by BJ Phillips
Shawn was already sure she didn’t like the way Jess was sitting there a little too close to Carrie. She wondered if there had been more to their relationship at one time besides just friends. It sure looked like there had been, the way Jess was draped all over her.
“We don’t want to keep you away from your many customers here tonight,” Shawn said, using her best genuine, but not genuine, smile.
“It’s busy like this most of the time. I’ve always got time for Carrie here, though.” Jess gave Carrie’s shoulder another squeeze. “Listen, hon,” she said directly to Carrie, “How about we get together this weekend for a little fun on the water? We can take the boat out.”
“Oh, I don’t know, Jess. Although that does sound like fun, I do have some tentative plans. How about I let you know on Friday?”
Shawn saw Jess glance briefly at her, followed by a smile back at Carrie. “Of course you can. I don’t have any other plans for this weekend yet, and you know how I love cruising the river.” She turned to Shawn. “Nice meeting you. Hope you enjoy your dinner. Guess we’ll see you around then.”
Jess gave Carrie another little sideways hug and left.
Carrie grinned. “Isn’t she something? She’s quite a character. She neglected to mention that she runs this place for the owners.”
“Yes, and I’ll bet she’s good at it, too. I did notice you two seem quite close.”
“Well, we did date for a while, over a year ago.”
“She seems to still like you quite a bit. She was pretty cuddly over there.” And the question of which team Carrie bats for had been answered.
“Oh, that’s just Jess being Jess. I don’t pay her any mind when she does things like that. She’s kind of a touchy-feely person. She’s quite the flirt and always has been.”
Shawn wasn’t so sure about Jess just being Jess. She had seen the sly look in her direction and the possessive way Jess kept her arm around Carrie. She didn’t think she liked the looks of Jess draped over her. The waiter arrived with glasses full of ice and a pitcher of tea, quickly took their orders for pulled pork sandwiches and ribs, and disappeared again.
While they waited for their food to arrive, they looked at all the interesting things embedded in their tabletop. Pictures, matchbooks, a fifties brochure from The Alligator Farm and lots more were suspended in the acrylic. They laughed at the various items they pointed out to each other. Carrie pointed to a photograph in front of Shawn showing a man holding up some fish in one hand and holding a little dark haired girl with pigtails in the crook of his other arm. “That’s my grandfather and that little girl is my Aunt Carrie.”
Shawn looked closer at the picture. There was a resemblance. “So you were named after her, I’m guessing?”
“Yes, I was. When I was little my parents told me I looked a lot like her. She died before I was born, though, so I never knew her. I don’t know how that picture wound up here in the table, but I’m happy it is. I get to see her as a little girl every time I sit here. There are lots of pictures of local people here on these tables.” Carrie swept her hand across the table. Since your family is from around here, there could be someone you’re related to or know on one them, too, if they were here back in the forties and fifties. You’d have to sit at every single one of these tables to find out. That’s part of the fun of this place.”
“Guess I’ll have to just keep coming back till I have checked out all the tables,” Shawn sipped on her tea. “You know, as many times as I used to come here, I never thought these were local pictures, so I never paid any attention to them. My parents never said anything about them. I figured they were just some pictures from somewhere, anywhere, that filled in the space. Heck, they could have come from unidentified boxes of yard-sale pictures.”
They both laughed. Carrie’s pulled pork sandwich and Shawn’s ribs arrived, accompanied by heaps of French fries on each plate and a bowl each of those famous baked beans. The aromas of tangy sweet barbeque sauce and baked beans were mouth-watering. The rolls of paper towels on the end of each table attested to the wonderfully expected messiness coming with each meal.
“This stuff is pure heaven.” Shawn licked her fingers in between bites of the ribs.
“It sure is,” Carrie said, wiping her own mouth. “So when you came here as a kid, what was your favorite dish?”
“It’s always been the ribs. I’d sometimes get the chicken, but the ribs…to die for. Even then I could put away the whole order of ribs, along with everything that came with it. And I didn’t get the child’s plate version either, once I got to about eight.”
