4

"So, is it normal for him to get home this late?" Lauren asked, spying out the window at Paul's place. When I didn't answer right away, she turned to face me, nearly spilling her wine all over the place.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"No."

"And how is that exactly?"

"How is what exactly?" I asked.

She scoffed. "Hello. How is it that you don't know?"

When I ignored her, she scoffed again, turning back to stare out the window.

"He's been back how long now?" Leah asked. She had been stopping by to hang out more and more. It had only taken her a month before asking me to be her maid of honor. A request I'd found a little odd since we barely knew one another. But apparently she'd been serious when she told me other females tended to instinctively dislike her. A feeling she fully returned most of the time to pretty much everyone, except me. I couldn't comprehend the reasoning for all the cattiness. All I knew was it had to be true because from the very first moment they'd met, Lauren and Leah couldn't stand one another. A personality clash, Lauren had claimed just before adding that Leah—the smug ho—didn't have one.

"Two weeks maybe."

"And he hasn't spoken to you at all? Like, not at all. Just waves." Lauren asked.

"And nods."

"Well." Taking a drink of her tea, Leah shrugged. "I did say it kept pretty quiet around here."

"But it's weird, isn't it?" Lauren chimed in.

Leah made a face that disagreed. "What's weird? The fact that he hasn't taken time out of his busy schedule to bake her a casserole?" She asked, shaking her head and causing me to chuckle. "He's a guy. He's Paul, the ultimate guy's guy. I doubt he's going to talk to her unless she goes and talks to him first. Maybe not even then. Not if she's unwilling to put out."

I pulled a face that signified she had a point.

"Well, he didn't have a girl with him when he came home tonight, so that's something," Lauren added. "Something pretty significant from what I've heard. Has he brought any girls home since he pulled in to port?"

I shrugged. "If he has, they've been civil." I tapped my ear. "No screaming." I actually hadn't seen or heard any girls coming or going since the day I'd moved in. There were a few times I'd heard the sound of his screen door squeaking in the wee hours of the morning. But that could have just been him or the wind. To know for sure, I would have had to care enough to get up and check, but I never did.

While Lauren kept me informed that nothing was going on, I continued to stuff my face with low sodium chips. I had been stress eating them ever since the beginning of the school year—pretty much the moment I'd moved in—nearly adding on the ten pounds I never did in college. My routine workouts had been put on hold, the high replaced by the calculated execution of finding the best way to teach counting by twos. Besides, who had time for physical activities once they'd been granted the great responsibility of shaping young minds?

Scooting closer, Lauren leaned into me. "You think he's had any STDs?

I scowled from not only the question, but the cheap wine wafting off her breath. "Ew, Lauren. Gross."

"I know. I know. But, seriously …" She leaned in even closer. "You think he's caught anything out there besides fish?"

Giving her a look that clearly stated I'd rather not think or talk about it, I turned back to work on my lesson plan.

"I think he likes you. What do you think?" Lauren asked Leah and she shrugged, her attention on the table cloth swatches laid out in front of her.

"Why? Something happen?"

"No. It was just the way he waved at her that one time."

Leah looked up. "That's it? That's all you're basing this on? The way he waved at her?"

Lauren took another sip then licked her lips. "Yeah." She was clearly sloshed.

Leah rolled her eyes then went back to her party planning.

"But seriously, how about the way he helped Kaylee up after she fell like that, though? Wasn't that the sweetest thing you'd ever seen?"

"Yes, it was very sweet." I smiled at the memory. "Maybe you should run over there and offer him some of your sweet," I said, feeling a surprising pang of jealously once it was out of my mouth.

"Bella!"

"Then maybe I can get back to work."

"Girl." Holding her chest as if she'd swallowed wrong, she held up a finger. "Don't tempt me." Banging, on the glass, she shouted out the open window. "Hey, Pablo!"

"What the hell are you doing?"

I lunged toward the window scrambling to slam it shut before Lauren yelled, "Do you get checked regularly for STDs?" She barked a laugh, nearly spilling her wine on the couch so I took her glass away.

"Okay, that's it. I'm cutting you off."

I went to get up, and Lauren reached out for me. "No, don't cut it off, Bella. It's all he has. It's all he has!" She missed me and did a face-plant on the couch instead.

When I came back from the kitchen she was snoring into the cushion. I covered her with a quilt then turned her head so she wouldn't suffocate before making my way over to the window.

Just as I was about to pull the blinds, the security light next door kicked on, silhouetting my neighbor's tall frame. Instead of slinking back, I watched him take a seat in his chair to rock back and forth. His fixed wave was what broke the hypnotic spell. I returned it before pulling the blinds and heading to bed, too tired to be embarrassed about being caught staring once again.

"So how's your Mom and Dad? They taking the move any better?" Leah asked over Lauren's loud snores.

I shook my head. I'd almost forgotten how homesick I was until she reminded me.

"Still calling every day?"

I sighed, leaning back into the couch.

"That sucks."

I shrugged, stuffing another chip in my mouth so I didn't have to answer, because in all honesty, it didn't bother me that they called every day. It was like having a little piece of home. But since Leah came from a broken one, one where her fisherman father had abandoned them for something better—her words, not mine—I kept that to myself.

Whatever was going on in my life quickly hopped in the backseat once Leah pulled out pictures of wedding dresses. And after taking one last crack at the seating chart, I helped her pack everything up and headed out to pile it all into her car.

"I can have Sam talk to him if you want. See what his problem is," Leah offered, and I nearly hit my head on the trunk hood.

"God, no. Don't do that."

"Okay. Well, if you change your mind," Leah pushed, climbing into her car.

Stepping back, I watched her pull out of the driveway before turning my attention to the man on the porch in his rocking chair.

I offered him one of our open hand waves we so often exchanged before heading inside.

I had just settled down into bed when I heard the rumble of thunder rolling in from over the ocean. Snuggling farther under the blanket, I listened for the rumble of his truck before finally falling asleep.

It only seemed to rain on days he was scheduled to head out to sea.