Chapter Seven #2
Marit wanted to laugh, but she didn’t dare do anything that might push Lucas over the edge. It was scary that someone who didn’t even know her seemed to hate her so much. It was an unsettling feeling.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re living in the past, Pearson. Marit works harder than most men, simply because she has to prove to dumb assholes like you that she’s just as capable as anyone else at the job. Besides, she isn’t on your boat, so what do you care?”
“Because!”
Marit waited for him to say more, but when he didn’t, she realized he literally had no other reason for not liking her other than because she was a woman . . . and because Thorne Deaton told him not to like her. It was pathetic, really.
“Let’s go, Zach,” she said quietly. “He’s not worth our time or effort.”
“Fuck you!” Lucas shouted.
There were loud grumblings around them now, about there being kids present.
“I’m sorry you don’t like me,” Marit said, keeping her voice calm and even as she stepped around Zach. He didn’t stand in her way, but remained one step ahead of her, as if he was more than ready to stop Lucas if he did something stupid like take a swing at her.
Marit could handle him. She’d taken plenty of self-defense classes for situations just like this, but she appreciated Zach’s willingness to protect her. She hadn’t had many people, if any, who were willing to stand between her and danger.
“But I’ve done nothing to you, or Thorne Deaton, for that matter. I keep to myself, do my job, and that’s it. None of the captains I’ve worked for have had any issues with me, because I’m good at what I do, Lucas.”
“I know for a fact that’s a lie. They just never said anything to your face.
Besides, they only hired you because they wanted to look good to the association.
But it’s bullshit. There’s no way you’re as good as a man at hauling pots.
Look at you! You’re not even five feet tall!
Anyone who works with you would have to take up the slack for your lack of strength and height. ”
“I’m five-two, thank you very much, and no one has ever had to work extra because I can’t do something. I make it work. Period. Again, talk to Eliot and Jonah if you want. They’ll tell you that I carry my own weight. More than carry my own weight, actually.”
Lucas snorted. “You’re probably sleeping with Jonah. Maybe even Eliot too. That’s the only way you could’ve gotten hired in the first place.”
Marit was done. She wasn’t surprised sex came into the conversation. It seemed that anytime a woman rose in the ranks of any male-dominated profession, some guy was convinced it was only because she’d slept her way to the top. It was offensive and ridiculous. And she was done.
But before she could say another word, Zach moved. It seemed he was even more done with Lucas than she was.
Lucas wasn’t a small man, but Zach was taller, and he had righteous anger on his side.
He lunged forward and fisted the guy’s shirt, pulling him in close until they were nose to nose.
He said something in a tone so low, Marit couldn’t hear.
Then he pushed Lucas away with an abrupt shove, making him stumble back several steps, straight into a man with two kids and a wife.
That guy didn’t take kindly to Lucas almost pushing his kids into the street, and he shoved Lucas so hard, he hit the brick building next to the sidewalk they were standing on.
“Watch it!” the guy with the kids growled.
“You watch it,” Lucas countered lamely. Then he turned to glare at Marit with a look so full of hatred, she internally flinched.
No. This encounter hadn’t done her any favors at all.
It was only a matter of time before lobstering here became just as oppressive and dangerous as it eventually became in Portland.
She thought she’d gotten away from Thorne Deaton by moving to Rockville.
She should’ve known his reach was long .
. . and that he wouldn’t give up making her life miserable so easily.
Lucas turned his back on them and stomped off down the sidewalk.
“Hey, don’t listen to him,” a woman standing nearby said.
“I know Eliot Sullivan, and he doesn’t put up with incompetent workers.
In fact, his oldest son worked with him for a while, and he actually fired him because he was constantly late and not pulling his own weight.
If you’re working for Eliot, you must be doing a great job. ”
“That guy’s clearly an asshole.”
“If you’re with Zach Young, that’s enough of an endorsement for you.”
“Stay strong, girl!”
The encouragement from strangers was surprising. Marit couldn’t remember a time when she’d had so much support from people she didn’t know. When she turned to look at Zach, a muscle in his jaw was ticking, as if he was gritting his teeth, and his hands were in fists.
She stepped to his side and put her hand on his back. “You okay?” she asked quietly.
“No,” he said sharply. “I need to walk.”
Marit nodded. Unfortunately, she was used to being on the receiving end of blatant discrimination and hatred. She didn’t like it, but figured she was better able to deal with it after so many years of similar treatment.
The crowd parted as Zach took her hand in his and started in the direction of the waterfront park, where they’d started their day.
