“She’s a kid, Trev. Don’t be a smartass.”
“A kid? She’s twenty-five, bro. Just because you’re in your thirties doesn’t mean she isn’t a grown woman. You’re deflecting.”
“Bah.” I wave my hand at him defensively. “She’ll always be that annoying little brat that followed you home from school every day. Besides, I don’t have time to get wrapped up in a woman. As soon as the cabin renos are done, my business will be back up and running, and I’ll be on the road two to three weeks out of the month. No good woman wants that.”
“Whatever you say, old man.”
“Just promise me you’ll let her down easy, Trevor? Set her straight?”
He gives me a nod before grabbing his keys and heading out the front door.
Seven
Pearl
“I met someone,” Jade exclaims with a smile on her face that looks like she slept with a hanger in her mouth.
“Oh my God! Tell me everything!” I grab her and pull her in for a hug. Jade and I have known each other since her family moved next to mine when we were four years old. She’s a free spirited and fierce woman, but she’s had the worst luck with men. I’ll never forget consoling her when her high school boyfriend skipped town after she gave him her virginity senior year. We don’t speak about Memphis Styles anymore. His name is considered forbidden in our vocabulary.
“Well, I shouldn’t say met, but we connected online.”
“When are you guys meeting then? Does he live near here?” My fear about her online dating is she’s just going to end up getting hurt all over again.
“He works off the coast of Southern California on a marine biology site. He only gets to land like four times a year or something, so it probably won’t be for a while.”
My heart sinks. “Jade…” I can’t help but have a look of pity on my face.
“Don’t ‘Jade’ me! You’re the one who’s been in love with someone for decades, but you’ve never had the balls to tell him!”
“I—”
She clearly isn’t done because she interrupts me. “And you keep coming up with these ridiculous ‘plans’ to make him feel the same way.” She uses dramatic air quotes around the word plans.
“Uh, okay, wow. First of all, what side of Satan’s bed did you wake up on today?”
“You know what, Pearl? I thought you’d be happy for me, but you can’t be. You only care about your stupid obsession with Trevor.” She grabs her purse off the bar, but before she storms out, she turns around one more time.
“Pearl, I say this because I love you, but it’s time to shit or get off the pot with this hopeless romantic bit. It’s getting tired and pathetic.”
“Good morning, Mayor Higgins,” I say as I set his black coffee with two Splendas on the table in front of him. He grunts without looking up at me, focusing on the parade plans he’s studying.
“What am I tackling this morning? Want me to get back to painting the big float banner?” I point behind me at the project I was working on yesterday. He just waves me off with a head nod, so I walk over to the three people standing there already working away.
“Hey, guys. Need some help?” I glance over and see Jade walk up to Mayor Higgins. She doesn’t make eye contact with me. She’s refused all of my calls and ignored all of my texts since our fight two days ago. I’ve known her my entire life. I know she just needs some time before I can apologize.
What she said stung, but maybe it’s the truth. Maybe I’ve been hiding behind this eternal flame for Trevor because I’m too scared to put myself out there. I’m too afraid to get hurt.
I pick up a brush and squat down to dip it into the paint when I hear my name. I turn around to see Blake motioning me over.
“Hey, what’s up?” I don’t know what it is, but he’s starting to look less and less scary to me. His eyes are so bright today. I watch as they glance nervously down my body before he jolts them back upward. His left hand instinctively goes to the back of his neck and rapidly rubs it up and down. I’ve noticed he does this when he’s nervous or uneasy…or maybe it’s when he’s annoyed.
“I could use your help on finishing up the float, if you want?”
I can’t help but smile; I can’t tell if this is his way of being nice or asking for help. “Do you want me to help?” I ask coyly.
“Whatever you want. Don’t matter to me,” he says before walking back outside.
“Oh, just admit it. You’ve come to enjoy having me around,” I say jokingly as I jog over to him.
We quickly get into a rhythm of him telling me what to do and me doing it. Most of my job is me holding a piece of wood so he can drill it in place. I watch the way his hands work quickly. He always seems to know exactly what size screw or nail is needed. His hands are worn and calloused, with thick fingers and knuckles, a stark contrast to Trevor’s neatly manicured fingers.
It’s like they come from two different worlds. There are certainly similarities between the two—they both have their mother’s eyes and thin nose—but that’s where it stops.
Before I realize it, my mind wanders to what a life with Blake would be like. I’d always imagined myself falling into Trevor’s arms, but I can’t seem to shake the feeling of Blake’s on me that night. I can remember the slight hint of toothpaste on his mouth, how warm and wet his tongue was as it massaged my own. I can feel a small bead of sweat start to form on my temple as I imagine what would have happened if he hadn’t stopped.
Would he have massaged my naked breasts with those hands? Would he have trailed his tongue down my neck?
“Pearl! Hey!” I blink rapidly, realizing I was daydreaming as Blake shouts my name. He’s behind me in an instant, one arm around my waist, pressing me firmly against himself as the other catches a piece of the float that had been hit loose by the piece of wood I was holding. It still manages to hit me slightly, barely missing my eye.
“You okay?” His breath is warm against my cheek, the puff of air causing a strand of my hair to rustle. My heart is beating rapidly, and I’m not sure if it’s from the proximity of his body against mine or the shock of what just happened.
“Yeah, I—I guess I wasn’t paying attention. I’m sorry.” He turns me around to face him as he brushes the hair away from my face. He looks intently at the spot where it hit me.
“It didn’t break the skin, but I’m guessing you’ll have a little bruise for a few days.” He’s still holding me. He keeps his arm around my waist. Both of my hands are pressed against his chest. It feels like his touch is about to burn through my shirt, and I can’t make eye contact with him. My breath hitches in my throat and he notices, removing his arm from me and stepping back.
“I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to invade your personal space.” I instantly regret it when his warmth leaves me. I don’t know what comes over me, but I have to physically stop myself from reaching out and grabbing his shirt and pulling his mouth to mine.