Three Days of Rain (4 page)

“Uncle Bill! I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m just happy to have finished the drive.”

“I told your mom you shouldn’t have driven all by yourself. I would have paid for you to fly.”

“And leave my Jeep behind? No way! And besides, I’m a college graduate now. I can handle anything.”

“I can’t believe you graduated from college, Lily. The last time I saw you, you were what? Like ten?”

“Yeah, ten sounds about right. Thanksgiving, if I remember correctly.”

“Right, Thanksgiving. I wasn’t sure I’d see you again after that argument your father and I had over the money I lent your mother.”

“Well, I’m here now and regardless of what Dad says, I’m staying. You’ve got me for the whole summer!”

“I’ve looked forward to it. You’ll be staying at my house. I’ve made up the basement room for you. It has its own entrance and bathroom. You can come and go as you please. And as far as money, you can work here, if you’d like. A few shifts a week should keep you in some spending money.”

“And rent. I’d like to pay my way. I don’t want to put you out.”

“Put me out? Never. And I wouldn’t take a dime from you, anyway, young lady. You’re family and family sticks together. Let me get your bags. I’ll call Chase in a little bit and we’ll see if we can’t get that tire replaced.”

She watched her uncle walk out to grab her things then she looked around again.
Just the summer,
she thought. And then she thought of the guy with the tired, sad eyes who’d changed her tire earlier.
Yeah. Just the summer.

CHAPTER 5

Jake finished his shift a half hour late. Mr. Olsen hadn’t said anything to him but he wanted to make up for the time he was late this morning, and he knew the boss appreciated the extra time he put in.

Muscles sore and stinking like fish, he headed for the locker rooms. All the guys were happy Mr. Olsen decided to put in showers when he took over the docks. It made for happier relationships now that they didn’t have to go home smelling like fish guts, chum, and bait.

He took his time cleansing the day away. Clearing his head of all the excess weight, he allowed himself a few moments of peace. Instead of the usual blankness he so enjoyed, his mind offered a vision of the girl from this morning.

Jake rubbed his hands over his face. He certainly didn’t need her intruding on his thoughts. He had enough on his plate without thoughts of some random girl he’d never see again. Annoyed, he shut off the water, stepped out of the shower into the locker room, and got dressed.

On his way out he saw Danny, sitting on the end of the dock, smoking a cigarette. Walking over, Jake dropped his bag and sat down, legs dangling over the edge. He picked up the box of Marlboro’s, took one out and lit it, inhaling deeply. “When are you gonna quit smoking?”

Danny laughed. “One day, I guess.”

Jake took two more drags and threw the lit butt into the water. He mentally thanked God smoking wasn’t a vice he’d ever held on to. He looked out over the water and watched as rays of sunset sparkled over the waves. “We okay?”

Inhaling one last time before throwing the filter into the water, Danny replied, “Yeah, Jakey. We’re okay.”

“You sure?”

Clasping his hand on Jake’s shoulder, Danny said, “Yeah. I’m sure.”

“Good. Now get up. I’m starving. Billy’s got those crab cakes on special tonight and I could eat about ten.”

“Oh, yeah. It’s Wednesday. Crab Cake Wednesdays also mean dollar pitchers.”

“Call Meg and tell her you’re having dinner with me. I’m buying.”

“But she made meatloaf.”

Jake stared at his brother like he had two heads. “Really?”

“All right. You don’t have to tell me twice.”

Jake walked back towards his truck and threw his bag in the bed.

Danny knew buying dinner was Jake’s way of apologizing. He flipped open his cell. “Hey, Meg. How’re the boys?”

“They’re fine. How was work?”

“Good. Good. Listen, I’m goin’ over to Billy’s with Jake for dinner. I’ll be home in time to read the boys a story.”

“Have fun. Tell Jake I said hi. Love you.”

“Love you, too, sweetie.”

Twenty minutes later, Danny parked his beat up minivan next to Jake’s pickup. He noticed his brother staring at something in the parking lot.

“Whatcha lookin’ at?”

“Oh nothing. Just thought I saw something familiar.” Jake shrugged it off and walked into Billy’s bar like he did every night.

“Jake! Danny! Comin’ in for a drink?”

Danny patted his stomach. “Sure enough, Billy. We’re starving, too.”

“Have a seat over and I’ll send someone to take your order.”

