He stopped the swing with his feet, “You’re probably right.”
She hopped off of the swing, and slid into her shorts, then pulled her top over her head. Clay put his jeans back on, and carried his shirt over his shoulder. She started to walk ahead of him. He stared at her body moving from side to side as she walked through the grass. He wanted to reach out for her, but he knew he shouldn’t. So, he caught up and walked in silence next to her.
“I think your lake worked on me.” She said.
“What makes you say that?”
“I told you things that I don’t even talk to Jenny about.”
“Do you trust me?”
She looked over at him, “I think I do.”
He smiled, watching where he was stepping. “I’ll keep your secrets safe.”
“What about your secrets?”
“I don’t have any.” He said. He could still feel her eyes on him.
“Not even about your mother?”
There it was; the question that everyone can’t wait to ask. His mother was one of the town’s great mysteries. He didn’t think anyone deserved the truth about her, so he never answered. “I don’t want to talk about that.”
“Ok.” She quickly dropped it, which surprised him. Typically people push the topic, trying to break down his walls. The more he thought about how Jason treated her Friday, the more he wanted to find him and talk some sense into him.
“You’re different than what I thought you’d be.” Claire spoke again.
“How so?”
“You’re intentional about life. Everything you do has had thought put behind it. You don’t seem to live life afraid of consequences, because you’ve already outweighed them in your head.”
“You got all that from one afternoon with me?” He smiled over at her.
“I might not be patient, but I’m perceptive.”
They walked out of the woods. His father’s house and barn sat just over the hill. He knew his time with her was coming to an end. The sun was setting; he saw his father’s truck pulling up to the driveway, which is exactly what he didn’t want to happen. He mentally started bracing himself for questions from his father after she would leave.
“Is that your dad?” She asked, as they neared the house.
“Unfortunately.”
She laughed, “Why do you say that?”
“I’m going to get the twenty questions when you leave.”
“Maybe, he just cares.”
He laughed, shaking his head, “That’s the point, he does. He doesn’t want me to be alone.”
She giggled, “Your dad just wants to be your match maker.”
He bit his lip, smiling. “He’s been out of the game for a while, I think his tactics are out of touch.” Clay stepped a few steps ahead of her. “Hey, Pop.”
“Clay, who might we have here?” His father’s eyes went from him to Claire.
Clay was about to speak, but Claire beat him to it. She stepped forward, extending her hand. “Claire Cunningham, Sir. Nice to meet you.”
“It’s a pleasure, Claire. I’m Roy.” He looked at Clay. “What have you two been up to?”
Clay ran his hand through his damp hair, “We walked down to the water, and swam a little.”
“It was a nice day for it.” His father stated, and then looked at Claire. “Will you be staying for dinner? Clay is a good cook.”
She smiled, looking at Clay, “You cook?”
“A little. I have to keep my hands busy, even at home.”
His father huffed, “He’s being modest.”
“Unfortunately, Mr. Williams, I have dinner with my parents at seven.”
“Another time then.” His father took his hat off.
“I’d like that.” She smiled. “I do need to get going.” Her attention went to Clay, “I enjoyed today, thank you.” She didn’t attempt to hug him.
“Bye, Claire.” Clay gave her a short wave.
His father stayed silent, as she hopped in her car, and slowly pulled out of the driveway. Clay’s eyes stayed on the SUV as the tail lights got smaller.
“Did you finish the bench for the Jamisons?” His father asked, starting for the front door.
Clay followed, “I got started, but I’ll finish it tomorrow.”
His father laughed, “Guess you found a reason to take a day off after all.”
Clay shot him a look, “Don’t start.”
“I didn’t say anything.” His father continued to laugh, walking up the stairs.
Chapter Seven
Claire
Claire arrived home Sunday night around 6:30. For the first time all weekend, she saw Jason’s car parked in his driveway next door. He had tried to call her a few times, but she didn’t answer. It was too hard for her to face him yet. He was a different person Friday night, or maybe he was always that person, and she had been to blind to see it.
Part of her felt bad from spending her afternoon with Clay, but there was something about him that made her feel alive. She felt wanted around him, and she was starting to realize that maybe she wanted him too. Everything logical said that Clay was a bad idea, but her heart was starting to whisper another story.
A knock on her window, broke her from her daydream. Her father was standing outside her car door. She turned her car off, and grabbed her purse, then opened her door.
“Where have you been?” Her father demanded.
“I went swimming.” She decided she didn’t want to fully lie, since her hair had clearly been wet in the past few hours.
“Where did you go swimming at?”
She hesitated, but knew he probably wouldn’t know what she was talking about. “Sanderson Field.”
He blinked a few times, “I forgot about that place. With who? You weren’t with Jenny. Your mother checked.”
Claire ignored him walking towards the house.
“Claire Elaine!” He snapped using her first and middle name. “You respond when I ask you a question.” His voice became eerily deep.
She stopped, slowly turning to face him, “Yes, sir.”
“Where were you?”
“I went swimming alone. I needed to clear my head.”
“What did you need to clear your head of?” He stared at her, disapproving.
