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OUR DINNER OF BEEF tips tossed in a sweet and sour pineapple sauce with a side of roasted asparagus tips and hollandaise smelled divine as we sat together. I’d plated the meal as carefully as possible on china he kept for special occasions. Jeremy had set the table with candles and cloth napkins and shiny silverware.
He poured a bottle of red wine I didn’t recognize, and we lifted our glasses to clink them carefully in the air between us. My husband’s low voice brought the intimacy into finer focus. “To us and discovering each other.”
“To us.” I sipped my drink self-consciously as he did the same.
Candlelight glowed softly on the tablecloth he’d left on from the night before, the lace design casting shadows where the decoration was. Wooden candelabras held thin white candles off the table and they prodded into the air like towers from some fantasy story.
Then Jeremy lowered his glass to pick up his fork and knife. “This looks amazing. I’m excited to try this sauce. Is this a family recipe?” He cut a section of asparagus and swirled it in the white sauce as he spoke.
“Yes and no. It’s a family recipe my mother bought off an elderly lady in town. Mom wanted to serve it at the fine dining restaurant on the edge of town. I had to memorize it if I wanted to manage that one. She hired someone else.” I laughed to cover my bitterness. Mom had never planned on me taking over, she just used me as a temp while she’d searched.
He claimed the bite between his teeth and closed his lips. After a moment of chewing, his eyes followed suit and he moaned. “Wow, her loss. This is amazing.” He opened his eyes. “Thank you. If you stick with me, I’m going to get so fat.”
I glowed at his compliments. “I doubt you’ve ever had an ounce of fat on your body.” Ensnared in the ambience, I hoped the night would never end.
“Ah, you’ve noticed my body.” His eyes twinkled, and he wiggled his eyebrows my direction.
Stuck with a flaming face and a bite of food on its way to my mouth, I could only grin. His antics to flirt with me were growing on me.
“We need to take that quiz. Is it okay to pull it out and work on it while we eat?” Jeremy flashed his phone at me and placed it carefully on the table between us.
I nodded jerkily as I tried to sip my wine again. He kept asking me questions when I was trying to eat or drink. It was almost absurd enough to make me laugh out loud. “But I’m not sure how to do it. I barely checked in okay.” It was easy enough, but I really didn’t want to get my phone out and deal with the tornado associated with it. I would undoubtedly wonder about my parents and Larry and everything else I’d left behind.
“Let’s use my phone, and I’ll push our answers in, sound good?” He swiped the app on and laughed at the first question that popped up. “Well, this is forward. What’s the first trait you noticed about your spouse when you saw them?”
I scooted to the edge of my seat and crossed my ankles. “It’s a cross between your eyes and your smile.” I loved surveys, and it was a perfect chance to flirt with him in a more controlled environment.
“Thank you. I’d rather not mention what I noticed first.” He lifted his eyebrows and looked at the phone.
“Oh, you cad.” I giggled and took another bite of the steak. He was a pro at turning on the charm and working me over. “You keep this up and I’ll never believe your real compliments.”
He reached out and claimed my hand in his. “But that’s just it, Alex. They’re all real. And for the record, I noticed your legs first. Man, you have a dirty mind.” He laughed as I playfully slapped at his wrist as he answered the question for both of us.
“What’s the next question?” I leaned over to peek at the screen with him. The subtle heavenly scent of his cologne washed over me, and I pulled back to look at him. The man was growing on me and his attraction only broadened the more I got to know him.
“Where do you want to live when you retire?” He met my searching gaze and he froze, as if he too sensed something had shifted. He pushed the phone to the side and careful not to break our eye contact, lifted himself from his seat and whispered, “Don’t move.”
Suddenly terrified, I didn’t move. Had he seen something? But I couldn’t bring myself to move. His cologne held me prisoner and the slumberous brown in his eyes... I couldn’t think.
Jeremy got closer and closer and suddenly, the warm, firm flesh of his lips touched mine, fleetingly, like the touch of a hummingbird. Then he was gone, reclaiming his seat and acting like it had never happened.
“I want to live in my home. I’m sure I’ll know where that is by then. I hope.” Please, don’t let him hear the tremor in my voice as I tried to figure out how to recover from the tingling in my limbs from his slight kiss. What would a proper kiss from him do to me?
