17

A snowy January hurried by, full of cross-country skiing and cozy nights watching movies with Morris along with Sunday dinners either at home with her dad or out with his mom. It was a quiet life, the kind of life everyone settled into sooner or later.

Livi kept busy. And she stopped watching episodes of House Hunters International online. Really, she had better things to do with her time.

Like sending out thank-you notes to their Christmas from the Heart donors. She labored long and hard over the one to Guy Hightower. Ugh. What to say? Thanks for lying to me? For making a fool of me? Thanks for breaking my heart?

Except that had been a two-person project. She’d put her stupid heart out there to get broken.

She settled for pretending he was simply another donor and kept her handwritten note on a professional yet properly grateful level.

Dear Mr. Hightower, on behalf of Christmas from the Heart I’d like to thank you for your donation this past year. Please know that it made a difference in many lives.

She signed it with sincerely. There. Done.

Come February it was time to think about Valentines and love. She baked Morris’s favorite sugar cookies for the big day, cut out in the shape of hearts and frosted with pink frosting and he made reservations for them at Family Tree. She was surprised to learn that he’d invited Kate and Bettina and their men along.

“Thought you might want to make it a party,” he said.

A party. On Valentine’s Day? At the same restaurant they’d been to a million times. Actually, if he’d asked her she’d have said she would have loved to have gone someplace special, maybe over to Schwangau, the fancy restaurant in the nearby Bavarian town of Icicle Falls. But oh well.

The restaurant was running a surf and turf special. That explained it, thought Livi.

“No offense or anything,” Kate said to her, “but I hadn’t planned on spending Valentine’s Day with you. I thought it would just be Tom and me and he’d be taking me into Seattle or at least as far as Everett. Someplace special.”

“You should insist,” Livi said.

“I did. He told me he’s got something special planned for the next night. So what do you think the guys are up to?”

“Who knows? At least they’re up to something.”

And so what if she wasn’t going to be at a fancy restaurant? Who cared if Morris hadn’t planned anything glamorous and exotic? She hadn’t exactly made big plans for him, either. All she’d done was bake him cookies.

At least he was doing something and that was what counted. It wasn’t about where you went but about who you were with.

Livi decided to make the night special with her red dress and red heels. And red lipstick—Red Razzle, brand-new from the drugstore’s cosmetics section. And perfume.

“Wow, you look great,” Morris said when she opened the door.

So did he. Morris, who only dressed up for funerals and weddings, was in his suit. And he had a bouquet of red carnations for her.

“You look pretty special yourself,” she said, taking the flowers. “Let me put them in a vase before we go. Your present’s in the living room.”

“Awesome,” he said with a grin. “I hope it’s what I think it is.”

“Try to act surprised.”

She came back out into the living room to find he’d already opened the box of cookies and was sampling one. “I love your cookies, Liv. These are the best. You made these just for me?”

“I did.”

“Thanks,” he said, and beamed as if she’d given him a new truck.

And there, she thought, was the difference between men and women. Women liked candlelight dinners and flowers, bling and trips to romantic locales. Men were happy with cookies.

Okay, not all men. Some men drove fancy cars and took ski trips to Vail.

Never mind some men, she told herself firmly. They’re shallow and selfish and they don’t matter.

The men who stuck with you through thick and thin, who really, truly gave of themselves, and who were honest, those were the men who mattered.

Out the door they went and off to the restaurant. It had been hung with shiny red and pink valentines and silver tinsel and, like Livi, their hostess was wearing a red dress.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” she greeted them.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Livi murmured in return. She was so lucky to have someone special to go out with.

The rest of the gang was already at the table and had started on a bottle of champagne.

“Thanks, Morris,” Danny said, raising his glass to Morris.

“Champagne. You went all out,” Livi said to him.

“Of course. It’s Valentine’s Day,” he said.

They settled in at the table, good friends, solid, happy couples, all celebrating love. The perfect way to keep Livi’s new and improved new year going. Surf and turf for one and all.

“Who’s for dessert?” asked Coral, their waitress, after she’d cleared their plates.

“I’m stuffed,” Livi said. Steak and lobster, a baked potato and salad—Livi was going to explode.

