Fish Perfume (Cozy Harbor Marina Series) (16 page)

We all said, “Hi.”

I asked him, “How was your weekend in Philly?”

His face lit up and he said, “Great. Helen showed me all around and took me on a tour of the sports complex she just finished. She’s an amazing woman. She’s coming up for the Blessing of the Fleet.”

I said, “Oh, good.”

He said, “I’ve got your car outside. You want to take a look?”

I said, “Sure.”

Sexy Cathy, Mo, and Deb followed us out to the parking lot to look at the car. I almost didn’t recognize it. He not only fixed the dent, but he painted my station wagon. I was floored.

I screamed, “Oh my God! Tony, it looks brand new. I can’t believe it’s the same car! Oh my God!”

He said, “I owe you big time.”

I went over to him and gave him a big hug.

Cathy, Mo, and Deb were all checking out the paint job.

Mo said, “Lordy, Lordy, it looks beautiful. I should have you work on my car.”

I kept shaking my head in disbelief. I couldn’t believe he did that for me.

I asked him, “Does Hel know about this?”

He said, “Yeah, I told her not to tell you because I wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Well, Tony, I couldn’t be more surprised.” I had to hug him again.

He said, “Well, ladies, I’ve gotta get back to work. One of my guys is sitting over there waiting to give me a ride back to the shop. Have a great day.”

I pointed at him and said, “Tony, you’re the man.”

He laughed and gave me a wave.

Mo said, “Do you think we could get him coned?”

I asked, “You mean cloned?”

She said, “Yeah. We need to get him cloned. Then I could order me up one of him. Hell, I’d order two.”

Deb winked at me and said, “Hell, I’m a lesbian and even I want one of him.”

We all cracked up laughing.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The weather has been unbelievable this summer. I knew we were bound to get a rainy weekend sooner or later, and it finally arrived. It started on Thursday and the forecast was for rain all weekend. Since I knew it would be slow at the marina because of the rain, I gave Journey Friday and Saturday off. She’s been doing such a great job, I thought she deserved it. When I told her, she was thrilled. Her boyfriend, Dash, was up in Boston working on a small documentary film. She was going to go up to visit him for the weekend.

Ian and I still ran every evening. The Road Race is held rain or shine. At least we’ll be prepared if it rains the night of the race. I haven’t spent one night at the cottage since the first night we slept together. We’re practically living together. I’ve never lived with a guy before, and I always thought it would be a big adjustment, but with Ian it’s so easy. I still have all my clothes and things at Gram’s, but I did leave some toiletries at Ian’s. The fact that we’re joined at the hip will make it especially hard when I have to go back to Philly. I’ve been trying not to think about going home, but it’s definitely in the back of my mind. I have to be back a week before school starts for some meetings and to get my classroom together. That means I only have a little over three weeks left here.

On Saturday, Gram called me at the marina. She said she’d called me a few times at night at the cottage, but I wasn’t home and she didn’t bother to leave a message because they’d been traveling. I explained that I’d been seeing a lot of Ian, and she was thrilled for me. Of course, I didn’t tell her I stayed at his house every night. Gram said Cal had taken her to San Francisco for a few days, then to Yosemite National Park to see the redwood trees and beautiful waterfalls. I asked her when she thought she would be back, and she said they had reservations to fly home on the seventh. Gram explained that she would be staying at Cal’s house in Newport and would give me a call when they got home. They want to take me to dinner, so I can meet Cal.

I started to panic because I thought she would say I didn’t need to stay and that she would be taking over the marina when she got back. I was relieved when she asked when I had to be back home and then asked if I would stay until then. I told her, no problem. Gram said she was going to take Cal down to meet my parents. I filled her in about the happenings at the marina, and she said she was very proud of me and the great job I was doing.

