by Jill Sanders
Looking down at the lone green wire in his hand he started to question whether he was color blind. Did color blind people see red as green? He had always assumed they just saw everything in gray scales, kind of like dogs.
He’d been here almost four months now and had worked on the house almost every night. He was also working at the office five days a week. Maybe he needed a break from working? Maybe it was just him?
Frustrated, he tossed the book across the empty floor and decided to call a local electrician tomorrow.
He knew heavy gossip was rolling through town, especially after kissing Lacey in front of the grocery store. He heard the gossip at the hardware store, the grocery store, and even in his damn office. He could see every eye was on him whenever he drove through town. Maybe he needed a break from town?
He was sure every woman for at least two counties had come in to the office over the last few months, wanting in on the gossip. Every woman except the one he couldn’t get his mind off.
After putting in a full nine hours at the office and spending the last two hours hunched over the wires poking out of his bare walls, he needed a break, a beer, and a woman.
Stalking out of the room, he grabbed his coat, and decided a cold walk on the beach would clear his mind.
Maybe he would see Lacey there again?
He headed down the narrow path that lead down to the beach, his mind racing.
He really enjoyed the solitude of the place, the peace and quiet of the small town, not to mention the friendly people—people so much unlike what he had ever experienced before.
As he made his way toward the beach he realized no one had called or tried to contact him from his old life. Not after the large scene that had played out at that last party, except for Jennifer.
He continued to think about it as the trail head opened up to the cold windy beach. He had made a point to avoid any and all calls from Jennifer, even at the hospital he worked at. He had to tell the nurses and staff not to page him every time she called.
He looked out at the water and walked down to the water’s edge. He could hear the gulls calling out their sad song as the cold salt water sprayed his face. He realized he never felt more alive.
He had walked around life in a daze for a few weeks after that party. Looking back at it now, he was sure it was his grandfathers’ call that actually woke him up. After then, he quickly packed up his life. A week later he was a home owner and living just down the street from some of the nicest people he had ever known.
Thinking about the Jordans, he doubted that any of them would have walked away from a friend in need. He picked up a pebble to throw into the surf and smiled as he thought of Lacey. Somehow the cold air and the salt water hitting his face didn’t seem so cold anymore.
Three days later he stood and watched others work around his house for the first time in over four months.
The place was definitely coming along now. He had several walls painted, hired a plumber to put in the shower and toilets, and had hired an electrician to finish the small things that just frankly annoyed him.
He hadn’t seen or heard from Lacey in over a week. Every time he traveled down to the restaurant, she was nowhere to be found. He was unsure how she did it in a town this small, but he was sure she was avoiding him.
The electrician, John Timothy, walked up interrupting his thoughts. John was a big man in his late fifties with shoulders and hands like boulders, but he had a smile that told of his easy personality. Aaron liked the guy immediately.
“We can have you all set up today, shouldn’t take my guys much longer. Be out of here around four.”
“Great,” Aaron shook hands with him. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am.” Aaron shuddered remembering the electrical book that was now in the bottom of one of the trash cans outside. “I should be back around three or so. You have my number in case you have any questions?”
“Sure do. It’s a pleasure having you here in town, your granddad helped deliver my four boys, course they’re all grown up now.” he said with a big smile nodding towards two of the workers. “They help me out these days.”
“You must be proud.” he smiled back.
“Oh, I am. You’re doing a great job fixing this old place up. It used to be a real looker, and from the looks of it, will be again.”
“Thank you.”
“Course a house this size needs a family to fill it. You a family man Mr. Stevens?”
Aaron smiled, “No, but I would like to be.” he’d heard this question countless times over the last few months. Now, it seemed to him all he had ever wanted in his life was a family…a real family. That is what he’d been searching for when he ran into Jennifer.
Looking back now, he thinks she exploited his weakness of wanting a family and home. But as his thought turned to family, it wasn’t Jennifer’s face that came into view. Instead of the tall busty blonde, a petite raven hair beauty came into focus. Shaking his head he figured another stop at The Golden Oar after work couldn’t hurt him. And, if Lacey wasn’t there, then he would have a quick talk with her brother Iian and see where she had been hiding herself.
As it happened, she wasn’t there. But, Iian was and he had been heading to the boys and girls club to play a game of basketball with a group of guys he’d been playing with since grade school. Of course he had invited Aaron along to which Aaron quickly agreed. Maybe beating some locals in a sport which he kicked butt in would help level him out.
What he hadn’t expected was to get his butt handed back to him bruised and beaten. How could a bunch of small town guys play so hard and viscous? Iian was one of the worst offenders; Aaron was fouled more times than he could count and he had ended up on the ground more than he wanted to. No doubt, he would be black and blue with bruises tomorrow.
