The Scale (Martha's Way)

by Mika Jolie

  He shrugged. He didn’t seem bothered by the possible intrusion but he was used to it. He had endured it during his mother’s death. But for Minka, the media curiosity was new territory, something she had not thought of yesterday.

  “Once you go back home, it’ll all be forgotten.”

  His words caused a sharp emotional pain. They were a reminder his expectation was nothing more than a short-lived romance. As lovers, they might pass a season or two, but it was clear she was nothing more than an interim in Jason’s life. Yet to have the acknowledgement spoken pricked her conscience. With her attention still on the road, she nodded.

  A silence fell over them. Jason steered the Jeep down State Road to enter Main Street in Edgartown.

  “See the house on your left?” He pointed to a large house resting on a well-maintained acre of land. “I believe Lady Gaga is trying to purchase it. Growing up, the others and I spent a lot of time lounging there.”

  “I’m sure doing things that made your parents proud,” Lily said with a chuckle.

  Jason threw his head back in laughter. “We had fun growing up here.”

  Their conversation stayed light until they reached downtown. The streets were livelier and busier, but no one appeared to be in a rush. People were strolling on the streets eating ice cream, laughing without a care in the world. A family on bikes rode in front of Jason’s Jeep as he parked the car. They all waved at them in greeting. She couldn’t believe the transformation from when she first arrived a few days ago.

  “How busy does it get here during the summer?” she asked.

  “By the peak of the season, we often reach a population of one hundred thousand, but it goes down to barely thirty thousand by October and by winter the streets are pretty empty.” He shrugged. “As I mentioned before, it’s pretty quiet here.”

  “I can’t believe how much busier it is from when I arrived.”

  He chuckled and nodded. “It feels like forever, doesn’t it?”

  In more ways than he knew. “Yes, it does.”

  “Come on. I think the others are leaving Vapor and the yacht is here.” He pointed to a luxury sailboat docked along the pier with the name Montgomery floating just above the water. “The boat belongs to my father. We can start boarding now.”

  Before she could respond, he was already out of the Jeep with her bag on one shoulder and Lily’s in one hand. She often forgot how quickly he moved for a large man.

  “I’ll be right back. If the others come, tell them to load up.” With that, he sauntered away.

  She watched him as he walked away, surveying and admiring the contour of his back along with the tightness of his rear end in the jeans. The captain came to greet Jason at the entrance. The two men shook hands before Jason disappeared inside the boat.

  “Have you told him you’ve fallen in love with him yet?”

  Turning toward her friend, Minka shook her head. “I could never.”

  But Lily smiled and winked at her friend. “Of course you can. What do you have to lose?”

  “Well, first of all, we only exist until next week.”

  “I thought you said he invited you back to the island and, from what I remember, he was specific in saying you would be staying with him.”

  “And then what?”

  Lily shrugged. “Live it up. Enjoy yourself, one day at a time. At least you’ll have fond memories. He seems to be into you though.”

  “And then left heartbroken.”

  Her friend reached over and gave her shoulder an affectionate tug. “It’s better to love than to have never loved at all, my friend.”

  Minka knew that was a famous quote, one of Lily’s many quotes to live by. “Is that how you are getting over Nate?” She stopped there and chose not to point out to her friend she was obviously still hanging onto her memories of her ex-fiancé. The engagement ring that once sat elegantly on her finger was now resting on her chest held by a thin silver necklace.

  “To be truthful, I’ve been questioning my love for him. I don’t know how much I did love him and how much of it was due to familiarity. I mean I loved him as a person, but the sexual love I don’t think was ever there.”

  Minka understood. Until this week, she wouldn’t have grasped the meaning of Lily’s words, but now she knew what it felt to be crazy about someone, the insatiable hunger incapable of being appeased by another.

  “How are you dealing with Blake?”

  “I haven’t. I’ve been mostly with Jason.”

  “Are you sure you’re not using Jason as a cover?”

