Every Breaking Wave (5 page)

“Thank you for getting these,” I said, taking them from him and then filling the sink with water and a squirt of Palmolive. 

I began scrubbing the dishes in the sink, setting them in the drain pan when I was done.  A moment later though, Jeremy was beside me, a dishtowel in hand, drying and putting the dishes away.

“So,” he began as we worked. “Two months is a long time to be away from home.”

“It’s a welcome two months,” I sighed heavily as I rested a plate into the tines of the drain pan.

“And you’re from Providence?”

“Smithfield actually.”

“And why the need to escape to Travers Cove?”

“Are you always this nosey?” I asked, my hands still resting in the water as I turned my head to look at him.

“Are you always this defensive?” he grinned back.

“No. Just when people nose into my business.”

“I thought when you let out that enormous sigh, you were opening the door to a conversation.”

I looked away from him then, focusing on the sudsy water and the fork I was scrubbing and we worked in silence for a few minutes.

“Travers Cove is a place of good memories for me,” I said, breaking the silence. “Noah and I need good memories right now.  That’s why we’re here.”

“Your family’s owned that house a long time, haven’t they?” he asked.

“Forty years at least. I came here every summer for a couple of weeks with my family when I was a kid.  I love it here.  What about you?  Have you lived here your whole life?”

“Pretty much.”

“And you never left?”

“You make it sound like a bad thing.  Why leave a place like this?”

“No,” I said quickly. “I didn’t mean it to sound like a bad thing.  I’m just surprised is all.”

“Technically, I did leave.  I did a year of college down in Portland.”

“But you came back?”

“I found college wasn’t for me.”

He put away the last of the dishes and I grabbed a paper towel, drying my hands and then leaned against the counter for a moment before he gestured for me to take a seat at the small kitchen table. 

“So, you just left?” I asked.

“I didn’t just leave. I played baseball and when I tore my ACL, I was done. I lost my scholarship and came home.”

I could tell it had been devastating to him by the look on his face.

“I’m sorry,” was all I could think to say.

“I’m over it now. I found life on my uncle’s lobster boat more to my liking anyway.”

“Is that what you do then?”

“Yeah.  For the past eight years,” he told me and my eyes drifted to his hands.  When I’d shaken them, they’d seemed rough, like they hadn’t had an easy life and now I knew why. 

“And you like it?”

“I love it,” he answered without any hesitation.

“When are you going out again?”

“A few weeks.  The boat engine’s getting an overhaul.  We broke down when we were out last month.  My uncle’s always trying to scrimp and it finally caught up with him. He needs a new radar too, but he’s too cheap to get one and keeps putting band-aids on it to fix it instead.”

There was a sly grin on his face and I was certain he had a few stories to tell.

“Speaking of family, are you related to the Parrishes who own the market?”

“Those are my grandparents.  My grandpa passed away about five years ago, but my grandma is still going strong.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your grandfather.  I have a lot of memories of them from my summers here.  I actually spoke to your grandmother when we went shopping.  I was surprised she remembered me.”

“Why do you find that so hard to believe?  I remember you,” he said and I could feel my face curling up in obvious confusion. “I see I’m not as memorable though.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It had to’ve been at least twelve or thirteen years ago.  I was helping stock the shelves at the market and you came in with your sister.”

“I was just a teenager then.  It could’ve been anyone.”

“It was you.  I’m certain of it.  Your sister wanted a box of Lemonheads and my grandpa sent me in the back to get it for her.  You got a box of Nerds.”

I felt my hand cover my mouth as my mind rewound to all those years ago.  I
had
met Jeremy before. Amy had been obsessed with Lemonheads when we were younger and I loved Nerds. Then again, there weren’t many candies I didn’t love. It had to have been us he recalled.  It wasn’t so farfetched that during all those summers in Travers Cove our paths would’ve crossed.  It was a small town and his family owned the only market for fifteen miles.  I thought back to the hundreds of times we had to have gone inside, buying our Icees and candy and then an image of a tall, lanky kid I sometimes saw working in the store, flashed in my mind.

“Oh my gosh!” I said and I could feel the corners of my mouth curling up in a smile. “You were that skinny guy in the store!”

