4. Johnny
Johnny
When I danced with Beth at Windbreaker, I’d assumed she was in town for a weekend—just passing through, that’s what I was used to with people I didn’t recognize.
I remember the feeling of her hips against my fingertips and the way she giggled into my ear that night.
If it wasn’t for Lane pulling me aside, I would have tried something with her.
Even though I was always down for a random hookup, something felt different with her that night. Something I couldn’t put my finger on.
Now, as I sat next to Beth, I was hyperaware of her presence, those curves that went on for days. I felt every inch of her, from our hips down to our knees. That’s how these seats were—everyone jammed in here like sardines. She took me by surprise when we were outside.
Tonight, she was dressed down in cut-off jean shorts and a t-shirt, completely the opposite of how she looked at Windbreaker, even more beautiful now.
I chuckled to myself, feeling her squirm next to me.
I could tell from her body language that she was surprised to have run into me and was definitely nervous.
She had no idea what she did to me that night, that was for sure.
The meeting went by as it usually did. Megan was up front, getting everyone together and keeping everyone on track.
We always had a few of those locals who would chime in and tell her how it used to be two decades ago, and she handled herself well despite all of it.
She put up with a lot, and I knew she was trying her hardest to make this what she wanted for the town.
“And now, the only volunteers we need left are to head up sponsorship donations for Starlight Night,” Megan called out.
“That’s Kathy’s job!” Marlene yelled out from across the room. “Why are you trying to fill her volunteer role?”
I rolled my eyes. As much as I loved Port St. Clair, some of these people got too dramatic. I just sat there listening to Megan calm everyone down.
“I know that Kathy usually handles all of this, but Kathy’s in Florida this year helping her mom, so we have an opening. Who wants to help?”
This was one of those towns that everyone came together for community events.
Most of the people in the room already had some sort of role at some point or pitched in throughout the summer getting ready for the biggest festival of the year.
This was the biggest fundraiser of the year, and it brought in people from across the state, even out of state. It was important that it went well.
There were crickets.
“Come on.” Megan stood at the podium, her hands clapped tightly over the edges, and she tensed up, clearly getting nervous with the mayor standing over her shoulder.
“Folks, someone’s going to have to take it. If we don’t get a volunteer, we’re going to have to pull someone up here,” Greg chimed in from next to her.
“Jim, what about you and Cheri?” Megan asked, putting them on the spot. Jim and Cheri had been married for forty plus years, lived in Port St. Clair just as long, and knew everyone.
“No can do,” Jim shouted. “We’ve got all the grandkids coming into town this summer for a few weeks. Too much on our plate already. What about Jenny over there?” he asked, tossing it back to someone else.
Everyone quickly turned to Jenny who was standing against the wall in the back.
“I’m already in charge of the craft fair. I think someone else could handle it, don’t you, Jim?” She gave him a look that made him stop talking and Megan took over again.
“Okay, okay, we’ll figure it out,” Megan said with a glint in her eye.
“I have an idea.” She looked at me, then at Beth, then back to me, and quirked her mouth up at the side. “Johnny? Beth? How about a duo this summer? What do you think?”
I raised my hand. “I’m in. Beth?” I looked over at her.
Her jaw had dropped just a smidge, and I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
Beth bit her bottom lip. “Okay, I’m in.”
Megan smacked the gavel on the podium, and people stood up, milling about.
I got pats on the back from Jenny and Jim, who were glad that we had taken over and they weren’t stuck with the role.
I’d known enough about this town and how the festival worked to know that it wouldn’t be the end of the world to be stuck with this job.
But this meant that Beth and I would be together for most of the summer.
We both stood up, and I took a look at Beth.
“Megan really threw you right in, huh?” I laughed, trying to lighten the mood.
“Apparently so.”
“You can back out if you want. I can run it solo if it’s too much.”
“No, thanks though.” Her head was already on a swivel, probably looking for Megan who was still deep in conversation with Greg and Janie, our city manager, at the front. I needed to find out more about her before she left.
“How long are you here for?” I asked.
“I leave mid-August,” she said. “I’m taking a couple summer classes and heading back before Labor Day.”
“Well, in reading between the lines, doesn’t look like you’re too excited about this festival. We’ll make the most of it though. Shouldn’t be too difficult,” I said.
“Oh, I’m not too worried about it,” she said. “I’m just annoyed that my friend over here.” She pointed to Megan across the room. “Threw me into the deep end, when she knew I didn’t want to be overly involved.”
“Hey, I’m the new guy in town just like you. Or, you’re the new girl in town, I should say.”
“No way! You’ve been here a few years.” She grinned with a laugh. “Doesn’t count.”
“True. But being surrounded by people that have lived here their whole life, except the folks coming in for vacation, I definitely feel like the new guy sometimes still.”
“Yeah, I’ve never really been the new girl in town before.
But I’m going to make the most of it. Definitely different from where I grew up.
I’ve been working with my parents on our small farm business for years, never lived anywhere else.
I’m used to family dinners every Sunday and knowing everyone in town.
And I have to say, I feel a little bit like a fish out of water here,” she said.
“Maybe just a bit with the water?” I laughed as I pointed to her shirt that was still soaked through.
“But otherwise? You seem to be doing just fine.” She was something else.
She stood there with wet hair and smeared mascara, with her hands on her hips, completely unfazed that she was out of sorts.
She didn’t seem to care what people thought of her, and I was jealous of that.
I was always trying to prove myself, knowing I wasn’t enough.
The woman in front of me may be nervous on the inside, but on the outside, she looked like she knew exactly what she wanted.