Cal and Gram must be serious if she is taking him to meet my parents. This whole senior romance thing is blowing my mind, but I couldn’t be happier for her. I guess if they were serious, she would have to decide whether to keep the marina or sell it and move to San Diego. I couldn’t imagine my grandmother selling the marina, but then again, I couldn’t imagine her going off for the summer and shacking up with an old boyfriend. I guess I’ll find out more when I see her. I can’t wait to get a good look at Cal.

Sunday morning was extremely slow at the marina. It was still raining and the wind had kicked up. I closed up the store at noon and went over to Ian’s. He didn’t go out to work because the seas were too rough, so he had a rare day off. I picked up some chowder and clam cakes for lunch, and we spent the whole afternoon in bed watching the storm. I could look out the windows at Ian’s house forever and never get tired of the views. In stormy weather, the sea was a beautiful, powerful thing to watch. Of course, that wasn’t the only thing we did all day, but I won’t go into details. I will say, however, that there was an old line I’d heard once: “There are only two things to do on rainy days, and I hate cards.”

Monday morning the sun was shining and by Tuesday, the seas had calmed down and a nice high-pressure system hovered above New England. People started to return to the marina and things got busy. I called Mac to let him know I couldn’t go clamming because we were too busy in the store. He said he would get a friend to go with him. At lunchtime, I wandered over to the Snack Shack to grab a bite to eat.

Mo was by herself in the Shack. She had her chalkboard down and was in the process of changing the menu.

I said, “Hi, Mo. What’s up?”

She said, “Well, I’m revampin’ the menu a bit. All the guys are on diets and they want more low-cal things so I thought I’d add a few nice salads.”

I said, “What inspired them all to go on diets?”

She said, “Your friend Helen. I guess she told one of them she heard there was this doctor on Oprah once who said that if a guy lost so many pounds, he’d gain an inch on his penis.”

I laughed. “I wonder how that came up in conversation?”

“Yeah,” she snickered. “I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall.”

“That’s too funny. I’ll have to ask Hel about that one.”

Mo said, “Hey, I figure if they lose weight and their penises get larger, maybe their wives and girlfriends will start comin’ down here, and I’ll get more business.”

“It’s worth a shot. Do you think if I lost weight, my boobs would get bigger?”

Mo laughed and said, “Your boobs are fine, honey. You don’t want them any bigger.” She grabbed her own breasts and said, “ I’ve been carryin’ these girls around a long time. It’s fun when you’re young and they’re pointin’ at the moon, but when you get older, your back starts hurtin’ and gravity takes over. Pretty soon these puppies will be down to my knees.”

We both laughed and I asked her, “Can I get a club sandwich? I’ll have some chips with that, too. I don’t feel as guilty eating chips since I’ve been running every night with Ian.”

“Do you think you’ll be ready for the race on Friday?”

“Yeah. I think I’m going to be fine. Helen is flying up on Friday morning, and she and Tony are going to cheer us on and make us dinner after the race.”

She handed me my sandwich and said, “So, I guess things are goin’ well with Ian.”

“Couldn’t be better. Oh, I heard from Gram. She’s coming home on the seventh. She wants me to meet Cal, and then she’s taking him to meet my parents.”

Mo said, “Holy guacamole! Things must be serious.”

I said, “I think so. She asked me to stay and run things until I have to go back for school. She’s going to stay at Cal’s house in Newport. I guess he’s got a house in San Diego and one in Newport.”

Mo said, “Wow. It sounds like he’s loaded. Maybe he knows somebody who would like a real woman like me.”

“I’ll ask him for you.”

“Do that. Hey, you never know. When do you have to be back?”

“The last week in August. I have some meetings to go to before school starts.”

“I’ll hate to see you go. What about you and Ian?”

“I don’t know. We haven’t talked about it. I haven’t brought it up because I’m having too much fun, and I’ll just get depressed thinking about it. Besides, we haven’t been seeing each other all that long and I don’t want to scare him off.”

Mo said, “If I was a bettin’ woman, I’d bet you aren’t goin’ to be teachin’ in Philly anytime soon.”

