Chapter 22

KNOCK! KNOCK!

The morning light hadn't even filtered through Jessica's bedroom window when she heard someone banging on her front door downstairs. Tiredly she opened her eyes and looked at the clock next to her nightstand.

6:10 AM.

Who would be knocking so early? she wondered.

Hoping it didn't mean trouble, Jessica threw back her covers. Grabbing her bathrobe at the end of her bed, she put it on and tied it to her waist.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

The incessant knocking was getting annoying.

"Coming! Coming!" Jessica shouted out as she ran down and stairs while the banging started up again. Opening the door, she gaped in surprise as she stared at Seth, standing there with a big smile, wearing his best fishing outfit.

"Seth!" she exclaimed, "What-"

"You're late, Woman!" he brusquely stated, as he made a show of his watch, "Do you realize it's 6:10?"

"That should be MY line!" Jessica responded back as he entered and she shut the door behind him. Then it suddenly dawned on her what was happening, "Oh myyyy! Yesterday, when you told me to be ready at 6, you meant-"

"-six in the mornin', of course!" he finished the sentence for her, "You think I'm gonna wait for night to slowly edge it's way in before I see you for our official first date?"

She should be angry, but somehow his impatience was very sweet.

"Oh dear, " Jessica unconsciously fluffing her hair, "I must look an utter mess..."

"Nonsense!" Seth stated, admiring her just-got-out-of-bed rumpleness, "You could never look bad and besides, I never did care for a gal who is always made up!"

Again, he had a way of making her blush, despite his roughness.

"Well, even so, I need to go back upstairs to tidy myself up," she informed him as she began climbing the stairs, "so you're going to have to fix your own coffee!"

She was almost to the top of the stairs when she heard Seth's response from below.

"Ayuh, Don't you worry about that, Missy! I can handily attend to myself" he yelled back to her, "Especially when there's some blueberry muffins next to the coffeepot!"

He didn't see it because he was busy helping himself to the muffins, but Jessica had blown a kiss down Seth's way.

#

It was still early daylight by the time Jessica dressed and packed what they needed for their first date trip. The air was cool and damp as Seth drove through the town. They were headed to the rental boat for some bass fishing.

Seth had parked the car and both knew they needed to walk a bit to get to the boat.

"Oh, Seth, what a marvelous first date!" Jessica announced as she took a whiff of the ocean waters while carrying her fishing gear, "fresh air, a lovely setting and excellent companionship with the person I love! Who could ask for more?"

"I agree wholeheartedly!" Seth smiled, taking in the natural surroundings of nature, "and anyone who says I'm impatient has never seen me fish!"

Jessica added, "and if they've seen you fish, they've seen you exaggerate!"

Seth chuckled, "Well, you know the old sayin; Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy and wealthy with lies!"

Jessica laughed and when she turned his way, a sense of contentment filled her soul. He was looking back at her with desire in his eyes.

Simultaneously they stopped walking and faced one another.

"Jess," his voice sounded raspy, "I think I've waited a lifetime for this day. At last we get to be alone."

Jessica swallowed hard as she felt the familiar flutterings.

"Alone or in a crowd, Seth, I love you."

Seth drew in a quick breath as he leaned down and his mouth closed around hers. The kiss affected them both like a lightning strike. It was an agonizing blend of emotional desire and love. When they separated, Seth tenderly touched her cheek, brushing against some sensitive nerves.

"I could not love you anymore, Jess."

Smiling down, they joined their hands and continued their walk.

As they rounded a bush, they thought they heard some murmurings or whisperings. Coming to a clearing they were suddenly greeted by a dozen of their Cabot Cove friends, two of them holding up a "Bon Voyage with Love" banner.

"SURPRISE!" the crowd shouted.

Seth's eyes widened, "What is the Sam Hill is this?"

Mort was the one who stepped out of the crowd.

"Now, Doc, don't get mad at us," he warned Seth, "believe me, this wasn't my idea!"

"It was mine," Eve admitted, now joining Mort, "You REALLY didn't expect to leave on your first date without saying goodbye to your dear friends, now, did you?"

"Oh yes!" Phyllis agreed, "This is as momentous occasion for all of us as for you two!"

Everyone was nodding their heads in agreement.

"But...I never told anyone..." the Doc claimed.

"I was the one who figured out your love spot," Beverly, his office assistant, shyly admitted.

"Love spot?!" Seth looked incredulous.

"Yes, indeed!" Beverly looked so proud, "I figured it out when you had me pencil in no appointments for the next three days. So that, along with, well, my conversation with Caleb down at the docks..."