“Thanks, I guess.” She looked around.
I wasn’t sure if she was trying to find Megan or if she was bored talking to me.
“What classes are you taking?” I asked, wanting to prolong the conversation.
“Finance. And a business modernization workshop,” she said, perking up. “I’m pretty excited about it. One of my old professors is teaching it, and I plan to take back what I learn and implement it into our family farm.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out then.”
The more we talked, the more I liked her.
Back at the bar, we had just talked about bullshit, but she was smart as anything, and I found myself wanting to know more.
I was impressed with her as she shared some of the plans she had for Weber Farm.
How she wanted to expand the business to make it a destination for events and families, not just a place to grow crops and plants.
She lit up as she talked, and she had the faintest scent of vanilla surrounding her that I wanted more of.
Freckles dotted her nose and cheeks, and all of these little hairs stuck out around the bun at the top of her head made her seem so innocent.
But even as plain Jane and girl-next-door as she was, she was also absolutely beautiful.
Even though I could tell she kept to herself, she was an open book.
She had no reason to hide anything. And yet, it wasn’t just that, it was the whole package.
The more that I heard from her, the more that I liked.
And I knew it would be a tough go this summer being with her and not breaking one of my cardinal rules.
Don’t date the locals, ever.
Lane was in a mood after the volunteer meeting, so I wasn’t too happy that I had driven him.
Most of the way home, he had been rambling on about how Megan ran the meeting—how she was too loud, too aggressive, too different from what the old events manager did.
He needed to cut her a break. She was doing a good job.
Frankly, I was only half listening anyway. I was too in my head about Beth.
I knew I couldn’t do anything about it, but it would be fun to imagine.
She had that soft glow to her skin, even though she had been half drenched when I met her.
She was just a warm person. Everything with her family just emphasized that.
It made me surprised she even moved here for the summer if she was that tied into the business, but it sounded like she had her reasons.
I couldn’t really relate. I had always butted heads with my parents.
My dad was a lifer at one of the auto plants in the city, as was my brother.
They had so much in common compared to my dad and me.
As I’d gotten older, it just seemed to get worse, and when I got divorced, the divide only worsened, something we hadn’t ever seemed to hash out.
The longer we went between talks, the more awkward each conversation was.
It was a cycle I didn’t know how to stop.
Aside from my brother, I had mostly disconnected myself from their life when I moved here.
I still reached out to my mom every so often, but it was hard.
She’d always ask if I was seeing someone.
I’d tell her no. Then, she’d start pushing to set me up with someone downriver.
When I would explain to her that I wasn’t ready, she’d go silent on me.
This was why it was great that Ryan still lived near them.
He could be that son for her. He was the older son, following in dad’s footsteps, married with a baby.
It worked. I just wanted to do my own thing, and that did not involve dating—at least, nothing serious.
“Are you even listening to me?” Lane asked.
“Of course I am,” I said. “You’re complaining about Megan.”
That was the thing with Lane. As loyal as he was to his closest friends, he was also a stubborn hardass who was stuck in his ways and made everyone know his opinion, whether you asked or not.
I couldn’t hold it against him though. After everything happened with Anne, Lane stood by me, let me move in with him while I got on my feet in Port St. Clair, even when my family didn’t.
He listened to all my complaining about how Anne went behind my back and got me through my slump, and I couldn’t have asked for anything more at the time.
If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be where I was now.
I had been spiraling, and he had pulled me out of it.
“You’re acting weird. What’s going on with you?”
I was debating mentioning anything to him, but what the hell? “Beth. That’s what’s going on with me.”
“Beth?” He tilted his head and squinted like he was trying to place her. “Oh, the one from the meeting? The one in the jean shorts, right?”
“That’s the one.” I took myself back to the meeting, visualizing her round hips sheathed in denim. I could still feel them on my fingertips.
“So, what’s the issue? Sounds like you guys will be working together.”
“No issue.” I bit the inside of my cheek.
“Okay, so why are we even talking about this?” he asked.
“I was thinking it could be a lot of fun, actually.” I looked back to the road, smiling and rubbing my chin.
“That has bad idea written all over it,” Lane huffed out. “She’s a local. What happened to ‘Lane, don’t let me get mixed up with a local?’” He squinted at me. “Unless you want to get serious with her, do not go there. It’s not worth it. Trust me.”
“She’s only here for the summer. Shouldn’t be a big deal.
” I was already selling myself on figuring out how to go after her, even though deep down, I agreed with Lane even if I didn’t want to admit it.
The last thing I needed was for something to go south and then I see her getting a coffee every week at Seagull.
“Don’t give me that. This is going to be a mess when things inevitably fall apart, and then, Megan is going to be all over you because she’s clearly protective of Beth. She knows your reputation.” He rolled his eyes.
I raised an eyebrow at him. He had it out for Megan.
“I’m not sure how close they actually are.
Plus, who knows? She might want something…
or someone, to help pass the time with this summer.
I’m sure she wouldn’t want anything serious either because she’ll be going back home in a couple months anyway. ”
“And what’s so great about her anyway, that you’d give up your biggest rule?” he asked.
“Besides that she’s sexy as hell?” I asked. “She has this cute innocent thing, but confident too. I don’t know how to describe it.” And I couldn’t. It had been so long since I’d wanted someone for more than a night.
“Just don’t go falling for her and expect her to stick around—not going to happen. And make sure she doesn’t fall for you either. That’s the last thing you need. Or me, for that matter. Because when she leaves after the summer, I’m going to be the one listening to your whining.”
“Don’t worry. There’s no way that would happen.”