Fish Perfume (Cozy Harbor Marina Series) (14 page)

Helen is having a ball. I’ll be surprised if she goes home. I’ll have her call you and fill you in.

Good luck with the potty training and maybe you should hide the phone. Give the boys a hug.

Love, Meggie

I hit the Send button and went to open up the store.

At around 9:00, Helen stopped by. The first thing out of her mouth was, “How was your date?”

“It was great. No, it was perfect. We had a romantic dinner and then went for a walk around the wharf. When he brought me home, I invited him in, but he said he wanted us to get to know each other better before we took the next step.”

“Boy, Tony was right on the money with the code thing. I think that is really sweet. This could be serious, Meggie.”

I sighed, “I know it is for me, I’m halfway in love with him already. I refuse to get my heart stomped on again, though. How do you do it? I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that you were in love. Lust yes, love no.”

“I don’t think I’ve been in love. You know what a cynic I am. I told you before, if you believe the worst, you usually won’t be disappointed,” she joked.

“Maybe Tony will be the guy to break that barrier down and turn you into a believer in true love.”

She pointed her finger at me. “You need to stop reading romances.”

I laughed, “Never.”

Helen said, “Ian’s really handsome. He reminds me of that hot doctor who was on the TV show ‘Lost.’ He has the same tall, lean, muscular body, and the strong facial features.”

“You mean Matthew Fox? Now that you mention it, he does look like him. How was your night?”

“Tony picked me up right after you left and took me back to his house. He made me a fantastic dinner. The guy’s a gourmet cook. He learned from his mother and grandmother. He made veal Marsala and roasted asparagus. It was delicious. When he was in college, he shared a house with three girls. He did all the cooking, while they cleaned and did his laundry. He is just too good to be true. I keep looking for the flaw, but so far I haven’t found one.”

“Are you going to Block Island?”

“Yeah, I’m just on my way down to the boat. We were going to spend the night out there, but Tony’s mom called and a friend of the family died. He has to go to a viewing tonight. Do you have plans with Ian?”

“No. Great, we’ll do something fun together. By the way, Ian wanted to know if you and Tony would like to come over his house for lobster some night.”

Helen said, “Definitely. How about tomorrow night? Saturday night is my last night here, and Tony said he has big plans for us.”

“Okay. I’ll tell Ian Friday sounds good. Have fun on the island.”

She started towards the door, looked back, and smiled, “Oh I will.”

Later that morning, a few more customers came in to see me. Dino from
Atsa Ma Boat
was missing some fishing pliers, and Donna and Dave on the
Tireless
were missing a fender. I informed them about the other missing items, and suggested that they start locking things up. I added their things to the lost-and-found list posted on the bulletin board. I made up a flyer informing everyone of the missing items and asked everyone to be on the lookout for strange people walking the docks.

Since I didn’t eat breakfast, by lunchtime I was starving, so I went over to the Snack Shack. Sitting at Mo’s counter were Big H, Sexy Cathy, and Dancing Kathy. I took a seat next to Dancing Kathy who turned to me and asked, “How’s it going?”

I said, “Pretty good, but more people have reported things missing from their boats. I’m going to put a flyer on all the boats this afternoon to warn people to lock things up.”

Big H said, “That’s a good idea. What a shame. We’ve never had a problem like that down here.”

Mo suggested, “You should talk to Deb about it. Bein’ a retired cop, she might have some good ideas for you.”

I said, “That’s a great idea. If any of you see her, tell her I’d like to talk to her.”

Mo said, “Sure. What can I get you?”

I ordered a roasted veggie wrap and an iced tea.

I asked everyone, “So, what else is new around here?”

Sexy Cathy said brightly, “Well, Just Howard has a new girlfriend.”

Big H immediately stood up and said, “Well, I’m out of here. I’ll leave you ladies to your gossip.” He was out the door in a flash.

I turned back to Sexy Cathy to get the scoop. “Really?”

Sexy Cathy laughed and said, “Yep. He’s been strutting around the marina like a rooster.”

I laughed and said, “Good for him. What does she look like?”

Dancing Kathy thought a moment. “Well, I would say she looks to be a couple of years younger than he is, probably mid-forties. She’s short, which is good, since he’s vertically challenged. Her name is Barbara. She has short blond hair and she’s cute. She’s a high school music teacher, and she directs all the high school plays. Just Howard also bragged that she’s a songwriter.”

Mo added, “She’s multitalented.”

Sexy Cathy chimed in. “I thought I was hearing things the other day when I heard Barbra Streisand and show tunes coming from B dock. Barbara was playing the soundtrack from the
Sound of Music
. When I saw Mikey Murphy do a twirl on the dock like Julie Andrews did in the movie, I almost fell in the water laughing.”