“Live it up,” Morris encouraged her. “Order the cheesecake. You know you want to.”

Livi loved cheesecake. Still, she didn’t want to overindulge. And this meal was costing Morris a fortune.

“I’ll help you eat it,” he said.

That decided it. “Okay. Why not?”

“Yes, why not?” agreed Kate. “I’ll take the brownie sundae. And no, you can’t help me eat it,” she said to Tom.

Bettina and Danny opted for pie and that rounded out the order.

“I think this would be a good time to do the group trip to the bathroom,” said Kate.

“Good idea,” said Bettina. “Pregnancy killed my bladder.”

“I’ll join you,” Livi said, and they left the men to enjoy their coffee and talk sports.

“You and Morris look pretty happy,” Kate said a few minutes later as the three women stood in front of the mirror, freshening up.

“We are,” Livi said.

Kate’s easy expression was replaced by one of concern. “Are you really, Livi?”

“Of course I am,” Livi insisted. “I’ve finally realized what a treasure he is.”

“Yes, but is he your treasure?” Kate persisted. She frowned at their reflections. So did Bettina.

“What?” Livi said defensively.

“We want you to be really happy,” Bettina said.

“I am. I’m getting on with my life and that feels good.” She was aware of the look her two friends exchanged. “I love Morris,” she insisted.

“I know,” Kate said. “But there’s love and then there’s love.”

“And there’s smart and there’s stupid. I’m done being stupid,” Livi said.

“It’s not stupid to refuse to settle,” Kate told her.

“I’m not settling. I’m being practical. I’m tired of waiting.” Tired of waiting for a certain two-faced man to contact her. He wasn’t going to. And she didn’t want him to.

But maybe he was afraid to. Maybe he was just waiting for her to email him and ask for a donation in the new year. She could write a simple business email. She needed donations for Christmas from the Heart. She’d only be doing her job.

The idea of contacting Guy Hightower made her feel almost ill. After everything she’d said to him... No, she couldn’t do it. She’d have to find new donors somewhere.

The women returned to the table to find their waitress had delivered everyone’s desserts but Livi’s.

“That’s weird,” Bettina said. “Coral never messes up an order.”

“She didn’t this time, either,” Morris said.

Sure enough, there she came, bearing Livi’s dessert. Cheesecake with raspberry sauce swirled over it.

And something glinting from on top of it. “Looks like we’re gonna have another scene here in the restaurant,” she joked as she set it down in front of Livi.

Livi stared at it, her stomach doing somersaults. If she took that ring, she swung the gate open and walked into the next phase of her life. With a very good man.

“What do you say, Livi?” Morris asked. He was looking at her with such hope in his eyes. If he hadn’t spoken she’d have sworn he was holding his breath.

It seemed like everyone at the table was holding their breath. Even Livi. This was it. Now or never. Choose to get on with your life or hang in limbo. The diamond in the ring winked at her.

“I know it’s kind of soon after...uh, that is...”

An image of Guy Hightower floated into her mind like one of Scrooge’s Christmas ghosts. The Ghost of Christmas Past.

“But I’m here for you.”

And Guy Hightower wasn’t.

“I love you,” Morris finished.

That decided it. The ghost from Christmas Past hadn’t said he loved her, hadn’t made an appearance since their fight on her front porch. She could hang in limbo forever like Miss Havisham in Dickens’s famous novel, surrounded by cobweb-shrouded mistletoe, or she could get on with her life. She chose to get on with her life.

“I say yes,” she said, and slipped her arms around Morris’s neck and kissed him.

“She said yes!” Coral announced, and everyone at the neighboring tables applauded.

Yep, she’d made the right decision. No doubt about it.

By Valentine’s Day Guy had seen all the heart-shaped candy boxes he could stand. He’d worked ten hours and was craving steak, but a restaurant was definitely out of the question. He never liked to eat in a restaurant alone anyway. So he was picking up something at the grocery store. He knew if he went in there to snag a top sirloin that those stupid candy boxes would be everywhere, mocking him.

Just like that check his mom had given him. He should pop the thing in the mail and be done with it, maybe even include a handwritten note saying how sorry he was for everything he’d said and done. For being himself.

