The Swear Jar

  He fell asleep, snoring lightly into her head. Sleepily, she opened her eyes and let out a contented sigh. She tapped him on the arm and turned him away from her. She snuggled into his back and fell asleep again. He woke up a few hours later. It was still light outside. He felt her curled up behind him. He carefully moved away, getting out of bed. He felt terrible about the bleeding. He sat and watched her sleep.

  He wondered if he could slip out to the supermarket and be back before she woke up. He was thinking of surprising her. He headed downstairs. A quick look around the kitchen revealed the key to the cottage and the beach badges they would need. He saw it as a sign he would be able to pull off his surprise.

  He walked quickly to the supermarket. He picked up a shopping basket. He found a sleeping mask, a coil of clothesline rope, two bags of chocolate kisses, a bear-shaped bottle of honey, a container of strawberries and a container of blueberries. He slipped into the feminine product aisle. He was looking for lubrication. He didn’t know what to buy. There were also condoms and pregnancy tests. He quickly chose two items. Exiting the aisle, he breathed a sigh of relief.

  As he walked through the toy aisle, a paddle ball caught his eye. He raised an eyebrow and chuckled. He put two in his basket. She might protest, but it was worth a try. He had promised her a spanking. He headed for the express checkout counter. He wanted to get home to her before she noticed he was gone. He placed his items on the counter. The cashier was a tall, dark haired young man, in his early twenties, probably a college student hired for the summer. He was smiling at Duncan.

  “Hi! How are you today?” asked the cashier.

  “Fine, thank you. How are you?” replied Duncan, smiling back.

  “Great. What do we have here today?” the cashier asked absentmindedly.

  As he rang up Duncan’s items, his smile turned into a smirk. He lowered his voice so as not to embarrass Duncan.

  “We do have a full line of protection in aisle eight.”

  His smile faltering, Duncan cleared his throat and lowered his voice. “I don’t need any.”

  “Lucky dude. Party at your house,” said the cashier, giving Duncan two thumbs up.

  Blushing, Duncan wondered how Meara could stand doing it so often. “Ah, yes.”

  The cashier finished ringing up the items and bagged them. Duncan paid the cashier and collected his bags. He wanted to get out of the store while he could still keep a straight face.

  The cashier kept his voice low. “Dude, let me make a suggestion. Pick up a bottle of wine next door. They even have little bottles of champagne. It sets the mood, if you know what I mean. And I think you do. I’d wish you good luck, but I don’t think you need it.”

  “Ah, thank you. Bye.” Duncan made a hasty retreat out of the store.

  He was trying not to laugh. He turned into the wine shop and soon left with two bottles. He quietly let himself into the kitchen. He didn’t hear her moving around, so he grabbed the cottage key. The cottage had a small living room, a kitchenette with a little refrigerator, and a bedroom with a bathroom attached. He placed his purchases where they needed to go and hurried back to the house.

  He walked upstairs towards the bedroom. He hoped she had not awakened. He heard a strange noise. He realized with some unease the noise was coming from their bedroom. It was like a kitten mewling. It got louder as he reached the top of the stairs. Sleeping in their bed, she had a pained look on her face. She was making the mewling sounds. He watched for a moment. She began to sob. His heart broke. He rushed forward and tossed off his shoes. He climbed into bed behind her, pulling her into an embrace. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

  “Duncan…Duncan…Where are you?” she cried, still asleep.

  “I’m here, Meara. Wake up, sweetheart. I’m here. Shhh, it’s all right. Wake up,” he cooed.

  He gently rocked her in his arms. Her crying had stopped, but she was groggy.

  He whispered into her ear. “Please wake up, Meara. You’re scaring me.”

  She opened her eyes. “Duncan! I had such a horrible nightmare. I couldn’t move. I was calling for you. I couldn’t find you. I was in the library and you weren’t there. I was in your house, but you weren’t there either. Then I was here and I couldn’t find you. I called for you, but you didn’t answer. I was so afraid.”