“Not exactly how I want to be remembered.  Adolescence wasn’t a good time for me,” he chuckled and I had to agree with him.  The boy I remembered from all those years ago looked nothing like the man before me now, a man who was eyeing me with a sly grin and deep brown eyes that seemed to go on forever.  Had he looked anything like the way he did now, I’d never have been able to forget him.

“You look so different,” I said, trying not to laugh.

“Don’t try and hide it, Beth.  I was a nerd.  There’s no denying it.”

“I didn’t say that!” I laughed.

“You don’t have to.  I can see it on your face.  You’re trying to be polite, but you don’t have to be.  I lived in that body, which was nothing but gangly legs and arms until I was seventeen.  It’s no surprise to me.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t remember you.”

“I was forgettable. You, however, were anything but.”

I felt my cheeks flush and I glanced down for a moment before looking up at him again.

“When did you know it was me?” I asked.

“I had my suspicions that first day…when you nearly took my head off,” he said and we both laughed a little, him from amusement and me from embarrassment. “But, it wasn’t until tonight that I was certain.”

“What made you so certain?”

“I don’t really know.  I just knew,” he said and it grew quiet for a few moments as I tried to collect my thoughts. 

“Well, I’m glad you have a better memory than me and I hope you’ll accept my very late thank you for getting Amy those Lemonheads.”

“It was my pleasure,” he grinned, standing up and walking over to the cupboard. “Coffee?” he asked and I nodded.  A moment later, I heard the Keurig brewing and not long after, a mug was in front of me. “How do you take it?”

“Creamer if you have some,” I answered.

“I don’t.  Is milk okay?”

“Perfect,” I told him and he reached into the fridge, handing me the carton.

Soon after, he was sitting next to me again with his own cup of coffee, not bothering to put anything in it.

“And what about you, Beth?  Tell me about the girl in the market.  What’d she grow up to be?”

“A teacher.”

“A teacher?  Good choice, hence the ability to escape Rhode Island for two months,” he said. “What grade?”

“Second,” I answered.

“Nice,” he replied and it grew quiet for a few moments and I thought about telling Jeremy a little about my personal situation. I knew he was curious about where Noah’s father was or about my status.  To be honest, I was curious about his status too. “Are you married?” he asked and I was surprised by his bluntness. I wasn’t upset though.  It was a fair question.

“Divorced.  Darren, that’s Noah’s father, and I split up about a year ago.  The divorce has only been official for about a month.”

“I’m sorry,” he said gently.

“Me too,” I answered softly as I stared into my coffee mug. “It’s been…” I began, finding myself wanting to tell Jeremy more, but I was stopped when I heard Noah’s voice calling out from the living room.

I got up from the table and went into the living room.  He was sitting up on the couch, looking around, obviously dazed about where he was.

“Hey,” I said, sitting beside him. “You fell asleep.”

“I want my binky,” he said.

“Let’s go home and get you to bed.”

“I’ll sleep here tonight,” he said and I heard a faint laugh from behind me. I turned to see Jeremy watching this whole display, an amused smile on his face. 

“Not tonight, buddy.”

Noah didn’t like to be told no, especially if he’d been woken up and I could tell he didn’t like I’d told him he couldn’t spend the night at Jeremy’s.  I watched as his lip quivered and then he started to cry.

“Please don’t do this, Noah,” I whispered to him. “Let’s go.”

He didn’t budge though as I tried to ease him up.  I didn’t want to just scoop him up and toss him over my shoulder like I wanted to.  I had to pretend I wasn’t a complete maniac in front of Jeremy. 

“Hey,” Jeremy said, squatting down in front of Noah. “We’ll hang out again, okay? I promise.”

“Can I come over tomorrow?” Noah asked and Jeremy smiled at him.

“We’ll see, okay?” he said and Noah finally nodded, scooting himself off the couch. “Thanks for coming over tonight.”

Jeremy held up his hand and Noah gave him a high five. 

“Can you come tuck me in?” Noah asked suddenly.

“Noah,” I said, but then I felt Jeremy’s hand on my arm and I didn’t say anything.

“If it’ll make your life easier, I don’t mind,” he said and I looked at him for reassurance. “Really, Beth, I don’t mind.”