A double beep broke through the questionnaire. He tilted the phone up, pressed some buttons and then put it back down on the table. He stood, grabbing our glasses. “I think we need another bottle. What do you think?” Jeremy left the dining room at my nod.
I listened carefully for his return and pushed the button on his phone. He received a text message from his mother stating, “Your aunt is sick. I hope I don’t catch it. Hope you’re having fun. Love, mom.”
He’d hidden the text. Suddenly, I could feel my wall rebuilding. Maybe not a lot, but enough to just want to finish the survey without any more games.
If Jeremy couldn’t be open with me, I’d always be just a six-month stint and not his wife. I wasn’t happy with that option.
And he shouldn’t be either.
~~~
I WOKE UP A FEW DAYS later on Saturday with my chest aching. We’d worked all week on getting everything ready for what he thought was supposed to be a family reunion inspection. I didn’t want to let him down. He needed them to book that ranch more than anything.
The more I worked with his place, the more certain I was he needed to be an event site, not a dude ranch, bed-and-breakfast, or anything like that.
Size mattered. The house wasn’t big enough to turn into a bed-and-breakfast, and the barn was old and picturesque, but not a place to have people stay or be recreational. Small cracks in the external walls would let cold breezes in when the weather wasn’t sunny, and if anyone slept out there, the appeal would deplete under the onslaught of chilly air and no way to get away.
With all of the terrific scenery around and at the base of such beautiful hills and mountains, he was in an ideal position for a wedding site.
I only hoped he could somehow commit to some of that. I really didn’t think that he was going to book the family reunion, but I woke up excited and optimistic that something good would happen.
If they didn’t want to book, I was prepared to find out why.
We stood in the house, waiting for them to show up.
They were two minutes late when a shiny Cadillac Escalade pulled into the drive. I could all but smell the money as the man climbed from the driver’s side. His cream-colored, three-piece suit matched the cream of the spotless car.
I would have to roll my eyes, if the woman matched him and was more blinged out than the car.
However, when she stepped out, I was taken aback by her humble exterior. She wore a brown skirt that fell just below her knees. A cream-colored tank top set off smooth, golden shoulders. She wore simple leather sandals and had her hair up in a sloppy bun. She must’ve been his daughter with how different they looked – she was so fresh.
“Here we go.” Jeremy muttered under his breath and swung the first door open. He raised his hand in greeting as he pulled me out behind him.
We walked out to meet them, attached together with Jeremy’s hand on my elbow. I stuck with him, but tried to stay just a step behind him. It was his business, I was only along for the ride.
Exchanging pleasantries first, Jeremy introduced us as man and wife, which amazed me. If he continued telling me we only had six months, and telling others we were man and wife, I’d never figure out what to expect.
The potential customers introduced themselves as Monty and Jennifer Graves.
“Why don’t Jennifer and I go for a walk while you gentlemen talk business?” I smiled at Jeremy and Monty and then at Jennifer. My invitation was two-fold – rescue Jennifer and me from any boring guy talk, and give me a chance to see what her thoughts were from a customer perspective.
Monty approved and glanced at Jennifer, his eyes firmly focused on her. “Is that okay, love?”
Jennifer nodded shyly and followed me as I walked along the skirt of the porch around the house.
We stayed in the shade fairly well, with the sunlight that was coming down, that was more important to protect us from burns. Jeremy had said it was unusually warm that time of year. Usually they expected rain, which he claimed was even more beautiful with the low-lying clouds and brilliant greens blurred just a bit from the downpours. I couldn’t wait to see it.
As we walked beside each other, I opened up the conversation. “How long have you two been married?” I was trying to understand the relationship. As she got closer for my inspection, I realized there was no way she was actually his daughter. I was finding it hard to believe they were actually married, either.
Jennifer had her hands clasped behind her back as we walked. She looked at me, startled. “Oh, we’re not married yet. We set a date, but it’s in like two months, and I still don’t have anything planned. I could not be more stressed out. He thinks it’ll all be fine, if we just throw money at it.” She inspected the property, commenting on the flowers and oohing at the large trees that cast so much shade.
“That is so funny that men think you can just throw money at something and fix it.” I shook my head. Larry had been like that. I’d never understood the mentality.