  Minka shook her head. That much she was sure of. “It might have started that way, but it’s not like that anymore.”

  “How do you know for sure?”

  “I don’t. I’m hoping to get some answers this weekend.”

  Lily sat back with a satisfied smile. “Good. Because I like Jason.”

  Minka smiled at her friend, glad she was finally here with her. She turned her head to the road where Jason’s friends were strolling down the street toward the Jeep. Adam had the two brunettes from the night in Oak Bluffs on each arm. “Here they come.”

  Lily followed her direction and gasped. “Who are those two guys with Blake?”

  “Adam and Forrest.”

  “My goodness, they are fucking gorgeous.”

  Minka nodded in agreement. “Adam is a flirt and apparently well-known in the race car world. Forrest is the town’s overall good guy. There’s this unspoken thing between him and Claire.” She shrugged. “I don’t know the whole story. But there’s history there.”

  “Forrest reminds me of Jason. They look like brothers.”

  Minka chuckled over the observation because she also thought the same thing. “They’re very close. Their parents were very close as well. I think they’re still close to his father.”

  “And Claire? Where is she, by the way?”

  “She’s back in LA till next week. She will return for the wedding.” Minka paused, thinking about Claire’s closeness with Jason. “It appears she grew up in the same house with Jason. But he said nothing ever happened between them. He refers to her as the pain-in-the-butt sister he tried to get rid of, but always tagged along.”

  “Isn’t it weird she and your sister somehow became close friends without knowing all of this?”

  A smile formed on Minka’s lips. “It’s pretty ironic. I guess in every way, she and Blake were meant to meet and fall in love.”

  “And you’re okay with that now, right?”

  The group finally noticed the Jeep and waved at her. She waved back at them. “I think so. My issues, I think, are more within me. I need to understand why I carried such a feeling for Blake for so long. Why I was so against my sister when really she never did anything to me, and I guess deal with my parents as well.”

  “I thought they were back in New Jersey.”

  “They are, but they’re coming back next week for the wedding.”

  “My friend, you have a lot on your plate. I’m glad I’m here for you, even for just this weekend.”

  “Me too.”

  At that moment, Jason reappeared. His friends spotted him right away and waved to him. Smiling, Jason walked over to give each one a friendly hug before they started to walk toward the Jeep.

  The introduction was quick and easy. Keely gave Lily a friendly hug since they’d met a few times. Everyone else was very warm and welcomed her with open arms. As expected, Adam and Forrest appraised her friend who stood tall and lanky in frayed denim shorts, unlaced boots and a plaid unbuttoned shirt over a white tee.

  “Another gorgeous woman from New Jersey,” Adam said with a smile. “Forrest, we may have to move there.”

  With his arm draped over Keely’s shoulder, Blake chuckled and looked at Jason. “Jay, you didn’t even get a mention.”

  “I don’t want to hang with those losers chasing women anyway.” He reached for Minka and gently pulled her to him.

  “Well, I have to get going,” Forrest in
formed the group. “Have fun and behave.”

  “Let me say goodbye to these ladies.” Adam said, motioning his head to the two women still waiting for him.

  After placing a promising kiss on each woman’s cheek, Adam walked back to the group. They all shook their heads at him, but Jason was the only one who spoke. “You are disgusting.”

  “Bite me.”

  Jason turned his attention to Lily and grinned. “He’s a pig. Don’t let his charms convince you otherwise.”

  Flipping his friend the bird, Adam raised one eyebrow at Lily who was watching him closely. He came to stand inches from her. Minka watched as her friend squared her shoulders and returned his stare. Smiling, Adam lifted one finger to touch the thin silver necklace around her neck.

  “You have your engagement ring on a necklace.”

  Lily reached and brushed his finger away. Her lips formed into a tight line. “Don’t touch my ring.”

  “Why aren’t you wearing it?”