She contemplated telling him about Jason, but decided against it. “Just stress from the wedding and school next semester.”
His face softened. He always relaxed when she spoke about school or her engagement to Jason. He walked up to her, wrapping one arm around her, “Sweetheart, you can talk to me about stress. If it’s money, you know we have enough of that.” They started walking toward the house.
“It’s not. Just a lot is changing.” That part was true. Her entire life was slowly changing, and she didn’t know if she liked where it was going.
“It’ll be worth it in the end. I promise you.” He kissed the top of her head. “Now let’s get ready for dinner. Your mom made a roast.”
Monday morning Claire waited until her parents left for work before she went downstairs. She had no plans for the day, but knew she was going to have to face Jason at some point. She peeked out the kitchen window to see if his car was still next door. It was. She grabbed a cup of coffee that her dad had made, and made her way back upstairs to get ready for the day.
An hour later, Claire was dressed in a beige romper that had buttons down the front, and a tie around the waist. She opted for brown sandals that matched the buttons instead of her regular converse. Her hair was curled and she put on a little makeup. If she was going to face Jason, she wanted to at least feel good. Claire liked dressing up. She used to sit in her Mom’s bathroom while she did her makeup every morning, captivated by the way her Mom was so delicate with herself.
A knock on the front door, and then a doorbell chime made her heart sink. She was hoping it wasn’t him. She hadn’t had enough time to fully brace herself for whatever conversation they would have. When she walked down the stairs she could see hi
s blurry outline through the glass on the front door.
She took a deep breath, and opened it. All she did was stare at him. The sun darkened her view on him, since it was so bright outside. Still she could see the boy she had loved since high school.
“Hi, Claire, you look nice.” He kissed her on the cheek, and walked into the house, without being invited. She didn’t really think she needed to invite him in anymore, but after Friday she wasn’t sure where their boundaries stood.
Jason put his hands in his pockets, turning to look at her, “Where were you all weekend?” It was clear that he was uncomfortable.
“I was around.” She shut the door, and walked into the sitting room.
“I tried to reach out to you, but you didn’t answer.” He was looking anywhere but her eyes.
Claire crossed her arms, leaning back into the yellow floral chair that her Mom loved so much. “You called me twice, Jason. I slept here Saturday night and Sunday night. If you wanted to find me, you would have.” She paused. “Plus, your car was gone all weekend. You clearly weren’t that worried.”
He sat down on the sofa, “I didn’t know how to talk to you. I spoke to your father this morning when he left for work; He said you were gone all day yesterday. You didn’t come home until dinner.”
Her thoughts flashed back to Clay and her in the water. Her body pressed against his. She pushed the thoughts away. “It’s summer Jason; I was doing normal summer things.”
He stared at her, wringing his hands together, “I’m sorry about Friday night. I shouldn’t have left you.”
She bit her bottom lip, “No you shouldn’t have.”
“I was drunk, and I messed up. Can we move past this?”
Her memory of walking home alone rushed her with the fear she had that night. “Jason, I walked home, by myself” Her voice strained a little, she placed her hand on her chest. “It took me two hours. At one point two men tried to pick me up, so I ran into a random neighborhood, and hid behind a bush until they were gone. What you did was not ok.”
“I’m sorry.” He said flatly.
“Where were you?” She asked.
“What do you mean?”
She was starting to lose her patience. “It took me two hours to get home. It was one in the morning, and your car was still not home. Where were you?”
A moment of silence was the only thing she needed to confirm that he was about to lie to her. “I was looking for you. I went back, and tried to find you. I must have still been looking.”
Her emotionless eyes held his, “If you were looking for me, you would have found me. I stayed on the main roads the entire time. You know the route to our neighborhood. You weren’t looking.”
He stood up, clearly becoming impatient with her, “What are you trying to say? I was looking for you. Whether you want to believe me or not, that’s your problem.” He walked up to her, crouching down in front of her. “Claire, I love you. We have to figure out how to work through this. You’re going to be my wife.”
She looked down at his pleading eyes, she was about to give in, but wanted to ask one more question. “Why wasn’t your car home the next morning?”
“I-I had to help my dad with something in town.”
She stared back into his brown eyes. She knew his eyes so well, but she wasn’t sure if she knew his heart anymore. Still this was Jason. He’s been in her life for years. They’ve lived next door to each other since they were ten.
She finally reached down, and placed a small kiss on his lips. A smile formed on Jason’s face. He glanced at her hand, “Where’s your engagement ring?”
Claire looked down at her left hand; her nails were a pale pink, but her ring wasn’t on it. “I must have left it upstairs in my room.” She knew very well that she didn’t put it on while getting ready. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to be engaged at all anymore. Until she figured it out, she had to pretend. “I’ll go get it.”
*
Later that day Jason had to go meet with his new firm. He still had two weeks until he started, but they wanted him to come in for some paperwork. Claire decided to meet Jenny during her lunch break, since she hadn’t seen her all weekend. Jenny was a medical assistant at a doctor’s office in town. They decided to meet at a cafe near Jenny’s office.
