
“And you’ll work the store?”
“You and me?” Jordan asked hopefully.
Annie shook her head. Jordan still didn’t like to be left at the store alone. What she was afraid of, Annie had no idea.
“How about we call a staff meeting and get their opinions?” Annie suggested.
“Okay. You’re the manager. You call it.” Jordan leaned forward, grabbing her reading glasses and the latest T-shirt catalog from the desk. “Have you looked at this yet?”
“Not really. I flipped through it is all,” she said.
She pulled up the inventory, wondering if she should order more shirts before the festival. Certainly more of the Fat Larry T-shirts. Brandon was giving them away at a record pace. Matt would be proud. She glanced over at Jordan, watching her as she studied the catalog. She looked adorable with her reading glasses low on her nose.
“Do you know how cute you look in those glasses?” The words were out before Annie could stop them and she felt a slight blush on her face.
Jordan looked up, her eyes meeting Annie’s over the top of her glasses. “Yeah. They make me look super-smart.”
Annie leaned her elbows on the desk and rested her chin on her hands. “Why are you single?” When Jordan raised her eyebrows questioningly, Annie continued. “And don’t say it’s because you used to work sixty or seventy hours a week. That’s just an excuse.”
Jordan put the catalog down beside her on the sofa and tossed her glasses on top of it. “No, it’s not really an excuse,” Jordan said. “I had goals—professional goals—and priorities and my love life was never at the top of the list. It wasn’t even near the top. And like a lot of things, the years kinda went by without me knowing it.”
“So what’s the longest relationship you’ve ever been in?”
Jordan laughed. “Does three dates constitute a relationship?”
“Oh, come on. Surely you’ve been out with someone more than three times.”
Jordan leaned back on the sofa and crossed her legs, resting one ankle across her knee. “Well, there was Debra. We hung out for a while. Debra was an investment broker, so we had things in common. But she was very competitive, and it was always a power struggle with us.” She grinned. “The sex was great.”
“But?” Annie prompted.
Jordan shrugged. “We both knew it wasn’t going anywhere. I think we were too much alike.”
“Are you that competitive?”
Jordan nodded. “At work, yes.” Before Annie could ask another question, Jordan asked one of her. “Why are you single?”
“Me?” Annie reached for her coffee cup, perhaps stalling for time. Why was she still single? “Well, the first time around was so disastrous, I was afraid to even consider dating again,” she said. She looked over at Jordan, holding her gaze. “Truthfully, there never was anyone…well, I guess I learned from Derrick…our relationship was nothing more than high school crap,” she said with a smile. “He was familiar, he was who my parents loved, our friends were all getting married, so I simply followed suit. But I never…I never felt for Derrick what you need for a marriage. I knew th
at. I knew that six months after we got married. I probably knew it before we got married.”
“You’ve been divorced…what? Four years or so?”
“Yes. I guess I just haven’t met anyone who…well, who…” She stared at Jordan, feeling a connection with her that she couldn’t quite understand. Jordan’s eyes were gentle and Annie didn’t want to pull away. “Maybe…someday,” she said quietly.
Jordan nodded. “Yeah. Me too.”
Annie smiled and finally pulled her gaze away. “I guess I should get back to my inventory.”
Jordan stood. “I’ll go cover the store if you want to get a vote on the festival.”
“Okay, thanks. Jessica and Staci aren’t working today, but I’ll get their take tomorrow,” Annie said.
Jordan paused at the door. “I’ve also been thinking about this office party you want me to have.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Mid-July work for you?”
“Sure. I don’t know that I’ll fit into a swimsuit by then, though,” she said. “My clothes are starting to get a little tight.”
“You can’t tell.”
“When I’m naked looking in the mirror, I can tell,” she said.
A smile touched Jordan’s face and she looked like she wanted to say something but didn’t. Annie smiled too.
“Whatever it is you’re thinking…”
Jordan laughed. “Not going to say.” She took a step back into the office. “But when will you tell the others?”
“I don’t know. Part of me wants to wait until it’s obvious. Maybe they’ll just think I’m getting fat,” she said.
“Think you’ll be embarrassed by what they think?”
“Yes. Especially when they find out it’s Matt’s,” she said. “They’ll assume we were having this clandestine affair right under their noses.”
Jordan shrugged. “Doesn’t matter, does it?”
Annie sighed. “Staci had a little crush on him. She used to tease that I did too.”
“Ah. So she’ll think you were lying to her.”
“Yes.” Annie waved a hand at Jordan. “I don’t do drama well. And I feel there’s going to be drama.” She leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling. “And when Derrick finds out, he’s going to totally freak out.” She looked at Jordan. “Please promise me you won’t let him back here. Because he’ll try to storm back here and confront me.”
“I promise I’ll protect you.”
“Thank you.”
Jordan turned to go but again paused and turned back. “By the way, if we can both sneak out of here early today, I thought maybe we could take a Jet Ski ride out in the bay.”
“Really?” Annie grinned. “That would be fun.”
“They’re going to start on the pier in a couple of days. I need to move them anyway.”
“Okay. I’m game.”
Jordan nodded. “Good. I’ll pick up dinner at the restaurant.”
Annie was still smiling long after Jordan left. A Jet Ski ride in the bay? She could hardly wait.
Chapter Twenty
Jordan pulled the Jet Ski closer to the shore where Annie stood. She tried not to stare, but Annie’s bikini top was too revealing. It was also the first time she’d seen Annie in one.
“I know. My breasts are huge already,” Annie said.
Jordan laughed. “They are not.”
Annie actually cupped herself, and Jordan was surprised by the blush that caused.
“I’ve always been teased because of my small breasts,” Annie said. “So they are huge to me.”