“Crabcakes, Billy,” Jake informed him. “Just crab cakes for both of us and a pitcher.”

“Make it light beer, Billy,” Danny interjected. “Meg’s on me to lose a few pounds.”

“Will do,” Billy said as Jake and Danny settled into the same booth they’d sat in for as long as they’d been coming here.

“Meg’s on you to lose a few pounds?” Jake teased.

“Aw, come on. I’ve put on about ten pounds in the past year and ten the year before that. And it ain’t coming off like it used to.”

“Jesus, Danny. You’re thirty, not fifty. And you’re in pretty decent shape. What’s she talking about?”

“Listen, sometimes you have to pick your battles. If she wants me to eat green salad instead of potato salad, then that’s what I’ll do. Light beer instead of regular? Fine. No use arguing over it. Besides, I don’t have time to run an hour a day like you do.”

“Yeah, I guess. Maybe if you told her you wanted to run with me, she’d help you make time.”

“Thanks, but I don’t think I could keep up with you. You’re just as fast as you were in high school, man. I don’t know how you do it.”

“Running clears my head. I like it.”

“Hey, fellas. Billy said you wanted a pitcher of light. I’ll get your crab cakes as soon as they’re up.”

Jake looked up at the interruption and was taken aback for a minute. The white tank Lily wore set off her tanned shoulders and toned arms. Her hair was still a bit wild, but she’d pulled it back into some sort of girly-ponytail-bun thing.

“Hey! It’s you,” she said as her eyes lit up with recognition.

He leaned back, confused by why she was at the bar. “Yeah. And it’s you.”

The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Danny cleared his throat.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Danny, this is Lily. Lily, Danny, my brother.”

“Nice to meet you.” She held out a dainty hand and Danny took it, still looking back and forth between the two of them.

“I thought you were visiting an uncle or something.”

“I am. My Uncle Billy. I’m staying with him for the summer. Why? Do you know him? Oh right, you probably do. This is such a small town.”

“Billy’s your uncle?” Danny asked.

“Yeah. My mom’s brother. I haven’t seen him in years and I’ve never been down here. He always used to come up to visit us.”

“Yeah, we know Billy,” Jake said in a bit of a daze.

“Okay, well, you boys enjoy your beer. I’m gonna go check on your order.”

Lily walked away but Jake couldn’t stop looking at her. Danny’s snapping fingers pulled him back.

“Dude. What?” he demanded.

“Geez, Jakey. You’d think she’d hypnotized you or something. Who was that?”

“Get out of here. She’s just some girl I helped out this morning.”

“The flat tire girl?”

“Yeah. No big deal. She’s probably working for Billy till she goes home. Hey, I bet she’s the one who took all those pictures on the wall. She had a camera in her jeep. And she did say she was from Connecticut.”

“I don’t know. He did say his niece took them. Why don’t you ask her?”

Jake looked at the loopy grin on his brother’s face. He knew Danny was challenging him to talk to her again.
What’s the big deal
? Besides, he wasn’t interested in talking to her, anyway. Looking at her, definitely. Talking to her? What was the point?

Billy walked over to their table and sat down next to Danny.

“What’s up guys? How’s my fish menu gonna look this week?”

Billy bought all his fish from Mr. Olsen. His menu primarily depended on what the fishermen hauled in. Jake used to go out on the boats but was relegated to the docks about four years ago. Mr. Olsen could have fired him, Jake knew, but instead he seemed to take pity on him. Jake wasn’t sure he’d ever be allowed back on the boats after what he did.

He knew Danny and Billy were discussing the day’s catch, but Jake couldn’t hear them. He was filled, once again, with memories of Maddie Olsen...

***

It was just like any other morning. Jake was on the boat organizing the supplies the guys were hauling on board. He and Maddie had fought the night before which wasn’t that out of the ordinary. They fought a lot. And that morning, he had a black eye to prove it.

She’d gone nuts when he decided to stay out a bit longer than he told her he would. She accused him of cheating on her with every girl she could think of. He denied it, of course. Maddie was the only girl he’d been with for a year already. Sure, he had, at one point, slept with most of the names she was screaming at him but none of them since he’d started dating her.

The trouble was that fight, like all the others, was out of the blue. Sure, he’d started a few of the arguments but she was master of the sneak attack. She’d find some loose thread and pull on it, obsess over it until she riled herself up to near craziness. And last night was no different.

