AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sophie gave me a curious look. “Why would that embarrass me?”
“You just said I’m notorious. You probably don’t want to associate yourself with the town fuckup.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth I realized it sounded like I was fishing. I wasn’t. I was just speaking truth.
“How are you the town fuckup?” she asked. “You aren’t the one who cheated and it seems like you show up for work every day. You pay your rent and your bar tab. Nothing you do is illegal, that I’m aware of. Your biggest vice is your drinking, obviously, but you still appear to be functioning to me.”
If Sophie wore glasses she would have pushed them up on her nose right then. But she didn’t and her words just hung in the air between us. Damn, the girl just cut through all the bullshit and said it like it was. Maybe another dude would be offended by her comment about the drinking but overall I felt like she was giving me a huge-ass compliment. She was saying in the grand scheme of people fucking up, I was not the worst.
There wasn’t a whole lot I could or wanted to say to that though. I didn’t want to talk about feelings or shit or why I did what I did or say thanks for acknowledging I did, in fact, pay my rent, thank you very much. Instead, I just figured this was her very lengthy way of saying that I could kiss her in public.
So I did.
I leaned down and took her mouth, my hand sliding up her cheek. Her skin was soft, her lips smooth and warm. She sighed into me and I closed my eyes briefly, wanting to capture that sound, remember it forever. Funny how I had thought originally that in the distant future it would be Sophie who would remember me, the guy who was her first, and yet I had a feeling it was going to be me, who would be sitting in a dark bar, nursing a drink, remembering the girl who had blinked at me with owl eyes and spoke truth.
“Come here,” I said as I pulled away. “You need to see a lobster boat.” I took her hand in mine, lacing our fingers together.
Liam was still loitering, pretending to be tying his boot. I frowned at him and he gave me a look of “What the fuck” as his eyes dropped down to where mine and Sophie’s hands clasped.
Whatever. He could mind his own damn business.
I could hold hands. I could have a friend. That’s what Sophie was becoming. A friend. So fuck him.
“What are you looking at?” I asked.
Liam put his hands up. “Nothing, geez. Where the hell am I supposed to look?” He stood up and turned toward Sophie. “If you need rescuing from this idiot just let me know.”
But Sophie being Sophie didn’t precisely pick up on the guy banter. She just said, “I find it very curious that you’re the third man to suggest that I could do better than Cain but you profess to be his friends. Isn’t that a little bit insulting to both him and me? You’re assuming I am not intelligent enough to make good choices when faced with a penis, and that he is going to treat me poorly.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “She told you, Liam.”
Liam wasn’t a dick like Christian. He actually looked mortified. “I wasn’t saying…”
But he didn’t seem to know what to say beyond that so he just shook his head and said, “See you Monday, Jordan.” Then he all but ran down the dock.
“Did I offend him?” Sophie asked.
She didn’t fool me. “You know you scared him. You also know exactly what you’re doing. I don’t buy your ‘I don’t pick up on social cues’ crap.”
For a second I thought she was going to protest. Then she just gave me a sly smile. “Maybe.”
That made me laugh. “I think I’ve got you figured out.”
When we got to the boat my captain, John, gave me a look similar to the one Liam had. Apparently, no one expected me to be walking around in daylight with a girl. Everyone was eyeing us with the wonder usually reserved for a total eclipse of the sun.
“Who’s this?” John asked, trying to sound casual and not to grin. He failed at both.
“This is Sophie. She thinks lobster are grown on a farm and shipped to restaurants so I thought I would show her reality.”
“I do not!” Sophie said. “I just said I thought it was a commercial venture.”
“Unless you consider a guy with a ton of debt a commercial venture I would say you’re a little off base. But come on board and Cain can show you around.”
John was in his early fifties, fit from years of hauling traps, and a decent guy. He demanded a lot from his crew, but he was also fair. “John let me apprentice under him and I’ve been with him ever since,” I told Sophie. “You can’t own or captain a boat if you don’t have a license, and you need someone licensed to apprentice you.”
“Cain may not look pretty but he gets the job done,” John said.
I stepped onto the boat, still in my waders. Sophie stood on the dock, eyeing me with horror. She was actually swallowing hard.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
