Clara stayed with Tommy well past the lunch hour. She knew Molly wouldn't be too worried about her since she knew where she was, so she didn't mind spending the better part of the day with her newfound friend. Tommy told her countless stories of tales his father would recall from his fisherman days. With his permission, she wrote down as many details as she could. She was still fascinated with the story of his parents, but she didn't push for that personal information.
"Do you hope to be a fisherman in America?" she asked.
Tommy flicked the ashes of his cigarette. "That's the plan for now, at least. I hear the lobster in New England is popular. 'Course, I probably couldn't even get my hands on one to eat."
"Is fishing a good business?"
"All depends on where, what and when you're catching." He watched as she wrote down his answer. "How do I know you're not just gathering all this information for more deviant purposes?"
"You don't." Clara smiled playfully and wiggled her eyebrows.
Tommy laughed and looked out at the deck. "Look's like Jackie's needing a new subject." Clara followed his gaze and saw Jack blow away dust from his sketchbook and glance around. Tommy whistled and waved his arm, "Oi, Jack!"
Jack saw Tommy and waved. He packed up his things and joined them. He spotted Clara and held out a hand. "I'm Jack."
Clara shook his hand, "Clara. Nice to officially meet you." Jack raised an eyebrow. She clarified, "I hear you helped Miss Dewitt Bukater from a dreadful end last night."
Realization dawned on Jack's face and he nodded. "You have no idea. Do you know her?"
"We've been friends since childhood," she explained.
He looked back and forth between Clara and Tommy, trying to figure out their dynamic. If she knew Rose, then it was odd for her to also know Tommy.
"How 'bout them angels now, eh?" Tommy asked Jack, who started laughing. Clara gave Tommy a confused look but he waved it off. "Clara here is a writer. She's also taking all my private information."
Clara elbowed him in the side playfully. "Only because you're the most interesting Irishman I've ever met."
"That's probably because I'm the only Irishman you've ever met." The two shared a look and laughed.
"So Jack," Clara said, "have any good stories from your drawings you wouldn't mind sharing? Tommy's getting a big head with all this attention."
Jack was already busy with a new sketch, but he was more than willing to share about the French women he drew in Paris. He showed the nude drawings to go along with it, causing Clara to blush. Tommy let out a slow whistle at the drawings, but only to tease Clara.
"It seems like you know plenty about us, lass," said Tommy. "Why don't you tell us about yourself?"
"You know that I'm on my way home from school in England and that I want to be a writer," she countered. She thought for a second. "My father is involved in the steel industry."
"Wait… like one of the Pittsburgh steel giants?" Jack asked.
Clara nodded and gave a weak smile. "He's the Pittsburgh steel giant. Reynolds Steel."
"No kidding. I hopped a few of those coal trains when I was on the East coast for a spell," Jack laughed.
"I'll be sure to tell the engineer to not kick you off next time," Clara said. "Actually, Titanic was made with my father's steel."
Tommy looked impressed. "You mean to tell me that without your father, this ship wouldn't have been built?"
"Not exactly… but in a way I am the family ambassador for the trip," Clara said.
"You hear that, Jack?" Tommy asked, hitting his friend on the arm. "We're sitting with the queen of this damn ship!" He stood up and bowed deeply, cracking himself up.
Clara laughed, too. "I should have you kissing my feet."
Tommy took off his hat and held it to his chest. "I'd do anything for you, Queenie."
Clara rolled her eyes. "Actually, Jack, this might be interesting to you. You know that Rose is engaged?"
"Don't remind me," Jack mumbled.
"Her fiance is the son of one of my father's competitors. So naturally Cal and I are enemies."
"Seems like you and I have something in common after all." Jack looked down at his sketchbook, obviously trying to distract himself from thinking about Rose's engagement. He started drawing again in silence. Clara and Tommy exchanged a glance. Tommy gave her a reassuring smile, but she still felt awkward for bringing it up.
The three fell silent with Jack and Clara focusing on their respective hobbies. Tommy lit a fresh cigarette and sat patiently with the two of them. He tried making sense of his new friendship with Clara and why she was so set on spending time with him. He liked to think this wasn't something she did out of pity or charity. She wouldn't have been so invested in his personal life if this was something to ease boredom. It would likely end when they arrived in New York, but that didn't stop Tommy from hoping it would be more than platonic. And from what he gathered from Clara's behavior, she wasn't opposed. She returned his flirtations and openly told him she wasn't engaged or anywhere close to it.
Tommy noticed Clara stifling a yawn. "I'm not boring you, am I?"
She shook her head. "Far from it. I might need to go close my eyes for a while, though. I can't be sleepy throughout dinner."
He nodded and stood with her. "I'll walk with you as far as I can. Can't let the queen walk alone should something dreadful happen." He offered her an arm and she took it.
"It was lovely meeting you, Jack," Clara said.
"You too," he said. He tore out a paper from his sketchbook and handed it to her. "I don't usually do this, but I thought you might like it."