Jordan pointed at herself. “This is small. When I was growing up, I was terrified I would never get breasts. Gym class was not fun,” she said, remembering the teasing from the other girls.
“I know. I hated it too.”
Jordan lifted the seat and pulled out two lifejackets, handing one to Annie. Those “huge” breasts were soon covered. She slipped on her own and tightened the straps.
“All set,” Annie said.
Jordan steadied the Jet Ski, then held her hand out to Annie. “Climb on then.”
Annie gripped Jordan around the waist, then loosened her hold, resting her hands on Jordan’s sides lightly. Jordan acknowledged that it had been a very long time since she’d been this close to another woman. But…this was Annie. It shouldn’t feel this good.
“Ready?”
“Yep.”
Jordan was conscious of the hands that squeezed tightly as she sped away from shore. Well, “sped” was stretching the truth. As she’d told Annie, it had been years since she’d been on a Jet Ski. During the summer months, she and Matt had been on them all the time. But once she left for college—and stayed away as much as she did—her love of speeding across the bay at breakneck speeds vanished. Or maybe it was just that she got older. She did, however, enjoy a boat ride from time to time on her visits. She was sorry that her father had sold the boat. She would much rather be cruising the barrier islands in a boat now than playing on Jet Skis.
The water was calm, and she dared to increase her speed a little. Annie’s hands tightened again as she sped up, then relaxed against her.
“I’ve lived here my whole life and I still don’t know the shrimping schedule,” Annie said. “There are no boats out.”
“Early mornings before dawn, I think,” she said.
Annie leaned closer. “If you’re worried about me, don’t be. You can go faster if you want.”
Jordan turned her head, finding Annie’s face only inches from her own. “I did promise I wouldn’t dump you,” she reminded her. “I’m not that experienced anymore.”
But she accelerated slightly, enjoying the breeze as it ruffled her hair. She stayed close to shore and did not venture out into the open water of the bay. They cruised along the north shore and she slowed from time to time, pointing out certain things to Annie that she remembered from her childhood. When they reached the east shore near the causeway, she turned around instead of going under it. Maybe another time they could go under it and go explore along the state park there to the south. Even though they had a nice view of the sunset from their deck, she remembered a spot at the park where they used to go with her grandparents. The entire bay seemed to be on fire as the sun set.
They encountered a fishing boat on the way back. Judging by the gulls following it, its crew was having success. The waves it created stirred the bay and Jordan had a little fun as they bounced over each one, causing Annie to laugh with delight.
As they returned to their own rickety pier, true to its name, four white pelicans were resting on the boards and another was coming in for a landing. Jordan slowed to a crawl so as not to disturb them.
“Oh, that was fun,” Annie said. “We should do that more often.”
“Yeah, it was. We’ll do it again,” she said.
The pelicans never moved as she crept closer. Instead of docking where Matt had kept the Jet Skis, she grounded it near the shore. The pier would be coming down in the next few days. She held the craft steady as Annie climbed off, then she swung her leg over the side and secured the Jet Ski between two pillars closer to shore. She kept the line taut enough so that during high tide it wouldn’t drift and slam into the concrete retaining wall. Once the new pier was in place, she’d replace the old bumper tires with new ones and keep the Jet Ski in a little deeper water, like Matt had done.
“You want to eat on the deck?”
Jordan got out of the water and walked up beside Annie as they headed to the house. “Do you mind?”
“Of course not. It’s pleasant out. Maybe because I’m a little wet.”
“There’s a place over by the state park,” she said, giving voice to her earlier thoughts. “We used to go out there to catch the sunset and have a late picnic. The causeway makes for a great background.”
Annie smiled at her. “Does that mean you want to go?”
“Maybe we’ll plan a trip for another day. We used to take the boat. I don’t know that�
��d I want to stay out that late on the Jet Ski though. It’s a long way back here.”
Annie nudged her. “You know, we could always drive over there.”
Jordan laughed. “I suppose we could, but it’d take all the adventure out of it.”
They each went into their separate bedrooms to change out of swimsuits and into shorts. Jordan loved the soft cotton fabric of her old gray athletic shorts and she rummaged in her drawer for a tank top. She picked up a bra, then tossed it down again. Since they’d already discussed breast sizes, she didn’t see the point of trying to hide them.
Feeling cool and comfortable, she grabbed a beer from the fridge and turned off the oven. She’d picked up fish and shrimp and two containers of gumbo from the restaurant and had left the oven on warm while they were out.
“What some cider?” she called.
“Please.”
It was still early and Jordan thought their dinner could wait a few minutes longer. She pulled two chairs closer to the deck railing where they could watch the changing colors as dusk approached. The low line of clouds shimmered in orange and red, almost like a stroke of a painter’s brush across canvas.
She turned when Annie came out, then quickly averted her eyes. Annie, too, had apparently decided a bra was too much this evening. Her white Fat Larry T-shirt was not quite as loose on her as before.
“Are you starving or can we wait a bit?”
“I’m fine,” Annie said as she sat down beside her. “Thanks,” she said, indicating the apple cider.
“So what did you decide to do about the festival?”
“You were right. They all thought splitting shifts at the booth made more sense. Except for Molly. She said she’d rather work the store. In fact, she volunteered to work all day.”
“What’s up with that?”
Annie shrugged. “I think she’s…well, a little awkward. Socially, I mean,” Annie said.
“She seems fine with customers.”
“Oh, I know. I meant with her peers. I’m only guessing, but I’d imagine she gets teased in school.”
“Teased? Why?”
“Come on, Jordan. She’s plain Jane. She’s nearly at the top of her class. She doesn’t dress in the most fashionable of clothes.” Annie glanced at her. “Even Jessica kinda picks on her.”