He’d walked into the house and immediately she was in his face screaming and accusing. Jake had had too much to drink, as usual, and wasn’t in the mood for her insane outbursts.

“What the hell are you blabbering about?” he demanded.

“Blabbering? You go out, sleep with some cheap slut, and I’m the one blabbering?”

“I didn’t sleep with anyone, Maddie. Relax.”

“Then where were you? And don’t tell me the bar. I called and Billy said you’d left hours ago.”

“I was with Danny and some of the other guys down at the docks. We were having a few drinks. Celebrating the haul we brought in yesterday.”

She slapped him hard across the face, leaving a print of her small hand on his cheek. Jake looked at her and his eyes turned hard.

“What the hell, Maddie? Don’t hit me.”

She raised her hand again but this time he grabbed her wrist right before she could smack him again.

“Stop, Maddie.”

She fought against him but he held her wrist and walked her up against the wall.

“Look at me. Look at me! I didn’t sleep with anyone else. I haven’t slept with anyone else in over a year. Here.” He pulled out his cell and punched in his brother’s number. “Call Danny and ask him yourself.”

He let go of her and stepped back as she took the phone. With her eyes on his she ended the call before anyone answered and threw the phone at Jake, hitting him hard, in the eye.

“Son of a bitch, Maddie! What are you doing? Jesus!”

“Oh my God! I’m so sorry, Jake. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. Oh please forgive me. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Well you did. God! What the hell were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t thinking, baby. Please don’t be mad. It was an accident. Here, let me get you some ice.”

Jake walked over to the hall mirror and looked at his face. It was already starting to bruise. He’d definitely have a black eye tomorrow. He shook his head, par for the course, unfortunately.

“Here, sweetie. Come sit down and put some ice on your eye. I’m so sorry.”

“I know. Just stop talking a minute. My head fucking hurts.”

“You know, I’m just trying to help. You could say thank you.”

She was unbelievable.

“Thank you?
Thank you
? You just slapped me and threw a cell phone in my face. You want me to thank you for giving me a black eye?”

“You don’t have to be so snotty, Jacob Morgan. Gosh, I said I was sorry. Whatever. You go ahead and pout. I’m going to bed.”

“That’s it? I come home, you accuse me of sleeping around, and attack me. Is that enough excitement for the day?
You’ve
had enough, now you’re going to bed?”

He knew the tone of his voice would bait her, piss her off.
Good,
he thought,
I’m in the mood for a fight.

“You think all I do all day is pine over you and think of ways to fight with you?”

He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her, giving away nothing. “Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do.”

“You self-righteous asshole. What the fuck is your problem? You’re the one who stayed out late, didn’t call, didn’t tell me where you’d be. What else am I supposed to think?”

“You’re supposed to think I’d be back late. I always come home to you, to this crap. Jesus Christ, Maddie! I’m sick of it. You’re a jealous little girl who does nothing but dream of ways to piss me off.”

That did it. She looked madder than hell. Jake stood up to confront her fury.

She threw a lamp at him and he ducked just in time. Her temper rivaled his. He knew no one else would put up with her crap, just as no one else would put up with his. Ironically, they were made for each other, no matter how far into a pit they fell.

“Good. Break stuff. That’s the third lamp I’m gonna have to replace because of your idiocy. You know what, Maddie? Go have another drink.”

She walked right up and clocked him in the eye that was already bruising from the cell phone. His hands flew up to her shoulders and he shook her, hard.

“What the fuck is the matter with you?” he growled before he threw her to the couch. He leaned over her, blocking her kicks and punches as he tried to get her to stop. “Madison, look at me. I didn’t cheat on you tonight. I have never cheated on you. I swear to God. Just stop and look at me!”

When she looked at him he could see the tears in her eyes and he softened.

“I’m sorry, baby. Maddie, I’m so sorry. I’ll call next time. Just don’t cry.”

She reached up and pulled him down to her. Her mouth found his, and his hands were already unbuttoning her shirt. They always made up with more intensity than they fought.

The next morning while Maddie slept, Jake went to work, black eye and all, and waited for ribbing from the guys to start. It wasn’t so bad. They all assumed he was so hammered the night before that he walked into a door or something. It wasn’t until he was setting up the boat, getting ready for the day, that his mood went from bad to worse.