It was a sketch of Clara and Tommy sitting together and sharing a laugh. It must have been after one of Tommy's lines because he was looking right at Clara, who was smiling and blushing at her notebook. Jack even captured the swirl of smoke coming from Tommy's cigarette. After seeing the drawing, Tommy hummed contentedly.
"Jack, this is incredible. You're really good," Clara said. "Thank you."
Jack waved it off. "If you can make this grumpy Irishman smile, then you deserve the proof."
Clara slid the drawing between the pages of her notebook. It was not something she wanted to lose. "Thank you again, Jack. I'll see you around." Tommy and Clara walked the direction Clara had come from earlier.
"I had a wonderful day with you, Tommy," Clara said as they approached the gate. "Thank you for sitting with me."
"I'm glad you were able to write more. Do you think you'll come back?"
"I will tomorrow, definitely. But I'm not sure about tonight. Can't escape forever," she shrugged.
"Not even for a party?" Tommy asked, a spark in his eye.
Clara raised an eyebrow. "A party?"
"A bunch of us get together every night. It's loud and crowded, but I'll be damned if you don't have a good time," he said.
"And you'll be there?"
"'Course. Someone's gotta be the queen's protection."
She shook her head back and forth, pretending to think it over and teasing Tommy. "I wouldn't miss it."
"Meet me here after your dinner. Now go get your rest, Queenie." He held the gate open for her and she crossed. It felt oddly symbolic, as if she was actually crossing into a different world and leaving him behind.
"Goodbye, Tommy. I'll see you in a few hours," Clara said before walking away.
Clara thought of Tommy the whole walk back to her stateroom. She'd be lying if she said he didn't interest her. He knew how to have a conversation with a woman like a peer, unlike other men who only talk about their successes in order to impress her. Usually when she mentioned her father's business, all that would lead to was an emphasized attempt to win her over. But with Tommy, all it resulted in was a nickname. Tommy was ignorant to hidden social cues that she had been taught to see like a bright red sign. It was a breath of fresh air for Clara to not have to worry about such things around Tommy and simply be herself.
Molly was sitting in their main room when Clara entered. She looked up from her book and smiled. "There you are. Did you finish writing your book or something? You were gone long enough."
Clara set her notebook on the table where they had breakfast. "Not exactly. But I did catch quite a few stories to write about later." She undid her hair and ran her fingers through it, massaging her scalp. "I don't know why we have to do our hair all the time. It gives me headaches having pins stick into my head all day."
"You can always wear your hair down at dinner if you need to," Molly suggested.
Clara scoffed. "What, and have Ruth glare me down the entire time for being relaxed? The horror: a woman isn't properly dressed up."
Molly laughed. "Are we sure you're not my daughter instead of my brother's daughter?"
"I'm going to lie down for a bit before dinner. Will you wake me with an hour until we leave?" Clara waited for Molly to nod before heading to her room.
Upon getting ready for dinner, Clara decided to leave her hair down. She pinned it half back to keep it from being an actual mess, but having it down gave her and Molly an inside joke. She changed into a dark green dress laced with gold hems and beading. Matching the ensemble with a necklace that looked like it was made out of golden leaves intertwined together, she wondered if it would be too much when she joined Tommy later on for the party. He's Irish, she reminded herself. He'll like the green.
Clara and Molly sat with a new crowd that night. Molly hadn't seen Ruth steer her party away from the two of them when they entered the dining room, but Clara had. It wasn't a secret that Molly was a bit too brash for what was deemed appropriate, and it also wasn't a secret that Ruth had a very low tolerance for that behavior. Nonetheless, Clara didn't mind not sitting with them. It was only when she caught Rose glancing her way that Clara felt sorry about it. She made eye contact with Rose and offered her a small smile, which Rose returned. Cal followed Rose's gaze. He quickly brought Rose into the discussion to distract her, but he still held intimidating eye contact with Clara. It took everything within her to not stick her tongue out at him. She gave a sour look until he looked away. Clara wanted to speak with Rose to see how she was doing after last night's incident, but it would have to wait for a more private time.
Dinner seemed to drag on. Clara tapped her foot impatiently on the table's base, counting each tap as a second and keeping track of how many minutes passed. Molly noticed her restlessness and gave her an odd look. Finally, dessert and coffee was served and Clara tried her best at being polite while eating quickly. The men dispersed themselves to finish the night with cigars.
"I'm going to take a walk around the deck. I need some fresh air before bed," Clara said, excusing herself from the table.
Molly nodded, "Sounds good, sugar. Take a coat and don't be out too late." Clara nodded in confirmation and gave her aunt a kiss on the forehead. "And don't come back smelling like smoke this time," Molly added as Clara began to walk away. She turned to catch her aunt's eye. Molly simply winked and smiled playfully. She knew something was up, but she trusted Clara to be safe and tell her in her own time.
Clara couldn't get down to E Deck any faster. She had a party to go to.
A/N: Nothing very exciting happening in this one, but I did want to get something out before the fun happens at the party! Thanks for reading! Drop me a review to send the love back. I'd love to know where I could develop. Obviously I know where more to the characters and plot than what the reader does, so let me know what questions I could answer or where things could get ~spicy~.