Part 2 (2/2)
Canada? ”No idea, actually,” I said, cutting into the stack of decadence, and taking a large bite. ”Oh my G.o.d,” I mumbled around the food.
”Really?” May said, leaning in on her arms, looking fascinated. ”Just taking a drive?”
I cut into another piece of waffle, thinking of the precious seconds ticking away while I had no plan to speak of. If these people really knew how that made my blood flow backward, they wouldn't be so fascinated.
”Sort of. Getting away for the day.”
”Just you?”
I nodded. ”Just me,” I said. ”My daughter's off at college, and my-” My what? Boyfriend? Fiance? No, not yet. ”Um, the guy I'm seeing and I had a little disagreement and I'm taking the day to get my thoughts straight.” I spit all that out on one breath.
”What'd he do?” Jarvis asked, sitting up straight. ”I'll go set him straight if he hurt you.”
My heart warmed at this stranger who was willing to do battle for me for absolutely no reason. I chuckled. ”No, nothing like that. He just-” I looked from one set of eyes to the other. ”Proposed.”
Jarvis's head bobbed back a little in surprise, and May bit back a laugh by s.n.a.t.c.hing up her cup.
”Say what?” Jarvis asked, squinting and leaning forward.
I sighed. ”I know, it's stupid.”
”Well, how long have you dated him?” he asked. Or demanded, really. I had to laugh.
”Two years,” I said. ”Yesterday.”
”Well, honey, what are you waiting for?” he said. ”Social security?”
”Jarvis!” May exclaimed, wiping her mouth. ”It's not our business.”
”No, it's okay,” I said, feeling the heat of embarra.s.sment rush up to my scalp. ”I know it sounds crazy. I should know by now whether I want to marry him. We basically live together anyway.” I blew out a breath. ”It's just-I don't know.”
”Does he have a job?” May asked, her voice low.
”Oh yeah, he's a bank executive, he's successful,” I said, wincing a little as I remembered what Jarvis said about banks. ”He's good-looking, driven, cultured, sweet, funny sometimes-”
”You must be a hard sell, girl,” Jarvis said.
”Do you love him?” May said.
I looked her in the eye. ”What?”
”You've just described a nice, fancy car, honey,” she said, leaning in.
”I never had a sweet and funny car,” Jarvis interjected.
She rolled her eyes. ”Ignore him. What do you talk about? What do you do together? What dreams do you share?”
I stared at her as I realized I'd just done the same thing that Brad had done in his proposal.
”We-” What did we do? ”He-hates breakfast,” I said on a whisper, almost to myself.
May sat back and regarded me with a studied look. ”You know, there's a lake about an hour from here,” she said. ”I don't know if there's a hotel nearby, but I remember it being so nice.”
Yeah, I remembered it being nice, too. For different reasons.
”Oh, here we go,” Jarvis said, shaking his head at his coffee cup. May elbowed him in the ribs and he groaned as he winked at me. ”Careful, woman, you might break me.”
”I'll break you, all right,” she said, her voice soft even when she was playing. ”I just don't see why we can't still go see the place. I used to love going there.”
”Feel free,” Jarvis countered. She gave him a look and he laughed. ”Nothing to do there now. We have stuff here.”
”You used to love going out there, too.”
He nodded big. ”Yes, I did. When I had my boat. After I sold it to Jesse there wasn't a point.”
”We don't need a boat, you old fool,” she countered.
”We live in the woods, May,” he said, turning his whole body to look at her like elderly people sometimes do when their joints don't work right. ”Without a boat, it's just going to see more woods.”
”Oh, you and that boat,” she said, smiling at me. ”It was old, like you. It needed to be retired, not sold.”
”Nah,” Jarvis said, his mouth set as he toyed with a spoon. ”That old boat was something else.” He looked up at me. ”Been through another owner before me, and still has life left in it.”
”Oh, I get it,” I said, holding up a hand. ”My dad had a boat like that. My mom sold it when he died, but Lord he loved that thing.”
”See,” Jarvis said, nudging her in return.
”Yep,” I said. ”Loved it so much, the boat and I had the same nickname.”
May laughed. ”Oh my goodness, what was that?”
”Beauty,” I said. I dabbed bacon in the egg juices and savored the union. When I looked back up, May was smiling at me, and Jarvis took hold of her hand. I was. .h.i.t with the repeated thought that I so wanted to be them one day.
”Say what?” Jarvis said, leaning forward.
”Beauty,” I repeated, and he sat back, regarding me.
”How'd that come about?” he asked, more focus in his eyes than before.
”Not sure which was first, really,” I said, smiling at the memory. ”It was stenciled in italics on the back of his boat since I can remember, so I don't know who was named for whom.” I laughed and took a sip of coffee. ”Knowing my dad, the boat was probably first.”
”That's pretty special,” May said.
”Told you,” he said to her, almost privately. ”I knew there was something special today.”
She smiled tolerantly and patted his hand. ”I meant having that with her dad.”
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