His fooled cheat

Chapter 4

“I’m glad you’re back. Now, let’s have some tea and we can figure out what it is you want to do.” My Mom is all smiles as she takes my bag and pulls me in through the front door.

I wonder if she has as much interest in her own love life as she does in mine. My Mom is still very attractive. I don’t even know what she does on weekends and I realise that I don’t know her as well as I should. My Dad’s passing was sudden. I don’t remember much of his illness, but it was all so fast. I remember my parents sitting me down to tell me he was very ill, but everything after that was a blur. In fact, I tried not to think about it too much.

That was when my friendship with David had developed. We had bonded over my Dad’s hockey memorabilia we had out on the sidewalk after Mom insisted we do a garage sale. He had bought everything hockey related from our sale and then started calling round to ask me to watch games at his place. Sadly, I wasn’t as much of a hockey nut as he’d thought. When he eventually realised this, we were as thick as thieves.

I loved going around to the Cleary’s. They were a typical American-Irish family. David’s mom was an amazing cook, who stayed home to raise her kids and his dad owned pub in Portland. Jamie was a senior when we had started hanging out in our Freshman year of high school and had always seemed quiet and withdrawn from the family. Ginny on the other hand was always following us around and hero-worshipped David.

I think I fell for David the minute he spoke to me. His eyes were always so kind and he had the worst jokes on offer for anyone who was down! I would always tease him that he told ‘dad jokes’. David was the guy you could take home. Everyone loved him. Clearly. I think Marie knew what a catch he was. It hurt to think that she could do what she did to him. You would have to have no conscience or just really be ruthless to ruin someone’s life that way.

My Mom decides that it would be a good idea to go and have ice cream in town after our dinner. A week ago, I would have declined, but somehow, I find myself excited at the prospect. We are sitting down at the small gelato café, enjoying two monstrous sundaes, when my mother gets up as she smiles at someone behind me. I turn around to see one of my high school teachers, Mr Richards.

“Ken, hi!” she beams. The way she is smiling, is simply idiotic.

“Hi Carol. That’s quite a sundae.” He sounds like a shy teenager.

“Uh, yeah. Us girls are just out on the town, with our sundaes.” I feel my mother is killing the conversation with awkward and also sounding like the worst versed English teacher in history!

“Why don’t you join us?” I ask, turning to face Mr Richards. “Hi; Holly Forbes.” And extend my hand in greeting.

“No, I shouldn’t impose. You two enjoy.” With that, he mumbles what sounds like goodbye to my Mom and rushes off.

She groans as she stuffs a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

“Your game is horrible!” I laugh.

“And yours is in top form?” she teases back.

Normally, I would have fumed at her comment, but I manage to laugh and realise we have been missing out on moments like these.

We spend the next half hour at the café and then work off the extra calories by strolling down the main street. It turns out Mom and Mr Richards had been out on one date, but he never called again, even though he makes a point of talking to her at every chance he gets while at work.

“Maybe he’s shy?”

“I don’t think its that. I think he’s put off by me. You know how out there I am. I am in my late forties! I don’t have time for shy.”

“It’ll happen, Mom. Look at me, I haven’t dated since high school. Well, I have gone on dates, but nothing serious, but I think my time will come.” I say this, but with fingers crossed.

“You need to make that call you know.” She is talking about David and I know I have to do it, but I don’t have an idea of where we start.

“Do you think its worth the effort? I mean, do you think two people could still have a connection after so long?”

She hooks arms with me, “Oh honey, of course. If you make the effort and there is a spark, it’ll be worth it.”

I decide not to call David directly, but meet up with Ginny at Archie’s the next evening. She is off duty and has casually invited David along. He has Hope for the night, but agrees to meet for one drink while she stays with their parents.

“Does he know I’m here?”

“He doesn’t, no.” she is giddy with excitement and can’t seem to sit still.

“So, what if he leaves when he sees me?”

“Well, then we know, but he won’t because he’s David.”

“OK, well do you think you could, you know-“

“You mean, leave when he gets here? Sure, but I want to know everything!”

I am a nervous wreck and the whisky I am drinking is doing nothing to calm me down. The time one drink will take, won’t be enough for what I have to say, or maybe it will. I don’t know. I feel unsure of myself and can’t focus. I get up from the table, liquid courage giving way to panic, “Ginny, I can’t do this.”

“Yes, you can!”

“No, I can’t.”

We go back and forth until Ginny stops and grabs me by the wrist, “Well, you have to, because he’s here.”

I look to the double doors to my right and there he is. He’s wearing a white v-neck t-shirt and blue jeans. He has his hands shoved into his pockets and spots us. Ginny is waving him over, while I nervously try to find the edge of the table to hold onto.

“Holly, what are you doing here?”

“Hi. Uh, I, I came to visit my Mom and-“

“I invited her. In fact, I arranged this.” Ginny says curtly. “Sit.”

We both sit down. David, next to Ginny and me, across the booth. None of us say anything. My hands start clamming up and my mouth is strangely dry. I quickly gulp some whisky.

“You OK?” he asks.

“Me? Yeah, peachy keen.” Peachy keen? I am mentally scolding myself. He looks amazing. So effortlessly amazing.

