The Librarians and the Selkie Pearls ~ Chapter 4
The next few days were very strained. Jake avoided the kitchen except during meals when the others could act as a buffer between Maggie and him. Maggie had known he wasn't satisfied with the explanation of the visions, but didn't think he was ready to talk through it all. And honestly, she wasn't ready either. She admitted he was attractive, inside and out, and maybe over time they could have broached the subject. But this had forced the issue, and she wasn't prepared to risk her heart or her job over a convoluted incident involving a potion and a thousand-year-old sorceress.
Dinner Friday night was the worst. Jacob was grunting or snapping responses when anyone ventured a conversation. Maggie, who typically would have smoothed things over or carried the conversation in spite of him, was very quiet. Even Seraphina didn't try to contribute anything.
As they filed back into the workroom after the meal, Jake grabbed his jacket and yelled back down the hall, "Baird! I need to get drunk. We're going out."
Eve sighed and looked at Ezekiel and Cassie. "You guys mind coming along? I may need help getting him back home."
Ezekiel shrugged. "I'm up for going, but anything I say will probably just antagonize him."
"Oooo, maybe he could start a bar fight and work out whatever's going on," said Cassie. "He's sure been in a mood the last few days."
The four landed at a local pub a couple miles away. Rather than his usual beer, Jake ordered a round of tequila shots, and then two more in quick succession. Then he switched to double bourbons, but he seemed more agitated after each drink. Eve groaned internally at the thought that Stone might be a belligerent drunk and not a jovial one. Jake then spotted a group of young women at the counter and sauntered over to them.
Eve gritted her teeth. She'd never been in a bar with Stone long enough for him to get drunk before they had to fight their way out, and was tense trying to anticipate what she might have to deal with. Cassie and Ezekiel were whispering together at the other end of the table, and Eve narrowed her eyes as she happened to catch the way his hand brushed gently against hers. She hadn't really seen that one coming. She turned back toward Jake and groaned audibly this time. He was flirting shamelessly with the girls and one was looking a little too eager to take him up on whatever he was offering. Baird didn't want to deal with orchestrating a sleepover and she sure wasn't letting a drunk librarian out of her sight. Ezekiel heard her and followed her eyes over to the bar. He sighed and murmured, "I'm probably going to get punched for this," before getting up from his seat and heading over to Jake.
Ezekiel clapped Jake on the shoulder, "Hey Mate, I think we need to be heading back."
"Nah, man, things are just getting good. Ladies, this is my pal, Zeke. Jones, these ladies are looking for a good time. You interested?"
Ezekiel looked Jake dead in the eye, "I know things have been difficult since Monday, but this is a bad idea."
Jake jerked away from him. "You don't know anything about what happened Monday," he snarled.
"I know whatever happened is bothering you. And more than that, I know you care about Maggie and you will really regret doing something stupid tonight."
Jake took a step back, then nailed a right cross at Ezekiel's jaw.
Baird leaped out of her seat, crossed the room in record time, and grabbed Jake's arm. He tried to shake her off, and she glared at him before hauling back and punching him. He stumbled back from the blow and finally seemed to realize what was going on.
"Damn, Jones, I'm sorry," he muttered.
Cassie was helping Ezekiel to his feet, and he rubbed his jaw hesitantly. "You owe my big time for this, mate."
"Ok, I'm cutting you off," said Eve. "Time to go." She kept her arm around Stone as she led him out of the building.
It was a silent group that made its way back to the library.
Jacob was furious at losing control like that. He'd always prided himself on staying calm and doing the right thing. Trying to drink away the pain of not knowing what he wanted or face the possibility that all the attraction was one sided, that was not who Jacob Stone was. Jacob Stone faced things head on, even when it slowly destroyed him. Now he was getting drunk, considering sleeping with complete strangers, and punching a guy who he was starting to consider a friend. He tossed and turned all night, almost willing the hangover to begin, hoping the pain would dull the whirl of his thoughts and the ache in his heart.