  She clung to him as he continued to rock her in his arms. He held her tightly.

  He kissed her forehead. “It’s all right. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. I promise not to go anywhere. I love you.”

  She pulled his hand to her lips and kissed it. “I love you too.”

  She placed his folded index finger against her lips and sighed. He stopped rocking her and eased himself against the pillows, never letting her go.

  “Meara? Why do you hold your index finger against your lips while you sleep?”

  “I didn’t notice. I used to do it as a child. It was a comfort thing. Now I do it because I’m content. I didn’t realize I put your finger against my lips. Sorry.”

  “Sorry for what? Telling me you’re content and happy? You can borrow my index finger whenever you want.”

  Intertwining their left hands, she inhaled sharply. “Duncan? We’re not wearing our wedding rings. When did you stop wearing it?”

  “In my office, after you told me you loved me. And you?”

  “Locking up my office, after you told me you loved me.”

  “We don’t need to hide behind them anymore.” He kissed her gently.

  His stomach growled, loudly and prolonged. She giggled, twisting until she could bury her face in his chest.

  She took a deep breath and laughed. “We’ve seen each other naked. Now there’s a hungry wild beast in your tummy. All we need is someone to fart and all the magic will be gone.”

  He chuckled, “I’ll feed you something you’re not supposed to eat and you’ll take care of the farting.”

  “Very funny. Speaking of feeding, let’s see what we can find.”

  “How about we grill? Then we can take a walk on the beach after dinner.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  They headed downstairs and rummaged through the refrigerator. They chose hot dogs and hamburgers, and her noodle and potato salads. Duncan headed out to fire up the grill. Meara worked on a green salad. She hadn’t given him his birthday present and wanted to sneak it onto the patio table.

  He returned. “It’ll take a few minutes for the coals. I’m going to look for the sand chairs. Mike said there were some. I’ll be right back.”

  “I’ll set the table on the patio. Do you think there’s a beach umbrella too? I brought my sunscreen, but we can’t be too careful. An umbrella would be nice.”

  “I’ll check.” He wanted to sneak into the cottage, hoping tomorrow would be another exciting day.

  She hurried, tucking his present onto his chair. She found plates, forks and napkins for the table. She placed hot dogs and hamburgers on plates and found grill tools. She put an armload of food on the table. She didn’t see him, but the coals needed a little more time. She wondered if he would want his birthday cake. She set out dessert plates and forks just in case. She found a coffee maker. She knew he liked strong coffee. She wondered where he was when he popped into the kitchen.

  Smiling, he was out of breath. “The coals are ready. What do we have to cook? I found the sand chairs and an umbrella.”

  “Sir Duncan, we have these humble plates to cook. I’ll send you off to fight the burning coals with a humble token of my affection and a spatula.” Kissing him, she handed him a plate and spatula. “Now, off with you! And conquer the coals!”

  “It’ll be my honor, Lady Meara,” he bowed, holding the plate and spatula steady.

  She slapped him on the butt. “That was my real token of affection. I’m right behind you, enjoying the view, and bringing the other plate and a fork. The fork is pointy, so don’t get any ideas, Sir Duncan.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said over his shoulder. “But once my
hands are free, I make no promises.”

  “I’ll make a run for it,” she laughed.

  “I could chase you. That lawn looks soft. I could tackle you while the hamburgers cook.”

  “Don’t even think about it, buddy. I’m not letting go of the fork and I’m not afraid to use it.”

  He placed the hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill. “Hand it over, Lady Meara, or the hot dogs will burn.”

  “That’s an idle threat, grill master. Whose stomach is rumbling? But here, as a sign of good faith, I relinquish my fork to you, Sir Duncan.” She curtsied, handing him the fork.

  He grabbed her wrist. “I’ve got you now. I don’t care if my stomach is growling. I’ll nibble your neck. I’m good at multitasking.”