“Oh, seriously. Monty has so much money, it’s disgusting. And, my family’s traditional. So, since I’m the bride, my dad is thinking about taking out a loan on the house so he can have a wedding for his daughter to save face in front of the groom’s family.” She shook her head, her eyes downcast. “I just want to have it all done with. I want Monty to pay for it, since he’s the one demanding a huge wedding.”
Talking weddings lit a fire inside me, and I couldn’t wait to talk more about the details.
Jeremy had set up a picnic area behind the house during the week, and I led her there so we could sit at the table in the shade.
“This place is gorgeous. I would totally do a wedding here. It would be so much easier than driving clear to Olympia, or north towards Vancouver.” She smiled contemplatively at the overhanging tree boughs that swayed in the soft breeze.
“You should see the pavilion site Jeremy is working on. When it’s all done, there will be roses around the lattice-base and vines crawling up the posts to the roof. There’s so much potential here.” I folded my hands on the tabletop and looked around with her, seeing the place through a potential customer’s eyes.
Jeremy’s place wasn’t a dude ranch. Looking at it through the eyes of the to-be-bride, I could see even more the appeal for a wedding than I could as an event planner.
“It’s warm, but it’s not hot, you know? Just off that ridge, you’re getting plenty of cool air. I love it here. How long have you lived here?” Jennifer rested her cheek on her palm with her elbow on the table.
“Not long, actually. I’m falling more in love with the place every day.” The truth didn’t surprise me as much as the pride that swelled inside me. The ranch wasn’t mine to be proud of, but the work we’d done all week was. I could claim some small part of ownership in the investment I’d made of time and energy.
She sighed. “Well, it’s gorgeous.”
“I know. I’m a photographer, and I have to tell you the lighting at sunset is amazing. It comes down over the ridge and just sparkles right before it dips away. The skies are like an orangey-lavender color, too. If I was going to get married, it would be here for sure.” I glanced at her and then tried hiding my excitement. “Do you want to see the barn?”
As far as I was concerned, the barn was the best feature of the entire place.
She nodded enthusiastically, and we headed in the direction of the barn.
Pointing toward the green pasture past the fence, I added, “I could see wedding pictures on the meadow out there with the flowers in bloom. Can you see horses standing behind the bride and groom in a picture? Maybe blurred as it focused on their rings or on them kissing? It would be amazing.” If I didn’t stop, I might get carried away.
She glanced at everything I pointed out, her eyes wide.
We reached the end of the barn, and she trailed her fingers along the old wood as we walked to the double-wide barn doors. “It’s like one of those barns out of the past. Like a fairytale kind of a barn. I know it sounds stupid.” She glanced quickly at me and then back to the barn itself.
“It doesn’t sound stupid at all. I thought the same thing when I saw it for the first time. Look, here are some pictures of the sunsets.” I opened my camera I had left on the side of the barn and scrolled through the digital pictures I’d taken of the property.
“Wow, you’re really good. Do you have a portfolio?” She pointed at some of the pictures, and when we reached the sunset collection, she fell silent, as if taken in by the beauty as much as I had been.
“I’m still packed right now, so I don’t have access to my portfolio.” But that would be something I would have to work on. All of my photos were in digital form in the camera. If things didn’t work out with Jeremy, maybe I could make my living as a photographer. Her excitement and interest spurred me back to my dreams.
Low murmuring from our men as they stood at the base of the ladder to the loft pulled us deeper into the barn. Deep in conversation, they didn’t look up until we got closer to them.
Monty glanced over and saw Jennifer. He held out his hand and waited for her to take his. He leaned over and kissed her cheek, murmuring, “I missed you, love.”
Jennifer cast a quick glance at Jeremy, and I and blushed a becoming pink. She’d be amazing to photograph.
“Did you say your family reunion was in six months?” Jeremy tucked his hands into his jean pockets and glanced at me with a slightly panicked expression. Did I take that as things were going good? Or maybe he didn’t know how to close the deal? I should’ve stayed with him to see how he negotiated things or sold the place. He could’ve been the best manager in Washington and have zero experience as a salesman.
I could upsell biscuits and gravy to fruit covered waffles by the time I’d poured cups of coffee. Closing the deal wasn’t a problem for me. I never thought it might be for Jeremy.
