17. Seth
SEVENTEEN
Seth
I should’ve let Abi set Mae up with someone, but I’m a glutton for punishment. Or just amusement, I guess. I don’t know what I was expecting when I told her to find her own date, but it certainly wasn’t this.
“You know, you could just say the hell with it and hook up with her already.” Mark is my excuse for being out here. As long as I’m with him, I don’t look like a creepo watching the girls.
Mae and Abi are wearing only their bikinis as they “lifeguard.” But really, all they are doing is flirting with college-aged guys who keep trying to show off by jumping off the cliff. I’ve jumped off Corfu’s cliffs and Kahekili’s Leap. Neither of those scared me as much as watching Mae flirt with other guys.
Her bikini is bright blue, adorned with tiny white flowers that seem to pop against her tan. The material hugs her curves perfectly, showing off just the right amount of skin. Not for the first time have I wondered what she might look like out of that bikini.
Mae and Abi have game, I have to admit. They both touch the boys on their biceps and laugh whenever they say something that probably isn’t all that funny. I shouldn’t be surprised. Mae has a way with people. Of course that would translate to flirting.
“You know what Keith will do. This is the only way to save the farm.” I wish it were different.
“I’m not buying that anymore,” Mark says. “Keith isn’t a total ass. He wouldn’t do that to Dad. He’s just playing games with you.”
I cross my arms and glare at the one guy who has been smart enough to not try to show off. He’s been on the top of the cliff with Mae for a good forty-five minutes now, cheering his buddies on. But he never once jumped.
He hands her a bottle of water and shuffles his feet nervously, inching closer with each step until their shoulders brush.
“For the love of…I can’t watch this anymore,” I grumble. Mae hands the guy her sunscreen, and it looks like he’s going to reapply it for her.
Mark chuckles. “I guess she found her date. What about you?”
“I already talked to Suzanne. She’s very eager.” Not that I particularly want to go out with her. I’m doing this all for show. But I might even take her out a few times and bring her to the Friday night shindigs Mom puts on. But I don’t really want to kiss her, and I won’t sleep with her. She seems like a highly intelligent woman though, so at least the date won’t be boring.
Mark smirks.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing. Suzanne is pretty. And funny. And nice. Ethan asked her out last week.”
“And how did it go?”
“She turned him down.”
I rub my chin and glance at the girls. The guy has his hands on Mae’s shoulders and is getting too close to her breasts for my taste. “I’m going to the office.”
“Have fun tonight.”
I flip him off behind my back and head to work. Not that I’ll get much done today. All I can see is some other guy with his hands on my girl.
Noah is sitting in my chair in the office, his hands behind his head.
“What’s up?” I ask, taking another seat.
“Is this going to work?”
“Is what going to work?”
“This whole plan and the possibility to come and work here full time.”
“I think so.”
He chews on his bottom lip for a moment. “I need some help.”
“Sure.”
“The accounting firm in Roanoke that I’m working for is doing some questionable things.”
Ah, I get it. “So you want to quit.”
“I do. But I signed a five-year contract with them.”
“What happens if you don’t fulfill your contract?”
“When all the shady stuff came up, I actually quit then and there. Then my boss pulled out that stupid contract and said if I left, they would sue me and also go after my license.”
“I don’t think they can do that.”
Noah runs his hands along his face. “I don’t even like accounting. Do you know that? I want to run Beverly’s flower farm, but the money isn’t there. Plus, it’s hers, not mine.”
“Let’s buy it.”
“I’ve tried. She won’t sell it to me because she’s leaving it to me in her will, so why bother.”
“Why would she leave you the farm? That seems extreme.”
“I’ve spent more time out there with her than I have here with dad. She never had anyone else to help her out and I liked it, even from a very young age.”
“I see. Well, that still doesn’t fix your problem. I have a friend who’s an attorney. He’s the one I would go to if I had a problem like this.”
“You mean a problem like what you have with Keith?”
I crease my eyebrows. I never even thought to involve David, but it can’t hurt. At least I’ll know my options.
“Exactly like that. Do you want his number?”
“I do. I want to quit, but I need to know I’ll be okay here.”
“I’ve got your back, bro. Don’t worry.”
* * *
Seth: Saw you land your date. What’s his name?
Mae: Jonathan. I’m glad you enjoyed my little show. I saw you left after the sunscreen. Too much for you?
Seth: Growl
Mae: I love it when you get all possessive.
Seth: Where are you going tonight?
Mae: Station Four. If I’m going to be on a date I don’t really want to be on, I may as well get good food.
Seth: Then what?
Mae: Dunno. Probably find a quiet parking spot and make out.
Seth: Grrrr.
Mae: What about you?
Seth: Station Four.
Mae: You just decided that after I told you what I was doing.
Seth: Maybe.
Mae: Then what?