Noah took Jeremy’s hand and we made our way next door. Jeremy waited while Noah brushed his teeth and changed into his PJs and once he was ready, Noah ran out into the living room, pointing excitedly to his Iron Man pajamas.

“See what I got?”

“Those are awesome.  I wish I had some,” Jeremy said and Noah took his hand, leading him to his room.  This surprised me because Noah had been sleeping with me since we arrived in Travers Cove, but I wasn’t going to complain.

Jeremy pulled back the covers on the bed and Noah crawled in.

“Good night, Noah,” Jeremy said and Noah smiled.

“Good night, Jeremy.”

I waited for Noah to ask for a story like we read every night, but he didn’t.  He turned on his side and I leaned down, kissing him on the top of the head.

“I love you, Noah.  Good night.”

“I love you, Mommy.”

I kissed him again and then walked out quietly, making sure to leave the door open and the hall light on, like I always did for him.  I expected him to call me back, but he didn’t and a moment later, Jeremy and I were standing in the kitchen.

“I’m sorry about that,” I said. “He’s just been a little needier since Darren and I split up.”

“It’s fine. I’m glad to help,” he said, giving me a reassuring smile.

“Thank you, Jeremy.”

“Don’t mention it.” He paused for a moment as awkward silence settled in. “I should probably get home.”

“Yeah…you probably should,” I answered, even if part of me wished he would stay.

“I’ll see you soon, Beth,” he said, opening the back door.

“Yeah.  Soon, Jeremy.”

He smiled at me and then he walked away. I watched him as he made his way home and I wished I could go back to those days in the market and say hi to the awkward kid I’d only given a passing glance to because all these years later, I finally realized how worth knowing he was. 

Five

My sister Amy was my best friend.  Being two years older than me, I always wanted to be like her growing up.  Whatever Amy was doing, I was doing.  She was the reason I’d played softball and basketball from the age of five all the way through high school.  She was also the reason I almost didn’t get to play the clarinet starting in fifth grade.  Amy had started the saxophone when she was in fifth grade, promptly giving it up two months later.  My parents decided they weren’t going to waste their money on another instrument in the family, which devastated me.  My begging and pleading finally wore off though and they agreed…in a way. I’d wanted to play the saxophone too, just like Lisa Simpson, but when my parents finally relented, the saxophone was off the table.  It was too expensive and they’d only recently gotten out of the rental agreement on Amy’s instrument.  If I was going to be in the band, my only choices were the flute or the clarinet.  I’d begrudgingly chosen the clarinet, which actually turned out to be a blessing, because I eventually learned the clarinets got some of the best parts in the arrangements, carrying the melody while the saxophones were often stuck with the boring bass line, filled with nothing but staccato quarter notes or stretched out whole notes.  Regardless, I’d learned to play an instrument and I forgave Amy for nearly ruining that for me. 

She was always there for me.  Always had been, especially after I told her about Darren.  She hadn’t hesitated.  She got in her car and drove to my house.  By then, Darren had already left, Noah was asleep in his room still suffering from a fever, and I was a mess, sitting on the couch, staring out the window wondering how my life had fallen apart in the blink of an eye. Amy didn’t knock, she just walked in and I fell apart in her arms.  She told me everything would be okay and something made me believe her, probably because she’d never lied to me or maybe because she’d always taken care of me.  If my big sister said I would be okay, I knew somehow I would be okay, I just didn’t see how.

Because of this, I was ecstatic when Amy told me she and the boys would be coming up for the weekend.  She’d been to the beach house a few times since our last time in Travers Cove together, but just like me, I knew she wished she’d come more often. 

I wanted the visit to be perfect.  It would only be for three days, but I wanted it to be a memorable three days.  I wanted Noah and my nephews, Spencer and Brent, to love this place as much as Amy and I had growing up and part of making that happen was to have the cupboards fully stocked and delicious meals planned.

Noah was disappointed when I told him we couldn’t go to the beach straight away after waking up. He was still complaining as I strapped him into his car seat, but I promised him as soon as we were done at the market and the groceries were put away, we’d change into our suits and hit the waves. 

The market was busy, but Noah sat surprisingly cooperatively in the cart, sucking on a Dum Dum as we made our way around the store gathering everything I’d need for when Amy and the boys arrived.  Soon the carriage was full and we headed to the counter to check out. 

