Chapter 6
JONAH
‘Those are some pretty specific subjects to be off limits,’ she said.
‘Yeah, well, seems like we both have things we don’t want to talk about.’
I could tell she was curious, but after a few heartbeats she clearly decided not to pry, which I appreciated.
She looked around the restaurant. ‘Tell me about this place.’
I looked around the room. ‘There’s not much to tell. It’s been a Pine Harbor landmark since before I was born. Locals love it, so do the tourists.’
‘I can see that. It’s busy.’
‘A man named Thomas Winthrop built it in the seventies and it’s been through its fair share of owners, and decors, since then. Current owner is a guy named Jack. He’s from out of town. It’s funny, people around here are usually slow to warm up to new residents, but he’s fitted right in.’
‘What makes him so special?’
I shrugged. ‘I think it’s because he’s just an all-round nice guy.
Used to be a cop in New York. Moved here to help out the old owner of this place and ended up buying it from her.
I don’t think it’s the only reason he stayed though.
See that woman?’ I pointed to where Taylor Calderwood was perched on a barstool, chatting to Jack while he worked.
‘The pretty brunette?’
‘Yeah. They’re seeing each other, according to town gossip anyway.’
She stared at me, clearly amused. ‘You listen to town gossip?’
‘In my defense it’s hard not to in a small town like this. I don’t go out of my way to know anyone’s business, but my mother and sister like to keep me updated, whether I want to know or not.’
‘Here you go, guys.’
We both leaned back a little as the waitress placed steaming bowls of lobster stew on the table in front of us. ‘I’ll be back in a minute with some cheesy garlic bread.’
I watched, as Mae bowed her head over the bowl, closed her eyes and breathed in deeply though her nose.
‘Smells good, doesn’t it.’
She opened her eyes. ‘If it tastes anywhere near as good as it smells, I understand why you said it was world famous.’
I picked up my spoon and nodded towards hers. ‘Only one way to find out.’
She lifted her spoon and dipped it in, delicately starting with a small amount.
‘Well?’ I asked impatiently.
‘It’s one of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth,’ she stated simply. ‘Food wise.’
I snorted the mouthful of stew I’d just consumed, feeling some of it come out of my nose as I coughed and spluttered. She stared at me quizzically for a few seconds before she realized what she’d said.
‘Oh God,’ she said. ‘That came out so wrong. I don’t know why I said that. Sometimes I don’t think about the words I’m saying before I actually say them. Are you OK?’
I nodded as I coughed, my eyes watering. Fiona arrived back with our cheesy garlic bread just then and gave me an alarmed look.
‘Are you choking?’ she asked, pouring me a glass of water from the jug on the table and passing it to me. I took it from her and drained its contents in one gulp.
‘No,’ I finally managed to say. ‘I’m fine.’
‘Was the stew too hot? I can have a word to the kitchen.’
‘The stew is perfect, as usual. I think some of it just went down the wrong way.’
‘OK. Well, enjoy the rest of your meals and sing out if there’s anything else I can get for you.’
‘We will, don’t worry. You know I never leave here without having a slice of blueberry pie.’
Mae looked up from the spoonful of stew she was about to put in her mouth. ‘Did you say blueberry pie?’
‘I did. And you have to try it. It’s—’
‘Let me guess,’ she interrupted. ‘World famous?’
‘If it’s not, it should be,’ Fiona said, smiling before she walked away.
I picked up the plate on the table between us and offered it to Mae. ‘Bread?’
She took a piece, bit into it and chewed for a while, staring at me thoughtfully. ‘What do you do for a living, Jonah?’
‘You know those boats you just saw, down by the dock?’
She nodded.
‘One of those is mine.’
I saw her eyes dart to take in my calloused, rough hands. ‘You’re a fisherman?’
‘For lobster, yes. Why do you sound surprised?’
‘I guess you’re just not how I imagined you’d look.’
My eyebrows arched. ‘You imagined how I’d look?’
‘Not you personally. Men in general. Around here. Who work outdoors.’
