The Swear Jar (11 page)

“I made Meara nervous,” said
Duncan.

“How did you manage that?” asked
Ben, genuinely astonished.

“I asked her out on a date,” Duncan
replied, grinning impishly.

“Good shot, Duncan,” Ben said.  “I
liked you the first minute I met you.  That doesn’t explain how you got the
paint out of her eye.  You must be a miracle worker.”

“It’s a librarian’s trade secret,”
replied Duncan.  “I owe Meara dinner.  Have you had dinner yet?”

Chapter Twelve

“As a matter of fact, no.  We
debated and decided on pizza.  You should be our guest.  You were so kind as to
bring Meara home after she spazzed out,” chuckled Diana as she got up off the
couch.

“I feel this is my fault.  Meara
did such a great job today.  I wanted to thank her.  Let me order pizza for
everyone,” said Duncan.

“Do you see, Meara?  Making the
poor man feel guilty!  What do you have to say for yourself?” asked Ben,
wagging a finger at her.

“Duncan, it wasn’t your fault.  I’m
a klutz.  It was my fault.  You don’t have to feed my entire family out of
guilt!” said Meara.

“Here’s the deal, Duncan.  We
haven’t found a good pizza place yet.  How about you order the pizza from your
favorite place and we’ll pay for it?  Anne can eat enough pizza to wipe out a
whole month’s salary,” Diana laughed.

“Deal,” Duncan said.  “Next time,
it’s on me.”

“Is this your first date then?”
asked Anne.

Meara wished the floor would open up
and swallow her.  She wanted to kill Anne.  Meara shrank back against the couch
cushions.

Duncan smiled.  “Anne, your aunt
and I will discuss that later.   Let’s call this a group date.  Who wants
soda?”

Meara’s hand shot up.  “I do!”

Ben, Diana and Anne were shocked. 
Meara tried to smile sweetly, but she had an evil grin.

“Absolutely not!” Diana cried.  “Do
we look crazy?”

“What am I missing?” Duncan asked
Anne.

Anne replied, “Aunt Meara’s not
allowed to caffeinated beverages after 7pm.  It makes her hyper and she bounces
off the walls.”

“I’m glad I’m learning this before
our first date.”

“You people are SO funny,” said
Meara.  “You people are SO lucky I can’t get up.”

Duncan said, “Anne, your aunt
should come with a manual.”

Anne chirped up.  “She does! I’ll
go get it and be right back.”

“I’ll call for pizza and no soda
for Meara, got it,” Duncan laughed, not looking at Meara.

“I’ll get the plates, cups and
napkins,” said Ben.

“I’ll get some Tylenol for her
majesty,” Diana chuckled.

Meara grimaced.  “And I’ll be right
where you left me.  In pain, hungry and cranky.”

Diana returned with Tylenol and a
glass of water.  “Here you go, big baby.  What’s this about a date?”

Meara lowered her voice.  “The
group was supposed to have pizza, but we didn’t.  Duncan and I were left
alone.  I went up the ladder and he asked me out.  I got nervous and fell.  I
couldn’t help it.”

Ben and Diana set up the coffee
table for dinner.  Ben grabbed Meara’s throw pillows and placed them around the
table.  He set Duncan’s place next to her on the couch.  She glared while Ben feigned
innocence.  Having called the pizzeria from his cell phone, Duncan returned
from the kitchen.

“Duncan, can you keep Meara quiet? 
I’m going to get her a doctor’s appointment for tomorrow.  If she twitches,
work your magic on her.”

“Doctor?  Appointment?  What?”  Meara
sputtered.

“Now Meara, let Diana call.  That
ankle looks pretty awful.  You should have it checked,” Duncan said, lowering
his voice to a seductive growl when they were alone.  “Do you want me to spank
you in front of your family?”

“No, Duncan,” squeaked Meara.  “You
won’t tell them, will you?”

“I won’t tell them.  It’s our
secret.  I do hope it’s only my magic that works on you.”

“Yes, Duncan.  It’s only your
magic.”

He kissed her dimple.  “Good.”

Anne ran into the house.  She was carrying
two spiral notebooks, one new and pink, and the other battered and dark blue. 
Anne bounced onto the couch next to Duncan and Meara.  Diana and Ben came over
to see what Anne had brought.  Diana recognized the pink notebook as Anne’s. 
Diana didn’t recognize the dark blue one.  Standing behind Anne to get a better
look, Diana froze when she saw the handwriting.  Anne put her finger on the top
line of text.