She’d written him. A stilted thank you that had been anything but from the heart. That had been the final nail in the coffin.

Even though the check was for no small amount, it didn’t seem like a big enough gesture. As for writing her, I’m sorry really wasn’t enough. He’d tried that and look where it had gotten him.

Of course, apologies mixed with defensiveness and angry words weren’t really apologies. He’d blown it, pure and simple.

He went straight home, called out for pizza delivery and grabbed a beer from the fridge. In a perfect world he’d have been up in Pine River, taking Livi to dinner. No, not dinner in Pine River. He’d have had her here in Seattle with him, and they’d have been eating at the Space Needle.

He needed a plan. Come on, Cupid, you little shit. Help me think of something.

The diamond in the ring was a modest stone, nothing pretentious. And that was fine with Livi. She didn’t need wealth and pretension.

She pulled the ring out of the cheesecake, wiped it off with her napkin and slipped it on her finger. A perfect fit. See?

She held out her hand and admired her new acquisition. That was preferable to looking at her friends’ faces. Oh, she knew they were smiling, but she also knew they were concerned that she was making a misstep. She’d surely see it in their eyes.

“It’s not much,” Morris said, obviously worried.

“It’s beautiful and I love it,” she told him.

“And I love you, Liv. We’re gonna have a good life together. You wait and see.”

He’d said that so many times now that she simply had to believe him. “We’re already having a good life together,” she told him.

“Bathroom break,” Kate said in commanding tones.

“Yes,” said Bettina, scooting out of the booth.

“You guys just went,” said Tom, perplexed.

“So we’re going again,” Kate said. “Come on, Livi.”

“You guys go. I’m fine,” Livi said, knowing full well what was coming.

“Oh no. You need more lipstick,” Kate said, tugging on her arm.

It would be childish to resist and make a scene. It hadn’t been that long since her party had made a scene in the restaurant and they didn’t need to provide the night’s entertainment for the other diners again so soon. She gave up and followed her friends to the women’s room.

They were barely through the door before Kate demanded, “What are you thinking? I don’t care if Morris did put you on the spot by getting us all here for this. You don’t have to say yes just because he asked.”

“She’s right,” said Bettina. “It’s only been a couple of months since... I mean you’re not really over...”

Livi held up a hand to shut them up. “I certainly am, so don’t even mention his name. This is a new year and my new life and I’m getting married and that’s that.”

“Liv, are you sure?” Bettina asked. “Morris is a good guy, but are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure. Otherwise I wouldn’t have said yes.”

“You said yes because you’re not thinking clearly,” Kate insisted.

“I am thinking clearly, and I want to get married,” Livi said with a scowl. “To Morris,” she quickly added.

Kate gave up. “Okay. It’s your funeral.”

“No, it’s my wedding,” Livi snapped. And she and Morris were going to be very happy together. Very happy!

And to prove it, she danced until she was a sweaty mess, drank too much champagne and hung all over him like a girl with her first boyfriend. Ha! Funny, considering the fact that he had been her first boyfriend way back when she’d been a girl. So there you had it. She’d come full circle, back together with her high school sweetheart.

The night flew by. Yes, time really did fly when you were having fun. And drinking too much.

“You made my life,” Morris said as they stood on her front porch.

Making someone’s life, that was a big responsibility. For a moment Livi’s smile faltered.

But then Morris wrapped his big, strong arms around her and kissed her again and bolstered that smile back up.

“See you tomorrow,” he said. “I’m gonna come over and watch the basketball game with your dad.”

The guys would watch the game on TV and Livi would make chili and cheese bread. While they watched the game, she’d hang out on the couch and finish her book or check out stuff on Pinterest. Either way, it would be a nice day. Her dad would be glad to see her happy. He’d always liked Morris.

He was already in bed when she entered the house. She half wished he was awake so she could show off her ring and hear him say how happy he was for her, what a great guy Morris was and what a good decision she’d made in accepting him.

She reminded herself that she didn’t need her father to tell her she’d made a smart decision. She already knew she had.

He was at the kitchen table when she came down the next morning, reading the paper and drinking his morning coffee. “Did you have fun last night?” he greeted her.

“I did.” She sat down opposite him and held out her hand to show off the ring.