  He held her tight around the waist. He flipped the hamburgers and rotated the hot dogs. She enjoyed the playful tug of war. She tried pulling away while he cooked, but he kept a firm grip on her. She gave up when the food was ready. He let her go. He held out the chair for her to sit, then went to sit himself. She held her breath. She really wanted him to like her present. He looked down at the heavy, rectangular shaped package, covered with wrapping paper and a bow. He recognized it as from the Branches and Twigs Bookstore.

  “What’s this?” he asked.

  “It’s your birthday present. One day late. I’m sorry. I forgot to give it to you yesterday.”

  “You already gave me the best birthday present ever. You didn’t have to do this.”

  “Yes, I did. I only hope you don’t already have it. Go ahead, open it. The suspense is killing me.”

  “Maybe I’ll wait until after dinner.”

  “Stop teasing me, you awful man. Open it!”

  She watched as he opened her present. It was a red leather bound Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. He smiled and leafed through the pages.

  “Do you like it? Do you have one already? I know Mike gave you The Hobbit. And the dragon you gave me is Smaug. I thought perhaps if you like The Hobbit, you might like the next adventure.” She rambled nervously.

  “This is great. I love it. I don’t have one. I’d like to read The Hobbit with you. Then we can tackle this one.”

  “I’m so glad. I have one of these too. We can read together. I love the books, but I confess, I need a scorecard sometimes to keep track of what’s going on.”

  “We’ll figure it out together.” His stomach growled.

  “We should eat before the monster in your tummy makes an appearance.”

  He ate until his stomach was full. She complimented him on his grilling skills while he marveled at her salads. He wasn’t too keen on green salads, but he liked hers. She picked at her food. She felt nervous. She couldn’t shake the cold feeling her nightmare had given her. She was enjoying their time together. Whenever he touched her, she felt a warm, electrical tingling. She was feeling overwhelmed.

  She hoped he would be patient with her. All it took was for him to touch her and she gave in to her passion. A little voice in her head kept asking her why she was giving him so much control. She didn’t want to be controlled. It was easy to give in to him because he was romantic. She was driving herself crazy. She was being unfair to him. She remembered what Yoli had said. Go for it.

  “Earth to Meara. Come in Meara.” He was looking at her anxiously.

  “I’m sorry, Duncan. I spaced out,” she laughed. “What were you saying?”

  He held her hand. “Would you like to go for a walk on the beach? The sun should be setting soon.”

  “I would like that very much.”

  “I’ll make sure the coals are cold.”

  “When we get back, do you want birthday cake?”

  “There’s always room for cake.”

  She laughed. He suggested bringing a light jacket in case it became cool. They held hands as they made their way to the beach. The boardwalk was quiet now. They found a bench facing the ocean. She tucked into his chest and held his hand.

  “What do you want to do tomorrow?” he asked.

  “I’d love to see the sunrise. Spend some time at the beach. What do you want to do tomorrow?”

  “I’d like to come to the beach too. Maybe build a sandcastle. I’ve never spent much time at the beach. Brenda didn’t like the Shore.”

  “My family used to come to the Shore for vacations. Getting tossed around in the waves was not my idea of fun, but sandcastles and walking sound good.”

  “What else did you do at the Shore?”

  “We would go to the arcades and on the rides. I miss Skeeball. I was addicted to it as a kid. I’d save up my allowance and spend it all on Skeeball. Miniature golf was fun too. If you ever want to see me lose my cool, take me to play mini golf. I’m horrible.”

  “So let’s go now. It’s still early. The boardwalk’s open late. Let’s go play Skeeball and mini golf. What else do you remember?”

  “You can’t go to the boardwalk without getting a slice of pizza, zeppoles and stopping at the sweet shop.”

  “I don’t know if I could handle pizza, but we can save the zeppoles and sweets.”

  “Let’s do it. But I’m warning you to bring lots of change for Skeeball. I’ll use up every last quarter you have.”

  “I’ll turn out my pockets before we go.”

  They walked home to gather their change. They drove to the boardwalk. She was as excited as a little kid. She freaked out to see him using quarters to feed the parking meter. He used Duncan magic to calm her down. She led him past the sweet shop.