“Really? That’s a lot of food for a kid. And you’re telling me you ate the whole thing?”
“Yup. I was non-stop, high energy growing up. I needed that fuel to keep going. What about you, what was your favorite?”
“I used to go for the chicken legs. Guess they appeal to a lot of kids here, because I’ve seen them on quite a few tables.” She paused, then laughed. “Mom said I liked them because the legs had ‘handles’ on them.”
Shawn laughed, too, envisioning a little Carrie with her chicken with handles. “I love it. You must have been a cute kid. At least you had fun ideas. I’m rather surprised we never knew each other growing up. This isn’t a very large town.”
“You probably went to J. Colin English grade school, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did. You didn’t go to the same school?”
“Off and on. We actually lived across the river most of the time. There were times when I stayed with Grandma and when I did, I went to your school. Time to ask: how old are you?”
“Thirty-eight. How old are you? Please tell me you’re in your thirties.”
Carrie giggled. “I’m thirty-six. The reason I asked was, we probably wouldn’t have had much to do with each other in grade school, being two years apart. Then you would have gone on to North Fort Myers High School, right?”
“Right. I’m sure I would’ve noticed you for sure by the time you got to high school. And I don’t remember you at all.”
“That’s because you were a Red Knight and I was a Green Wave. I went to Fort Myers High School. I spent a lot of time in the summers with my grandmother, but by the time I was in junior high and high school, I didn’t need much supervision during the school year. I could take myself off to school in the morning and get myself home in the afternoons while my parents were working. So I didn’t go to North Fort Myers at all.”
“That explains it. You know, you sound as lonesome as I was. I was a latchkey kid, too.” Shawn stuck the last French fry in her mouth.
“Oh, I don’t know. I was lonesome, yes. I had friends, but back then, girls in junior high and high school were so cliquish. You know what I mean. If your older sister didn’t know her older sister or cousin, or whatever, they didn’t really want to talk to you. Besides, I was a bit bookish. I volunteered in the school library, so that made me a geek. I look back on that now, and remember happily helping out in the stacks, shelving books.”
“Nice.” Shawn smiled. “I was busy being crazy Shawn, playing softball and all that. But because I already knew I was gay and didn’t make any real effort to hide who I was, I didn’t have that many close friends other than Kelly in high school. Some girls wouldn’t even be friends with me. I did hang out with some of the guys, even though I’m pretty sure most of them thought I was a bit weird. I was already living in a world of my own, writing stories and poems. Little did I know back then I would actually make a living from my writing someday. We never know where life will take us, do we?”
By the time they were leaving, the place was very busy and people were standing three-deep near the door waiting for tables. Shawn noticed Carrie didn’t flinch when she put her hand in the small of her back on the way out the door. Shawn unlocked the Jeep and opened the door for Carrie, waiting for her to get in.
“You sure are polite,” Carrie said to Shawn when she was back in the driver’s seat.
“What do you mean?�
� Shawn reached to start the ignition.
“I mean, you didn’t just click the door unlocked, you held the door for me. I can open a door. I’m not helpless. On the other hand, it was a sweet gesture.”
“Oh, uh…well, thanks, I think.” She chuckled softly. “As my mother used to say, I wasn’t raised in a barn, although sometimes I might act like it.”
A few minutes later, they stopped in front of Carrie’s house. Carrie hopped out as soon as Shawn cut the ignition and motioned for Shawn to stay put. She came around to the driver’s side of the Jeep, leaned in, and planted a short kiss on Shawn’s cheek.
“Thanks for dinner,” Shawn said.
“My pleasure. We’ll have to do it again sometime. Anytime you want a dinner companion, just let me know. Catch you later.” Carrie waved as she headed to her porch.
Shawn softly stroked her just-kissed cheek, backed her Jeep out of Carrie’s driveway, and headed down the street to her own house, smiling all the way. Take that, Jess! This neighborhood is looking nicer all the time, she thought. Carrie was certainly more than she had bargained for when she saw her down the street. She’d be fun to hang around with.
