The Swear Jar

by Osorio, Audra

  Meara picked up the book. “Anne, it’s not that simple.”

  They placed the books on the backseat of Meara’s Jeep. They settled into the front seats. Anne fidgeted while Meara pulled out of the parking lot.

  “But you like him.” Anne frowned.

  “You’re trying to get the last word, aren’t you?”

  “No, I would never do that.” Anne smirked.

  “Yes, you would.”

  “Nope.”

  Meara glared at Anne. “Even if I did like him, I’ll be working for him now. Personal and professional don’t mix.”

  Anne remained blissfully silent on the short drive home. It gave Meara time to think. She wondered if she liked Duncan. When he had tried to give her the quarter at the supermarket, it had been the sweetest thing to happen to her in a long time. It wasn’t hard to notice he was a handsome man. His wedding ring was a turn off, but she had found herself thinking about him anyway. She thought he was being polite or flirting when he offered to look at her resume. Now she knew he was a widower. She looked at her own wedding ring. If it hadn’t been for her sister Diana, her brother-in-law Ben, and Anne, Hank’s death would have killed her.

  A few months ago, Ben had gotten a job offer in Pin Oak Grove too good to pass up. Diana, Ben and Anne moved to a beautiful old Victorian with three acres. The property included an inground pool and a small ranch house on a flag lot. While they lived in the same town, Meara had gotten better. Once they moved, she had retreated into herself. Diana and Ben asked her to move into the ranch house to help with the mortgage and Anne. She knew they didn’t need help, but she appreciated the fact they wanted her.

  After Hank died, she painstakingly put her life back together. She went through the motions of everyday life. She paid the bills, ate and slept. She could manage, but she could only be so strong on her own. She hated not being able to control every detail of her life. She hadn’t been able to control Hank’s shocking heart attack. One day he was smiling and laughing, the next day she was rushing to the hospital to find him gone. There were all the right papers, insurance and a will, but no personal instructions, no last goodbye. No last I love you.

  Meara parked on the street in front of the Victorian. She was tearing up. Anne felt the change in Meara and regretted interfering.

  “I’m sorry, Aunt Meara,” Anne said, her lower lip quivering. “Please don’t get upset and think about Uncle Hank. I’m sorry I gave Mr. Phillips your resume. When you looked at each other at the supermarket, it reminded me of how happy you and Uncle Hank were. I wanted you to be happy again.”

  Meara hugged Anne. “You didn’t do anything wrong except hacking my computer and getting my Social Security number. I know you want me to be happy. Sometimes with adults, it’s a little complicated. Maybe even a little more complicated for me. I’m glad you made me speak to Mr. Phillips. I love hanging out with you, but I miss libraries. Do you think he likes me?”

  Anne wiped her eyes. “Yes, I do. Do you like him?”

  Meara scowled. “Out of the car and get your books.”

  They walked slightly uphill to the Victorian. The two-story house had a fantastic wraparound porch with a two-seater swing. The house was white with dark green trim and lots of windows to let in sunlight. Trees kept the house shady by day and breezy by night. There was plenty of thick green grass to keep Ben busy on weekends. The long paved driveway ran along the left side of the house, past the pool and back to the ranch house where Meara lived.

  “Do you want lunch by the pool today?” asked Meara as Anne ran up the back porch stairs.

  “Sounds good. I’ll change into my swimsuit and be right over to help.”

  Meara walked past the pool. She loved swimming. She could swim laps to her heart’s content. The whole property was an oasis for Meara. The Victorian appealed to her sense of romance while the ranch house was cozy and practical. The outdoor space was filled with secluded green spots. She had even discovered a small stream at the back of her ranch house. She opened her front door and felt cool air conditioning. She turned to see Anne waving from her upstairs bedroom window.

  Meara waved back. She kicked off her flip flops, hitting the back of the couch. This comfortable couch was positioned in front of a large fireplace. The fireplace’s wooden mantel held a tall, glass jug. The jug held numerous coins and bills of different denominations. The house had an open floor plan so the living, dining and kitchen areas flowed into each other.

