A text chimed, it was from Jason; “On the way.”
Rage filled her, and she wanted to be home when he got there. She spun around in her seat, and started the car. On her way home she took the back roads. She was able to get around town and into their neighborhood in less time than it took her to follow Jason to lunch. She pulled up to her house, but Jason had beaten her home.
He got out of his car, looking at Claire’s Jeep confused as she pulled into her driveway. He started walking across the lawn toward her. She had barely put her Jeep in park, when she flew out of the driver seat.
“Where were you?” Claire asked, trying to give him the dignity to at least admit it to her.
Jason tossed his keys from one hand to the other, “I told you I was with my dad. I thought you texted me you were home?” He gestured to her house.
“Jason, I’m only going to ask this one more time.” She took a deep breath. “Where were you?”
His jaw clenched as he stared back at her. His fist wrapped around his keys, “Claire, what…”
The look in his eyes gave him away. He knew he was caught. “My best friend, Jason!” She shoved him. “My best friend!” She shoved him again, tears started to fall on her cheeks. It wasn’t because Jason had betrayed her, but Jenny. Her feelings toward Jason had died off weeks ago, if not months. She just hadn’t realized it until her drive back to her house. She was upset because Jason stole her best friend from her.
“Claire, I can explain.” He tried to reach for her.
“No!” She said with all of her might.
“Can you keep it down?”
Claire laughed, wiping her face, “Why? Because, the neighbors might hear? I don’t care anymore! I don’t care about playing dress up with my own life! I’m done, completely done.” She waved him off, and walked toward her front door.
“Claire, we need to talk about this.” He followed her.
She spun around so fast, that it made his steps falter, “No! Don’t you dare follow me into this house. I don’t want to speak to you.” She pulled her ring off her left hand. “Take this back too.” She threw it at him, hitting his chest. With her last words she stormed through the large wooden door, slamming it with such force. Her tears kept coming when the door was shut; she walked up into her room, and laid down on her bed.
Claire laid on her bed until the sun had set, and her parents came home. She didn’t want to face them yet. She could just stay locked in her room for the rest of the night, but that sounded like a horrible plan.
Then she came up with an idea that was probably not her best, but she wanted to do it anyway. She changed out of her dress, and into shorts and a red top. She did her makeup, and curled her hair. She was going to see her one friend that she knew she could trust, Logan.
*
When she got to Tenpenny's, nerves shot through her. What if she ran into Jenny? Jenny had tried to call her 3 times since Claire told Jason that they were done. Then a sick feeling ran through her head, Jenny was probably with Jason since Claire now knew.
The line wasn’t as long this time, and Claire patiently waited. She knew Logan would have glided out here, and escorted her inside, but she just wanted a few more seconds before telling someone the truth. The bouncer looked at her ID, and then to her. He banded her, and she was in.
Music filled the entire bar; she bobbed and weaved through a few groups of people. She had yet to spot Logan. She pulled her phone out, and texted him. She made her way to the bar, and took a seat. “Vodka, sprite please.” She told the bartender.
“Hey, little lady. What are you doing here?” Logan’s voice appeared behind her. He wrapped her in his arms.
“Hi. I just wanted to get out of the house.” Claire smiled.
Logan looked around, “By yourself?”
Claire shrugged, “Yeah.”
“Ok, something’s wrong. I know that look.” Logan sat down on the stool next to her.
Claire took a deep breath, “I’m going to tell you something, but I don’t want you repeating it, because I’m going to try to handle it as silently as possible.”
Logan gave her a strange look, “Are you about to tell me a murder plot, because I watch those cop shows. I know what not to do when hiding a body.”
She laughed, “Not exactly.”
“What then?” He took her hand.
“Jason cheated on me,” She paused. “…Is cheating on me. I don’t know.”
Logan’s eyes went wide, “What?”
“Here’s the best part, it’s Jenny.” She gave him a sad smile.
He squeezed her hand, “No, Claire Bear. I’m so sorry. How did you find out?”
“I followed him today. He left his house randomly in the middle of the day, and he didn’t mention anything to me about going somewhere which I thought was strange. They met at that weird restaurant outside of town that is probably a drug money cover up.”
“That place is disgusting.”
Claire sighed, “Tell me about it.”
“So, you saw them have lunch?”
“I didn’t see Jenny until they left, and he kissed her. So, then I confronted him about it, and I could see it in his eyes. Then he didn’t deny it, he just said let's talk about it.”
“That little prick.” He squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry that that happened.”
“The funny thing is, I’m not sad about losing him. I’m sad about her. She called me a few times, but I can’t face her just yet.”
“You’re not sad about him?”
She stared at Logan, “Is that weird? It’s like there was no emotion.”
“Do you think it’s because your heart is elsewhere?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like with someone else?”
She kept her eyes on him, “Maybe.”
“I saw him last night.”
“Clay?”
“Yeah. We had a little chat.”