Hating that such a great day had turned so bad because of her .
. . well, not directly because of her, but because of a bigoted asshole like Lucas Pearson .
. . Marit kept quiet while they walked. She smiled at people who said hi to them as they passed, but Zach didn’t stop to talk to anyone, as he had earlier.
He was truly lost in his head as they walked, and Marit was worried about him.
They walked all the way to the end of the park, where there were fewer people. They had a clear view of Rockville Harbor, and the lighthouse at the end of the breakwater path was visible from where they were standing. Marit made a mental note to walk out to visit the lighthouse at some point.
How long they stood there, staring out at the water, she wasn’t sure. Just when she was about to suggest that maybe she should head back to her apartment, Zach said, “I’m sorry.”
She looked up at him in surprise. “For what?”
“I hate that there are people out there like Pearson. Who think you can’t do your job because of your gender.
What the hell does gender have to do with it, anyway?
If you can do the backbreaking work of hauling pots out of the ocean for hours on end, and you want to, who’s to say you shouldn’t?
The only reason there aren’t more women in the lobstering field is because it’s damn hard work. ”
There were quite a few compliments in there somewhere, but Marit was stuck on the fact that he was apologizing for something he had no need to apologize for.
“Honestly, I don’t give a crap that people don’t think I should be a lobsterwoman.
If I did, I would have stopped years ago.
I know that I’m damn good at what I do. What I don’t like is you thinking you have to apologize for every asshole out there who isn’t like you.
I’m thinking you’re one of a kind, Zach Young. You don’t judge, and you’re—”
“Oh, I judge,” he interrupted bitterly. “Anyone who thinks they’re better than someone else. Anyone who thinks his or her rank makes them better than others. Anyone who thinks it’s okay to bully someone on a public street. They’re no better than the gum on the bottom of my shoe.”
“You don’t have gum on your shoe,” Marit said, trying desperately to lighten the mood.
Zach looked down at her, and without so much as a twitch of his lips said, “Fine. No better than the nasty fry oil I’ve been using all day, and haven’t had time to change, and is full of bits and pieces of various food that’s sitting on the bottom, all soggy and clumped together.”
“Right, that’s pretty gross,” Marit agreed.
Zach took a deep breath, then turned to her and pulled her into his embrace.
Marit went willingly and held on tightly, resting her cheek on his chest. She needed this hug as much as she thought Zach did.
“What did you say to him there at the end? I couldn’t hear you.”
“I told him that if he so much as said one word to you ever again, I’d rip his balls out and fry them up and shove them up his ass.”
Marit blinked in surprise, then her lips twitched. She couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped.
“You’re laughing?” Zach asked in surprise, pulling back and trying to catch her gaze.
“I’m sorry, I can’t help it. Only you would intimidate someone by threatening to fry his balls before shoving them up his ass.”
Zach closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, he was smiling. “I don’t know how, but somehow you’ve made me feel better.”
“Good. Because I don’t want to waste any more time thinking or talking about Lucas. Do you still want to go swing at Lobster Cove? I understand if you don’t.”
“Yes. Absolutely. I think we both need to forget about this morning and have some fun.”
“As long as we don’t forget about everything. That kiss you gave me after I showered was pretty darn nice.”
“Yeah, it was, wasn’t it? We could forget the swing and go back to my place,” Zach said with one brow raised.
Marit laughed. “You were the one who brought up the swing. You can’t go back on that now.”
“You like swinging that much?”
“Yup. And it’s Maine. We don’t have that much longer to play in the water until it gets too cold.”
“True. All right. Lobster Cove it is.”
But instead of taking her hand and leading the way back to his apartment and his SUV, Zach put his hands on either side of her face and tilted her head back. “I’m proud of you. I think you’re amazing. And anyone who doesn’t see it must be blind, drunk, and have an IQ of four.”
Pleasure bloomed inside Marit. He was being ridiculous, but she didn’t even care.
She went up on tiptoe, trying to reach his lips.
Thankfully he leaned down, giving her access.
The kiss started out chaste and heartfelt, but quickly morphed into pure passion.
If they weren’t in a public place, she was pretty sure they would’ve ended up naked, having sex.
As it was, they were both panting by the time Zach straightened. “Swing,” he muttered, as if reminding himself more than her.
“Swing,” she agreed.
Even though she really wanted to go back to Lobster Cove and see the entire property, and she really did want to see this swing and experience it for herself, she also looked forward to that evening, when she and Zach would go back to his apartment and could pick up where they’d just left off.