Mo chuckled, “Those Murphy brothers crack me up. I’m happy for Just Howard. He’s had a hard time with the ladies, bein’ so shy and all. I guess he must be gettin’ lucky if he’s lettin’ her play show tunes.”

Dancing Kathy started swaying back and forth on her stool. “Oh yeah. His boat’s been a rockin’.”

We all laughed.

Sexy Cathy asked Mo, “Any new dates this week?”

Mo said, “I’m goin’ out with that tall widower again. There were no sparks flyin’ last time we went out, but I thought I’d give him another try just to make sure. I’m still talkin’ on the Net with that one guy I really like. We have great chats, but he hasn’t asked me out yet. Also, I’ve been chattin’ with a new one, but he’s a taxidermist and I just can’t get past him stuffin’ dead things. I wouldn’t want those hands touchin’ me.”

Sexy Cathy said, “I don’t blame you.

Mo asked me, “So, how was your date with Ian?”

Sexy Cathy said, “Oh, he’s a cutie.”

I agreed, “He sure is. We had a great time. He took me to Newport for dinner.”

Dancing Kathy sighed. “I remember those days when you’re first dating and the guys are all charming and they take you to nice places. Now Mike thinks he’s Mr. Wonderful if he picks up a pizza. I guess after twenty-five years of marriage and four kids, I should be thrilled with the pizza.”

I said, “Wow, you have four kids?”

Dancing Kathy laughed and said, “Yep, two boys and two girls. I’m a very busy woman.”

Sexy Cathy said, “Meggie, I saw your friend and Tony take off on his boat.”

I said, “Yeah, they went to Block Island for the day.”

Dancing Kathy said, “She’s caused quite a stir on the docks. The guys are all drooling over her. I thought I was going to have to put a bib on Mike.”

Sexy Cathy nodded, “When any of the guys see her, they yell to each other ‘Goddess alert.’ When is she leaving? She’s making the rest of us look bad. Kenny loves tall, thin women with big boobs.”

Mo shrugged. “What guy doesn’t?”

I smiled and said, “She’s always had that effect on men. She’s leaving on Sunday.”

Mo said, “Tony’s gonna be heartbroken. I thought I’d never see the day, but that boy’s a goner.”

Sexy Cathy asked me, “How does she feel about him?”

“She likes him a lot.”

Mo said, “Well, maybe they’ll keep it goin’ long distance. If anyone should breed, it’s those two. Their kids would be beautiful.”

I smiled and said, “Tony’s mother would love that.”

Matt came into the shack grinning ear to ear. “You ladies need to come down and see the fish hanging on the dock.
The Bonnie Blue
just got back from being out overnight. They got a 655-pound giant tuna.”

Mo said, “Holy cow! Who caught it?”

Matt said in awe, “Bonnie hooked it and reeled the fish in all by herself.”

Mo said, “Now that’s girl power. Let’s go check it out.”

We all went down to see the fish, the largest I’ve ever seen. Everyone was congratulating Bonnie, and Jim was taking pictures of her with the fish, telling everyone Bonnie was his lucky charm, his Queen of the Ocean.

Matt turned to me and said, “Once word gets out about this fish, everybody in Cozy Harbor will be coming to take a look. You might be pretty busy this afternoon in the store. You should also order more frozen mackerel and butterfish. Everyone’s gonna be going fishing now that they know there are giants around, and they’ll want bait.”

I went back to the office and did indeed have a busy afternoon. All anyone could talk about was the giant tuna. Journey and I sold a lot of fishing lures and T-shirts that afternoon. Ian came by the office later in the day.

My heart took a little leap in my chest when I saw him standing at the office door.

He gave me that melt-my-heart smile. “How was your day?” he asked.

“Good. Really busy. Did you see the tuna?”

“Pretty impressive. Bonnie makes a hell of a first mate.”

I nodded. “I talked to Helen and she said Friday would be a good night to get together.”

“Good. I’ll bring home the lobsters and pick up some corn and potatoes at the farm stand.”

“I’ll make a salad and a dessert.”

“Sounds like a plan. What are you doing tonight?”

“Tony has to go to a viewing, so Helen and I are going to do something together.”

“Great. I have a meeting of the Lobstermen’s Association. You girls have fun.”

He looked out into the store, then pulled me out of my chair and kissed me. As soon as his lips touched mine, my knees went a little weak. After he left, I had a hard time concentrating.