  Down the long hallway were two spare bedrooms, a bathroom and Meara’s master suite. She went to her bedroom and changed into her swimsuit. Anne bounded into the house. Meara prepared sandwiches while Anne made lemonade. Once everything was ready, they walked over to the pool. While they were eating, Meara noticed Anne was deep in thought.

  “You’re awfully quiet Anne,” Meara said. “What are you thinking? Or planning?”

  “I’m not planning anything, I promise,” Anne replied. “I want to ask you something, but I don’t want you to get upset.”

  “Ask me and I’ll try not to.”

  “Why are you more complicated than other adults?”

  “I’m not sure. If I liked Mr. Phillips, I’d feel a little guilty because of your uncle. We never talked about dying.”

  “Don’t you think Uncle Hank wants you to be happy?”

  “I guess. I wish he could have told me. Not everyone gets that last goodbye.”

  “Maybe Uncle Hank is waiting for you to like someone. Then he’ll send you a sign saying it is okay.”

  “How did you get to be such a wise relationship expert?” Meara smirked.

  “By reading!” Anne gave her the raspberry and jumped into the pool.

  On Thursday morning, Anne woke up, padded downstairs and sat at the kitchen table. Her mother, Diana, was making breakfast. Diana was a younger, slightly taller, slimmer version of Meara. Like Meara, Diana smiled a great deal and loved her family very much. She was dressed for work in a tan silk blouse and brown slacks. She worked in an advertising firm in South Branchville.

  “Ben, you better hurry up or your toast will be cold!” Diana yelled up the stairs.

  “I’ll be right down!” Ben yelled back.

  Anne loved her parents. They were a happy couple. If they were ever mad at each other, they could never be mad at each other for long. Fighting in their house was limited to board game night. When Grandpa Jack died, her grandmother, Nana Kay, couldn’t take care of the family. Meara took on that responsibility, raising Diana and keeping the family together. When Hank and Ben came into the picture, Meara was the accepted head of the family. After Hank’s death, Meara began to let Diana and Ben handle making family decisions.

  Ben swept into the kitchen. He was taller than Diana and had a slim build. He had bright blue eyes and thick black hair. His dark blue suit was disheveled and his hair was mussed.

  “I’m running late. Anne, stay out of trouble and don’t give your aunt a hard time. She’s nervous. Love you both. Thank you, honey, for breakfast and lunch. When should the library be calling?”

  Diana replied, “For a computer guy, you’re disorganized. I packed you an apple. Wash it before you eat it! I don’t know when the library will call. Have a good day, sweetheart! I have to go too, Anne. I agree with your dad, go easy on Aunt Meara. If they call, they call. If they don’t, they don’t.”

  “Mr. Phillips will call,” said Anne.

  “Why do you say that?” asked Diana.

  “Because he likes Aunt Meara.”

  “He’s only met her twice.”

  “He likes her.”

  “Anne, I’ll ask this as simply as possible. The library director likes Aunt Meara as a friend or as a possible girlfriend?”

  “He likes her as a possible girlfriend.”

  “How Aunt Meara feel?”

  “I’m not sure. I think she likes him as a possible boyfriend, but wishes she knew how Uncle Hank would feel about it.”

  “We’ll talk more when I get home. Be nice
to Aunt Meara.”

  “Yes, Mom.” Anne ran over to the ranch house and knocked on the front door.

  Meara answered. “Good morning!”

  Anne beamed. “Aunt Meara, what are we doing today?”

  “This is going to be a long day, isn’t it?” asked Meara dryly.

  “Why don’t we look at your wardrobe and see what you have to wear to work?”

  “What’s wrong with my clothes?” Meara raised an eyebrow.

  “Nothing! Are you going to wear a dress on Monday?”

  “No way. You saw the Youth Services Department. I’m getting my hands dirty on day one.”

  “You should look pretty on your first day.”

  “No more wardrobe discussion. Why don’t we go to lunch in town today and keep ourselves out of mischief?”

