With Sally’s family, there’s always something going on. And I’m not talking run-of-the-mill weddings, funerals, new home purchases, someone’s husband slipped out and never returned, or other boring stuff. I’m talking major excitement.
The latest is all about her cousin Julius, who in my opinion is a spoiled rotten juvenile delinquent whose daddy is mostly responsible for his awful behavior. I haven’t told Sally that, but she’s said enough to make me think she feels the same way. That girl never badmouths anyone, which is a good thing, but I don’t always know how she feels about folks if she doesn’t like them.
At any rate, Julius has up and run away from his cushy lifestyle to go hang out with a bunch of high school dropouts on the seedy side of town, which makes not one iota of sense to me. Of course, he took his expensive car and a wad of his daddy’s money, but that mansion he gets to live in rent-free is something most folks only dream about.
Sally seems to think those boys will let him hang out until he runs out of money, and they’ll send him packing. I won’t be surprised. I do pray for him, but I also figure the Lord is letting him learn his lessons the hard way since nothing else is getting through that thick skull of his.
I’m on my way to pick Sally up for an important date. She thinks it’s just one of our normal dine out and see a movie kind of dates, but I have different plans. Now that I know she wants to spend her life with me, I thought we’d go to the lake where I’d propose. And after she says yes, we’ll head to the mall and look at rings. One of my clients owns a jewelry store, and he’s agreed to be there to help us pick the perfect one. I have a placeholder ring in my pocket, just to have something to put on her finger.
As soon as she gets in the car, her face lights up. “I think we’ve found the perfect one.”
I start the ignition but leave the car in park as I turn to face her. “Perfect what?”
“Perfect part-timer. Granny Marge talked to this girl—a woman she and Grandpa Jay are helping—and then she sent her to us. It took her two tries to get the bows exactly how we like them.”
“That’s nice.”
“Nice? You call that nice?” She lifts her hands like she’s worshiping at a prayer meetin’ and pulls her head back. “It’s amazing and wonderful, and it’s going to save us.”
“Sounds like you had a face-to-face with the Lord. He’s all of those things.”
Sally lets out one of those cute little growls that she and Sara make. “C’mon, Nate, I’m not kidding. Sara and I have been working our fingers to the bone, and the only time we’re able to get caught up is when Justin helps out.”
“I told you I’d help too if you really need me.”
She pulls her lips between her teeth as though she’s trying hard not to say something … or laugh. Then she clears her throat. “That’s really sweet, Nate, but we need someone on a regular basis so we don’t get so behind that we’d need either you or Justin.”
“Okay, I understand.” And I do. Now all I have to do is figure out how to switch the subject from her new part-timer to our relationship and how much she means to me.
“So get this.” Her eyes are still lit up as she gestures with her hands. “We told her to wind the ribbon around the card, and she does it without hesitation, only she was going backward, but when we told her, she stopped, undid it, and wound it just like we do.” She stops and catches a breath. “We showed her once how to finish it off, and she did it perfectly the first time.”
“That’s really good. I’m happy for y’all.”
Her smile widens. “I knew you would be. Nate, you are the sweetest, most understanding man I’ve ever met. I never dreamed I’d find someone as good for me as Justin is for Sara.”
Okay, so now’s my big chance. I think fast so I don’t lose my edge. “Which is why I have a special plan for us tonight.”
“Special plan?” She crinkles her forehead. “I thought we were going to the Blossom Diner.”
“Not tonight, darlin’.” I grab her hand and give it a squeeze. “It’ll be just me and you and the moon and the stars.”
“Are you going to …” Her hand flies to her mouth as her eyes get real big.
I have a feeling she knows exactly what’s about to happen. If I weren’t so excited about proposing tonight, I might put it off for another time when she doesn’t expect it.
She moves her hand and swallows hard. I can tell she’s trying really hard not to smile, but she can’t help herself. At least I know she’s happy about it.
“So are you ready to get going?”
She nods as she shifts positions and clears her throat. “It really is a gorgeous night, isn’t it?”
“It sure is.”
“Perfect for—” She cuts herself off and smiles at me.
I don’t look directly at her, but I can see her happiness in my peripheral vision. And I can feel it.