“Where did you guys learn to play that ruthless?” Aaron signed and asked Iian as they changed in the locker room.
“People think I’ll take it easy on them, or that I can’t play well because of my hearing.” Iian signed back. “I played all throughout middle and high school.” he picked up his shoes and tossed them in his locker and shut it. Then he continued, “If you think we play rough, you should see my sister and those hoodlums they call middle graders. She coaches girls’ basketball and then softball in the spring and summer for the B&G club.”
“Lacey plays basketball?” he thought of Lacey jumping at the hoop and wondered how high she could jump. He had thought about putting up a hoop at his place, but now he knew he wanted to get one up first thing next spring.
Iian laughed then signed, “Even though she’s short, the little white girl can jump.”
The pair laughed as they left the gym.
Taking time out was something everyone needed to do, at least once a week. Lacey enjoyed floating in her pond in the warmer parts of the year. However, once the weather turned cold, she took to the pool at the Boys and Girls club. She enjoyed being at the club so much that she signed up to teach young kids how to swim.
However, thinking of her choices on the drive into town, she now wondered if she had lost her mind.
Why did she think she had enough time to do this? Why would she put herself through this sort of punishment? Did she have aspirin in the car for afterwords? Did she still really want five kids herself?
All these questions raced through her mind, until she saw the little faces waiting by the side of the pool. Boys and girls above the age of five sat on the edge of the club’s smaller pool. Some of the smaller kids wore floating devices; the others were skilled or old enough to not need the help.
“Hello Miss Jordan” the kids said in unison.
“Hello everyone. Who’s ready to learn the breaststroke today?”
Upon hearing the word ‘breaststroke’ all the kids started giggling.
This was the reason she taught once a week; the smiles and laughter of the young children in her town could never be replaced. Lacey’s week felt complete.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Lacey had been avoiding Aaron again. She was sure she would run into him sooner or later, she just preferred it to be later. It had been a little over a week since she’d seen him last. She knew he was keeping busy up at the house, so she kept herself busy too.
As she waited on a table of twelve, nine of which were children under the age of ten, she thought of how she’d seen him several times around town. She had made a point to always be heading in the opposite direction.
What had he meant when he said he wanted more than friendship? She could only guess what she thought he meant, but every time she went over it in her mind she started to question his motives. Was she ready for something more with Aaron?
She couldn’t get over the feelings he had stirred up in her. She’d never felt anything like this before. Sure she’d had a few boy friends in high school and since, but she’d never really taken a relationship serious before. Every time she thought about Aaron, her toes started to tingle. It could be that she was having low blood circulation due to the fact that she’d pulled several hours of overtime every day. All she had to show for it was a blister on her right heel from working to much.
She thought that if she kept busy she wouldn’t have time to think about what had almost happened between them. Last night, she’d gotten home at one in the morning only to pick up the early shift again. Another double shift day lay ahead of her.
Setting down the menus, she saw the three moms were doing their best to ignore the fact that their table was the loudest spot in town.
She recognized two of the women from her school days. Remembering they hadn’t run in the same crowd as her; she had been somewhat of a loner. But she remembered their names, Stacie and Bridget.
She started the kids drink order and noticed that their mothers’ heads stayed bent over a small book that held pictures.
When she asked them for their drink order, she noticed that both women had changed since school. It appeared they were very comfortable with their lives because each had gained about thirty pounds.
Both ordered diet drinks without even glancing at her.
Lacey went to fill their drink order and delivered food to two more tables before heading back to ask for their food orders.
“Has everyone decided what they would like for lunch today?” Lacey leaned down and put a small blonde girl back on her chair before she hit the floor.
“Oh, Yes, well…” Stacie began looking over her menu at Lacey. “You went to school with us didn’t you?” Lacey noted how she had chosen to word the question. As if it had been a privilege to attend the same educational facility as the great Stacie and Bridget.
“Yes. We were in the same grade. Have you decided on your food order?” Lacey had no problem conversing with most of the people she went to school with, but didn’t care to with the two girls who had caused her most of the pain during those awkward years.
“Lizzy, or Libby, isn’t that your name?” Bridget smiled over to Stacie. Lacey had the feeling they both knew her name.
“Lacey.” she said pointing to her name tag pined to her shirt. “Have you decided?” Lacey pulled out her pad and patiently waited.
Lacey remembered they both had crushes on Todd and Iian during Junior High and Senior High School. She also remembered that at one point the duo had decided to bring Lacey into their little circle; with the hopes, they would get to spend time over at her house. Probably fishing to obtain one of the two most sought after brothers in town.