After I closed up the store at six, I went down to the docks to deliver the flyers about the thefts. I saw Tony’s boat at the dock, but it didn’t look like anyone was on it, so I assumed Helen must be at the cottage. As I went down B dock, I saw a crowd in front of the
Tuna Kahuna
. Standing on the boat were the Murphy brothers and Helen. They all had a beer in hand. I walked up to the guys on the dock and asked Randy from the
Blood, Sweat and Beers
what was going on.

He said, “The boys got a new radar installed, but they were having trouble getting it to work. We’ve been trying to figure out the problem all afternoon. Your friend came over and it took her all of about five minutes to solve the problem.”

I laughed and said, “She’s a smart girl.”

Randy said, “Beauty and brains.” He shook his head. “That Tony is one lucky son of a bitch.”

Helen looked up, saw me, and waved.

Don Murphy said, “Meggie, Helen’s not allowed to go home. We need her around here.”

I said, “Fine with me.”

Helen smiled and handed Don her empty beer bottle. “I’m glad I could help, guys. See you later.” As she climbed off the boat, all the guys scrambled to give her a hand.

As we walked up the dock, Don yelled, “Hey, Meggie, I’ve got dibs on the next friend of yours who comes to visit.”

Helen and I laughed.

Helen said to me as we walked up the dock, “Between Bonnie bringing in that fish and me fixing the radar, it was a bad day for the guys down here. I hope they all don’t have pecker problems tonight.”

I laughed. “Don’t you love it?”

She said, “Damn right I do.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Since Helen had spent most of her time on Tony’s boat, I decided to take her for a drive around the area and give her a little tour. First I took her over to the Pier Area in Narragansett and drove down Ocean Road so she could see the Towers and the sea wall. Then I drove over to Galilee and took a little spin through the village. Both of us were hungry by this time, so I pointed the car toward Kelly’s. A burger sounded good. When we got there, all the tables were taken, so we sat down at the bar and ordered our burgers and a couple of beers. I asked the bartender if they had a band tonight, and he said they had an Irish band.

Helen and I devoured our burgers and ordered another beer. We decided to stay and listen to the band for a set. More people started to come into the bar, and a little skinny, nerdy-looking guy with a buzz cut came in and sat next to Helen. I had an older couple next to me. The nerdy guy looked at us and said, “Okay, now I know who’s responsible for global warming.”

Helen looked at me and rolled her eyes.

The guy said, “Hi, my name is Pete.”

Helen said, “I’m Helen, and this is Meggie. Is that your best line?”

He said, “I have a million of them. Maybe you girls could help me out and tell me which ones you like best.”

We both said, “Okay.”

He said, “Do you have a quarter? I need to call my mother and tell her I met the woman of my dreams.”

We both made a face and he said, “Can I buy you a drink or should I just give you the money?”

We shook our heads no.

He said, “I may not be Fred Flintstone, but I bet I can make your bed rock.”

Helen laughed and said, “Keep going.”

He said, “Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?”

I said, “I like that one.”

He said, “My name is Pete. Remember it because you’ll be screaming it later.”

Helen said, “You’ll get smacked with that one.”

Then he said, “Okay, this is my last one.” He looked Helen up and down and said, “Wow, all those curves, and me with no brakes.”

She said, “That’s my favorite. Where do you get all these lines from?”

He said, “The Internet, where else. Can I buy you ladies a drink for putting up with me?”

We looked at each other and said, “Sure.”

I felt someone behind me, and then that someone kissed me on the neck. I turned around and Ian was standing there. Whenever I see him, it’s as if a light goes on inside me.

He said, “I was on my way home and saw your car, so I thought I’d stop by. I hope you don’t mind?”

“No. I’m glad you did.”

“I hope I’m not infringing on a girls’ night out.”

“Not at all. We came for a burger and decided to hear one set of the band, then head home.”

I asked him, “How was your meeting?”

“Lively as usual.”

Ian ordered himself a beer, and then Helen introduced him to Pete. The band was setting up and the bar was getting crowded. A tall, pretty brunette came up to Ian and draped her arms around him.

She said, “Hey stranger, I haven’t heard from you in a while.”

Ian looked at me and then back at her. He said, “Cindy, I want you to meet my girlfriend, Meggie.”

Cindy looked at me in surprise and said, “Well, that explains a lot. Hello, Meggie.”

I blushed and said hi. I looked over at Helen, and she smiled and raised her eyebrows.

Cindy unwrapped herself from Ian and said to him, “Well, this is a sad day for a lot of ladies. You’re a lucky girl, Meggie. It was nice to meet you. Bye, Ian.”

He said, “See you around, Cindy.”

Pete said to Ian, “I guess the red one’s taken.”

Ian put his arm around me and said, “Afraid so.”