  They spent the day avoiding discussion of the library. They had lunch at Lynn’s Café, a quiet spot in town where the food was great. The owner, Lynn, went the extra mile to make her customers feel at home. She thought Anne was spunky and Meara deserved a medal. She slipped Meara a giant chocolate chip cookie as a reward for her patience. When they arrived home in the late afternoon, Meara was glad to hand Anne off to Diana. Meara retreated to her house. She was pacing when the phone rang.

  “Did he call yet?” Anne asked.

  “No, Anne,” replied Meara calmly. “Did you think he would go into the meeting, get approval and run out to call me? He may not call until tomorrow.”

  “He’ll call tonight. I just know it.”

  “He won’t be able to get through if you’re on the line.”

  “You didn’t get call waiting? What’s wrong with you? Goodbye!”

  Meara heaved a sigh of relief. She was nervous enough without Anne calling every five minutes. The butterflies in her stomach anticipated hearing his voice again. He had a deep, slightly gravelly voice that sent shivers up her spine. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Maybe mixing personal and professional wasn’t such a good idea.

  Chapter Four

  In the meeting room, Duncan and the Board of Trustees worked their way through agenda items. They were making pretty good time if his quick glances at his watch were correct. They were wrapping up old business and were about to get to new business. Meara was new business. He was going to convince them to hire her.

  The Board president read off the next item. “It looks like we have a successful candidate to replace the former Head of Youth Services.”

  “Yes,” Duncan replied. “A librarian named Meara Martin has moved into town. She has an excellent work history and she interviewed well.”

  “Do we really need to replace the former librarian?” asked the Board president.

  “Mrs. Martin is a degreed librarian with managerial experience and dedication to the field. All of her references were glowing. The Board has said in the past I could use additional help in running the library. I find Mrs. Martin can fill that capacity and run the Youth Services Department. It would be killing two birds with one stone.”

  Duncan had their full attention. He rarely spoke for so long. The Board members knew Duncan Phillips was not a man to make snap decisions or let his feelings guide his judgments.

  “If Duncan says this librarian will work, I say hire her. The library needs to get some kids in here. It’s a little too quiet,” said one of the Board members, a retired teacher, if Duncan remembered correctly.

  The Board voted. All were in favor of hiring Meara. Duncan knew she was the right choice. He wanted to work with her and be friends, maybe even more. He zoned out on the meeting. He wondered what it would be like to hold her in his arms. He wanted to run his fingers through her hair and kiss her dimple. He wanted to tease her and make her laugh. He noticed the room had gotten quiet. The Board members were looking at him.

  “Duncan, are you all right?” asked the Board president.

  “I’m sorry. I was thinking I’ll need to get a set of keys for Mrs. Martin.”

  Duncan stayed focused until the meeting ended. He retreated to his office. The library was closed. He found Meara’s resume and application. He made notes about salary and benefits. He was stalling, but he was calming his nerves.

  “Here goes nothing,” he said aloud.

  He dialed her number. He didn’t want her to think he had forgotten her. He wondered if she would be waiting for his call.

  On the third ring, she answered. “Anne, stop calling every five minutes. You’re making me more nervous than I already am!”

  He chuckled. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Martin, but I’m not Anne. I’m sorry if anticipating my call was making you nervous.”

  “Mr. Phillips, I’m so sorry. Anne has been a bit of a pest today. I’ve been looking forward to your call. How are you?” Her butterflies fluttered at the sound of his voice.

  While she spoke, he closed his eyes and pictured her smiling nervously. “I’m fine and how are you?”

  “I’m fine. I’m sure Anne heard my phone ring. She’ll be knocking on my door soon. She’s going to drive me crazy.”

  He laughed. “I guess it’s a good thing the Board approved hiring you. You’ll be able to escape Anne for a good part of your day.”

  “That’s wonderful, Mr. Phillips. Thank you so much for this opportunity. I miss being in a library and I’ll try my best to do a good job.”

  “I have no doubts of that, Mrs. Martin. Your references were positive about your work. Everyone I spoke to lamented the fact you were no longer with them. One reference said I’d be lucky to have you on my staff.”

  “I appreciate their faith in me. How did the rest of the Board meeting go? I remember they can be boring and dull.”

  “I have to agree with you. This one was routine except for hiring you. The Board agrees with Anne. We need to get more kids into the library. You’ll have to hit the ground running on Monday.”