Chapter Nine
A WEEK LATER, WITH a storm coming in the afternoon when she usually ran, Shawn decided to take her run early enough to get back ahead of it. On the way home, she saw a vehicle coming from the opposite direction. It slowed down and it appeared it was getting ready to turn into Carrie’s driveway. After she got a better look at it, it was a pickup—obviously not Carrie’s car. Now she was flat out feeling nosy about who was coming to Carrie’s house when Carrie wasn’t there.
The pickup turned into Carrie’s driveway and she could hear it stop before she reached the front of the house. By the time Shawn was near the end of the driveway, still fairly hidden by the huge hibiscus bushes at the edge of Carrie’s yard, the pickup door opened, and Jess got out. Since she hadn’t been seen, Shawn decided to walk slowly past so she could casually look through the bushes and trees to see what was going on. The other pickup cab door opened, and there was Carrie. Carrie? What was happening here? Carrie leaned against the pickup, and Jess came around to her side. She leaned over and kissed Carrie like she was used to doing so.
Shawn felt the heat rise in her face and neck. She ran quickly past and away before anyone saw her. She couldn’t get the scene out of her head, all of the time knowing she shouldn’t have seen it. It was none of her business who Carrie saw or kissed. She shouldn’t have been watching. She ran into her yard, stomped onto the porch, flopped down in the chair and sat there with her chin in her hands.
Carrie’s my friend, and I was just spying on her. I feel like crap that I could do such a thing and I’ll never do something like that again. Ever. Carrie can kiss whoever she likes. I just wish it hadn’t been Jess.
***
Meanwhile, two doors down, Carrie quickly pulled away from the kiss. “Jess! What was that all about?”
Jess stepped back one step. “I thought…well, I guess I hoped anyway…you wanted me to kiss you.”
“I’m sorry, Jess. I don’t. I hope I didn’t lead you to think otherwise. Come on, we’ve been through this. Let’s just be friends. We’ve been friends for so long, I’d hate to lose you.”
“You know I wish it could be more again. I wish I hadn’t messed things up with us.”
“Jess, think back. It wasn’t just that. It wasn’t working with us. The spark wasn’t really there. I really like you, but please don’t think we can be more than just friends. Very good friends, still just friends.”
Jess looked into Carrie’s eyes. “It’s Shawn isn’t it? You like Shawn, don’t you?”
Carrie felt herself blushing and suddenly found her sandals interesting to look at. “I don’t know yet. She’s a friend right now and that’s all there is. That has nothing to do with you and me. That us was over long before Shawn got here.”
“I’d like to think that there’s still something there, Carrie. We had a great time today. We still enjoy being together. I care about you.” Jess stepped back further and put her hands in her shorts pockets.
Carrie looked back up at her. “I know, Jess. I care about you, too, as a friend. Please, let’s keep it that way.”
“Well, I hope it works out for you with your friend Shawn. If not, I’ll be here. Waiting.” Jess mumbled, “I hope she doesn’t hurt you.” She turned away quickly and strode to the driver’s side of the pickup.
Carrie watched Jess drive away before turning and heading into the house. A short while later, she changed into her riding shorts. She pushed her bicycle out to the road shortly after five thirty, wondering what Shawn was doing.
Chapter Ten
SHAWN’S NEW OFFICE WAS coming along. She was starting to get excited about having someplace to work other than her lap or the kitchen table. Since seeing Carrie and Jess kissing, she’d gone back to running in the mornings and had avoided seeing Carrie at all. She knew what she had felt was pure jealousy even though she also knew she had no right to feel that way. She and Carrie weren’t even dating. She attacked her work with a vengeance, figuring she’d wasted enough time on fun. That’s what Carrie was, just fun. And fun time was over. She had work to do and a deadline to meet.
