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Chapter 14: The Party
Edgar and Jack walked down the dock to the party late that evening. As they drew closer to the local bar, they could hear the base and see the shadows of people as they poured inside.
The rest of the Northwestern crew had left about half an hour ago. Jack chose to stay behind and wait for Edgar. They paused just outside the door and Jack gave Edgar a quick glance.
"You sure you're okay with this?" she asked, "You know they'll probably be here too."
Edgar shrugged, "Yeah…its fine. The Cornelia Marie boys are supposed to be here too, so we should be alright."
Jack nodded and then opened the door. The lights and the music nearly overwhelmed them as they stepped inside. It was dark, but the strobe lights were shockingly bright as they passed over them. Several people sat around the bar and the tables, talking and drinking. A few more were out on the dance floor with their girlfriends and wives.
Edgar nudged Jack and pointed towards the far side of the room. The rest of the Northwestern crew was sitting at a large wrap-around booth with the crew of the Cornelia Marie. Edgar and Jack made their way towards them, squeezing past the people on the dance floor.
"Hey!" shouted Matt, happily, "It's about time you two showed up!"
"Hey, Edgar," said Phil Harris, captain of the Cornelia Marie, "And you must be the infamous Jack Harper."
Jack's eyes widened in surprise as she glanced briefly over at Sig. He looked away and pretended like he had not heard a thing. Jack smirked. The captains never said good things about their greenhorns because they did not want them to become over-confident. But apparently, Sig had been talking to Phil about her.
"Oh, really?" she asked loudly, hoping that Sig would hear her.
"Yeah…Sig says you're quite the deckhand!" shouted Phil, casting a mischievous glance at Sig.
Sig grimaced and scowled at Phil. Phil laughed heartily and patted Jack on the back.
"Well, anyways, it's a pleasure to meet you. Here, have a seat!"
"Well I was actually going to hit the dance floor," said Jack, glancing over at Edgar.
"Oh, really?" said Phil, "You can dance?"
Jack smirked, "Yes, sir. The only problem is I need someone to dance with."
Again, Jack gave Edgar a look. Edgar's eyes widened in surprise.
"Me?" he asked, "Oh, no. You aren't getting me out there."
Jack rolled her eyes.
"Oh come on, Edgar! It'll be fun!"
Edgar sneered.
Jack narrowed her eyes at him and grabbed his hand. She began to drag him towards the dance floor. Edgar protested and tried to pull away, but before he knew it Jack had wrapped her arms around his neck and began to dance.
Suddenly, Edgar felt like he could not breathe. He forgot about protesting and began to move with the music and with Jack.
"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" asked Norman from the table.
"What?" asked Sig.
"Oh, I dunno," replied Norman, "Just that Edgar has a thing for Jack."
"What are you talking about?"
"Like you can't see it!" exclaimed Matt, "No one else in this world could get Edgar to dance other than her! Think about it! And the way he's looking at her right now…yeah, he definitely likes her as more than a friend."
Sig narrowed his eyes and looked back over at Edgar and Jack. Sure enough, they seemed to be in their own little world as they danced in the crowd of people. They seemed oblivious to the stares and the other people dancing beside them.
As the night wore on, Edgar suddenly grabbed Jack's hand and led her off the dance floor.
"What are you doing?" asked Jack in surprise.
"Getting out of here!"
Edgar led Jack to the door and they walked back out into the cold, night air.
"It was getting kind of crowded," said Edgar as they walked down towards the dock.
Jack smiled knowingly as they sat down on a bench in front of the dock. They could still hear the music pounding from the building behind them.
Edgar looked over at Jack and was suddenly struck by how beautiful she looked. Her auburn hair hung in waves and she had put on makeup, something she had not been able to do while they were out on the boat. Her eyes seemed to reflect the moonlight that shone off the water and she looked relaxed and happy.
"You look beautiful tonight," Edgar said suddenly.
He found himself wondering where that had come from. He had not really meant to say it out loud, but he could not help himself.
Jack smiled and gazed into his eyes.
"You clean up pretty well yourself," she said, playfully.
Edgar flashed one of his famous half-smiles and Jack felt her stomach do a flip. Blake had never made her feel this way.
"I didn't see the Maverick in there," she commented.
Edgar sneered, "Good riddance."
"I wonder why they didn't come?"
Edgar shrugged.
"Maybe they were too afraid after they saw you deck their captain," said Jack as she elbowed Edgar.
Edgar laughed and realized suddenly that he had not felt this good in a long time. He had never dated after Sarah, mainly because he could never find someone that made him feel like that again. But Jack brought it all back. He felt more like himself than he had in years. He looked back over at her and gazed into her hazel eyes.
Before he even realized what he was doing, he leaned over slowly and kissed her.
Jack felt shockwaves pass through her body as Edgar kissed her. She was too stunned to react at first, but after a moment she kissed him back.
As Edgar pulled away he ran a hand through her hair.
Just then, the Maverick and Time Bandit crews arrived. A sickeningly familiar voice made Jack and Edgar whirl around in surprise. Blake Painter was glaring at them from the walkway.
"Well…what have we here?"
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