  Minka desperately wanted to say something to relieve her friend of the interrogation, but like everyone else, she stood staring, waiting for Lily’s rebuttal.

  “It’s none of your fucking business, now is it?” Her friend must have realized how angry she sounded because she quickly turned to everyone with a smile. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to curse.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Jason dismissed her apology. “Come on, let’s go. The boat is ready.”

  Minka glanced at Lily to ensure she was okay. Her friend smiled reassuringly at her, but Minka knew better. The interaction with Adam had left her shaken. As confident as Lily was and as okay as she appeared to be with her failed engagement, Minka knew there was more to the story. Even she had been surprised to see the ring hanging from her friend’s neck. Perhaps during the weekend she would get the full version.

  “Ready, darling,” Jason whispered in her ear.

  She pulled her attention from Lily and smiled at Jason. “Yes.”

  “Come on, let’s go have some fun.”

  That she could do. As Minka walked with Jason onto the boat, she was aware of Blake’s every step. Only this time, her heart didn’t ache for him.

  I am letting you go, Blake Alexander.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “The scale of this failure is staggering.”

  Adam Quinton

  As the boat motored out of the marina, excitement filled the air. Keely and Blake were grinning at each other like newlyweds. Lily stood next to Adam, talking and even laughing. The earlier tension between her friend and Adam had dwindled. Minka glanced over at Jason steering the wheel of the powerful boat with the captain standing by his side. He looked comfortable and at ease. Although his hair was pulled into a short ponytail, strands of it had managed to come free and blew like soft waves on the ocean.

  She stood alone on the deck, but Minka didn’t feel isolated from the group. Instead, she felt liberated, free, and blissful. She crossed her arms across her chest and closed her eyes, enjoying the cool breeze. The week staying at his place had been wonderful, but she enjoyed herself the most when he gave her a glimpse of his everyday life, such as working at Vapor, Martha’s Way, and sailing with him across Norton Point Beach to the isolated island where he grew up.

  Based on her Google search, Minka learned Chappaquiddick was connected to downtown Edgartown until 2007 when a strong storm breached the beach and the two islands became separated by about a two-mile strip of sea. But, even before that disaster, Jason had told her stories about sailing along the island with his parents. She never asked him why he had invited her to the place he walked away from five years ago. Was he somehow ready to let go of the anger he carried in his heart toward his father?

  Strong, tanned arms wrapped around her waist, clutching her to him in an embrace. Minka inhaled the familiar citrus scent and leaned her head back against his hard chest.

  “Feeling okay?” he whispered, his lips brushing her ear.

  She leaned against his chest. “I was thinking about you going home after so many years.” Pulling slightly out of his hold, she turned to face him and stared straight into his eyes. Once again, her heart pulsated at their close proximity. “I never asked why you’re doing this.”

  Still holding her, he shrugged his broad shoulders. “It was rather spontaneous. I arranged it when I came across the scale. I guess I wanted to give you a peek of my life before I walked away from it all.”

  “Will you be okay?”

  One arm released her to remove a strand of hair from her face. He moved to stand beside her, her hand still in his.

  “I had a great childhood.” He never held back from sharing stories of his adolescence with her. “Most of my years living there were joyous, filled with love and adventures. It wasn’t until I returned home from my first semester of college I started to notice a change.” He shrugged. “Perhaps the problems were always there, but I was too young to notice. You know images from a child’s eyes are not always accurate.”

  “It depends. We can be very perceptive in our younger years,” she said in a solemn tone.

  A slight smile touched his lips. “That’s true. Tell me about your childhood, Minka. What was it like growing up with a twin?”

  Oh, where should she start?

  She thought of her own childhood, always feeling second best to Keely. Her parents were not always fair, but, besides the one incident with their birthday dresses, Minka couldn’t think of another time when her parents had made her feel second best. However, that one incident had planted the seed. Overall, she couldn’t say she’d had it bad. Others have had worst experiences than growing up as the fat twin.

