Biker's Virgin

It was her turn to roll her eyes. “Whatever — you’re so dramatic. You turned him down this time. There has to be some points in there for you, right?”

I fingered the side of my glass and wondered if I really wanted to admit my shame aloud. Finally, I said, “Um…probably not. I’m the one that came onto him. He turned me down. It was so humiliating.”

Carla was laughing so hard that she choked on her drink. The waiter she embarrassed earlier even came over to see if she was okay. I wanted to choke her myself. When she finally finished laughing, she said, “You go, Daph! Give the girl a taste of some man candy and she can’t get enough!”

In spite of myself, I smiled. It wasn’t like I hadn’t had that thought myself. I loved that crazy girl, but it really wasn’t helping me to talk about it. “Why don’t we change the subject?” I said.

She didn’t look like she wanted to, but she kindly agreed, “Okay…so what are we going to do this weekend?”

“I’m afraid we’re not in the big city anymore. There’s not a lot to do here; there are a few local bars, no big clubs, and there is a canoeing trip with the church tomorrow. It’s in Boston at the harbor. We can drive or take the church bus.”

Carla curled her lip. “All church people?”

“I do think that’s what I mean by ‘a church trip.’”

“Will Father Hot Pants be there?”

“Stop it, Carla! Just calling him that is a sin. But yes, I imagine he will be. Last I heard, there were going to be about 60 people there, though. I’m sure we could manage to not even have to talk to him. It’s something to do, but if you don’t want to…”

She got a sly smile on her face, and I knew what she was thinking. She wanted a look at Jace. “I didn’t say I didn’t want to go. Let’s do it. I don’t want to ride on the bus with the churchy people, though. You know my mouth can’t be still for that long. And, it’s not like they’re going to make me sit through mass, right?”

“No, you only do that when you’re hoping for a dramatic scene between a married man, his wife, and his lover.”

She picked up her margarita and said, “Here, here!” with a grin. She has no shame. It’s part of why I love her so much. I used to want to live vicariously through her. Lately, I’m living more on the edge than she does.

Chapter Twenty-One

Jace

It was a gorgeous day for canoeing. The weather was in the low 80s and the humidity was low; I woke up feeling better than I had since the day I found out that Grandma died.

Part of it was that canoeing was something that my brothers, my grandmother, and I all enjoyed and did together every chance we got. I love the Boston Harbor Islands. They’re great for camping, hiking, or just taking a day trip like we were that day.

I showed up early to World’s End where we would begin our trip. The church allowed me to use their large pick-up truck and trailer to bring up the boats and the other equipment we were going to need for our day trip. I stood in the center of the park and took in a deep breath of the dewy morning air.

The place was such a gem. World’s End is a park that’s part of the Boston Harbor Islands. It’s lovely just to walk through and there’s usually more than one artist with their easels set up, painting the gorgeous landscape of the harbor with the blue sky in the background.

I looked at my watch. It was still about an hour before everyone else was scheduled to start showing up. I started to unload the truck and I’d only gotten one boat out and dragged down to the water when my phone rang. It was Ryan.

“Hey, little bro; what’s up?”

“That’s what I want to know,” he said. “You dropped a couple of bombs on us the day we had lunch and then took off. I’ve tried to call you three times since. What gives?”

“Um…I really don’t have time right now…”

“Nope, no way. You’re not going to hang up on me and then not take my calls again for over a week. You said you got drunk and had sex. I want details.”

“Jesus, Ryan, I never should have said that.”

“Why? Is it not true?”

“No, it’s true…scary true.”

“Shit! My brother the priest is getting more action than me!” he laughed. This is exactly why he is the wrong person for me to talk to about it. He’s going to act like it’s a good thing.

“Ryan, this isn’t funny. This is worse than if I had a spouse and I cheated on her. I broke my vows to God and the Catholic Church.”

“Okay, you’re upset about it, I hear you. But Jace, here’s the deal: you’ve spent your whole life doing what everyone else thinks you’re supposed to do. You chose to be a priest because it’s what Grandma wanted you to do. You were the only one of us who is good enough and she knew it.”