By morning Jake had come to a decision. This past week had been awful, and he wasn't willing to put up with it any longer simply on account of his pride. He was going to go into that kitchen and simply tell Maggie that he didn't think the hallucination had been entirely caused by Seraphina. He was attracted to her, he liked her and liked being around her. In his previous life in Oklahoma, Jake was a good judge of a woman's receptiveness. But he wasn't sure of anything about Maggie, so he would just ask her outright if she was attracted to him. Maybe he could take her somewhere away from the Library and Seraphina and magic, take her on a proper date. Jake blew out a shaky breath. He was getting himself all worked up and he hadn't even left the room yet. He studied himself in the mirror. He wasn't vain, but he also wasn't stupid. Hair and clothes seemed ok. He knew his eyes and smile were good features. The black eye Baird had given him last night wasn't doing him any favors. It might keep him humble though. "I think you've got a pretty good chance," he murmured to himself. Time to go.
It wasn't yet time for the others to come in for breakfast, so Jake figured he had a good ten or fifteen minutes to talk to her alone. He pushed open the kitchen door and looked around the room. It was empty.
"Seraphina, where's Maggie?" Jacob asked. It still felt strange to address the kitchen directly.
He waited for the words to appear on the chalkboard, but an image began forming instead. Jake frowned, trying to decipher the soft lines and rubbed out edges. His eyes bugged out when he finally realized it was a drawing of Maggie, but animated. She was at an angle, partially turned away from the viewer. She was pulling her hair back away from bare neck and shoulders, pinning the curls to the top of her head, the picture stopping just above where her soft curves would begin. Clouds of chalk dust rose around her, steam from the shower she was apparently stepping into. Jacob closed his eyes. "Well I won't be unseeing that anytime soon." He continued sternly, "Seraphina, please use your words. What are you trying to accomplish with that stunt?"
The image vanished and words appeared. Just testing a theory. You obviously like what you see. Why aren't you doing anything about it? You can't really believe that the emotions you both experienced were entirely my doing?
Jacob gritted his teeth. "Well I'm sure you won't be offended when I say you are an interfering old witch. I never thought what happened that day was all you. I like Maggie very much, which is why I am here. I wanted to tell her so, and put this awkwardness behind us. You know she would be mortified and livid about what you've just done."
Are you planning to tell her?
Jake rolled his eyes. "No," he ground out. "That wouldn't help anything. Just please tell her I stopped by to speak with her, and there's no need to go into what I just told you or for you to try and manipulate her."
I would never manipulate her. She's my friend.
"But you're willing to manipulate me on her behalf?"
Sweetie, you have no idea what I'm capable of. You should marvel at my restraint.
"Noted. I guess I will be seeing you later."
Maggie jumped out of the shower and rushed to get dressed. She didn't know what was wrong with her this morning, she almost never slept in. Thankfully there were muffins ready to go, and it would be simple to throw together scrambled eggs and bacon. As she ran into the kitchen, tying an apron around her, words began to fly across the chalkboard.
Jake came by to talk to you. He said he wanted to put the awkwardness behind you both. Something happened last night. Colonel Baird came in late to grab some ice packs. And Stone has a lovely shiner on his right eye.
Before Maggie could answer, Cassandra and Ezekiel entered the room quietly. Maggie gasped at the sight. Ezekiel's jaw was swollen and bruised, but his eyes twinkled as they met Maggie's. He allowed Cassandra to help him sit at the table, clearly milking her sympathy for all it was worth.
"What happened to you?" Maggie asked skeptically. She knew they'd gone out to a bar last night, but she never would have imagined Jones joining in on one of Jakes bar brawls that he talked about.
"Bar fight," said Cassie brightly.
"I was protecting Jake from himself," Ezekiel slurred, the jaw clearly not cooperating with speech.
"Jake hit you?!" Maggie was taken aback that calm, unflappable Jake would find it necessary to deal forcibly with Jones.
"Well, he was drunk," added Cassie. "I'm sure he wouldn't have otherwise. Alcohol reduces a person's ability to make rational decisions, and according to the amount of alcohol he ingested in proportion to his body weight…" Cassie drifted off, statistics and equations floating in front of her eyes. Maggie could just catch a few phrases, "genetic predisposition…percentage per ounce…rate of metabolism. Ezekiel put his arm around her shoulder and Cassie broke off abruptly. "I smell cinnamon. Is breakfast ready?"
Maggie stepped over to the counter. "I'm running late this morning, but there's coffee or tea and muffins while you wait for bacon and eggs. Ezekiel, I'll make you a protein shake you can have with a straw. I think that will be easier than trying to chew."
"Thanks," he said. "At least now I can channel Humphrey Bogart for a bit."
