Page 20 of I'll Catch You
13
Claire
They saythat if you hate Mondays you should wake up at the same time every day. That means getting up early on Saturdays and Sundays. I wake up early every day. Mondays are nothing to me. I’ve never hated Mondays. And I certainly don’t hate thisone.
“More coffee?” Two of the fishermen from down at the market are here for breakfast this morning. I don’t know if they’ve been in here at all in the last year. It’s almost like putting out good energy is making good energy come back to me. The bare necessities, and all that. I’ve got everything that I need. I’ve got Cassie, Mike, Brynn, my bag of old fries and now I havePeter.
I take a deep breath as I look out to the little road that goes past Crabby’s. I have Peter. He’s my man. I shake my head. I don’t get what’s come over me. It’s a small, warm feeling inside, but it’s big and vast at the same time. It makes no sense, but it’smine.
The sun is shining. The water is clear. There isn’t a cloud in the sky. It’s going to be a goodday.
I go back behind the counter and look over at Cassie. She gives me a small smile and a deferentialnod.
“What’s gotten into you?” I ask her, slapping her butt gently with the towel hooked onto myapron.
“Nothing.” Now she gives me a terse smile like she’s cooking something up or like she’s on tome.
The rest of the day goes by in a breeze. There aren’t many customers, but I’m not bored. There’s not much to do, but I feel okay. When it’s time to close up I pack up a couple of dishes of fish and chips and I drive Cassie home. Then I make my way over to the house Peter is renting. There is lightness under my heels and when I knock on the door, he’s already pulling it open, taking the takeout bag from me, and pulling me into hisarms.
“What’s gotten into you?” I laugh as he crushes his lips to mine. He hitches my legs up and wraps them around his waist, taking me over to the couch facing the big picture window in the livingroom.
“You’ve gotten into me, Claire,” he says as he keeps kissing me. He kissing me and kissing me so much that I have to come up for air at somepoint.
“You’ve gotten into me too, Peter,” I sigh as my chest shudders against his. He pulls me against his big, strong body. I never want to let go of him. I never want him to leave. I feel like I’ve been born again, given a second chance, like he was swimming past me at the exact second I needed himto.
“Claire,” he whispers, his voice tinged with tenderness, “I’m falling in love with you. I want to be with you. And I’m not asking you to marry me right this second. But I am asking you to open up your heart and let me in. And if you can’t, then I intend on making your heart so damn full of affection for me that it gets big enough to knock down those walls around your heart on its own. I know why they’re there. And I will wait forever for you. Whatever it takes, I’ve got you. If you fall, I’ll catch you. If you start to sink, I will lift you up. I’m more certain of that than I’ve ever been of anything else in mylife.”
I feel my voice lift out of me all on itsown.
“I’m falling in love with you too, Peter.” I smile, content in the wonder and awe of what’s happening to me. Tous. Suddenly, my world just got bigger. The walls around my heart are crumbling. “I think I started falling in love with you the second you put your hand onme.”
“I fell in love with you before I even knew your name,Claire.”
“This iscrazy.”
“I know it is. It iscrazy.”
“I don’t even know your last name. What’s your lastname?”
“Ames.”
“It suits you.” I cuddle up into hischest.
“It suits you too, Claire. Claire Ames. Damn. I like the sound ofthat.”
He puts my hand in his and puts his hand over myheart.
“You know I come with some extra parts, don’tyou?”
“I am well aware. I look forward to getting to know thembetter.”
I sigh. Not everything’s perfect yet. But now I know what path I’m on. I know where the ride is going to take me. I know the journey won’t always be easy. But I know who will be there with me to take theride.
“I know you’re going to do good things with the restaurant. I can’t believe I’m selling. Wow. And I can’t believe I’m so confident that you’re going to take care ofit.”
“Me?” He shakes his head. “No, babe. We are going to take care of it.Together.”
Before I can reply, he presses his lips to mine again. Then he flips me onto the couch and I can’t help but laugh as my back hits the cushions. Peter kisses down my stomach to the edge of my panties and I reach up to unleash hiscock.
