Today we have two chapters instead of the usual one. Chapter 10 is small, probably not worth a whole chapter so I’m including 11 as well.

Owen landed on his back as Will grabbed the ball, jumped over him, and continued down the court to score. A simple game of community men’s team basketball at the Y had turned into ‘land Owen on his ass’. Kevin offered his hand, while laughing so hard he almost couldn’t breathe and Owen took it, pulling up from the parquet and reorienting himself. “Nice, Kevin. I think you forgot you aren’t a linebacker anymore. You know this is basketball right? No tackling.”

Kevin jogged back into position, still laughing. Owen was reconsidering his decision to offer to play for Steve’s Auto Body after they showed up a player short. No one wanted them to forfeit, so Owen had volunteered to switch sides. Not to say his friends, or their team, were poor losers, but when you get a bunch of guys in their late twenties and thirties together you’ve got a team with something to prove. Kevin was the only real ex-jock, but the rest of them played like they were getting paid.

Even Greg Carson, the pastor, had fouled him at one point. He’d practically checked him into the far fall when they both went up for the ball at the hoop. Of course, Carson wasn’t the most ordinary of clergymen. He never left you in doubt of who his boss was, but he came across like a real human being, not a pious (or pompous for that matter) holy man.

Carson’s only fault was that he believed in getting involved in the community, getting involved in the lives of his parishioners. Owen had grown up at that church and although he hadn’t been in years it didn’t stop Carson from reaching out after his dad’s death. He’d ask him to come by the office or suggest they go for a beer after the game. Owen always turned him down and Carson never made a thing of it. That alone said something about the guy.  

After some serious effort on Owen’s part, his adopted team won. The Auto Body guys all shook his hand and made a big deal of thanking him for the win. It didn’t count since they had technically forfeited when they failed to show up with enough guys, but they appreciated the chance to taunt Kevin with it. Kevin wasn’t exactly the best of winners and right now, he wasn’t the best of losers either. They all hit the showers, and the grief continued.

“Owen,” Kevin began. “Was that Renee, I saw you with last night? She had some interesting things to say about you. In fact, I think the whole bar heard it. You always that good with women?”  

Owen groaned. He’d run into Renee at the bar, which was brutal. She had walked up to him with two of her friends in tow. They had started in on what a jerk he was, which he expected and when he tried to apologize, Renee misunderstood and thought he was crawling back for round two. It was all drama after that. Owen couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

Will snickered, but Carson said nothing. The other guys on the team chuckled; used to hearing the crap that Will and Kevin dished out in general regarding Owen’s dating habits. Kevin went on to quote Renee’s tirade in a falsetto voice for the enjoyment of all.

Owen tossed his water bottle at him. “I’m sorry that you feel it necessary to rag on me because you lost. It’s really kinda sad.” Owen said looking up to Kevin with a pained expression. Kevin answered his taunt with a few choice curses. He then shot a guilty look over at Pastor Carson. “Sorry Carson, excuse my French.”

            “No worries Kevin, I’ve gotten used to your salty language.” Carson smiled while putting his street shoes on. Owen sat next to Carson on the bench to put on his shoes as well while Kevin and Will began arguing over the Sox game the previous night. That got the entire crew of them arguing and Carson used that to slip in something he must have been waiting for the right time to ask. “Why Renee though? I never got the idea that you were all that friendly.”

Owen tried to think of an answer that didn’t make it sound like he used Renee for sex. There simply wasn’t one. “I’m not sure what you want to hear Carson, but I’ll tell you the truth. She offered and at the time I couldn’t see a reason to say no although I knew better. And you can make of that what you will.” He kept his head down, tying a shoelace that was already knotted.

            “If you knew it was wrong for you, you must have known that it was wrong for her. You can imagine what it would be like to have a very public one-night stand flung in your face.”

Owen tried to lock down his emotions. He didn’t want to react in any way.

 “I’m not trying to judge you…” Carson almost whispered. “It’s not just about taking what you’re offered okay? ‘Cause I get that. It’s about believing there is something better, something real, and that you deserve a chance to have it. Someone like Renee hopes for that, even if her actions say otherwise.” He got up from the bench, grabbing his bag as if to head out.

Owen stared at the locker in front of him, unable to think of a response.

 “I would like it if you came by my office some time. I have office hours Monday through Friday. Or, you text me a time, I’ll be there. You may think you’re okay, that you’re getting through all this fine and that you don’t need any help. But, I challenge you to take a long, hard look and see if you might be wrong about that.” And with that he left.

Kevin watched Carson leave and then leaned in to say “Sorry buddy, I didn’t think he’d bust your balls about it. Usually he’s pretty cool.”

Owen shrugged.  It’s not like that conversation hadn’t been earned.

“Anyway, Renee’s an adult, she can take care of herself. It’s not like any of the rest of us would have said no if we’d been in your shoes. Carson’s been a preacher too long.”

Owen nodded in agreement, but it didn’t make him feel any better. He had told Renee straight up that he was not looking for a relationship, but he had seen in her eyes that she was. She must have thought that sleeping with him was going to change his mind. He couldn’t decide if Renee was manipulative and got what she deserved when he brushed her off or if he had taken advantage of her weak moment. He wondered if maybe it wasn’t both.

