Jimmy carefully positioned the overflowing net of fish over the large bin on his fishing trawler before pulling the cord to dump the fish into the bin. After shaking all of the fish out of the net and tossing the escapist fish that had fallen out onto the deck, he examined the catch. He frowned in disappointment. While his net had been overflowing, his total catch for the day was dismal. He was hovering just below the halfway mark on the large bin he used for storing the fish while awaiting transport to the marina. Looking up into the sky, he marked the sun's position and exhaled a heavy sigh as he started pouring buckets of ice over the fish. There was no time for another run. Maggie wasn't going to be happy.
"Hey man, the fish just aren't out there today." Jimmy looked up and squinted into the direction of the setting sun. His best friend Shane was climbing on deck from where he had been working below. Shane stopped at the top of the stairs and gave Jimmy a funny look. "Everything alright?" Jimmy just shrugged his shoulders and gave Shane a weak smile before turning back to the ice bucket in his hands. He shook the remaining bit over the fish and smoothed the ice covering so that all the fish were preserved from the dry, salty air. He pulled the net off of the hook and folded it up before storing it in one of the few storage lockers that were bolted to the deck.
Jimmy wondered how long he could keep the news from Shane. It was only a matter of time before he heard it from somewhere else and he would know that Jimmy had known the whole time. Jimmy wasn't stupid. He knew that he had been dispirited the last few weeks and once Shane found out the reason why, he would never forgive Jimmy. When Jimmy himself had first heard, he had hardly known how to take it. In fact, now, a few weeks later, his mind was still coping with the unexpected news. Shane may have a rough, uncaring exterior, but Jimmy had known him for years. Shane was worried about him.
That day was burned into Jimmy's mind, much like the sun that day had burned into his flesh. It was as fresh and clear as if it had just happened yesterday. Regardless of the fact that it was only a memory, Jimmy felt the sensations as strongly as if he were living it over again now.
It was a hot day in mid-August and Jimmy and Shane had returned in the early afternoon with their biggest catch of the season. They had been forced to make for the marina much earlier in the day then they had planned for, but it was for the best of reasons. It had been a glorious day and the fishing bin had been so full that the ice covering them to protect them from the sun's harsh rays had been unnaturally thin, and whenever the Sea Jay had crested a steep wave, fish would flop out and slide across the deck. While Jimmy had been busy steering, Shane had run to and fro across the deck, tossing fish left and right, back into the bin until the next wave shook them loose again. After fifteen minutes of doing this, Shane gave up. He had crawled to the side of the fishing boat, hooked his arm around the rail for stability, popped the top on a beer and proceeded to drink the rest of the way back. Jimmy had laughed loudly and heartily as Shane had glared at him across the fish strewn deck.
When they had arrived back at the marina, both men had had to wade through fish scattered across the deck, ankle-deep. In order to preserve as many fish as possible, they had had to get to work quickly and efficiently to start loading the fish into their crates. While many of the fishermen hanging around nearby looked on enviously, Jimmy and Shane focused completely on their task. They made short work of it and only a couple of hours had elapsed when the majority of the crates were loaded into the back of Jimmy's truck, safely encased in ice and the rest were stashed in the locker that Jimmy rented at the fisherman's warehouse. Jimmy climbed into his truck and shifted it into gear. His destination…the Candlewick Inn.
The drive to the Candlewick was pleasant, although the sun's torturous rays beat down heavily upon him. Jimmy was fortunate that the route to the Inn wound alongside the forest's edge occasionally weaving within its strong exterior and kept the sun away from him for much of the journey. When he finally broke through the trees, he brought his truck to a stop. Even though he had been to the Candlewick many times before, the sight of it never ceased to amaze him. Especially now with the sun dipping towards the horizon, the light reflecting off the many windows dazzled the eye. Recollecting his mission, he put the truck into gear again and followed the small service road to the rear of the building, right up to the kitchen doors.
A quick knock on the doors alerted the staff to his arrival and the many kitchen chefs, chefs-in-training, busboys and kitchen assistants filed out the door to haul in the crates. Jimmy watched them fascinated. He and Shane had laughed on numerous occasions about the sheer number of Candlewick employees in the kitchen alone! After eating at the Candlewick a couple of times, Jimmy's lighthearted laughter at their former banter had diminished. The food was exquisite. He had had to hand it to Maggie. She knew what she was doing.