Seth: There’s a movie on the square.
Mae: Oh, that sounds fun. We’ll go too. Then you can watch my make-out session.
Seth: Or you can watch mine.
Mae: Okay. I can see how that’s not funny anymore.
* * *
“The kids just aren’t prepared for college now like they were ten years ago,” Suzanne says. “Are you even listening to me?”
I jerk my eyes back to her. She gives me a tight smile and takes a sip of her cheap wine. Mae isn’t here yet, but I glance at the door every five seconds to see if it’s her coming in. It’s not fair to Suzanne. She’s really a nice woman, a biology professor at a small private university near Chesapeake. She’s wearing a long, flowy summer dress that subtly shows off her curves but doesn’t make it look like she’s trying too hard. Any man would find himself lucky to be with her. But all I can think about is the girl who isn’t here yet.
“Yeah, sorry. I’m thinking about work. I’m a little preoccupied at the moment.”
Suzanne leans forward, a twinkle in her eye. “Maybe you just need something to help you take your mind off things. I’m pretty good at that.” She winks, and I try not to grimace.
“Tell me more about your current research,” I say to head her off. This restaurant isn’t the fanciest place around, but it does have the best food. I’m glad Suzanne is down with it. A lot of girls I’ve dated over the years wouldn’t be caught dead in a place like this.
“It’s not exactly dinner-table conversation. I study gut microbiomes.”
“I have a tough stomach.”
The pizza arrives then, and we dig in. The scent of freshly baked dough and savory spices wafts up, and my stomach growls in anticipation. In between bites, she tells me about how she’s studying the connection between gut health and mental health. It’s actually pretty fascinating.
The door opens again, and Mae and Abi walk in, followed by Jonathan and another guy. Mae’s dressed casually in a tight white tank top and very short cut-offs that show off her incredible legs. Her hair flows in waves down her shoulders, and I want to be the guy sitting next to her in a booth. She shifts, and I see she’s wearing the Capricorn necklace I bought for her, so there’s that, at least.
Mae gives the guy a smile that I thought was only reserved for me, and he sits closer to her than I like.
“And I’ve lost you again.” Suzanne’s voice takes on an edge.
“Sorry. I’m trying to listen, but it is pretty technical.”
“And I can get lost in my work too. I’m sorry.” She softens again.
“It’s okay. Tell me something else about you. Not work related.”
“Well, I foster dogs in my spare time.” A glimmer of excitement flashes across her face.
“Really? I have a Doberman.”
I swear a grimace falls across her face, but she quickly composes herself. “A rescue, I assume,” she says as if to mask her bitterness with casual curiosity. I’m not sure why she’s upset.
“No, I got her as a puppy. From a reputable breeder, not a puppy mill.”
“Thousands of dogs get killed or abandoned every year, and you decided to buy one that was bred on purpose?” She throws her napkin down and pushes her plate away. “I’m sorry. I can’t be here with you anymore. There aren’t many things that are an absolute no go for me, but this is one of them. I’ll meet you at the car where I trust you’ll get me back to the resort. Or maybe you’ll just abandon me for a woman with blonde hair instead of brown.”
I have no earthly idea how to respond to that. I never knew people felt so vehemently against purebred dogs or blondes. Suzanne would not be happy if she knew Mom studs out her collies to make more collie puppies.
“I will not abandon you. Let me pay, and I’ll drive you back to your cabin.”
She nods stiffly and rushes from the restaurant.
Patty, our waitress, takes her abandoned seat. “Didn’t go so well, huh?”
I shake my head and pull out a hundred. Patty is Mom’s age and one of her good friends. She owns the restaurant but enjoys waiting tables on busy nights. “Apparently, I don’t have the right kind of dog for her. She’s against buying purebreds.”
Patty creases her eyebrows. “That’s silly.”
“You’re telling me.”
“Let me get you change.” She stands.
“Keep it,” I say.
She cocks her head. “Seth…”
“Just keep an eye on Abi for me. Her date seems…handsy.”
She glances over at their table. “Okay. Can do. Hope your next date goes a little better.”
“You and me both.”
I’ve known Patty since I was a little boy. By tomorrow morning, everyone in town will know that I had a bad date. I hated that everyone knew my business when I was a teenager. It made me embarrassed when people in town would give us handouts because they knew we needed them, even though many of them were in the same position. They just didn’t have eight mouths to feed. Patty brought us dinner from the diner on more than one occasion.
Then again, I’m not just another random face. In the city, no one knew who I was. Even the barista who got my coffee every day. If I had found myself in need in any of the places I called home over the last sixteen years, and if my money was gone, there would’ve been no one.
But here, Patty would watch Abi even without my change. Hell, half the people at this restaurant would chase the guy off with pitchforks if they thought he was being inappropriate with her.
I rub at my chest.
Maybe home isn’t so bad after all.