Chapter 11

At the end of most workdays Kennedy biked home and did a little tour of the town on the way. She liked to explore at least one shop before it closed. The streets of Coventry seemed to roll up at dusk. Today she wanted to check out Will’s bakery which was tucked down at the end of Southern Avenue. She could grab some bread for dinner and maybe a treat as well.

She loved the name of the place – Southern Comfort. It was just clever enough not to be too cute.  It looked appealing from the outside and when she walked in, she fell in love with the white walls and simple wood tables. A large blackboard was along one wall and on it was written the menu of options in curlicue writing along with song lyrics. That was an interesting touch. The place smelled heavenly and despite having just had tea with Mrs. Hughes, she found she was starving.

She walked up to the counter and checked out what they still had on offer. It was so late in the day she wasn’t expecting much. She did see two French loaves and a little fruit tart that called her name. She looked up as someone came in from the back of the store. It was Will. At first Kennedy saw a pained look on his face cross his face, but he hid it quickly. It was a reminder that when he saw her, it wasn’t just her face he was seeing.

 “I love the name of your bakery.”

Will’s expression lifted. “I didn’t come up with it, but I’ll take credit anyway.”

“Ah, so maybe the Bob Marley lyrics on the blackboard aren’t yours either?” She gestured at the blackboard behind her and this brought out a true laugh from him.        

            “No, my two assistants, Dani and Ava, manage the board. That’s their handiwork.” From the back emerged the two girls. They eyed Kennedy suspiciously.

Dani and Ava looked to be about nineteen. They both had their sleek, straight hair in a high ponytail and bare faces other than thick eyeliner and mascara. They were wearing T-shirts and leggings, pretty much the typical teenage uniform. They both had headbands, but she could only imagine that with hair that poker-straight, no strand would dare to be out of place.

When she turned to read the chalkboard, they gave her a long look and then whispered something to each other. They were probably deciding how old she was, if she was single, if she was into Will, if he was into her, if she was pretty and so on. One of them strode up to the counter, her nametag reading ‘Dani’. She had striking green eyes, tan skin, and thick black hair. Her features and coloring paired with her height and curvy frame stood out. There was an undeniable presence to her. “Can we help you?” Dani threw out like a challenge and Kennedy saw Will wince a little.

Her tone wasn’t terrible though and Kennedy saw this as an opportunity to show her she meant no harm. “Thank you. I would love two of those French loaves and that little fruit tart.” She pointed at the tart, being sure to smile as she said it. The girl nodded and handed the loaves back to Ava as she packed up the fruit tart.  Ava had soft brown hair and blue eyes. She was pale, with a gentle blush on her cheeks. She rarely made eye contact and Kennedy guessed she was the shy one.

She handed Ava her money and offered another smile with it. Dani rang up the purchase and seemed to have decided Kennedy was at least okay, if not approved. She handed her back the change with a quick attempt at a smile in return. It was a flash and gone as quickly as it began, but it was something.

Will took the small box with the tart and the loaves in a paper sack and handed them to her. “How are you going to get this home on the bike?” he nodded out the window to where she had parked her ride.

“I’ve got a basket. Old school.”

            “I’ll help you out anyway.” He came around the counter. The girls behind him gave each other significant looks.  Will was still wearing a well-used white apron, over jeans and a T-shirt with the logo of his business. It was the same T-shirt the girls were wearing. She wasn’t sure what she expected a baker to wear, maybe one of those white chef’s jackets.

They walked out together and as Kennedy straddled the bike to stabilize it, he secured the bag and box. This brought her face close to his and they looked up at the same time, inches from each other.

“You know those girls are going to give you a hard time for helping me out here. They’re going to think you like me.” She laughed a little.

            “Good.” He hadn’t looked away and the eyes still fixed on her looked like something hurt and she wasn’t sure if she had anything to say to him. “They get after me on a regular basis about starting to see someone. If they think we’re an item I’m kind of hoping it shuts them up for a while.”

Kennedy did the math on how long he and Nora had been broken up. The fact that he was still so messed up… “Wow, she did a number on you, didn’t she?” Kennedy ducked her head down, embarrassed that she had said that out loud.

            “Blunt aren’t ya?” Will returned, but in his southern accent it had no sting. “We messed each other up.” The words were simple, but sounded true.

“Does being around me make it worse?” She looked at him to see if his face gave the honest answer.

            “Yes…No. I thought about this the other day, and I honestly think you and I can do each other good. I need someone to pull me out of my funk and you need a wingman for your next round with the gossipy old ladies of Coventry.”

She laughed out loud at this. “I’d like that.”

            “Hey, are you going home now?” he sounded a bit more cheerful.

“Yes, I’m done for the day at Mrs. Hughes.”

            “Give me about an hour and I’ll meet you at the bench on the trail behind your house, the one at the pond. The sunset will be fantastic tonight and there’s a dock just a short walk from there where you can get a great view.”

“I’d love that. I’ve done absolutely no exploring since I got here.”