She took a sip of her drink, “About what?”
“You.”
“What about me?” She set her glass down.
“He’s got it bad for you Claire, but he’s got walls built up around him. It’s going to take a lot for you to break him down.”
A small smile formed on her face. Her heart fluttered. “Am I just as in the wrong that I wanted Clay before Jason and I were over?”
Logan drummed his fingers on the bar, “Your heart left Jason a long time ago, and maybe his heart left you a long time ago. I think both of you were in the wrong some way or another. The only thing that matters now is where your heart goes after.”
She wanted her heart to go to Clay. She thought she was supposed to feel wrong about it, but she didn’t. “Is it strange that my feelings are so strong, and I barely know him?”
“Sometimes your heart knows before your mind catches up.”
She finished her drink, “I don’t know how we’re going to tell our parents.”
“You need another drink for that.” Logan motioned to the bartender to get her another drink.
Claire laughed, “I think I need the entire bar.”
Later that night when Claire got home, all the lights were off in her house. She had texted her mom that she went out with Jenny, so that they wouldn’t ask any questions about where she was. Since her parents hadn’t called her, Jason clearly hadn’t told anyone yet. She thought maybe she would keep it that way for at least the weekend. She wanted to wait until her parents had to go back to work on Monday so they wouldn’t be home all day hounding her with questions and judgmental looks. She knew somehow her dad would turn this around to be her fault. She looked at her phone just before she went to sleep. She had 5 missed calls from Jason. She sighed, and rolled over.
*
The next morning Claire woke to the smell of breakfast downstairs. She pulled her hair up into a bun, and braced herself for facing her parents. Unless Jason had spoken to them this morning, they probably still didn’t know.
She walked into the kitchen; her
mom was in front of the stove. Her father was sitting at the island drinking coffee. Her Mom noticed her first, “Good Morning, Honey.”
“Morning.” Claire gave them a sleepy smile, and poured a cup of coffee.
“What are your plans today?” Her father asked.
“I don’t know. I might do some shopping in town.” She lied to have an excuse to not be at home.
Her mom put toast on a plate, “Did you go through those wedding magazines I put out for you?”
Claire relaxed because that confirmed that they didn’t know yet. “Yeah I did.”
“What were your thoughts?”
Claire picked up a piece of toast, “Um the purple flowers in the spring collect looked really pretty.”
Her Mom smiled while she stirred the eggs, “I thought so too. We will need to sit down and get a plan organized.”
“Ok.”
“Who are you going shopping with?” Her father asked.
Claire took a bite of toast, “Logan, my friend from high school. Do you remember him?” The more she lied the worse she felt.
“He cheered with you, right?” Her Mom asked.
“Yeah. He recently moved back to town.”
Her Mom smiled, “He was always a nice boy.”
Her father looked back down at his paper, “I don’t remember him.”
“That’s because you don’t pay attention.” Claire said, rolling her eyes. “I’m going to get ready.”
*
Claire left the house around ten. Her parents thankfully didn’t ask any more questions before she left. At first she didn’t know where she was going, but then she realized what day it was. So, her heart drove her straight there.
She pulled up to the library fifteen minutes later. Clay’s truck was outside, which sent nerves through her entire body. What if he turned her away?
She walked up to the entrance; the French doors were at least ten feet tall and came to a point at the top, the white paint had chipped in the corners from years of use. She slowly opened the unlocked one. The door creaking, she winced at the sound.
She walked into the library, the sun coming through the stained glass. She didn’t hear his voice like she did the last time she was here. She walked further in; the only sound was the sound of her footsteps on the worn hardwood floor. She looked up and down the aisles as she walked past them.
“Why did I think you would be back here?” His deep voice echoed.
Her sight shot straight ahead of her, “You scared me.”
“You're the one trying to sneak up on me.”
“I wasn’t…”
“Why are you here, Claire?”
She felt her breathing beginning to rise, he did that to her. “I wanted to see you.”
He studied her, “I think you should go home.”
“No.” She said firmly. “I made a choice to come here. My choice.” She said, using his words against him.
He kept his eyes on her.
“Jason and I broke up.” She blurted out.
“So, you thought that you’d come running to me, and I’d be what?”
She was offended by his attitude, “I didn’t think anything. Why are you being rude?”
“I’m not. I’m being practical.”
“No, you’re being a dick.”
He laughed, “Tell me why you broke up then?”
“Does it matter?”
“It does.”
She sighed, “He cheated on me if you must know.”
He gave her a flat smile, “Go home, Claire.”
“Why?”
He walked up to her, stopping a foot away, “Because you broke up because he cheated. Not because you wanted to end it. I’m not here to make you feel better.”
“That’s not what…”
“Claire, I care about you. If we start something it won’t be because you broke up with him because he cheated.”
“Then let me stay.” She said firmly, keeping her eyes on his.
“What?”
“Let me stay. Let’s be friends first.”
He stared back at her, “You want to be friends?”
