I DON'T OWN ANYTHING. THE FEMALE CHARACTER IS MINE, THOUGH.
I watched the three familiar guys from the end of the bar. Jake and Josh Harris from the Cornelia Marie, and Jake Anderson from the Northwestern were regulars at my spot when they were in town. I was sitting with my four girl friends, sipping on a glass of Coke. The older woman behind the bar came over to us and explained that the three deckhands wanted to buy us girls a round of drinks. We all laughed, and I decided I should get back behind the bar. I jumped up onto the bar and then slid off onto the other side. I walked over to the guys.
"So, guys what kind of drinks are you gonna buy us?" I asked, as they all looked at me with a shocked look. Even though, I knew all of them and they knew me from the bar this was the first time they had seen me behind the bar.
"Ladies' choice," Josh Harris replied.
I leaned onto the bar then straightened as a drink came to mind. I flipped eight shot glasses onto the bar and poured alcohol into the glasses. "Who's paying?"
"I got it," Jake Anderson spoke up and pulled out his wallet. His put a twenty on the bar and I picked it up.
"Whiskey? Good choice," my mom said as she slipped past me to give someone else their drinks.
I smiled as I gave a shot to each of the guys then went to the end of the bar to give the rest to the girls. We all took the shots and I slammed my glass on the bar. "Now nobody get sick, ok?"
"I think seasickness cures you of getting sick from alcohol," Jake Anderson spoke up.
I started to wait on other customers. The guys sat at the bar for a few more drinks. I could hear them talking about me and I smiled as I worked. In my mind they were all good guys but Jake Anderson was the only one I could even be remotely interested in.
Josh and Jake Harris got up from the bar at one point, leaving Jake by himself. I went over to him and noticed his empty beer glass.
"You up for another one?" I inquired.
"Yeah."
"Where's Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb?"
He laughed. "Oh, I don't know. I think they went to go talk to some of the other deckhands or something."
"What about you? Are you antisocial?"
He shrugged. "I don't know about that. I just don't have anything to say, I guess."
I gave him a shy smile. "You find things to say to me."
He flashed me a similar smile then was rejoined by the Harris boys. They looked at both of us and I smiled as I walked away. I talked briefly with my friends who were telling me they were leaving. I stood down at that end of the bar for a few minutes, cleaning some glasses. Josh walked over to me. He talked to me briefly and it seemed he was trying to flirt with me. I resisted his efforts, knowing exactly why he was doing it. After much effort he gave up and walked away. I smirked.
"That's the one from the Cornelia Marie, right?" my mom inquired.
"Yeah, he's the older one. I heard them talking about a bet. And I have the advantage because since I know I can make my own decision without being played."
"Wait, what?"
"I've made my decision."
She shook her head. "Ok, Kate, which one?"
"Jake Anderson." I walked away and down to the other end of the bar. I was putting bottles away when I turned around and saw Jake Harris standing in front of me. I laughed inside as he started to talk to me. He was flirting the same way his brother had. Jake was a good three years younger than me, so talking with him was like talking to my younger brother. I began to ignore him and he soon walked away.
An hour later my mom announced that it was closing time and the few patrons that were still lingering in the bar left at once, including the Harris brothers and Jake Anderson. I cleaned up the bar as my mom cleaned down the tables and threw away the bottles and brought the glasses back to the bar. We cleaned the floors, and then when we finished my mom headed upstairs to her apartment and I went out the front door. I locked the door and saw someone sitting on the bench by the front door.
"What are you doing out here it's cold?" I asked him and sat down.
He blew his warm breath into his hands. "It's not too bad. You headed home?"
"Yeah," I smiled. "You wanna walk me?"
He stood up and held his hand out to me. "Yeah, show me the way."
We walked hand-in-hand down the quiet street. "So, when do you guys head out?"
"Tomorrow," he replied.
"Well so much for getting to know one another," I told him.
"We'll be back pretty soon."
We crossed the street and I led him to a door next to the general store. I opened it with a key and we headed up the stairs to my upstairs apartment. When we went inside, we took off our jackets and hung them on the hook. My black lab greeted us at the door and I introduced Jake to him.
"Do you want some coffee or water, or anything?"
"No, I'm good." He started to look around my apartment as I headed to the kitchen to get the dog some food and water. "Is this you, on this fishing boat?"
I came out the living room where he was looking at the photograph above the fireplace. I smiled. "Oh, yeah, that's me and my dad."
"He was a fisherman?"
"Yeah, he was third generation."
"Does he still fish?"
I hung my head. "Uh, no, actually he died a few years ago out at sea. His boat got hit with a big wave and knocked it on its side." I smirked. "He was a hero, though, he got everybody off."
"I bet you miss him, huh?"
"Yeah, my mom is still having a hard time, I can see it, but yeah I'm doin' better." We stared at the photo for another minute. "Hey, I wanna show you something." He followed him down the hallway and into the second bedroom. I opened the door and flipped off the red light and turned on a white light.
"This is a dark room?"
"Yeah, I, uh, like to take pictures. There's one I wanna show you," I walked over to a photo hanging on a line. I unhooked it and handed it to him. "I was just taking photos of the boats in the fleet and I took one of the Northwestern."
He smirked. "You got me in the picture."
I smiled. "Yeah, it's pretty cool."
He looked at me and stared into my eyes. He placed the photo down on the table as he leaned in to kiss me. He planted a soft kiss on my lips and I pushed my lips on his to heighten the passion.
An hour later I was laying next to Jake; a sheet lightly covering both of us. My right hand was lying on his bare chest. He kissed the top of my head. I laughed.
"What?" he inquired.
"I knew about the bet you guys made."
"What bet?"
I lifted my head to look at him. "Come on, I heard you and the Harris boys talking about a bet to see who could get me in bed."
"Wait if you knew and you were ok with it?"
"Well, I don't know if I'd say I was ok with it, but I just twisted it to make it work for me."
"So, you planned this?"
"Yeah, do you think you really had your A-game going tonight? You were actually kind of playing hard to get." He smiled and I smiled back, and then rested my head on his chest.
The next morning I woke up to see Jake sitting on the edge of the bed pulling on his shirt. He already had his jeans on.
"Hey, are you leaving?" I asked him as I sat up.
"Yeah, I told you, we're leaving today." He pulled on his boots and tied the laces. I crawled up behind him and wrapped my arms around him. "You're trying to get me to stay, aren't you?"
"Is it working?"
He kissed the top of my hand. "I gotta go."
I moved around him and kissed him. "It's ok, I understand. You'll be back, though, right?"
"After last night, yeah I'll be back." We both smiled and kissed again. "Will you come out to the dock and see us off?"
"Yeah, I know a spot where I can watch you guys."
He stood up then leaned down to kiss me again. "I'll see ya."
After he left the apartment I got into the shower and dressed. I put the dog on his leash and went down the stairs. There were only a few people on the street, mostly shop owners opening up. I followed the dog, past the bar and toward the docks. Before I was close to the boats I turned down an alley and went to the back of the parking lot behind the bar. I found the old anchor that had been there for years. It was the same anchor I had sat on so many times when I watched my dad leave the port.
The dog sniffed around as I searched for the Northwestern. I could see the crew pulling the ropes off the docks, and getting ready to head out. I saw Sig and Edgar standing outside the wheelhouse. I kept searching for Jake then I saw him standing at the bow. A smiled came across my face.
About ten minutes later the boat started to pass where I was sitting. Jake was looking from side to side to see where I was. Then he saw me and gave me a wave with a smile. I smiled back then blew him a kiss.