Page 51 of A Thistle Beyond Time
“I’ve not had any of those things before. ’Tis verra good.”
“Actually, you have. You tasted mine at the karaoke bar, remember? It didn’t have the grenadine, though.”
Their calamari arrived and Cormac examined it quite carefully, poking it with his fork as if he expected it to jump off the plate. “What is this calamari?” he asked.
“It’s squid. A little tiny octopus,” Jenna explained. When Cormac still looked puzzled, she spoke again. “Never had it before, huh?”
“Nae, I havnae.” He looked very uncertain, picking one up between his fingers.
“Here, dip it in the sauce.” Jenna showed him what she meant, dipping a piece of calamari in the sauce before she popped it in her mouth. “I like the tentacles the best,” she smiled.
“Tentacles?” Cormac asked, following her lead and indulging in his first calamari.
“The little squiggly things.” She picked one up and showed it to him. “What do you think? Do you love them?”
“Aye. They are verra good. The cook at Breaghacraig has never made anything such as this.”
“You’ve been missing out,” Jenna teased. Cormac continued devouring the calamari, much to Jenna’s delight. She was happy to share some new experiences with him – and even happier that he was enjoying it.
Their main course arrived and plates were set in front them, along with a basket of freshly baked bread for the table. Jenna once again observed Cormac looking totally confused by the food. He turned his attention to her and said, “I recognize the seafood, but what is this?” He picked up a strand of pasta.
“It’s pasta. Your cook doesn’t make this either, does she?” Jenna shook her head. “No, don’t bother to answer the question. I get it. This is all new to you. Let me show you how to eat it.” Jenna took her fork and spoon and showed Cormac how to twirl the pasta onto the fork. He gave it a try and failed miserably. “Keep trying. You’ll get the hang of it,” she giggled.
Determination was written all over Cormac’s face as he went to work mastering the pasta twirl. After a few tries, he was finally getting the pasta from the plate to his mouth without dropping it and he appeared to be enjoying it very much. As she ate, Jenna kept checking on Cormac to see if he needed any help, but based on how quickly the food disappeared from his plate, she didn’t think he was struggling. When she was full, she offered him the rest of hers and he gladly accepted. It vanished in a heartbeat.
Jenna paid the check and said goodbye to Casey as they left. “Thanks, Casey. Everything was great.”
“Hope to see you in here again soon,” Casey replied, as Jenna and Cormac made their way out the door.
“Let’s walk around a little and then stop for some ice cream or candy – or both,” Jenna smiled. She took Cormac’s arm and snuggled up close to him as they walked along the waterfront towards the more touristy shopping area. “It’s pretty busy tonight,” Jenna observed. Cormac didn’t seem to hear her; he was so busy trying to look around at everything at once. She pulled on his arm to gain his attention and he stopped walking and turned to her. Jenna took a deep breath before she spoke. “Cormac, what would you think about staying here with me?” she asked cautiously.
His expression dropped, and she saw the indelible sadness on his face. “Jenna, I cannae stay. I want to be with ye, but I dinnae belong here. I must return home to my family, I am needed there.” She knew he was speaking from the heart. It was obvious from his demeanor that he wanted to stay, but he simply couldn’t. Disappointment and heartbreak washed over her like the waves at Mavericks. “I’m so sorry, Jenna. I believe I have fallen in love with ye in this short time I’ve been given to spend here. Edna was right. Ye are the one for me, and I will spend the rest of me days regretting the loss of what could have been. I have asked you to come back with me, but ye willnae.”
Jenna wanted to cry on hearing that he’d fallen in love with her. Life was full of cruel surprises. Cormac arrived in her life in a less than conventional way and he had grown on her. At first she was snarky and rude to him, but he never let that stop him from wanting to be with her. Now, she was going to have to say goodbye to him, just when she was understanding that she loved him too. Could she just pick up and leave? No, of course not. What did she really know about him? When she thought about it, not much more than he had presented to her. She couldn’t go. She had to know him better before she could possibly make such a monumental decision, be sure she wasn’t going to regret it as she had with Jonathan.
“Jenna, look at me.” Cormac held her face in his hands. “Please, come with me.”
“Cormac, I don’t trust myself to make good choices when it comes to men. Past experience has shown me that I’m pretty bad at it. I know everything seems perfect right in this moment, but what about a week from now, or a year from now. I just can’t do it.” She felt tears pricking at her lashes and brushed them away before Cormac could see them.
Cormac gazed down into her eyes. “Have faith, love. All will be as it should be.”
Jenna rolled her eyes skyward. What was this New Age mumbo jumbo he was spouting? She knew better than to put her faith in love. It could really come back to bite you in the butt. They continued walking and found themselves in front of the ice cream shop. Putting aside their situation for the moment, they decided to share a cone, which meant that Cormac got most of it. Not that Jenna minded, she was feeling a bit out of sorts and didn’t have much of an appetite left, even for ice cream. Next stop was the candy shop. “Cormac, let’s go buy some candy, for you to take back for the little ones,” Jenna suggested.
“Jenna, I have no money to buy it and I cannae ask you to spend more money on me than ye already have.”
“I want to do it. You can tell them it’s a gift from me.”
Cormac pulled her close and placed a kiss on top of her head. “Ye are a sweet one. They’ll be verra happy.”
“Let’s go then,” Jenna smiled, trying to be as cheerful as possible, even though she was struggling internally.
The candy shop was full of families buying candy, which only saddened Jenna even more. She couldn’t help but remember her time spent here with the Moores. All these happy people made her wonder, if she would ever have a family herself. She found herself thinking about Cormac and what a great Dad he would be. The fantasy of happily-ever-after was calling to her. Mentally she shook her head, knowing she’d better not listen.
Jenna picked up a basket at the front of the store and led Cormac around, explaining what all the different candies were. He picked a little bit of everything – lollipops, chocolate, jellybeans, and taffy. They came to a basket of peach gummy candies and Jenna said, “My friend Ashley and I used to come here whenever her family brought us to Sausalito. We always stocked up on candy, but Ashley’s favorites were these peach gummies.”
Cormac picked up one of the candies and examined it. “She really liked these best?” he asked, sounding strangely as if he knew Ashley and was surprised by this information.
“She sure did. She’d fill the basket as much as she possibly could, before her parents would tell her she had enough.”