‘And how exactly did you think men in general from around here who work outdoors would look?’ I asked, amused.
‘Just.’ She waved her spoon around. ‘You know.’
‘Enlighten me.’
‘I mean, I guess you have some of the physical characteristics.’
‘Such as?’
‘Size.’
‘Size?’
‘And roughness.’
‘Roughness?’
‘Yeah. Like you spend a lot of time out in the elements.’
I narrowed my eyes. ‘Let me see if I’ve got this right. I look like I spend a lot of time outdoors, but I don’t look like you imagined a man who works outdoors would look?’
‘Uh…’ She squinted at the ceiling. ‘Something like that.’
‘You realize that makes no sense?’
‘It makes sense in my head.’
‘How could that possibly make sense in your head?’
‘It just does.’
I stared at her.
‘Fine,’ she blurted. ‘You’re just more good-looking than I thought you’d be. Happy now?’
I grinned. ‘Very.’
‘Don’t get a big head or anything.’
‘Oh, don’t worry. I won’t. I’m just a modest, humble, salt-of-the-ocean lobsterman.’
‘Hey.’ She gestured towards her bowl, clearly keen to change the subject. ‘Maybe you caught one of these lobsters.’
I glanced down at my bowl. ‘I suppose it’s possible.’
‘How long have you been a… what did you call yourself? A lobsterman? Lobster fisherman?’
‘I usually just call myself Jonah.’
‘You know what I mean. The technical term.’
‘If you want to get technical, it’s lobsterman.’
‘So how long have you been a lobsterman?’
I used bread to mop up the last bits of stew sauce in my bowl. ‘A while.’
‘Is it dangerous?’
‘It can be. You see this scar?’ I leaned forward and held out my arm, pointing to a small jagged red mark, no more than half an inch long.
She peered at it. ‘Yeah?’
‘Courtesy of a V-notch lobster I pulled out of a trap one day.’
‘V-notch?’
‘Breeding female. We cut small V-shaped notches in their tails so others know to return them back to the ocean. Protect the sustainability of the species for the future.’
She looked outraged. ‘Does it hurt them when you cut?’
‘No idea. I haven’t asked.’
‘That’s awful.’
‘I know it sounds that way,’ I clarified. ‘But from what I’ve heard, they feel it, but it’s not painful. More like how it feels for us when we trim our toenails.’
She pushed her now empty bowl to one side and reached for a napkin from the wooden table caddy that held cutlery, salt and pepper, sauces and napkins. ‘A little nip from an annoyed lobster is not what I meant when I asked if the job was dangerous.’
‘Hey, she was a super pissed off lobster, for your information. And it hurt.’
‘I’m sure it did. But if you ask me, you deserved it.’
‘What do you do for a living?’ I asked.
She dabbed her mouth with the napkin. ‘My last job was as an ER nurse in a hospital in Chicago.’
I pulled a face. ‘Ah. Right. So, you’ve seen…?’
‘Much worse injuries than your lobster nip? Yeah. Just a few.’
‘I feel silly now.’
She laughed. ‘Relax. I know what some men can be like when they’re sick or injured.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘It’s actually scientifically proven.’
‘What, that men are big babies?’
‘That’s not what I said. Women actually feel pain more than men. But man flu is a thing.’
‘It is?’
‘According to one Harvard study I read.’
‘Well, what do you know,’ I said smugly. ‘We weren’t exaggerating.’
‘Steady on, it’s just one study,’ she reminded me, holding up a finger as Fiona appeared back at our table.
‘You guys ready to order that pie yet?’
I arched an eyebrow questioningly at Mae. ‘I’m keen if you are? Or are you too tired after your journey?’
‘Oh, I’m not leaving without trying the pie. Unless you need to go? I don’t want to keep you from anything.’
I leaned back against the booth. The evening had started so horribly, and I’d left my parents’ house in a bad mood. But meeting Mae had changed that. ‘There’s nowhere else I need to be. Two slices of pie, please, Fiona.’