“I have it right here.  The Rules
of Meara Martin.  She comes with a manual!” Anne said excitedly.  “DO NOT give
her caffeine.  DO NOT give her diary products.  DO NOT let her use a ladder. 
DO NOT attempt to touch her or hug her.  DO NOT say she can’t do something
since she will take it as a personal challenge and do it anyway.  DO NOT pass
up a chance to tease her since she hates to be teased.  It’s fun to watch her
get mad, but if she stops talking, run.”

Meara asked
quietly, “My whole life has been reduced to six rules?”

She struggled to
be light-hearted.  Duncan slipped his hand into hers and squeezed.  She
returned the pressure and heaved a small sigh.

“There’s one more
on the next page,” Anne said, oblivious to Meara’s discomfort.

“What’s the final
nail in my coffin?  This has turned into the day from Hell,” Meara said.  “And
before you say anything about owing you money, put it on my tab.”

“The seventh rule
is DO NOT upset the intricately balanced, complex creature that is Meara. 
The
best thing to do is let Meara be Meara.  She’s too difficult to fathom,
” Anne grinned.

Meara could
hardly breathe.  “Anne, did you write that yourself or did you have help?  The
vocabulary is impressive.”

“I had some
help.  And there was the thesaurus you gave me for Christmas,” Anne said.  “You
see, Mr. Phillips, Aunt Meara does have her own manual.”

“I see, Anne,”
Duncan said quietly.  “I believe in rules.  Rules keep you safe or help guide
you.  But sometimes, rules need to be challenged.  Sometimes they need to be
broken or changed.  I agree Meara should be Meara.  She’s worth getting to
know.  I hope to fathom her someday.”

The doorbell
rang.  The tension was broken.  Ben and Duncan went for the door.  Diana
grabbed Anne, pulling her towards Meara’s bedroom.  Meara wished she had a
dictionary because when Duncan said fathom, he had winked mischievously.  Her
heart had skipped a beat.  She wondered who had helped Anne with the rules,
especially the last one.  Ben and Duncan returned with the pizza and soda. 
Diana and Anne were in Meara’s bedroom with the door closed.

“What’s wrong,
Mom?” asked Anne.

“Anne, where did
you get that notebook?” Diana snapped.  “Who gave it to you?”

“It’s Uncle
Hank’s notebook,” Anne said.  “He gave it to me.  He knew I wanted to read.  He
thought this might help.  I wanted to read Uncle Hank’s things.  Why are you so
mad?”

“May I see the notebook?”
asked Diana with her hand out.

“Of course,” Anne
said. “What did I do wrong?”

“Aunt Meara and
Duncan are friends.  They might like each other.  She doesn’t need to come with
a set of rules.  Part of a relationship is finding out those things for yourself. 
Aunt Meara doesn’t need to be reminded of Uncle Hank while sitting next to
Duncan.  How many of the rules were yours and how many were Hank’s?”

“Uncle Hank and I
worked on most of them.  The last two were mostly his.  Why?”

“They might have
been funny when you and Hank worked on them, but they’re a little mean.  We
love Meara.  The last rule is totally Hank’s.  It even sounds like him.  I hope
Meara hasn’t figured that out.”

“Uncle Hank said
something not nice about Aunt Meara?” asked Anne, her face beginning to cloud.

“I’m saying Uncle
Hank wasn’t willing to understand her.  I hate to burst your bubble about Uncle
Hank.  He was a nice guy, but sometimes he would hurt her feelings.  It was
hard for Meara when he wouldn’t listen to her.  And you know how I feel about
your Aunt Meara.”

“I do.  Should we
tell her about Uncle Hank’s notebook?” asked Anne, sniffling a little.

“Yes, but not
now.  She’s having a good time with Duncan.  Let’s not mess that up,” Diana
said, hugging Anne.  “It’s not your fault, Anne. Sometimes adults’ feelings are
a little more complicated than they look at first.”

“That’s what Aunt
Meara said.”

Diana frowned. 
“Anne, there are pages missing.”

“Uncle Hank wrote
something and ripped the pages out.  He put them in an envelope and sealed it. 
He wrote Aunt Meara’s name on it and gave it to me.”

“Did you ever
give it to her?”

“No.  He told me
to give it to her when she makes a big change in her life.  I haven’t seen any
big changes.”

“There may be
some big changes coming soon.  Let’s get back to the others.  Remember, don’t
say anything.  We will handle it some other time.”