Monty tucked Jennifer’s hand in his elbow and looked around at the barn. His regretful expression screamed defeat, and I wanted to reach out and bolster Jeremy’s spirits. Monty shook his head. “Yeah, six months. I’m just not sure this is what we need for a reunion though.” Monty returned his gaze to Jeremy and me. “I’m sorry. It’s gorgeous in here, it’s just not the right feel for what I’m looking for.”
We stood there in silence for a moment as his rejection sank in around us.
Jeremy reached out a hand. “I understand. If it’s not what you’re looking for, we can’t force it, right? I wish there was something we could do to be of help to you.”
Jennifer’s soft voice broke through the dejected tension on our side as she spoke to her fiancé. “Monty, can you see us married here? Bridesmaids could be over there, and if it rains, we’d be covered and there’s plenty of room for everyone. They could even stand in the loft as they watch. The parking space is huge and it could be like one of those picturesque little weddings all of your friends try to have, but only end up having flashy ones.” She laughed and squeezed his arm. “We’d be the first to pull off an original country-style wedding.”
Monty studied Jennifer’s face, and then looked around the barn. The shift in his body from protected refusal changed to a softer stance where he seemed to accept his surroundings. “Yeah, actually this would be perfect.”
Jennifer glanced at me, a smile teasing at her lips. “Did you say you’re the photographer? Do you guys have any wedding planners or anything like that?”
Glancing at me, Jeremy glanced at me and reached out and took my hand. The natural way he touched me felt good. He squeezed my fingers as he looked down at me.
I met his gaze. Was he wondering if that’s what I was willing to do? Was he okay if I set something up? As if he knew what I was thinking, he softly nodded, answering the questions I tried asking with my eyes.
Turning toward Monty and Jennifer, I offered them information I made up as I went. Hopefully, Jeremy would remember the details. I was more excited than anything and trying to hide it. “We have whole packages or partial packages. We can do event planning, and coordinate catering or anything else you might need. I’m the photographer for Forever Akers,” Jeremy jerked his head toward me at the new name of his ranch, but I didn’t stop. He’d nodded and that’s all the okay I needed. “...and I’d shoot all day. Edited shots would be part of the package.” I glanced at Jennifer, as if Monty wouldn’t have the information and to turn the control back to her. “How many people are you planning?”
Jennifer looked at Monty for the answer. He replied for her. “Roughly three-hundred. Is there room here for that?”
Three-hundred was not a large number when doing an outdoor event. “Of course. That’s easily accommodated. Were you interested in catering?” Catering would be a little more difficult, but we could probably find a good restaurant in town that would do it for a small fee. I could set that up, and I knew exactly what to expect for catering bills.
“We were thinking of having the reception catered, but maybe with just appetizers.” Jennifer slipped into the role of bride, which was nice to see since she had defaulted to Monty while they’d been there.
“Good. Do you have a dress?” I would have to take mental notes and just write everything down as soon as I got back inside.
“Yes. That’s the one thing I do have. Oh, and my bridesmaids have their dresses already, too.” Jennifer laughed and glanced between Jeremy and me.
I encouraged her with a smile and held Jeremy’s hand a little tighter. “And you said that the date was in two months?”
“Yes. Is that going to be a problem?” She bit her bottom lip and watched me, as if that would make or break an event.
Shaking my head, I smiled, but cautioned, “That’s going to be a rush job, it usually costs extra. Is that okay?”
“That’s okay, we’ll pay extra. What’s the price?” Monty took over the negotiations, and I could see that he would do whatever it took to make his to-be-wife happy. He looked at her, his fingers covering hers. “Are you sure this is what you want?” Her enthusiastic nod sealed it, and he nodded before returning his gaze to me for the answer.
Something like what she wanted with everything they would need, which sounded like a full day. I quickly did the math in my head and added fifteen percent to cover any contingencies that might arise. “To cover catering and photography costs, as well as set up and a few other bonuses that we do, you’re looking at twenty-thousand dollars. We do require twenty percent down.”
Jeremy’s fingers squeezed my hand, and I had a feeling that he suspected Monty wouldn’t pay, either that, or he thought I suddenly didn’t want to have any feeling in my digits.