Her father’s brows knit as he stared at it. “Well, this doesn’t surprise me. But are you sure, Snowflake?”

Of course she was sure. “Yes. Why shouldn’t I be?”

“It seems a little soon after...” He cleared his throat. “I hate to see you rush into something.”

“Dad, Morris and I have known each other for years.”

“I know. Marriage is a big commitment and I want you to be sure. I don’t want to see you make a mistake.”

The mistake would be to keep moping around over someone not worth moping over. “I’m not.”

“Well, then, I’m happy for you. Morris is a decent man.”

Yes, he was.

Later that morning, while the men watched the ball game, she slipped into the kitchen and called her sister-in-law to share the news that she was engaged.

“Wow! Did Guy come back?”

“Guy? No. I’m engaged to Morris.”

“Oh.”

“Your enthusiasm is underwhelming,” Livi said.

“Sorry. It’s just that I didn’t think you felt that way about him.”

“I was wrong. I do.”

“Livi, are you sure? I want you to be ecstatically happy.”

“I am,” Livi assured her. “I’m really excited.” Yes, she was. Well, as excited as a woman who was marrying a man she’d known for years could be.

“Because you don’t have to rush into anything, you know.”

“Who’s rushing? It’s past time,” Livi said.

“Okay, so give me deets. When did it happen and how?”

“Just last night. He had the waitress stick the ring in my cheesecake.” Maybe not the most original idea in the world, but it had been cute.

“Good thing you didn’t swallow it,” Terryl joked. “I always wonder with those kinds of proposals how it is the woman doesn’t crack a tooth or choke to death. So, have you set a date?”

“Not yet.”

“Well, let me know when you do. Just don’t set it in August. I’m pretty sure we’ll be busy having a kid then.”

“I’ll make sure we work around the baby,” Livi promised.

“Get married, then hurry up and get pregnant so our kids can play together,” Terryl said.

Marriage, kids—it was all going to be so perfect.

And she and Morris were already comfortable together, already like an old married couple, she thought later as he and her father watched the game and devoured salsa and chips while she surfed the internet. Yep, a nice homey life. Perfect.

Of course, Morris stayed all day. They ate chili with her father, they watched a movie on TV in the evening. And, after her father went to bed, they went at it on the living room couch. She put a halt to things before they could start shedding clothes.

“Not here in the living room with my dad right upstairs,” she scolded. “Anyway, I want to wait until our wedding night.”

He heaved a sigh. “Jeez, Liv, I’ve been waiting for years.”

“So a little longer won’t hurt.”

He frowned. “Okay, then let’s set a date right now. What about next month?”

“Morris, I can’t plan a wedding that fast.”

He looked disappointed. “Oh. Okay, then, spring.”

“That’s still too soon.”

“Summer.”

“David and Terryl are having a baby in the summer.”

“They’re not taking all summer to have it,” Morris said. “How about June?”

“The weather’s so iffy in June. Christmas might be nice,” she mused.

“Christmas! That’s almost a year away. You’re killin’ me here, Liv.”

“Okay, not Christmas. Anyway, we’d be too busy with Christmas from the Heart. How about September? Our weather’s always nice then. We can have fall colors.”

“I don’t care if we have polka dots. I just want you to pick a date.”

“Okay, September,” she said. “The weekend after Labor Day.”

“Weekend after Labor Day,” he repeated, happy she’d made a decision. “I hate to wait that long but if that’s how long you need, I will. Man, this is gonna be great,” he said, and kissed her.

Yes, it was, and she could hardly wait to start planning her wedding.

She walked him to the door and sent him off with one last kiss, then went upstairs to bed. She snuggled under the covers and let her thoughts spin in whatever happy direction they chose. Location. Well, the wedding at church for sure. They could have the reception at the community hall. Or maybe they could have a destination wedding. Hawaii. What would Morris think of that? He wasn’t big into traveling, but who didn’t like Hawaii? No, they’d better stick to the hall so everyone on the guest list could afford to come. They could fix it up cute. And there was plenty of room there. Cake. They had to have a traditional cake. But maybe a cookie bar, too. What could her colors be? She preferred spring colors to fall, but oh well. White roses were available any time of year. And her bridesmaids didn’t have to dress in fall colors. They could wear any color they wanted. It was going to be a beautiful wedding. Beautiful...