  He could hear knocking in the background. “Is that Anne now?”

  “Yes, but I’m not letting her in yet. She’s on my front porch bouncing up and down. She’ll run around to the back porch in a minute. Then I’m in trouble. There she goes.”

  He chuckled again. “She’s a good kid, isn’t she? I look forward to seeing her at the library.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Phillips, she is a good kid. Now she’s staring at me through the glass door on the back porch. You should see the look on her face. She can’t figure out if it’s good news or bad news. If I can stop myself from laughing, we can make her think it’s not going so well.”

  “That’s terrible, but sounds like fun. Mrs. Martin, I’ll need to speak to you about salary. You should frown now. And I’ll need to talk to you about benefits. Frown again. Would you be able to stop by the library tomorrow?”

  She frowned when he told her to and Anne was going crazy. When he mentioned going to the library tomorrow, she frowned for real.

  “Could it be after noon tomorrow? Anne has this nature hike all planned. It sounds more like a death march to me, but she wants to show me the park.” She shifted nervously.

  “After noon is fine. Fridays are casual at the library, so don’t worry about dressing to impress. I’m already impressed.” Rolling his eyes, he smacked his head because he sounded cheesy. “Why don’t we say one o’clock? Tell Anne I can’t lose my new Head of Youth Services, so she should take it easy on you.”

  “Thank you! You might have saved my life. One more thing. I’ve never lived in the same town where I worked. Do you have any advice on the mixing of personal and professional? If I make friends with staff members or patrons, is there a place to draw the line and keep it professional?” she asked quietly.

  She wanted the job, but she wanted to be friends with him too. She couldn’t deny she was attracted to him. His voice alone made her feel like giggling. If she started thinking about his smile or his dancing green eyes, she would sigh.

  “Mrs. Martin, I’m guessing you’ve been friends with staff members and patrons in the past. You knew where to draw the line. There�
��s really no way around it. It’s going to happen. It will be up to you to set the parameters of the relationships you make. I’m hoping we can be friends as well.” He closed his eyes and waited for her reply.

  “Thank you. I would like that very much. Your advice helps a great deal. While I have Anne looking horrified on the back porch, I need to establish my first parameter.” She struggled not to laugh.

  Grinning, he paused. “Go ahead.”

  “You must call me Miss Meara. I’m shaking my finger at you and frowning deeply.”

  He laughed out loud this time. “You win. Is Anne freaking out now, Miss Meara?”

  “I think she’s going to pop.” She smiled broadly.

  His laugh sent a thrill down her spine. She could picture him smiling. She wondered what it would be like to kiss him. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

  “Are you going to let her in or are you going to keep up the torture?”

  “I’ll keep her out until we’re done. I don’t want your ears to burst with squeals of joy when she finds out.”

  “Thank you, I appreciate it. If we are set for tomorrow at one, I should let you go.”

  “Thank you again, Mr. Phillips for the job and for the advice. I’m looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. Are you still at the library?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “I feel terrible. I’ve kept you after a long night with the Board. I’m sorry.”

  “Miss Meara, it’s worth every minute. Good night and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Good night, Mr. Phillips. See you tomorrow.”

  “Bye and let Anne in!”

  “I will.” She giggled as she hung up.

  Duncan closed his eyes. That giggle was adorable. It reminded him of a kitten purring. Without Meara to chat with, he felt lonely again. At the supermarket, when he had looked into her eyes, she had taken away the loneliness. He missed Brenda. Their marriage had been an easy-going companionship. There had been passion early in their marriage, but as time went on, they had settled into a comfortable pattern. He had longed for the passion to return and then Brenda learned she had cancer.

  Brenda was a practical woman. She had prepared him for when she was gone. She loved him and wanted him to be happy. If he found someone else, it was fine with her. At the time, he hadn’t wanted to think about it. When Brenda died, his heart broke. He had loved and respected her. He couldn’t replace her with casual relationships, so he hid behind his wedding ring. No one fired up the passion missing from his marriage until he met Meara. He wondered if Meara could be the one to heal his heart.