            “Perfect, I’ll be your tour guide. I’ll see you in an hour.”  

She pushed off from the curb, gave him a backwards wave and biked home.

Kennedy had let Beth and Kate know what her plans were at dinner, and both looked alarmed. She assured them that nothing was going on and that Will had specifically said he wanted to be friends. They looked unconvinced. She tried to reassure them both that she wanted to be friends. She didn’t envy Will’s next conversation with either of them though as they still weren’t looking pleased.

Eventually they let her go and she hurried down the lawn to find Will waiting on the bench. He got up as soon as he saw her and pointed to his watch with a scowl. She shook her head. “The aunties were anxious, so I had to get through the third degree first.”

            “Oh, sorry. I honestly didn’t think about that. Did they assume… well I guess they would.”

“No worries, I’m sure they’ll have something to say to you on Sunday about it.” She shrugged and they began to follow the trail south this time, away from the downtown area.

The trail curved through the woods and down into what looked like a swamp and then finally out into the marsh. The last few yards wound through tall reeds that obscured what lay ahead. A short dock finally came into view through the reeds and beyond it the waterways that wound around the marsh and out to the open ocean. The world was all green and gold down here. At the end of the dock a little dingy had been tied.

Will pointed out over the water at its widest point to a cabin raised up on stilts across the way. It was a one-story structure surrounded by a deck that was almost as big as the house itself with stairs down to a large dock. The house had a weathered look to it as if it had been sitting there for a hundred years. It wasn’t ramshackle, but close. She could see a canoe and Kayak on a rack in the yard but no car or driveway. She wondered how he even got out there.

“Get in. I’ll take you over to my side. It’s buggy as hell here and I’ve got a mosquito magnet. It keeps my deck clear.”

She took his hand and climbed into the little boat. She had spent exactly zero time on the water, so she was a bit nervous, even in this relatively shallow depth, but after a few minutes of silent rowing he maneuvered the boat to his dock and handed her out.

He led her up the deck to the house and she saw that he had set out two Adirondack chairs to face the western sky. She sat down in one of the chairs while he went inside to get something to drink. He brought out a beer for himself and an iced tea for her as she confessed that she didn’t like the taste of beer. He threatened to teach her to like it though and went off on how American kids are raised on sugary pop and who the hell could develop a taste for anything decent after that?

They both grew quiet as they watched the sun start the show. At first the sky slowly developed an all-over sense of color. The bright light had gone, and it was almost like the marsh sat in anticipation of the main event. Then the clouds began to turn first, shades of salmon pink and orange. Then streaks of deep pink appeared as the blue beyond grew darker and darker. She turned to him to say how amazing it was and maybe thank him when she saw the expression on his face as he watched the darkening sky.

He turned and they locked eyes. He must have read her face. “I’m not in that bad of shape you know. It’s been a while now and I’m really fine.” He turned away. She was shocked at how familiar that sounded.

“Bull.” The word came out before she could stop herself.

He looked at her sharply, hurt maybe or surprised.

“I may not be the smartest girl on the planet buddy, but I know from grief and you are in it deep.” She turned to back to stare at the sky.

No matter what you had going on, you could not sit looking out over the water as the sun sank into the horizon lighting the world on fire with color and fail to appreciate it. The light show had faded to grays and purples. Will got up to put their glasses away and when he came back out she was standing at the rail of the deck to catch the last of the light. He stood for a time with her in the peaceful quiet.

“You’re not one for chit-chat are you?”

She laughed out loud at this. “Until a few weeks ago I had been alone for months. I’m out of the habit.”

 “No problem. The quiet is a nice change of pace. I’ve been a miserable bastard for months. People have been tip-toeing around me like I’m made of glass.” He smirked a little.

Dusk had fallen and the sky was now a slate gray waiting for the stars.  Will moved towards her and caught her chin gently with his fingers and turned her face to him. He looked like he was about to say something, but instead brought their lips together. It had been so long since she was kissed that it took her brain a second to surface. Just about the time she was going to push him off and remind him he was her friend, he broke away. She was a bit breathless as she looked up at him, puzzled.

“I want to be your friend Kennedy.” The words sounded like a promise.

“Friends don’t kiss, Will.”

“No, I know that, but I wanted to… only once to get it out of my system.”

She wondered how she felt about that. Did she want to be out of his system? There wasn’t that ‘zing’ with him. He was attractive, but there wasn’t any pull towards him. She didn’t want a relationship with her cousin’s sad ex. She might be able to eventually fall for him and even be the woman who pulled him out of his despair, but that would be a dead end. She was not going to be his rebound.  “Is it out of your system?”

“Fully. I promise.” He raised one hand and placing the other over his heart.

“Then I’m happy to be your friend.” She impulsively hugged him, hard. He huffed a little as she squeezed his ribs.

“Don’t break me girl.”

Will ferried her back over to the dock when they realized it was probably best to call it a night and she walked back up the trail alone at dusk. The lights were on at Parker House and she was suddenly hit with a sweet sense of something she hadn’t experienced in a long time. Looking up the hill to see the lights of the house in the darkness gave her a sense of coming home.

Image Credit Johannes Plenio via Unsplash