Claire sat at a table outside. An iron gate separated the sitting area from the sidewalk to her right. Claire ordered water with lemon, and she got Jenny a sweet tea, which was Jenny’s go to drink of choice.
“Don’t worry, I made it. I have arrived.” Jenny walked up behind her. She was wearing her normal blue scrubs.
“Hi.” Claire smiled. “I got you a sweet tea.”
Jenny sat down across from her, “You know me so well.”
“How’s work today?”
“Brutal.” Jenny took a sip of tea. “What have you been doing today?”
“I saw Jason this morning, and now I’m here.”
“Oh you did?” Jenny looked at her menu, uninterested. “What did you do all weekend? After Friday, I didn’t hear from you.”
“I just kind of hung out by myself; needed a breather.” She was about to admit to Jenny about Clay, until what she heard Jenny say next.
“I think I’m going to get the avocado salad, or maybe the soup.” Jenny kept looking at the menu. “How come you didn’t invite me to go swimming with you? I would have gone.”
“I…just wanted to clear my head.” She hadn’t told anyone except her father about what she did yesterday. There was no way Jenny could have talked to him between last night and this morning. The person that did talk to her father this morning was Jason. Her stomach dropped, her mind went to what Clay said at the bar Friday; “There’s more to it than just the surface.”
Claire set her menu down, “Where did you go Friday night? When I came out of the bathroom you were gone, and then I tried to call you.”
Jenny finally looked up from her menu, “My phone must have died. I went home with Ben. He’s had the hots for me for months. He did not disappoint in bed.” She looked back down at her menu.
Claire stared at her, “Oh. I didn’t know you liked him.” She wanted to believe her friend, and part of her felt like she was fishing for something that might not be there, but she still couldn’t shake the feeling she had.
“How’d your night go? The band was really good.” Jenny continued.
“It was fine.” Claire said; she didn’t want to go into details.
Jenny set her menu down, “Just fine? The last thing I saw was you talking to Clay Williams. How was that?”
Claire was saved from answering when the server walked up to take their orders. Claire ordered a salad, and Jenny ended up deciding on a burger. They spent the rest of their lunch talking about normal conversation topics, and people walking by. Claire and Jenny loved people watching.
*
After lunch Jenny went back to work, and Claire made her way to the grocery store. Claire’s Mom had requested that she make dessert for dinner. She spent some time moseying in and out of stores, until she finally found her way to the grocery store.
Her eyes caught sight of a truck that looked like Clay’s. It was parked across the street from the grocery store. Butterflies filled her stomach; they quickly flew away when she saw a man who wasn’t Clay get into the driver seat. She didn’t realize she had been subconsciously looking for him while she was in town. She didn’t know when she would see him again, but she did know that she wanted to. She still felt the goosebumps on her skin when he ran his hand between her chest. The urge between her legs, when she wanted to kiss him. Her disappointment when he pulled away. She was utterly confused.
She left the grocery store with the supplies to make an apple tart, which was her father’s favorite. She arrived home around 4:30. Jason wasn’t next door, but she tried not to think anything of it. She put the groceries away, and went upstairs to her room.
She stared down at the ring on her hand, and took it off; placing it in her gla
ss dish where she put her daily jewelry. She laid down on her bed, going over her conversation with Jason, and then Jenny. Was she imagining things?
Her parents arrived home a little after five. Her Mom immediately started preparing dinner. She called Claire downstairs to prepare the dessert. Claire had changed out of her romper into a comfortable pair of shorts, and t-shirt.
Claire was opening the box of pastry, when her father walked into the kitchen. “Dianne, have you seen the check for the fence? I thought I set it on top of the microwave.” He addressed her mom. Panic filled Claire; she knew he would be mad that she took it.
“No, Dear. Are you sure you put it there?” Her Mom said, as she put potatoes in the oven.
Her father kissed Claire on top of her head, “Hi, honey. How was your day?”
“Good.” Claire smiled.
He walked over to her Mom, “It’s either I’ve lost my mind, or we have a thief coming in and out of our house.” He turned to Claire, “Have you had any friends in the house recently? Has Jenny been here?”
Claire rolled her eyes, “Jenny isn’t a thief.”
“You don’t know that.” He said firmly.
“Jenny didn’t take anything, I did.” She snapped.
Her father narrowed his eyes at her; he was visibly disappointed.
Claire’s mom spoke up, “Why would you take it?”
“I didn’t steal it if that’s what you think. I took it to the Williams’. I was running errands, and thought I’d drop it off.”
Her father stepped closer to her, “When did you take it?”
Claire shrugged, “Sometime this past weekend, I don’t know.”
“See the thing is I set that check out Saturday night.” He paused. “Where exactly were you again yesterday?”
Claire looked down at the tart that she was preparing, “I told you I went swimming.”
“At Sanderson Field. If I can remember correctly that is very close to the Williams’ property. Am I correct?”
“I don’t know. Why are you being weird?” Claire started to panic, but refused to show it.
Claire’s mom spoke up, “Kevin, why are you interrogating her?”
Under the Oak Tree Page 6