Maggie smiled and shook her head. Just then, Jenkins, Eve and Jake filed into the room. There were a few minutes of chaos as everyone tried to explain the injuries. Jake kept apologizing to Ezekiel. Jenkins put in that he'd probably deserved it. Eve seemed a little confused as to why Jake reacted so strongly to whatever Ezekiel had said, and neither Jake nor Ezekiel chose to enlighten them. By the time the issue was thoroughly discussed and everyone had seated themselves with coffee and muffins, the rest of the food was ready. Maggie served the others, then took her seat. Jake handed her the plate of muffins and smiled shyly as his hand brushed hers when she took it.
When the meal was over, Jake started clearing the table as the others wandered off. He and Maggie worked in silence for a moment until Seraphina's radio began playing How Long Has This Been Going on? Maggie rolled her eyes and Jake blushed.
"I guess that's my cue," he said, rubbing a hand self-consciously on the back of his neck. "Listen Maggie, I want to apologize for how I've been acting this week. I was embarrassed that you'd seen more of me than anyone else. Any of those visions could have been mine. And then you said it maybe wasn't real, that Seraphina had influenced it. And I knew you were trying to give me a way out, but the thing is…" He looked at her, smiling hesitantly, then looked down at the floor. "The thing is I wanted them to be real. Maybe you don't feel that way, but I'd rather be honest with you than try to pretend that whatever happened was just magic running amok." Jake took a deep breath and place his hands on her shoulders, holding her at arm's length and stared deep into her eyes. "I didn't feel anything that day that I hadn't thought about before, or wanted every day since."
Maggie dropped the cup she was holding, hardly hearing it break across the floor. Jake dropped his hands from her shoulders quickly. Maggie willed herself to breathe and tried to rein in her scrambled thoughts. She'd spent so much time this week convincing herself that moment was a fluke of magic. And here he was telling her maybe it wasn't?
"Umm…" her voice broke strangely, and she swallowed hard. "What do you think we should do about that?" she finally croaked out.
Jake shrugged and stared down at the floor. "I thought maybe I'd take you out to dinner. You know, some place where you don't have to cook or clean up and we don't have to talk around everybody else." He looked up at her hesitantly.
Maggie melted at those endearing blue eyes. "I'd like that very much," she said softly.
"And if it's ok with you," he added uncertainly. "I'd like some things to kind of stay the way they were. I mean where I come in here to read and you just keep doing whatever you need to do and we talk sometimes. I don't think you understand what a gift you gave me. You don't expect me to be a certain way, and so I get to be me. And me is…complicated. I am a scholar and a historian and an art critic that likes French pastries, and I'm a good ole boy oil rig worker from Oklahoma who likes beer and punching guys. And you are the only one, 'cept maybe Baird, who seems to get that."
Jacob took a step toward her and took her hands in his. She felt the calluses on his fingertips as he brushed them over her knuckles gently. "And you are, to me," he murmured in a low voice, "what poets and artists try to capture in extolling the virtues of womanhood. You are hearth and home, you are clever and saucy. Your comments on my books or work usually reveal an aspect I haven't considered. You spur me on to do greater things, to be greater." He leaned in closer and Maggie shivered at the rumble of his voice near her ear. "You are intriguing and alluring, and I am very much looking forward to unraveling the mystery of you." With that, he kissed her cheek tenderly, and Maggie leaned into his touch, her heart racing.
Jake took a step back from her and studied her seriously. "I don't want to push anything," he added. "I know those hallucinations brought up some feelings that I personally, have found impossible to forget," and he blushed sheepishly. "But I don't want you to ever feel like this is a conquest, that I'm racing to try and get to that moment as quickly as possible. I really care about you, Maggie."
Maggie cleared her throat and tentatively tried her voice again. "Uh, Jake. That may be the longest monologue I've ever heard from a guy trying to get a date."
Jake laughed and she grinned at him cheekily. "I would love to go out to dinner with you, and I would love for things to be as comfortable as they were before. This room has been pretty lonely without you."
Maggie's heart raced happily at the contentment in Jacob's eyes. His hand reached up and caressed her check affectionately.
"Good," he said, nodding as if he'd settled a business deal. "I'll find someplace nice and make the reservations. Is there anything in particular you'd like?"
"Oh, surprise me," Maggie shrugged. "Anything with you will be perfect."
Jake smiled broadly at that, and the good ole boy that used to brag about his conquests back home peeked out just a little. He said good night and left the room. And if he maybe strutted a bit on his way down the hall, Maggie sure wasn't going to tell him so.