My heart pounds as we drive out to the lake where I plan to pop the question. I’ve been looking all over the place for the perfect place to propose, and this seems like the most romantic. In fact, it’s so romantic other folks in her family got engaged here.
“Why are we going to my family’s property?”
“Your family’s property?” I cast a brief glance in her direction. “I thought it was farther out.”
“My family has a ton of land.” She gestures toward both sides of the road. “It starts back there and goes for another couple of miles.”
“Wow.” I had no idea. “Is it okay for us to be here?”
“Of course it is.” She scoots down in her seat just a tad. “Where are we going?”
“Which one?”
Now I feel stupid. I should have taken the time to find out more about the place where I was planning to propose. “Lake Wiley.”
“Oh, that’s good. Uncle Jay still owns the land there, so we’re not likely to run into any of my family.”
I let out a sigh of relief. This is one time I don’t want any interruptions. “What do you mean when you say he still owns it?”
“He’s been parceling it out to the grandkids and great-grandkids, going in the other direction.”
“Oh.” I’ve always known about the Bucklins owning most of the farm land on this side of town, but it never dawned on me that it would stretch all the way here.
Sally touches my forearm. “What’s wrong, Nate? Are you okay?”
“Sure, I’m fine.”
“Did I say something wrong?”
I smile and glance at her again. “No, nothing is wrong. In fact, I think everything is perfect, and it’s about to get even better.”
“Better than perfect, huh?” She lets out a cute little squeal. “I like the sound of that.”
I turn off the main road and drive down the gravel road toward the lake. When I come to the spot that I chose a few days ago, I stop the car, take a deep breath, and slowly blow it out.
If she says yes—and I have every reason to believe she will—I’ll leave here an engaged man. It’s not like this is the first time for me, but it’ll be the best one because no one coerced me or guilted me into this decision. Yes, Sally was the first one to bring it up, but this has been on my mind a while—even before she said it.
After we get out of the car, I take her by the hand and lead her to a beautiful spot where we have a nice view of the lake and the sky above. “It’s a beautiful evening, isn’t it?”
She laughs and nods. “You’re acting awful funny.”
My mouth goes dry. My stomach is doing summersaults, and my brain is buzzing with all kinds of thoughts. I’d planned to prolong this experience, but I feel like I’m about to jump out of my own skin. So I reach into my pocket and pull out the CZ makeshift engagement ring before dropping to one knee.
Again, her right hand goes to her mouth as she allows me to take her left hand in mine. I look up into her eyes and see tears glistening in the corners. Seeing her all emotional like this touches me in the pit of my gut.
“Sally Wright …” I swallow hard. “Will you make me the happiest man in Pinewood—no, make that Mississippi—” I smile up at her again. “Correction. Will you make me the happiest man in the entire universe and marry me?”
Her chin quivers as she nods. I put the ring on her finger and stand to give her a kiss. She glances at the ring and gives me a curious look. “This is beautiful. When did you pick it out?”
“Oh, that’s not your engagement ring. I just got that from a discount store to propose. I thought we’d go to the jewelry store in the mall so you can pick out the one you like.”
She holds out her hand and studies it for a moment. “But what if I like this one?”
“It’s not real. I just needed a placeholder to propose.”
“It’s actually very pretty.” She looks at it some more.
“Maybe we can find one that looks like it.”
“Why would we do that since I already have one I like?”
I tilt my head and study her face to see if she’s teasing. She looks serious. “Don’t you want a real diamond? That’s just CZ—a placeholder until I get you a real diamond engagement ring.”
“I really don’t care. My sister doesn’t even have an engagement ring. All she has is a plain wedding band that matches Justin’s.”
“So are you saying you don’t want to go to the jewelry store? My client agreed to be there to help us find the perfect ring.”
She looks at it again before meeting my gaze. “Okay, we can go there, but if I don’t see one I like better, well”—she shrugs—“maybe I’ll just wear this one.”
“Seriously?”
Sally nods. “Yes. I mean, who really cares if it’s a diamond or CZ?”
“But I thought—” I stop myself as I realize this is one of the things I appreciate about Sally. “Okay, let’s go see if we can find a ring that calls your name.”
She yanks on my arm and pulls me in for a hug. “That’s fine, but first, I want a big fat kiss.”