“We’ll see. How’s the dating scene?”

She said, “Well, I’m still chattin’ it up on the Net with the local guy. He calls himself Fisher Man. He still hasn’t asked me out yet, but I keep talking to him anyway. He’s a fun guy. I still think he might be married, though.”

“I hope not. Maybe he’s just shy. Maybe he’ll be worth the wait.”

“Yeah, I hope he doesn’t wait too long. Little Mo’s gettin’ cobwebs.”

I laughed and said, “Any new cyber men?”

“Yeah. A pretty hot one, too. He sent his picture and he’s definitely eye candy. His name is Dave, and he’s about my age, divorced with no kids. He owns his own company. I think he makes cardboard boxes or somethin’ like that. Anyway, I’m seein’ him on Saturday night. We’re meetin’ at a restaurant in Westerly.”

“Sounds like a hot one.”

“I hope so.”

“Hey, I saw Sean and his mother Marybeth get on the Murphys’ boat.”

Mo said, “Yeah, all the guys are fightin’ over who’s gonna take Sean fishin’ next. The kid seems to be enjoyin’ himself.”

“Oh, that’s good to hear.”

Mo looked up from her board and said, “How does a Greek salad sound? I’m also gonna put on here a salad Niçoise. Since there’s fresh tuna around, I thought that would be good.”

“Sounds great.”

By the time I was halfway through my sandwich, the Shack had a crowd of people. I finished up my lunch and went back to work.

After closing, I went right over to Ian’s, and we did a ten-mile run. It was the first time we actually ran that distance. I was dragging the last mile, but I made it. We went back to his house, took showers, and grilled some chicken and veggies. We celebrated our run with a vodka tonic. Another great night together followed, and I woke up Wednesday feeling great. Actually, I’ve never felt better in my life. It’s amazing what exercise and a lot of sex will do for a girl.

When I opened up the store at 4:30, people were already waiting. I let in five guys and a girl. The girl looked a little out of place. First of all, she really wasn’t dressed for fishing. She was a chesty blond with a tight, sparkly V-neck T-shirt on that said “Too Hot” and cut-off jeans short shorts. She had a ton of makeup on, but the weirdest thing was, she wore high heels. I never saw anyone get on a fishing boat with high heels. One of the guys told me they were here for a charter on the
Blood, Sweat and Beers.
They bought a few T-shirts, and then I pointed them toward the boat. About an hour later, I got a call from Randy on the
Blood, Sweat and Beers
.

He said, “Meggie, you have to do me a huge favor.”

I wondered why his voice sounded so panicky. I asked, “What’s up?”

He said, “That charter I’ve got on my boat is a bachelor party. The guys thought it would be fun to bring a hooker along.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “You’re kidding. I saw her this morning, and I didn’t think she looked the fishing type.”

He said, “Well, she isn’t. She’s been sick as a dog ever since we left. I’m halfway to Block Island, and I’m turning around to drop her off at the marina, then I’m heading out again with these bozos. I was wondering if you could do me a favor and give her a ride to the bus stop so she can catch a bus back to Providence?”

“Sure. What’s her name?”

I heard Randy yell to the guys, “Hey, what’s her name?” The guys yelled back in chorus, “I don’t know.”

I said, “Don’t worry about it, Randy. Call me back when you get close to the marina and I’ll meet her at the dock.”

Randy said, “Try and keep this under your hat. If my wife, Sarah, finds out about this, she’ll sell my boat. She’s a scary broad.”

I said, “Well, I’ll try to keep it on the QT, but you know how things are around here.”

He said, “Thanks, Meggie. I owe ya.”

I hung up and laughed. Just when you think everything is normal around here, something comes up out of the blue.

Randy called me back about a half-hour later, and I went down to the dock to meet the hooker. The guys helped her off the boat and the poor thing looked like death warmed over. Her skin had turned green and her hot pink lips were pressed together in a tight grim line. As soon as her feet hit the dock, she laid down. The guys got back in the boat and took off to go fishing.