Mrs. Parrish sat at her post, ringing up the groceries of an older couple, but my eyes drifted behind her to a man replenishing the magazine display.  His back was to me, but I knew it was him.  There was no mistaking his tall frame and his head full of thick dark hair that I noticed for the first time had a little curl on the ends, almost like he needed a haircut. 

I didn’t say anything, but a few moments later, he turned around to get another stack of magazines.  He saw us immediately because he abandoned the magazines and stood straight, his eyes going between Noah and me.

“Jeremy!” Noah exclaimed. 

Jeremy smiled at Noah and then came over to us.

“Good morning, Beth,” he said, his smile drifting to me. 

I hadn’t spoken to him since the night Noah finagled a dinner invitation. I hadn’t seen much of him either aside from catching a couple of glances when he’d walk out of his house and over to his SUV, a silver Equinox, before driving away.  Now that he was only a few feet away, I realized that I’d missed talking to him. 

“It’s good to see you again, Jeremy,” I said, surprising even myself with the formalities.

“Looks like you’re feeding an army,” he said, perusing the contents of my full carriage. “Looks like some good stuff.  Can I assume I’ll be getting a dinner invite?”

“You’re welcome anytime, Jeremy,” I said with a quiet laugh.

“Remember you said that because I plan to hold you to it.”

I don’t know why I focused on the dimples on each of his cheeks as he smiled at me, but I did.

“All this food is actually for this weekend.  My sister and her two sons are coming for a visit.”

“Don’t forget these then,” he said, turning around for a second to grab something and then tossed a box of Lemonheads into the carriage and I started laughing.

“Good call,” I said and then he grabbed the end of the carriage and pulled it towards the other register at the counter.

“I can go ahead and check you out,” he said, walking behind the counter as I started unloading the contents.

“I didn’t know you still worked here,” I said as he scanned the items.

“I don’t work here.  I help out sometimes and Grandma pays me in groceries,” he said as Mrs. Parrish looked over to us, a gentle smile on her wrinkled face.

“Good help is hard to find and Jeremy’s the best,” she said, leaning over and giving him a squeeze.

“She’s right you know.  Gram never lies. I am the best.”

“I would never question your grandmother’s integrity,” I said, smiling over to her and then it was quiet as he continued to work. 

“I’m actually glad you stopped in. I was going to come by later,” he said and my curiosity was piqued.

“And why were you going to do that?”

“I’m in a bit of quandary.”

“Quandary? That sounds serious,” I grinned. “Can I do anything to help you with your dilemma?”

“Actually, now that you mention it, yes, there is something you can do.”

His left eyebrow raised and those dimples appeared again.  It was fun bantering with him like this.

“And what would that be?”

“Second base.”

“Excuse me?” I gaped and I blushed when the image of him getting to second base with me flashed in my mind.

“My softball team. We need a second baseman. We’ve got a game tonight and Stewart, our usual guy, can’t make it.  His wife had a baby last night.  Can you believe the nerve of her, right in the middle of softball season?”

“Yes.  The nerve.  She should be drawn and quartered,” I teased back.

“Anyway, I thought I’d put the offer out there.  I thought you might like to get out.”

I hadn’t played softball since my senior year in high school.  I used to love it and the thought of getting to play, even if it was just in a small town softball league sounded fun.  Then my eyes drifted to Noah and I knew I couldn’t.  I couldn’t leave him unattended while I played.

“I’d love to, Jeremy, but I have no one to watch Noah.”

“My sister will be there.  Her husband’s on the team.  She loves kids.  She’ll keep an eye on Noah.”

“I don’t have a mit.”

“I’ve got an extra.  It’s all broken in.  I’ll even oil it for you, so you’re out of excuses, Beth.”

“Well,” I said, grinning over to Jeremy. “I guess I am.”

“Excellent. Game’s at five o’clock. We’ll leave at 4:30 so we can warm up.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I said as I loaded the last bag into the carriage and handed Jeremy my credit card.

“I look forward to it,” he said, but I didn’t say anything and I smiled over to his grandmother again.

“Goodbye, Mrs. Parrish,” I said and she winked, handing Noah another lollipop before we made our way out of the store.