  “It was as normal as most. The typical self-doubt when you look at the more beautiful version of you.”

  It was the first time she admitted the words to someone other than Lily. The admission brought her pain and relief. She hadn’t meant to confide in Jason, but he was breaking down her barriers.

  Minka saw the reflection of her pain in his searching eyes. God, how she loved him.

  “Your parents made you feel like that?”

  She shook her head. It wouldn’t be fair to blame all of her angst on her parents. Most of it had been self-inflicted. “Not always or maybe not even intentionally, but at times.”

  “You don’t have to talk about it if you’re not ready.”

  It would be so easy to shut down as she had been doing for the last twenty plus years. He would not push. Yet she knew he’d listen. Everything about Jason had been comforting.

  “My mother is extremely beautiful,” she said softly, “I guess I never thought I measured up. She makes me uncomfortable.” A low chuckle escaped her throat. He remained silent by her side. “My sister is very much like her. I was the odd one out.”

  “Keely is very genuine and she loves my friend.”

  Her sister didn’t possess a mean bone in her body. Minka knew that. And her sister was head over heels in love with Blake. She knew that as well. Ordinarily, it would have caused her pain to see Jason pointing out the obvious, only now she was becoming at peace with those two facts.

  “I’m trying to be a better sister. Our relationship has gotten less strained since we’ve been here.”

  He smiled then. “I’m glad.”

  “Me too.”

  He released her hands and leaned against the railing of the boat. “Where’s Lily?”

  “With Adam.”

  He grinned, making her chuckle. She had to admit the instant dislike by her friend was rather amusing. “Yeah, they didn’t get off to a good start,” she said in agreement.

  “I can offer an apology for his behavior. Adam can be blunt.”

  Minka doubted an apology was needed. She had no doubt Lily could hold her own against Adam. “I see. But they appear to have gotten past it.”

  Minka had barely gotten the words out of her mouth when they heard Lily’s voice behind them. In unison, they turned to watch her friend stomping away from Adam as he took
slow, easy steps behind her with a smirk on his face. Lily turned to face him and appeared to have swung at him, but Adam was quick to duck and escape the blow.

  “I want to destroy that pretty face of yours,” she shouted.

  Adam’s lips twisted into a smile. “So you do find me handsome?”

  Lily turned to Minka for some relief. “I hate him. Can we throw him overboard?” she asked before switching into a Spanish rant.

  Jason let out a sigh and came to stand between the quarreling couple. Minka felt sorry for him.

  “All right.” Jason lifted both of his arms, ensuring the two hotheads stayed far from each other. “Lily, I know enough Spanish to understand what you’re saying.”

  “I speak Italian. I understand you.”

  “Two different languages, you pompous ass,” Lily cried.

  Adam shrugged and made no attempt to hide the amount of pleasure he was taking in Lily’s obvious anger. “They’re close enough.”

  “Go to hell!”

  “What the hell happened?” Jason asked with obvious frustration. “You two will have to get along just for the weekend. Then I don’t give a damn if you never talk again.”

  Lily looked over to Minka for comfort, but she could only shrug. She couldn’t remember ever seeing her friend so out of sorts. Lily was always the calm one with the dry humor and self-confidence.

  “I strongly dislike you,” she said, facing Adam once more.

  “Good. That will make the sex even better between us.”

  Minka had never seen her friend look so horror-struck. Even she was stunned by Adam’s words. The only person besides Adam who seemed to find humor in the situation was Jason. The annoyance was now replaced with obvious hilarity. Minka had to admit there was a spark between her friend and Adam, but she didn’t dare voice it.

  “In your dreams,” Lily replied. She wasn’t one to not have the last word.

  But Adam didn’t look bothered by her words. He shrugged carelessly and turned to walk away just as the others came up the deck to join them.

  “Uh-oh,” Keely muttered. “I can’t leave you two alone for a second.”