I said to the hooker, “Hi, my name is Meggie. How are you feeling?”

She looked up at me and said, “I’ve never been so sick in my life. I feel like I’m gonna die. I didn’t know I’d get seasick. I’ve never been on a boat before.”

I asked her, “What’s your name?”

She said, “Lolly. Lolly Lovelick.”

I bit my lip so I wouldn’t laugh and asked her, “Do you think you can stand? I’ll give you a ride to the bus stop.”

She said, “I can’t go anywhere right now. I just want to sleep for a while. Can I just lie on the dock and take a nap?”

I knew I couldn’t let a hooker sleep on the dock. The marina would be buzzing with people in about an hour. I wasn’t about to offer Gram’s cottage, so I decided I would put Lolly on Tony’s boat and let her sleep for a bit. When she got up, I would take her to the bus stop.

I said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you do that. How about I help you on one of the boats, and you can sleep there until you’re feeling better.”

“There’s no way I’m getting on another boat.”

I said, “The boat won’t be moving. You’ll be fine.”

She looked skeptical but agreed to give it a try. I helped her up off the dock and we headed over to Tony’s boat. I helped her on board, thanking God that Tony hadn’t locked it up. When I got her below, she stretched out on the berth, and I threw a blanket on her. With luck, she won’t sleep too long, and I can get her off the boat before Tony shows up.

I told her, “Come find me in the store when you wake up, and I’ll give you a ride to the bus.”

I went back to work and I had to tell Journey. It was just too funny. The rest of the morning went by and no Lolly. At lunchtime, I went down on Tony’s boat to see if she was still there. There she was, still sleeping away. I decided to go have lunch at the Shack. If she wasn’t up and about by the time I finished, I would wake her.

I walked in the Shack and sitting at the counter were Dancing Kathy, Big H, Bob from the
Bite Me
, and Joe Turner, without Number One or Number Two. I sat down and ordered a salad. The guys were all talking about fishing. I was almost finished when Tony walked in and said, “Does anybody know anything about that Goldilocks sleeping on my boat?”

I thought, shit. I didn’t know what to say, so I blurted out the truth. “I do. She’s a hooker.”

Everyone’s jaw dropped.

Dancing Kathy laughed and said, “Oh my God.”

Tony smiled at me and said, “That’s really nice of you, Meggie, but it’s not my birthday.”

I said, “She’s not for you. I just put her on your boat to sleep because she got seasick. Randy took out a charter that was a bachelor party, and they brought her along. They got halfway to Block Island, and she got violently ill. They dropped her off. I was going to give her a ride to the bus stop, but she was too sick. So I let her sleep on your boat. I hope you don’t mind.”

Tony said, “Just make sure you tell Hel I had nothing to do with this.”

I said, “Don’t worry, I will.”

Everyone was laughing.

Mo said, “This is a first. A seasick hooker.”

Joe Turner said, “Next time that happens, Meggie, put the hooker on my boat.”

Bob said, “Mine’s available also. Hookers are always welcome.”

I pleaded with them. “Randy doesn’t want his wife to find out, so keep it under your hat.”

Bob shivered and said, “Scary Sarah. I don’t blame him.”

Just as I stood up to go wake up Goldilocks, she walked in the door. All the guys looked her up and down.

I asked her, “Are you feeling better?”

Much to the guys’ pleasure, she stretched like a cat and her boobs almost fell out of her low-cut T-shirt. She said, “I feel like a new person. I thought I was gonna die out there.”

Bob said, “Meggie, aren’t you going to introduce us?”

I said to Lolly, “This is Tony. It was his boat you were napping on, and that’s Bob, Big H, Joe, and Kathy. Oh, and behind the counter is Mo.”

Lolly said, “Hi, I’m Lolly Lovelick.”