“Lacey, that’s it. Aren’t you Iian and Todd’s sister?” Bridget jumped in smiling.
Of the two, Bridget was the one that Lacey despised the most. Bridget had moved away from Pride after graduation and Lacey knew she’d married a Lawyer in Portland. Where Stacie had stayed in town and married the High School quarterback, who now worked across the river at a mill. Lacey still didn’t travel in the circles they did; actually, she made a point to stay clear of them.
Lacey nodded and knew she’d be unable to take their orders until they had played out their game. She might as well go along with it.
“So you’re still working here, how quaint. I was just talking to Stacie about this place the other day. I haven’t been back into town since I moved to Portland. I can’t believe the old place is still standing. We decided to take the kids for a ride down memory lane. These are my four here, two boys and two girls. Stacie has three boys there and this is our friend Beth along with her two girls.” Bridget nodded to the two girls at the table who were sitting quietly coloring on the kids’ menus. Of all the children, Lacey noticed the best behaved of the children didn’t belong to either Stacie or Bridget.
Lacey looked at the small woman whose blonde hair was pulled back in a neat braid that reached down the middle of her back. She had a polite smile on her face and appeared to be embarrassed by the rudeness of her two friends.
Lacey returned the smile. “Nice to meet you Beth I’m Lacey Jordan, owner of the Golden Oar. Welcome.” With that said both Stacie and Bridget let out duel breaths that sounded more like hissing.
“You have beautiful girls, have you two decided what you want like to eat?” Lacey leaned over and saw that the girls were drawing with crayons trying to mimic the large painting of the green mermaid on the opposite wall. Their little blonde heads were bent together as if they were trying to keep out all of the other loud noises from the children who were currently running around the table screaming.
She smiled at the pair. “My Grandmother drew that picture years ago; you girls have some talent.”
“Thank you.” Both girls said in unison with eyes wide open at Lacey.
The older girl ordered her meal followed by the younger, then their mother followed by everyone else.
When she was done taking orders, the smallest of Beth’s girls pulled on her apron.
“See, I drew’d you.” Lacey bent down next to the girl. She saw what she assumed was a copy of her Grandmother’s mermaid and next to the figure was a Pixy with large purple wings.
“Why, that looks just like me. Good job!” she smiled.
A half an hour later, Lacey walked back into the kitchen her feet hurt and now her head hurt. The headache began when Stacie started talking about the new hunk doctor that had moved into town and how she’d set appointments for all of her kids just to get a better look at him. Lacey tried to avoid listening in, but Stacie had such a big mouth, she could barely hear herself think over her voice.
Two hours later, she no longer had a headache; instead her head felt like it was going to explode. The place was packed with mothers and their screaming kids. Apparently it had been the last day at school before the Thanksgiving break, so of course everyone within two counties had decided to come into the Golden Oar to eat.
Lacey even called for backup and had hastily promoted Katie from greeter to waiting tables. Katie was a hard worker and deserved the promotion. Plus, she had been working at the restaurant for almost two years, so she knew all the ropes.
It took seven more wait staff and two more hours to clear the place out. They had about four hours before they needed to start getting ready for the dinner rush.
Lacey sat at an empty table with a soft drink and some aspirin; she didn’t think she would make it through the evening shift. Her head was getting worse; her vision was narrowing as if looking through a tunnel. What really bothered her was remembering Stacie and Bridget giggling over the new town doctor, Stacie and Aaron…Aaron and Stacie.
She was leaning back with her eyes closed trying to decide whether she was going to be mad or sick when she heard a loud crash in the kitchen followed by screaming.
Running into the kitchen she saw Katie sitting in a chair, Iian was holding her head down between her legs. He held a towel wrapped around her hand which he held above her head. Lacey saw the blood.
Rushing over she grabbed a fresh towel and began to apply pressure to the wound, while trying to calm the girl down. When she’d glimpsed the wound, she knew the girl would need
stitches. Looking up at Iian he nodded in silent agreement. Katie was very pale but Lacey could see her eyes were still clear and focused.
“Katie, I’m going to drive you over to the doctors so he can have a look at this. Can you walk?”
When she nodded they helped her into Lacey’s car for the short drive. Lacey kept Katie calm by talking to her about the busy lunch hour they’d had. When she pulled up to the door, Aaron came rushing out with a wheel chair.
“The restaurant called ahead.” Aaron said helping Katie into the wheel chair. “How are you feeling Katie?” Aaron started to wheel Katie into the building and down the hall while asking her questions, no doubt to keep her alert. Not once did he look over at Lacey.