However, I knew people like the ones standing before me. I also knew how much an event like that would cost. With the short time frame, they would be lucky to get one together at all, let alone one that they could be proud of in their lifestyle.
It didn’t surprise me when Monty pulled on his checkbook. “If it’s okay with you, I’ll just pay all of it now. I’d rather not do deposits and have payments. You guys alright with a check? Then you can get started. “
He handed the check to Jeremy who took it slowly.
“Okay, I’ll lay out some plans and get in touch with you this week to finalize more plans.” I reached out and shook Jennifer’s hand, my exuberance evident in the fast way I pumped her hand up and down. “I’m really excited to work with you.”
She nodded, excitedly. Clutching Monty’s arm, she looked up at him. “I’m so excited. Thank you.”
The look on Monty’s face was exactly the look I hoped to capture in their photographs. His adoration as he looked down at her finally made sense to me why people wanted to get married. “Anything for you, love.”
After they left, Jeremy turned to me in a semblance of shock, which was perfectly okay since he still held that twenty-thousand dollar check tightly in his grip. “I am astounded that you just booked out like that.” He stared at me in awe.
“Is that okay? I thought that you meant I could take over when you nodded at me.” Suddenly I was worried that maybe I had overstepped my bounds.
The day was growing warmer and a fine perspiration broke out on my forehead. What if I had upset him?
“No, of course. It was more than fine. I just... I really have been trying to book this place for over a year.” He was excited for the booking, but despondent that he’d needed help. It wasn’t hard to understand. I’d felt like that many times for different reasons. How did one correlate happiness with discouragement?
I reached out and touched his arm, and he glanced at my fingers. It was probably the first time I had voluntarily touched him first and the significance wasn’t lost on either of us. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re booking it for the wrong things. Did you notice I renamed this place? Akers Dude Ranch doesn’t set the stage for what people are looking for. Unfortunately, it’s not the best name for what you’re trying to do here.”
“Forever Akers sounds awesome. What else would you do differently? I would love to hear your thoughts.” He didn’t seem like his ego was bruised, or that he was on the defensive because I’d booked something and he hadn’t. A man that wasn’t hurt by his failures but welcomed growth was rare indeed, and I looked at him with new respect.
I’d been thinking about his place all week as we set things up. How I would name it and market it. I could definitely tell that my business classes would come into play, if he’d let me help. “Honestly? I’ve been thinking about it all week. Forever Akers was something that just came to me when I was thinking of all the reservations you’d get if you marketed to weddings and receptions. Anniversaries will work great for the off season, but for the most part, I believe weddings will be where you’ll make money. I’m serious, this place is a wedding planner’s dream.”
“I’ll make all the changes. I’ll buy all the business licenses and everything that we need to do this.” He cocked his head to the side. “Do you really think you can do this?
I looked around and a desperation filled my chest. I wanted to so badly. I wanted to find success on my own terms, but this wasn’t my place. I wasn’t even sure if I was staying for the full six months yet. If I had a more concrete foundation with Jeremy, I might be able to answer with more confidence, but nothing was solid and that scared me. How invested would I become only to have everything fall out from under me?
Hedging my answer, I finally looked him in the eye. “It will be overwhelming. I don’t think I can do it alone.” Would he understand that I encompassed so much in that statement? I didn’t want to be alone. I didn’t want to try to succeed out there. I wanted to make a go of our marriage. Especially with so many of our dreams beginning to braid together.
He seemed to understand my multi-leveled response as he moved closer to me. Jeremy took my face in his hands. “You’re not alone, Alex. I don’t want you to think that.” The huskiness in his voice could curl my toes.
I gazed up into his dark mahogany eyes as my skin tingled under his touch. The more we touched and talked and spent time together, the more my wall broke down. As usual, I used humor as my main defense. “You’re still not getting into my bed.”
His chuckle vibrated in his chest and he lowered his lips to mine. It wasn’t the first time our lips had touched, but this one held more meaning and more emotion as we connected. Our lips danced and engaged more than any of the combined kisses with Larry or any other guy I had ever kissed.
We seemed to speak to each other as we leaned into the embrace and angled our heads to get a closer connection. My stomach flipped and flopped, and I think my heart outpaced itself.
Things were starting to finally look like I might find my happy ending.