Her eyes drifted shut and the dream began. There she was in her wedding dress, ready to walk down the aisle. But she wasn’t in church. She was in some small wedding chapel in Vegas. Bettina had already gone down the aisle and so had Terryl, and Kate was making her way down.

“All right,” said the wedding planner, who was dressed like a showgirl, complete with a fancy headdress. “It’s your turn now.”

“I’m so happy,” Livi said, and sneezed.

“I think you’re allergic to chrysanthemums,” said the wedding planner.

“I hate mums,” she said. “Why am I carrying these?”

“Because you’re having a fall wedding and these are what your groom wanted. Go on, now, get down there. We’ve got another wedding here in half an hour.”

And so down she went. Morris stood at the altar waiting for her with Tom and Danny and Livi’s brother, David, standing next to him. And there was the minister, an Elvis impersonator. “Love me tender,” he crooned as she made her way toward her groom.

“Look how pretty she is,” someone whispered. That was when Livi realized that all the guests weren’t people—they were giant frozen turkeys wearing dresses and black tuxedos. “Wouldn’t Guy love this?” one of them whispered.

“Yeah,” his turkey friend whispered back. “But she was smart to dump him. I don’t care how many of us he bought. He just wanted to get in her pants.”

On the other side of the aisle another turkey asked his companion, “Where are they spending their honeymoon?”

“Paris Las Vegas, of course. She always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower.”

Livi whirled around and yelled, “You turkeys shut up!”

She blinked awake with a start, then scowled. What was that about?

Her subconscious, needling her, of course. Maybe her subconscious hadn’t noticed that she’d heard nothing from Guy Hightower since his ignoble departure from Pine River. Christmas past. She had her future to think about.

“Thanks, Jack,” Guy said as he slipped his Visa card into the leather sleeve sitting on the table next to him at Cutters. “Glad you could work this into your schedule.”

The view and the food, not to mention the price, which proclaimed, “You’re worth spending money on,” made it the perfect restaurant for business lunches. Not that this lunch with the owner of a high-end clothing chain had anything to do with Hightower business. It was about the business of life, and it was one of many Guy had scheduled over the last couple of weeks.

The other man smiled. “This is the most expensive free lunch I’ve had in a while.”

“Yeah, but it’ll get you off Santa’s naughty list,” Guy teased. Maybe if he hosted enough of these lunches it would get him off, too.

He left the restaurant and walked back to the Hightower building. The rest of his schedule bulged with phone conferences and meetings, the most difficult one looming at the end of the day. He kept everything compartmentalized, though, maintaining his focus.

Finally his last spreadsheet was in order, his report finished. He left his office and walked down the hall to Mike’s office, where he and Bryan were waiting. They weren’t going to like this.

Tillie and her daughters, who had been informed of Joe Ford’s perfidy, were happy to offer Livi congratulations on her engagement when she popped in to purchase some of Tillie’s fancy chocolate strawberry tea.

“Sometimes the best man is right there under your nose all along,” Tillie said.

She was right.

“He’s a good guy,” said Jean.

Yes, he was.

“I’m so excited for you,” Carol Klaussen said when Livi stopped by the bakery on her lunch break to check out cakes. “When are you getting married?”

“The weekend after Labor Day,” said Livi.

“Oh, all those pretty fall colors.”

“I was thinking maybe white and crimson for the cake.”

“Or, since we’re surrounded by forest, what about a woodland design? I saw something online I’m dying to try.” Carol opened her laptop and brought up a page with a three-tiered cake with a hand-painted wooden design in the frosting. It came complete with a heart carved into the wood and inside the heart the couple’s initials. Purple wildflowers and petite birds finished the look.

“I love it,” said Livi. Simple and sweet, like her love for Morris. “I think he’ll like it, too. I’ll bring him in later to check it out.”

She ran by the grocery store on her way home from work to pick up a few items, and Suz, the checker, was quick to spot her ring. “Ooh, congratulations. Who’s the lucky man?”

“Morris Bentley.”

“Aww, Morris. He’s a sweetie.”