“David, Holly; you two sort this out. I am off. I have a niece at home, who I promised to watch some Sam and Cat reruns with.”

With that, she leaves us to ourselves. David shakes his head, “I had no idea, I’m sorry. If you want, you can leave.”

“She didn’t arrange this.” I say quietly.

“Excuse me?”

“I said, Ginny didn’t arrange this. I did. Well, I asked her to.”

“Why?”

This is not the way I imagined our first conversation to go. I didn’t expect a parade, but I didn’t think he would be so blunt.

“David, I think there are some things we should talk about.” My voice is small and I feel like I am slipping back into my shell.

“No. I think you made it quite clear where I stood when you left. Also, when you started dating Jamie.”

“I am not dating Jamie. In fact, never have. Yes, he kissed me. That was when I bumped into you on my way out here last week.”

He looks me directly in the eyes, “Holly, look, we are in such different places. I have a daughter and I can’t screw up there. I am lucky Marie even allows me to still see her. I know I hurt you and I can never change that, but I can’t involve you in this.”

“I don’t understand. You looked for me. Ginny told me.” I am completely taken aback by his attitude.

“That was a few years back. Where do we pick up? Where we left off? I can’t make up the last decade. I can’t take back what happened. Marie is a constant in my life because of Hope. Can you deal with that?” he looks frustrated when he mentions Marie’s name.

I decide to humiliate myself further, “Look, everyone has told me I’d be a fool if I didn’t try and speak to you again. I don’t know how to pick up where we left off. Hell, I don’t know if we can, but I do know that I’d be lying if I told you I haven’t thought of you in the last decade.”

“Maybe you should move on, Holly.” The words cut through me and I feel rejected by this man once again.

Maybe he’s right. We wouldn’t know where to start. I have been a complete i***t, but at least I tried. Before I get up to leave, he reaches out for my hand, “I never meant to hurt you. You know that, right?”

“I know, but you’re doing it again anyway.”

“Holly, I am a mess. I don’t know what I could give you.” He says this quietly. His hand touching mine sends sparks through my body and reminds me of a time long gone.

“David, I don’t want to take anything from you. You don’t think I’m a mess? I never moved on and I don’t think I can, unless I know I’ve closed the book on us.” I surprise myself with my fluid honesty.

He pulls me into the booth so that we’re sitting next to each other, still holding hands. He leans his forehead against mine and closes his eyes, “I don’t think I’ve stopped thinking about you.”

“We can work through this slowly. No rush.”

“What if it doesn’t work?”

“We won’t know unless we try, David.”

He suddenly pulls his head back and shakes it, “Could you accept my life as it is now? I mean, with Hope and Marie’s tight reins?”

I squeeze his hand a bit tighter, “I am willing to try.”

“I don’t want to hurt you and I don’t want Hope getting hurt either. You’ve gotta understand, I haven’t introduced her to any other women.”

“Surely, you’ve dated after Marie.” I can’t picture David not dating. He was such a catch and I can’t imagine him being single for long after his divorce.

“Believe it or not, I have probably gone on a handful of dates. Nothing serious, just casual dates. I think its tougher when you have a kid. I need to be sure of someone before involving them in my life.” I always knew David would make an amazing dad someday, but I somehow imagined it would have been with me.

My selfish thoughts quickly give way when his phone rings. He lets go of my hand and our spell is broken. I try not to listen to his conversation, which seems to be work. It lasts for about another couple of minutes or so. I get up from my seat next to him and slide into the opposite seat.

“Sorry. It was the Stage Neck Inn manager. We did the work on their bar. One of the beams isn’t satisfactory it seems and I need to go out to Portland first thing in the morning. Could we do this another time?”

What feels like a brush-off is quickly explained further, “I’m not trying to make excuses. Its just, my reputation is what keeps business flowing. What I meant to ask was, could we do this again?”

I can’t hide my smile, “Sure. I’ll be here until next week.”

“We could do dinner?”

“Yeah, let’s.”

“Or we could do the drinks thing again.” He quickly adds.

I catch the hint and realise we aren’t anywhere near dinner dates, “Totally. I’m up for whatever.” Could I sound more pathetic?

He gets up before I do and then almost as if it was an everyday thing, he slips a hand around my head, through my hair and kisses me on the forehead, “I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah. See you around.” In that moment, I try to take in everything I possibly can about David; his smell, the hardness of his chest, the size of his hands, the way his lips gently brush my skin and how his free hand casually strokes mine. Talk about confusing!

I swear I stand there for another minute, trying to gather my wits, which are up in the air, on the floor and some are out the door with that amazing specimen of a man.

The weekend passes by and I don’t hear a thing from David or even Ginny. I don’t want to call her and ask if she’s heard anything from him. In fact, I don’t need to because by late the Sunday evening, my Mother happens to mention her.

“Oh, I saw Ginny at the harbour. She says she’s been in Portland, but will call you this week. You two spending time together now?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“She’s nice. I know she was involved with some guy in Portland not too long ago, but the poor girl seems to be stuck here.”

“Work’s not that easy to find I guess.”

