Love
“You totally rigged that,” Grace said, placing the cool stone back in Robyn’s hand.
“I didn’t.”
“Just like you didn’t pick Kiss, Passion, Touch or Discovery on purpose.”
“Nope. I told you since you moved in all I get are the good ones, no lie.”
“Give me the bowl.”
“Once there was a time you’d crawl over me to get it yourself.”
“I don’t trust you to keep your hands to yourself.”
“I guess you think you’ve figured me out.” Robyn handed her the bowl of stones, and Grace ran her fingers through, letting them fall through her fingers before she decided on one. “What did you get?”
Grace turned the stone in her fingers. “Gratitude.”
Robyn took the single stone and put it next to hers in the small dish and placed the bowl next to it again. Grace leaned with her, wrapping her arms around Robyn’s middle. “I am grateful.”
“So am I.” Robyn covered Grace’s arms with her own before settling back down on the mattress.
Grace took a deep breath and smiled at Robyn. “Listen to that.”
“What?” Robyn asked, lifting her head up.
“Silence. I love it.”
“Enjoy the next half hour because your brother will be out with the nail gun shortly.”
“I never thought I’d bemoan dedication and productivity.”
“It’s looking fantastic, and I swear he gets three requests for quotes a day just by setting up his workspace out front. He could probably sell his upcycled stuff if he wanted to…though he couldn’t possibly get what it’s actually worth selling it curbside.”
“Don’t you dare mock me. I’m a professional, remember?”
“Of course. Ready for some evenly-toasted bread?”
“Again with the mocking.”
“I’ll stop.” Robyn lowered herself down the steps and threw on sweats and an old coast guard undershirt. When Grace joined her, she evaluated her outfit sheepishly. “I should be wearing the PJs you bought me.”
“Thanks for thinking of it, but I happen to like the ratty old shirts you wear.”
“Really?”
Grace slid a finger into a well-positioned hole in the garment. “I like the access they afford.”
Playfully, Robyn pushed Grace away. They descended the stairs and worked on breakfast. Robyn sipped her black coffee, raising her eyebrows at Grace. “That much cream and sugar, I don’t know why you bother adding any coffee at all.”
“I’d miss the flavor.”
“Flavor shmavor. I want the caffeine.”
They settled at the table and Robyn organized the morning paper, tossing the ads and sports sections into the recycling. The local and national news she kept, placing the arts and business sections in Grace’s spot. Robyn loved the routine they had so easily established. Three bites into her toast, she realized Grace was not reading. “What are you thinking about?”
Grace reached across the table and twisted the ring she’d put on Robyn’s finger. “I’ve been thinking about our wedding.”
“Thinking what?”
“Wondering whether the Wedding Rock idea was yours or Barbara’s.”
Robyn set down her toast. “Why?”
Grace pushed back her shoulders like she was getting ready to present. “Because we have a plan to get married, but we haven’t talked about the ceremony.”
“What do you picture?”
“You haven’t answered my question.”
“What do you picture?” Robyn repeated. Though technically, she had not been married to Barb, on some level, she still felt self-conscious about being married a second time. It seemed right to defer to what Grace wanted in a wedding.
“Something grand,” Grace began tentatively. “Everyone we know, a minister and a full ceremony. Music, lots of music during the ceremony, and afterward at a huge reception. Catered.” She held Robyn’s eyes.
Robyn didn’t flinch or attempt to stop Grace, so she continued. “A professional photographer. Flowers. I want to carry flowers, and wear a white dress, a wedding dress with a veil and strappy shoes that sparkle.”
“That private promise just to each other was Barb’s idea. We fought over every single detail. When I realized how much I lost when I compromised, I promised myself never to compromise again.” A shadow crept across Grace’s face, so Robyn quickly spoke to remove it. “And luckily, I don’t have to. I want big too. I want something formal and public and legal. Legal is really important to me.”
Grace looked like she was about to launch into a presentation but stopped with a perplexed look. Robyn watched as her words seemed to sink in for Grace. When the pieces fell into place, a radiant smile lit up her face. “It’s going to be expensive.”
“It’s going to be a celebration.”
“I was scared that you would only want something small, something intimate.”
“Something cheap.”
“I wasn’t going to say that.” Grace wrinkled her nose.
“A wedding is an investment, and I think I’ve got pretty good odds on this being a wise one.”
“I’d say you’ve got very good odds.”