Once all of the crates had been hauled inside to sit on the counters while awaiting prep, Jimmy went in search of Maggie. He was due to meet up with Shane at The Cannery to shoot some pool and cool off after this blistering day. Knocking on Maggie's door, he received no answer. After knocking again and still getting no response, he opened the door and peeked into the office. Empty. Groaning at his cursed luck that had him waiting on Maggie, he collapsed onto a chair in the hallway outside of the office. He knew Maggie would verbally whip him if he presumed to walk about the Inn in his fishy smelling clothing with slight remnants of fish guts still on his pants.
He didn't have to wait long as Maggie's voice preceded her figure around the corner. He was standing patiently by her door, when she appeared and she gave him a bright smile as she hastened to open the door and usher him in. Once inside, Jimmy set the invoice in front of her. She glanced down the list and then grabbed a pen to sign.
"I know that this is probably late notice, but I'll need one more delivery the second week of September," Maggie told him as she put the finishing flourish on her signature.
Jimmy's face screwed up in confusion as he eyed Maggie with skepticism. "The tourist season is over with by then. What do you need another load for?"
Jimmy almost wished he hadn't asked as Maggie fixed him with an annoyed expression. "I am well aware that the tourist season is usually over with by then, but the Candlewick is hosting a large wedding party the third week in September, so I'll need another load, though smaller, to be delivered on," she paused as she flipped up the large calendar on her desk to eye the next month, "hmmm…Saturday the 13th. That's one week before the wedding and two days before the party arrives." She looked up at him and waited for his response. Jimmy didn't know what to say. He had followed her gaze to the month of September, had followed her finger as moved it across the second week of the month, had followed it as it tapped twice on Saturday the 13th before moving down to Saturday the 20th, had looked with astonishment at the words scrawled upon Saturday the 20th…"The Dunn/Wellington Wedding." Dunn/Wellington. Henry Dunn and Trish Wellington. They were getting married. Here. On the island. That might mean…
He shook his head. "Yeah," he replied slowly, "that shouldn't be a problem. The catch might not be as good, but we'll do something. We wouldn't want to disappoint your guests…" he trailed off as he noticed Maggie was eyeing him with apprehension. He realized that he had been rambling, so he attempted to change the subject. He had to know. "So, this wedding. Anyone we're acquainted with?"
"Perhaps," she replied, taking care to let the calendar fall back into place, neatly on her desk. "Why do you want to know?"
Jimmy decided to play a risky card and cater to her love of the Candlewick in order to get the information from her. "It's just that, being the off season, I didn't think anyone would plan a wedding here, but I suppose that could be just what the happy couple desires. Seclusion and lack of tourists in order that the efficient and well-oiled machine that is the Candlewick can properly cater to their every need. Besides, with your normal clientele, I can only guess that it would be someone wealthy enough to make it worth your while. Someone who obviously knows where to find quality service…" Jimmy mentally kicked himself. He was so bad at this whole kissing-up thing.
It appeared that he had met with success, though. Maggie beamed at Jimmy's reference to her employees and the efficiency of the Candlewick quickly answered his question. "It's none other than Mr. Thomas Wellington's youngest daughter getting married to none other than our very own Henry Dunn. Well, I guess he isn't quite 'our very own,' but he came here so often during childhood that I often think of him as one of us."
"Wow!" Jimmy said, trying to put as much enthusiasm as he could muster into his voice. "That's quite the wedding announcement. I expect they're going to try and share it with many of their closest friends." Jimmy stopped. He wasn't sure if there was any roundabout way to ask what he so desperately sought to discover. Luckily, Maggie saved him from his nervous fretting.
Gazing at him intently with a sly look in her eye, she smiled mischievously at him. "I know what you're after Mr. Mance and the answer is…possibly. While Abby Mills is on the guest list, her decision to attend the wedding has not been verified as of yet."
Despite the conflicting feelings that he would be faced with in the coming weeks, Jimmy couldn't help grinning like an idiot right then. He quickly changed his expression to one more neutral when Maggie cleared her throat in an attempt to bring Jimmy out of his reverie. He flashed a quick smile at her, his classic 'Jimmy smile' before excusing himself and escaping the office and the Inn.
During the intervening weeks, Jimmy's emotions had taken him on quite the wild rollercoaster ride. Even now, on the Saturday he was to deliver the requested load of fish to the Candlewick, he still couldn't trust his feelings. He had made up his mind the night before to hurt Abby the way she had hurt him. He would appear friendly to her, but he would prove to her that Jimmy was so over Abby. She meant nothing to him. It was going to be easy. A piece of cake.