“Yes, he is,” Livi agreed.

At least her personal life was on track. “You have to find some more big donors,” Kate informed her as they went over the Christmas from the Heart books.

“I know,” Livi said with a sigh. “I sure don’t move in the right circles.”

“You know someone who does, and he owes you. Big-time.”

Kate didn’t have to drop the name. Livi knew exactly who she was talking about. “Oh no. I don’t want to ever talk to that man again.” And he obviously didn’t want to talk to her, either.

“I’m not saying you have to call his office and have a heart-to-heart. But you could shoot off a professional email. In fact, why don’t you send it to the CSR director. She can be the middle person. He’ll still get the request and the guilt trip, and we’ll get money.” When Livi hesitated, she added, “You know, it doesn’t matter how you feel about the man. You love this nonprofit and we need money.”

“You’re right,” Livi said with a sigh. And that afternoon, before leaving the office, she drafted an email.

There. Done. At least Guy Hightower had met some of the people they helped. He now knew the work they were doing. He may have been a cowardly liar but he wasn’t completely heartless.

Morris came over for dinner that night and convinced her father to play cards with them. Oh yes, Morris had so been the right choice. And later, when he kissed her—okay, so it wasn’t the kind of set-your-panties-on-fire kiss she’d experienced with a certain deceiver, but it was filled with love—she knew she’d made a wise decision to get practical and get engaged to Morris.

Her dream that night confirmed it. There she was, in the church, floating down the aisle, surrounded by friends and family, not a turkey in the bunch. Kate and Terryl and Bettina, her bridesmaids, were all up at the altar, smiling fondly at her as she came forward on her father’s arm. She was in a gorgeous gown fit for a Disney Princess’s wedding and it swished and rustled as she walked. The church was filled with roses and gardenias and pink satin ribbons and candles. The music sounded like an angel choir singing. And there went Carol Klaussen, staggering under the weight of her wedding cake. It wasn’t the one she’d fallen in love with when she’d stopped in at the bakery. No, this was an edifice of a cake, and it was shaped to look like the Eiffel Tower.

“He’s taking her there on their honeymoon,” whispered Tillie to Suz, the grocery checker. “She always wanted to see the world.”

“She made the right decision,” Suz whispered back.

“Yes, she did,” agreed Tillie’s daughter Jean, who was sitting on the other side of Tillie along with Annette.

A voice called down from heaven, “I’m so happy for you, daughter. You’re going to have a wonderful life.”

The heavens opened and light streamed down on her. She stopped and twirled around in delight, the skirt of her wedding gown billowing out around her. “Everything’s perfect.”

Yes, it was, and she awoke with a smile on her face.

“I had the best dream,” she greeted Bettina when she walked into the office the next day. “I was at my wedding and it was gorgeous.”

“What did your gown look like?” Bettina asked.

“Pearls and sequins and gobs of lace. And a long train, removable for dancing.”

“Of course.”

“And you all looked so beautiful in your dresses.”

“Of course,” Bettina said again with a grin. “And what were the guys wearing?”

“The guys?”

“Morris and the groomsmen?”

“Morris?” Livi blinked. “I...didn’t see him.”

“He wasn’t at the altar?”

Livi shook her head. Where had Morris been? Everyone else in town had been there, even the grocery checker.

“Well, it was only a dream.”

“With no groom. What would someone who interpreted dreams have to say about that?”

“That in a wedding it’s all about the bride. You’re already planning it and you’re playing it out in your head, seeing how you like the flowers and the gown.”

Of course. That was it. “You’re probably right,” Livi said.

“Or else it means,” Bettina began with a worried expression.

“I’m sure it means just what you said it did,” Livi said before Bettina could complete her thought, and settled at her computer to check her emails.

Here was one from Marla Thompson at Hightower Enterprises. Livi read it, her brows pulling together.

New CFO? Where was the old one?

Livi quickly emailed back.

The reply came a couple of hours later.

Moved on? Moved where? What happened to him?

As if it mattered. Who cared where Guy Hightower had gone? Not her. She was moving on, herself. Yes, she had definitely made the right decision when she said she’d marry Morris.

Where had Guy Hightower gone?