***
After a few more days, and no Shawn in sight, Carrie decided to go check on her. She could be sick, after all. Walking over to Shawn’s house on Saturday, she noticed the sky was threatening rain. She could even smell rain in the air. Still, she figured she could get over there and back before it started. Coming up the driveway to Shawn’s house, she could see the new addition taking shape. The footings for the bedroom and bathroom were in, as well as some of the studs.
Carrie saw Shawn’s Jeep in the driveway. The woman was nowhere outside in the yard or sitting on the screened-in front porch, either. Carrie suddenly pictured Shawn sick; needing someone to take care of her, and hurried up to the front steps onto the porch, and knocked—no answer. Carrie looked around the front porch, at the two chairs they had been sitting in recently, enjoying margaritas and laughing. She sighed. She knocked again and waited.
Realizing she’d look pretty foolish if Shawn came running up the driveway, she cupped her hands around her face and tried to look through the front window anyway. There were no lights on and she didn’t see anyone moving around. Maybe Shawn went out with someone else. Or she could be sick in there. No, wait. The construction crew had been in there all week and they’d have noticed someone delirious. So she couldn’t be in there sick. She was probably out. Still, why hadn’t she at least come down to say hi? What happened to good neighbors?
Carrie sighed, turned away, and headed back down the driveway. Although she told herself she didn’t care what Shawn was doing or with whom, she couldn’t help letting out a bit of disappointment by kicking at a few shells in the driveway on the way out. She tried to tell herself to quash that overactive imagination of hers, and remember that they were still just barely friends.
***
Shawn saw Carrie coming up the driveway. She couldn’t shake the vision of her kissing Jess a few days ago, and for some reason it really bugged her. She needed to keep working. She heard her knocking but didn’t answer and stayed in the kitchen working at the table until she was sure Carrie was walking away. That’s when she noticed Carrie shuffling her feet in the shells in the driveway. Her shoulders were slumped, and she was walking slowly like she had something heavy on her mind. I wonder what is bothering her. I really like her. Then why am I hiding in the kitchen. Pretty juvenile. Starting to feel rather silly, she headed to the door to call Carrie back.
A sudden thunderclap made Shawn jump. Rain came pouring down as if someone quickly turned on a fire hose. Carrie had just reached the end of Shawn’s driveway as Shawn ran to the door and called out to her. Carrie turned around, grinning from ear to ear, and came running back to Shawn’s house and onto the front porch, already soaking wet.
“Oh, my God! I thought you were
gone!” Carrie was breathing fast from running.
Shawn thought she looked adorable with rain dripping off everything in sight. Oh, this could be trouble. She looked away, trying not to stare.
“Uh, I was in the back, working.” She tried not to stare at Carrie’s nipples straining against the wet tank top. “You’re soggy wet. Let me get you some towels and something dry for you to put on.”
Although it was quite warm, goosebumps were forming on Carrie's arms. Thunderstorm rain was always cold. She wrapped her arms around herself as she stood on the porch dripping until Shawn came back with some towels. Stepping out of her flip-flops, she dried herself off enough to come into the house, leaving a puddle behind on the porch.
Meantime, Shawn went into the corner of the living room where her dresser now sat and looked for something dry Carrie could slip into. As she turned around holding a T-shirt and running shorts, Carrie stepped into the house with her own tank top and shorts adhered to every curve of her body. Shawn couldn’t stop from looking at the unintentional display. Carrie blushed and wrapped the towel around herself.
“Sorry to stare, but you certainly do something for wet clothes.” Shawn couldn’t help smiling as she handed Carrie the dry things. “The bathroom is right around the corner. These things won’t fit all that well, but at least they’re dry. You can bring them back later. No rush.”
“Thanks. I’m sure these will feel a ton better than what I have on right now. Any chance you might have a plastic bag I could toss my wet stuff into?”
Carrie followed Shawn into the kitchen where Shawn reached into a cabinet then handed her a plastic bag. She disappeared into the bathroom while Shawn poured two glasses of iced tea. By the time Carrie changed, Shawn was sitting in one of the two chairs left in the living room, with the cold drinks on the table between them.