  “On the way out.” She wagged her finger.

  He smiled. She had a routine for the boardwalk. He would defer to her experience.

  She pointed. “That’s the best pizza place. They also have zeppoles. They put the zeppoles in a paper bag with powdered sugar. You shake the bag to cover them.”

  “Do you want to play Skeeball or mini golf first? If you play Skeeball first, we might not have the money for mini golf.”

  “Good point. The best place for mini golf is just up ahead.”

  They walked hand in hand, taking in the sights. It was a crowded night. They could hear people screaming on the rides. The roller coaster zipped by overhead. He was secretly grateful she didn’t like the rides. He saw families and couples, up and down the boardwalk. He wondered if they looked odd to other people.

  He hoped no one would assume she was his daughter. He hoped he looked younger than his age because she looked younger for her age. Her gentle features and her natural, makeup-free look made her youthful. Their age difference didn’t bother him when he was alone with her, but he wondered what other people thought.

  Andrew and Sean probably thought she was the same age as him. They were in for a shock. No one at the library thought their ages made a difference. He needed to face the fact he was an older guy with a younger woman. A sexy, full of life woman who thought he was sexy. His anxiety switched to how he was going to keep her happy.

  She led him by the hand to the mini golf course. After choosing clubs, she went first since Sir Duncan was ever chivalrous. She hit the ball and it went wild. It didn’t go anywhere near the hole. He chuckled.

  “Laugh now. It only gets worse. Those little score cards can’t hold all the marks I’m going to need,” she snorted.

  He watched her swivel her hips. He groaned. She gave him a quizzical look. He let out a long breath. She swayed her hips and bent forward slightly. She had no idea the effect she was having on him. She was a terrible player, but she was having a great time. He had a respectable score, but he was growing uncomfortable. He didn’t want to cause a scene, but he was finding it difficult to concentrate.

  She was so damned sexy without even knowing it. He had to find a way to release some of his feelings. He didn’t want to ruin their night out. After the round of mini golf was over, he was clearly the winner. They headed to the arcade where her favorite Skeeball machines were. He needed to find a dark corner where he could make out with her. He spied a Tunnel of Love ride. He l
ed her to the ticket booth.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, laughing.

  “On that ride there,” he replied huskily.

  She gave him a curious look. “Okay.”

  As soon as it was dark, he kissed her. His thumb found her breast. He kissed her neck and put his hand between her legs. She ran her hands through his hair and pressed close to him. She rubbed the front of his jeans. He groaned, pressing her against the back of the car.

  “You were driving me crazy during mini golf. Your hips. Your laugh. I was close to taking you right there in front of everyone,” he whispered.

  “I didn’t realize. Are you better now or do we have to go home?”

  “I’m a little better now. Is there much hip wiggling in Skeeball?”

  “There’s more bending than wiggling.”

  “You’re so cruel.”

  With their arms wrapped firmly around their waists, they exited the ride. They found her favorite arcade for Skeeball. She clapped her hands as she found the Skeeball lane she wanted to use.

  She pointed to the lanes. “I’ll play here. You play there.”

  “How about I watch you?”

  “No! We have to play and earn tickets. The more you play, the more tickets you get. The tickets add up to prizes. We’re trying to get high scores to get more tickets. Oh, please play!” she protested.

  A young couple next to Meara and Duncan were happily playing Skeeball. They high-fived each other as their tickets rolled out of the machines. Duncan watched in amusement.

  The young man turned to Duncan. “Have you ever played Skeeball? The wife got me hooked. Your wife is right. The more you play, the more tickets you get. The prizes are cheesy, but you’ve earned them. Isn’t that right, dear?”

  “Yes, it is. If your wife likes Skeeball, I suggest you learn to like it. She’s not going to give it up. It’s in her blood. Besides, if you help, she’ll thank you later for the prizes. If you know what I mean,” the young woman said, winking. “You two make a cute couple.”