Pete said to Helen, “How about you, blond one?

She said, “Sorry, I’m taken, too.”

Pete said, “Well, I guess I’ll mingle and try my lines out on some other girls.”

Helen rubbed his crew cut and said, “Don’t give up, Romeo. Keep working on those lines.”

He gave us a bow and wandered off down the bar. Helen moved over, and Ian sat between us.

Ian said, “I’m looking forward to tomorrow night. Why don’t you come over about 7:30?”

I said, “7:30 is good.”

The band started to play. They were great. They started a real lively tune and Helen turned to me and said, “Hey, Meggie, you up for a dance? We can show off our old stuff.”

“Sure.”

When I was in the fifth grade, my mom decided I should take Irish step dancing. I didn’t want to because I didn’t know anyone else taking it. She called Helen’s mom and asked her if Helen could take them with me. So Helen became the only Polish Irish step dancer in the class. We took lessons for three years and had a lot of fun. We got to dance in all the local parades, with the highlight being Philadelphia’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. To this day, whenever we’re at an Irish bar, we always get up and do our favorite routine. We kicked off our flip-flops and got out there and did our number. The dance floor cleared as people watched us and clapped to the music. When we finished, everyone gave us a big round of applause.

We went back to the bar and Ian said, “That was great. You’re both terrific dancers.”

I said to him, “I have a lot of other talents, too.”

He looked me up and down and said, “Believe me, I intend to discover each and every one of them.”

It suddenly got very warm in the bar.

We finished our beers and, when the set ended, we got up and left. Ian walked us to my car, gave me a quick kiss, and said goodnight.

As we drove home, Helen said, “Meggie, did you love the look on Cindy’s face when Ian called you his girlfriend?”

“I can’t believe he did that. I was floored.”

“No one deserves a nice guy more than you do, Meggie. I’m happy for you but sad at the same time. I have a feeling you won’t be coming back to Philly. What will I do without my best friend?”

I said, “I don’t know what will happen. Maybe you’ll wind up in Rhode Island with Tony.”

Helen said, “You never know.”

I said, “I guess it would be hard for you to give up your job. Maybe Tony would move to Philly.”

“No way. After college, he worked on Wall Street for five years. He gave himself five years in New York with the goal of making a lot of money and then moving back to Rhode Island. After his five years were up, he did just that and bought his business and his house. He hates big cities. If we ever got to the point of marriage, no way could I ask that of him. Besides, it would kill his mother. I’m very marketable, and I wouldn’t have trouble getting a job here. If I left Philly, my mother would still have my brother and sister to torture.”

“God, Hel, wouldn’t it be crazy if we both wound up here.”

“Time will tell. I’m still looking for Tony’s flaw.”

“What are you doing tomorrow?”

“Tony is taking me to Newport to tour the mansions.”

“You’ll love Newport. I’m gonna owe Tony for entertaining you.”

She gave me a wicked smile and said, “Don’t worry about it. He’s been paid in full, over and over again.”

When we got home, I decided to just go to bed. I wanted to get a good night’s sleep so I would feel great tomorrow. Helen decided to do the same thing. I was enjoying working my way through Gram’s Elizabeth Adler collection, and I was halfway through
Peach
. I read for a while and fell asleep.

Friday mornings are always really busy, and this one was no exception. Around 10:00, Deb and Terry stopped in.

Deb said, “Hey, Meggie. I heard you wanted to talk to me.”

I said, “I need some advice.”

She said, “Shoot.”

I took them over to the bulletin board and explained about all the thefts. I asked them, “Do you think I should call the cops?”

Deb said, “Since it’s just small stuff, I can almost guarantee it’s kids. An adult would go for the more expensive stuff. Terry and I are going to be down here all weekend. We’ll do a little stake-out. I’ll catch the bugger. There really is nothing the police can do at this point. They’re not going to station a cop down here for a missing pair of sunglasses and a bucket.”

I said, “I told everyone in the flyer I left on the boats to watch out for people walking around the docks who don’t belong here.”

Deb said, “That’s good. But the average person doesn’t usually know what to look for. Don’t you worry, Meggie; I’ll be on the job.”

I said, “Thanks so much. I’ve been really worried about this. Things have been going missing for a couple of weeks now.”

I asked Terry, “How’s Sue’s divorce coming along?”

She grinned. “By the time I finish with that son of a bitch, I’ll have his balls hanging from the piling next to Bonnie’s giant tuna tail.”

I laughed and told them to have a great weekend.