"...who bumped into Joe Shelby at the tackle shop," Eve chimed in, "whose wife Betsey had her hair done yesterday..."

"...by me, of course," Loretta added, "to which I told most of the other ladies, and so here we are!"

"See, Doc, how it's not my fault?" Mort wanted to make clear, his hands behind his back, as he rolled on his heels.

"Wellllll, then," Mayor Booth stated, "before you two lovebirds set off on your first date," he held out some champagne, "I think you need to join us for some bubbly, courtesy of the sheriff, here!"

"The sheriff, eh?" Seth looked accusingly back at Mort.

He smiled sheepishly, "Okay, maybe it was a little bit my fault," Mort sheepishly admitted as he brought out some plastic drink cups from behind his back.

Seth was still looking a bit shell-shocked with the intrusion.

"Why the tarnation-"

Jessica leaned in and said in a low voice, "Oh Seth! Maybe they could join us for one drink, don't you think? We'll have the rest of the day together!"

Once again Jessica was too accommodating. But Seth would do anything to please her.

He let out a long sigh, "I suppose, Jess. Although by the time we sail off, the fish will be enjoyin' their dinner!"

Jessica then addressed the crowd.

"I think," she announced, as everyone listened attentively, "that we would love to celebrate our first date with all our dear friends! Why don't you join us on board for a quick bon voyage drink?"

Everyone cheered.

#

Their friends had boarded and stood at the stern area of the boat . Surprisingly, Seth told them not to pop open the champagne. He then disappeared into the cabin of the boat. When he appeared again, he had a familiar bottle in his hands.

"Mort, pass out the glasses," Seth declared, as he displayed a familiar bottle, "I would like our friends to toast this with us!"

Mort looked shocked, as well as Jessica.

In Seth's hand was the Judge's priceless whiskey, the one that he had inherited.

"Doc, you're actually going to drink that expensive bottle of whisky?" Mort asked, "Isn't it worth about a million and half dollars?"

Eve swooned, "A million and a half dollars? I'd have to sell quite a bit of property to get to that amount!"

"And I'd have to book a lot of travel tours," Phyllis added.

Loretta questioned, "How about all the hairstyles I'd have to work on?"

"Or you could donate it to the city, if you wanted to, Doc Hazlitt," Mayor Booth shrewdly suggested.

But Seth would not be deterred.

"I'm goin' pour each of you a dram of this fine drink," he stated with certainty, "then we'll give a toast to honor my good friends of long ago. When we are through celebratin', each of you will depart from here and pass this story along and it will be part of the Cabot Cove folklore forever!"

"Seth, that's brilliant!" Jessica agreed, while everyone clapped and cheered.

And when the drinks were poured, and Seth had honored each and every one of his fraternity brothers, the good folks of Cabot Cove departed from the boat, just as they had promised.

.

Once back on the shore the Cabot Cove friends waved their final goodbyes to Seth and Jessica. After untying the bowline, Jessica and Seth stood at the back of the boat waving.

"Goodbye!" Jessica waved to her friends, thinking there is no other place she'd rather live then Cabot Cove. And now with Seth by her side, she was guaranteed happiness for a lifetime.

"Goodbye you two!"

"Bye Jess! So long, Seth!"

"Have a good trip!"

"See ya!"

"Save some fish for me!"

Everyone had a different way of saying good bye.

"Hope you catch the biggest fish!" Mort yelled out.

Jessica waved most enthusiastically at her friend, "Thank you, Mort!"

"See you when you get back!" he shouted out, "And don't you worry..."

"Worry?" Jessica questioned, looking baffled, "Worry about what?"

But Seth had already untied the lines and then he had gone to the bow of the boat to start the engine. Mort cupped his hands to make sure Jessica heard.

"Don't you worry, Mrs. F," Mort stated happily, "We'll ALL be here when you get back!"

"You'll all be here?" Jessica looked confused, "But why...?"

VVVVRRRRRRRRRR...

The sound of the boat's engine drowns out the rest of Jessica's words as everyone gives one more large, goodbye wave as the boat pulls out of the dock.

(Start of theme music:)*Doo doo doo doo-doo *

*Freeze frame of Jessica with a look of bafflement*

*Doo*.

.

.

And that's it! Thank you everyone, I had so much fun writing these two stories! However, it is time to stop typing and writing. I will just have to get my MSW fix by being a reader! It was nice 'meeting' a few of you! There are so many wonderful people here. Goodbye and much love to everyone, POTM