They sat around the coffee table
and ate pizza.  Everyone was laughing and sharing news.  Anne chatted about her
summer camp.  Diana vented about a project at work that wasn’t going well.  Ben
talked about their upcoming trip to Spain.  Duncan hesitated, but the others
wanted him to share.  He explained how Sunday was his grandson John’s third
birthday.  Meara, Diana and Anne cooed when Duncan showed them John’s picture.

Meara said, “He has your smile.”

“Thank you,” Duncan said.  “What
are you up to this weekend, Meara?”

“It looks like I’m going to the
doctor tomorrow.  Unless you couldn’t get an appointment, Diana?” she asked
hopefully.

“I got you an appointment with Dr.
Wong,” Diana said.

“Dr. Wong?  She’s a gynecologist. 
What does she know about ankles?” she asked anxiously.

“It’s either Dr.  Wong or the
veterinarian.  It’s your choice.  Maybe we should get your rabies and distemper
shots updated just in case you decide to bite Duncan,” Diana smirked.

“Thank you, I appreciate it,”
Duncan chuckled.  “Any other plans, Meara?”

“I’m not getting far and it’s my
own fault.  I should clean up the paint at the library,” said Meara.

“Absolutely not,” he said.  “Keep
off that ankle all weekend.”

“See Diana!  I don’t need a
doctor.  Duncan’s got the right prescription.  Rest!” she exclaimed.

Diana shot Meara a withering look. 
Duncan recognized that look as similar to the one Anne had gotten the day they
met.  He was enjoying getting to know her family.  He didn’t want the night to
end.  With dinner over, Ben swept up the plates while Diana gathered the
leftover pizza and soda.  Anne asked to be excused to water the garden.  He was
left sitting with her on the couch.

“How’s your ankle?” he asked, holding
her hand.

“It’s a little better now with the
Tylenol.  Thank you for everything.  I don’t know what I would have done
without you, Sir Duncan,” she said shyly.

Diana picked up the throw pillows
and kissed Meara’s forehead.  Duncan stood up.  Ben and Diana shook his hand.

“We’re going now.  Ben and I will
pick up your Jeep in the morning.  We’ll keep Anne locked up tonight.  It was
good to finally meet you, Duncan.  We hope to see you again soon,” Diana said.

“It was nice meeting you too.  Anne
is a wonderful young lady,” he said.

“Thank you.  She’s also a handful,”
laughed Ben.

Once the front door was closed, Duncan
sat back down.  Meara shifted uneasily.  He slipped his hand into hers and
massaged her fingers.

“Duncan,” she said.

“Yes, Meara?” he asked
mischievously, pulling her closer until her head rested on his shoulder.  “Do
you want me to leave?”

“No.  We should talk about what
happened at the library.”

“When you fell off the ladder?”

“No, after that.”

“Bringing you home?”

“No, before that.”

“I don’t remember.  It’s been a
long day.  Remind me again what happened.”  He looked at her quizzically.

“You kissed me!”  She was
indignant.

“Did I?  I don’t remember that.”  His
eyes danced merrily.

She wrinkled her nose.  “You’re teasing
me, aren’t you?”

“A little.  I remember doing
this.”  He kissed her dimple.

“Yes, that’s what started it.  It
got a little fuzzy after that, but it started with a kiss.”

“What do you want to talk about?” 
He gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

“I think we should talk about
what’s happening.”

“You don’t like what’s happening?” 
He kissed her again and she returned the pressure.

“I do.  I don’t want to give you
the wrong impression.”

He pulled away, suddenly serious. 
“What do you mean?”

“You asked me out today.  Is that
right?”

“Yes, I did.”

“But we skipped the first date and
went for the first kiss, would you agree?”

“We did.”

“And a little more than the first
kiss, right?”

“Yes, I’ll agree with that.”

“Are we going too fast?  I don’t
want you to think.  I don’t know how to say it.  Can we slow down?”

“We’re not going too fast.  We’ve
know each other for two months.  We’ve worked together every day.  If the visit
to Maple Tree Farm was our first date, with Anne as chaperone, then kissing you
today wouldn’t be so hasty.  Tonight would be our second date, with your family
as chaperones.”  He kissed her.

“That’s true.  And you gave me
those lovely flowers on my first day.  You’ve been wooing me since the farm
trip, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I have.  You’re not the type
of woman who goes too fast.  I understand you’re cautious and old-fashioned.”
He kissed her again.

“I’m glad you understand.  One more
question.”  She held up her index finger.

“Yes, dear Meara.”  He nuzzled her
neck.

“You said you didn’t picture our first
time making love to be in a bathroom.  It’s made me a little nervous.  I’m not
ready for that.  I’m not sure what your expectations are.”