At about two o’clock, since things had calmed down, I left Journey in charge and slipped out to run a few errands. I stopped by Mac’s house to check on him and see if he needed anything at the grocery store. He looked great and said the doctor told him he could start clamming again next week. I filled him in on my big date with Ian and our dinner tonight with Tony and Helen. Mac took me out back and gave me some beautiful tomatoes from his garden. He said he was all stocked up with food and didn’t need a thing. I gave him a kiss and continued with my errands. Since Mac gave me the beautiful tomatoes, I decided to make a Caprese salad. I picked up some fresh mozzarella and basil for the salad, and then I took a look at all the berries on display and decided to make a fresh fruit tart, which I baked back at the cottage. I would make the salad at Ian’s house.

I went back to the store and closed up. Helen was at the cottage when I got back. She had a great day and loved Newport.

I asked her, “What mansions did you tour?”

She said, “The Breakers and the Astor’s Beechwood. It’s hard to believe people lived that lavishly.”

I shook my head and said, “I can’t imagine what that would be like.”

I jumped in the shower first, then dried my hair and put on a little makeup. I chose a tailored, white knee-length skirt and my favorite pink shirt. Helen was right behind me. She looked her gorgeous self by the time Tony arrived to pick us up.

I handed Tony the tart and his eyes lit up. He said, “Wow, did you make this?”

“Yes. I love to cook.”

He said, “Can we have dessert first?”

I gave him a stern look and said, “No. You’ll have to wait.”

Tony drove us over to Ian’s where they got a tour of his house, and then Ian made vodka tonics for everyone. Ian took Helen and Tony out on the deck, and Sam did a few tricks for them. I went into the kitchen to make the salad while Ian cooked the rest of the meal. The guys had fun teaching Helen how to take apart a lobster, a skill I had learned years ago from my mother and grandmother. Dinner was delicious. I served my tart and everyone went crazy over it. When we finished, we were all so full that Ian suggested we go for a little walk down the beach. Ian held my hand as we strolled along the sand.

When we got back to the house, Tony said, “Helen and I are going to take off. Thanks for a great dinner.”

Helen said, “That was delicious.”

Tony asked me, “Meggie, do you want a ride home?”

Ian quickly answered, “I’ll take her.”

Sam, Ian, and I walked them out. Ian shut the door and I said, “Let me help you clean up.”

“Okay.”

We made quick work of it. When we finished, I looked at the clock and saw that it was 11:00.

I said, “Ian, it’s getting late. Do you want to drive me home now?”

He came over to me, put his arms around me, and kissed me. He said, “Meggie, I don’t want you to go.”

I said, “I thought you wanted to wait and get to know me better.”

He took my hand and put it over his heart. “I know you in here.”

I touched his cheek and said, “I know you, too.”

He gave me a long, scorching kiss, then worked his way down my neck, nibbling on my ear lobe on the way. I was melting. He kissed me again. His hands moved down my back and he pressed me closer to him. We couldn’t get enough of each other. He finally stepped back and scooped me up in his arms and carried me upstairs. He gently laid me down on the bed and lit some candles. The moonlight shone in the windows.

He took off my sandals and kicked off his shoes and lay down next to me. He kissed me again and started to unbutton my blouse.

He said, “You’re so beautiful. I want you so much. I’ve wanted you from the first moment I saw you standing on the dock.”

I put my arms around his neck and said, “I’ve wanted you, too.”

He undressed me like I was a beautifully wrapped present, savoring every moment. I lay there naked in his bed and watched him remove his clothes. I finally got to see his lean, hard, muscular body. It was even better than I imagined. He was perfect. I wish I could just freeze-frame this moment.

After we made love for the second time, he turned to me, brushed my hair back and said, “Oh, Meggie. What am I going to do with you?”

I said, “I hope you’ll do more of what you just did.”

He laughed and kissed me. “You can count on it.”

I had to ask him, “Ian, did you tell Cindy I was your girlfriend because you wanted to shake her loose, or did you really mean it?”

He said, “Meggie, I promise you, I’d never say anything like that unless I meant it.”

“Good. I want you to know that I only date one guy at a time.”

“Meggie, I think you’re wondering if we’re going to be exclusive.”

“I know I was going to be because that’s the way I am. But you said you have a lot of girlfriends.”

He smiled and said, “I was kidding. You’re the only girl I want to be with. Now, let me have another look at those mosquito bites.”

I don’t know when we fell asleep, but when I woke up, Ian was lying on his side looking at me.

I asked him, “Did you sleep?”

He nodded and said, “I woke up about five minutes ago. I wish we could stay in bed all day, but I’ve got to go to work.”

“What time is it?”

“Four o’clock.”

“I’ve got to open up the marina.”

He said, “I’ll jump in the shower and get some coffee going.”