“You don’t think my feelings toward you are genuine, you think I’m some heartbroken girl who is looking for a quick emotional fix. Then the only way to show you that you’re wrong is this.”
He huffed, not responding.
“I’m staying.” She walked past him, back toward where he was working. She sat down on the floor, and crossed her legs. “Make me leave.”
He ran his hand through his hair, and laughed, “You’re persistent. I’ll give you that.”
She stared him in the eyes, “I know what I want.” Once she said that, she knew she had him. He licked his bottom lip, and walked over to continue replacing the steps.
Chapter Ten
Claire
Clay worked in silence for a little while; his stubbornness was louder than the hammer he was swinging. Claire eventually laid back on the floor listening to him work. He occasionally would look over at her. She smirked every time he stole a glance.
“What happened with Jason?” Clay asked, as he pulled another step off.
Claire stared up at the vaulted ceiling, “You were right.”
“About what?”
“Jason and Jenny.”
“I’m sorry.” Clay paused what he was doing.
She turned her head to face him, “Why?”
“I’m sorry that he hurt you.”
“Don’t be.” She sat up. “It helped me realize what I want.”
“Claire,” He was about to argue with her.
“Not you.” She giggled. “I just want something that’s real. Like a life.”
“You have a life.”
“I have a life that was drawn out for me.”
Clay stood, moving the board to the side, “I won’t argue that.”
Claire laid back down, “I want a life that I draw or paint. With whatever colors that I want it to be.”
“Do you like to draw or paint?”
“I don’t know. I might. I’ve never truly tried. My parents forced me to learn piano. But, what I’m saying is I want to picture the house I want, the job I want, if I want to plant a garden, or,” She paused. “…who I want to be with. The point is that I want it to be my choice; no one else's.”
“Seems like what I said last weekend stuck with you.”
She looked over at him, “A lot about you has stuck with me.”
Their eyes stayed on each other. The air filled with electricity around them. She was sure he could feel it too. This aching need inside her for him was growing every second. She had a longingness to touch him. She wanted to know what his lips felt like, how his rough hands felt on her thighs. What it would feel like to run her hands through his hair.
“Do you not want to go back to law school?” He asked, breaking them out of the moment.
She looked back at the ceiling, “I haven’t decided. I do like school; I just don’t know if that’s what I want. Plus, my father is going to have a meltdown if I decide not to.”
“You just have to ask yourself if it’s worth it. You’d make really good money being a lawyer. I know I don’t have to tell you that.”
“Yeah, but it drove my dad to be an alcoholic.”
“Not all lawyers are alcoholic. Your dad made his own choices.”
“True.” She twisted her mouth. “Did your dad always want to build things?”
“He did.”
“And do you?”
Clay laughed, and picked up the new board, “I like to work with my hands, whatever the job is doesn’t matter. I just like to be moving.”
“Is that why you and your dad do so many random jobs?”
“That and the money.”
Claire looked at him again, “Are you happy?”
“For the most part yes.” He started hammering.
“What would the last puzzle piece be to make Clay Williams truly happy?”
He looked o
ver his shoulder at her, “Do you really want me to answer that?”
“Yes.”
He smirked, and continued hammering, “I think you know the answer.”
She smiled to herself, “Want to know what would make me truly happy?”
“What’s that?”
“Mint chocolate chip ice cream.” She said with a big smile, still staring at the ceiling.
He laughed, setting the hammer down, “Is that so?”
“Yep, with one of those Maraschino cherries on top.”
“You’ve got big dreams, Claire.”
She laughed, “The biggest.”
*
They asked each other random questions as they slowly got to know each other. Clay would tell a story, and she would go into a giggling fit. He was so serious most of the time, but when he did laugh his dimples would appear, and Claire’s heart would want to explode. Lunch time came quickly; Claire could feel her stomach growling.
She sat up, “What do you normally do for lunch?”
“I brought a sandwich.” He nodded over to a sad looking sandwich sitting next to his tool box.
“Well that’s depressing.”
He laughed, “Thanks.”
She hopped up off of the floor, “I’ll go get us something. What do you like?”
He stood, “You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to. Now tell me what you like to eat.” She smiled.
“I eat anything.” He replied, defeated.
“Chicken tenders it is.” She spun around, and started for the door. “Be right back.” She sang, her voice ringing through the library.
*
Claire walked through town to her favorite local restaurant. They made everything; Chicken sandwiches, country fried steak, subs, pasta. You name it, they had it. She walked in, smiling at a few people she knew. When she got to the counter she ordered two chicken tender plates with two sweet teas. She took her receipt, and sat down on the waiting bench.
She was lost in thought when she heard a familiar voice say her name. She looked up to see Jason’s Mom, Meredith, standing over her. “Funny running into you, Claire.” She smiled down at her.
“Hi, Mrs. Matthews.” Claire stood, awkwardly. She couldn’t help, but wonder if she knew about Jason and her?
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