“Yeah, I guess. Speaking of work, I have a dinner tomorrow with some colleagues. You OK to see to dinner for yourself?”

I laugh at my Mom, “Sure, last time I checked, I could put together a sandwich.”

“OK, OK! You can look after yourself, I get it.”

“Any chance Ken Richards is going?”

“He is the only reason I am going. I plan on asking that man what his story is!” My Mom shakes her head, “Am I too old for this or what?”

“Nah, you’re just going after what you want.” I am glad we are talking about her and not me. I think she is scared I’ll snap at her. I think of telling her a little bit about my meeting with David, but somehow, I feel like I shouldn’t share just yet.

“You’ll find your happiness, I know it honey.”

“I know.”

I meet with Ginny for lunch at the harbour, she is effortlessly pretty in cream crocheted shorts and a coral vest. Her blond hair is a cute tousled mess. I try not to say anything relating to Saturday night’s event first and wait for her to mention it. Ginny however, is tip-toeing around it and doesn’t ask me a thing.

“Ginny!” I eventually relent.

“What?”

“Well? Did David say anything?”

I wait nervously as she pours herself some more tea, “Well, he did say it went OK.”

“OK?”

“Yeah.” She smiles, “He also said he would probably call you up before you left town.”

I smile like an i***t at the realisation we are all acting like high school kids. I guess I haven’t had this feeling since David in high school anyway.

“”I think we’re still in the friends phase of things and we might be stuck there for a while. I can understand though. David is worried about how it might affect Hope.”

“Yeah, Lord knows what Marie has told that kid.”

I hadn’t thought about that at all, “You think she would talk to Hope about things that grown up?”

“Totally.”

“Has she done it before?” I am starting to get what David meant about dealing with Marie.

“Well, Hope has definitely repeated some mean things. Like, she once asked my Mom why her grandparents called us Cleary’s good for nothing’s and what it meant.”

I sigh, “Oh God! Is that what I’m in for?”

“Look, hope is a great kid, when she spends more time with David.”

“Who has her most of the time?”

“Well, lately, David has had her about three weeks of the month. He thinks Marie is dating someone.”

“How does he feel about that?” I am literally crossing my fingers, hoping he is not bothered other than worrying about Hope’s well being.

“He’s just scared Hope is affected negatively, but other than that, he couldn’t be bothered.”

“Oh, alright. Do you think they’re completely over?”

“Who? David and Marie?” she laughs cynically, “Yeah, totally! That was over almost as soon as it began.”

I start to feel uncomfortable with the topic again and admit that I don’t want to hear about their past, but I know at some point I’ll have to face it full on to let it go.

“I don’t think you want to know it all, do you?” Ginny asks, almost as if reading my thoughts.

“No, I guess not just yet.”

“David never loved her, you know. There wasn’t time to fall for her and she never gave him reason to. My poor brother was completely miserable.” She sips her tea, “Look, I can’t lie to you and say they didn’t try, but it just never worked.”

“You said before that her parents paid for his studies.”

“Yeah. Architecture. He paid the Harpers back every cent though, once his business took off.”

“He has a firm?”

“Not an architectural one, no. He runs the biggest contracting company in Cape Elizabeth. David is amazing with his hands.”

I blush the colour of my red shirt I’m wearing, “Uhm, I wouldn’t know.”

We both start giggling and I am relieved at the lighter moment. We spend the rest of the early afternoon discussing the years that I’ve been away. Ginny tells me about her life in Portland while studying and her brief stint dating Cane.

“I can’t believe I liked that guy for so long. I literally pined after him from Freshman year high school to final year in college.” She shakes her head with a laugh, “Then, when we finally went on a few dates, I realised how much of high school boy he still was.”

“Wasn’t he pre-law at Yale?” I ask, remembering reading about the Ashby’s in the social pages.

“Yeah, dropped out and then went to MIT for Linguistics or Philosophy or something. Anyway, he dropped out of that too. We dated while he was partying in Portland.”

“A Degree would have been an accessory for him I guess.” I add

“Yeah, he eventually moved to New York, to work for his Dad. When he told me about David, I knew I had to end it.”

“I’m glad you did.” I say with a smile. I can’t imagine that relationship would have lasted much longer anyway, Cane being the rich spoilt boy he was.

“And you? You haven’t mentioned anyone special.” She says this with hope in her voice. Perhaps hope that my life wasn’t completely wasted.

“Not really, no. Maybe a date here and there, but nothing special. I just get so busy with work, I forget there’s a world out there.” That and the memory of David that kept me locked away.

“We should get out. As in, out of Cape Elizabeth. What do you think? Just us girls.”

I laugh, “Like what? A night out on the town?”

“Yeah, just like that!”

I shrug, “It could work I guess.”

“Yeah, it would. This Friday night?”

“I was kind of hoping I could see David this Friday. Maybe Thursday?” I had decided to ask David if we could hang out the Friday evening. I just had to find the courage to pick up the phone.

The days pass by fairly quickly and with ease. I also happen to muster up enough confidence to text David. His reply to me is actually pleasant.

*I have nothing, but errands on Friday, so we could even meet earlier. Looking forward to it.*

I couldn't smile any bigger at that point.