An excerpt from my zany romance, Boogie, Boots, & Cherry Pie
Mike has spent the day with Lily, visiting his cottage artisans on the river--all the while watching the rising water get closer and closer to his employees' homes...one good flood could finish him...
Illustration by Sherri Bails
Chapter 19. A Surprising Weekend
Lily falls asleep in Mike’s car after spending a long day with Mike on his route to pick up finished jewelry from his crew along the river…
Lily was grateful for the nap she got on the way home. Mike held her hand much of the time, and played with her ring, pushing it up and down her finger. “Carnac says, ‘size six,’” he whispered. Lily sleepily confirmed the wisdom of Carnac, before she fell into a deep sleep. She was beat. No wonder Mike could eat and eat without gaining any weight. He put in long, hard days. What were they like when he was in Seattle? Probably much the same, she decided, going from place to place, only to take new orders and deliver the last ones.
When they got close to his mother’s house, Mike ducked into the local wine store to pick up some red wine. It didn’t matter what they were serving, he said. This family liked red wine. Heavy, red wine. They made no pretensions, they drank what they liked, regardless of the wine rules about red wine for meat and white wine for fish. He offered to pick up a bottle of white or pink wine for Lily, but she declined. She admitted she really didn’t know one wine from the other.
There were already several cars in the driveway when they arrived. Mike headed straight to the kitchen for some glasses and a wine opener and Lily ran for the bathroom to freshen up. Then they both went to the back deck to admire Kare’s salmon. It was so big, she bragged, they only cooked half of it. The rest was in the freezer. Mike poured wine and they gathered around the grill for a toast. “To my sister Kare,” Mike saluted, “the family hunter-gatherer—all in one package!”
Everyone listened attentively to Kare’s story about how she hooked the fish and played it until Joe could help her bring it into the boat. She’d grown up fishing on friends’ boats on the river, and bringing in salmon was nothing new to her, but none had been as big as this one. She was, she admitted, glad to have Joe to help her land it. It weighed close to twenty pounds, and Kare was petite. There was a lot going on with the couple besides the fish. Joann had to hold onto the deck railing off the kitchen to keep from floating to heaven. Two children. Two romances. It just didn’t get any better. So what if she and Ron were going nowhere besides just being good friends? She’d had a married life when she was young. Now, she was happy just to sit back and watch Mike and Kare in their beginning stages of love, marriage, and children. Mentally, she was already refurbishing one of the bedrooms into a baby room. The room she had in mind was small, but there would be plenty of room in it for two cribs.
Lily looked at her plate with grilled salmon, parsley-buttered potatoes and green salad and was surprised at how hungry she was. Had she ever eaten so much in one day? She was sure she hadn’t. The fish was delicious and Kare beamed at everyone’s praise as they feasted on the salmon steaks drizzled in lemon butter and sprinkled with fresh rosemary from Joann’s garden. The others had all caught salmon before but fishing for any size of fish was new to Lily, and she was in awe of Kare for catching such a big one. The thought of fishing on the river and pulling in a huge fish was exciting. Would Mike take her someday? Dared she ask?
After dessert, Ron and Mike walked across the road to give the river one more look. Ron had left his boat safely tucked away in his boathouse that was attached to his home on the water and had driven his car over because he was worried about the river rising and possibly having to leave his new yacht at Joann’s. Her dock wasn’t covered, and it was exposed to the wind, currents, and floating debris.
***
When Mike and Ron went across the street to see how much the river had risen, Lily and Noodle had gone upstairs to pack, and Kare was saying goodnight to Joe, so Joann poured another glass of wine and went out onto the back deck to watch her birdfeeders. She could have gone with Mike and Ron to look at the river but, truth be told, she was a little bored with Ron’s obsession with boating, his new yacht, and his comments about her substandard dock. The condition of her dock didn’t bother her because she hadn’t had a boat for years. She only used it as a place to dangle her feet in the water with a glass of wine. It was a great place to watch sunsets. If she and Ron were a serious item, she’d have a covered dock built. But as things were, there didn’t seem to be any point. In Joann, Ron never said anything to make her think he was after more than a suitable, presentable companion for the town’s social events. Suitable social partners were scarce in this town, and Joann leaned on Ron as much as he leaned on her.
Divorced for years, he seemed to relish his freedom to come and go, alone or not, as he chose. Joann never questioned their relationship. She was too proud to do or say anything that might make her appear needy. She was far from needy. She had a good life. She took a big gulp of her wine when a little twinge deep inside her told her she was lying to herself about not being disappointed about her status with Ron, but she’d leave worrying about that for another day. There was plenty of time to fret when you spent day after day alone in a big house. She hoped someday she’d find a man to share it with, but she was pretty sure that person wouldn’t be Ron. It was obvious to both of them there was no real spark between them. But they were good friends, and Joann was grateful for a friendship that had lasted for years.
She smiled as she thought of Lily in the guestroom upstairs. What a surprising weekend. After years of worrying over her children’s happiness, now both of them had found happiness at the same time. Lily was everything Kare said she was, and Joann was overjoyed with her son’s choice. Kare’s Joe had been around for so many years Joann already thought of him as a member of the family. They just didn’t come any better than Joe.
***
Upstairs, it had been such a wonderful visit Lily hated to pack up so she and Mike could head back to Seattle that night, but both of them had to work the next day. Maybe it was for the best. What if she got too attached to this family, and she and Mike didn’t last? Losing Mike would be bad enough, losing this wonderful family would be heartbreaking. This was a real family. A family that cared for and supported each other. She’d treasure the memory of this weekend forever. She knew if she lost Mike and someday found another guy, there was no guarantee the new man would have relatives as good as these. This family was everything she’d always dreamed about, and it made her stomachache to think she might lose it.
Lily was packing and Mike was downstairs saying goodbye to his mother when Kare slipped into the guestroom to tell Lily she wasn’t going home; she was going to Joe’s. Her plan was to call in sick tomorrow morning. Lily promised to back her up, if need be, though it was unlikely Kare would need Lily to help her cover her tracks. Their bosses at work didn’t snoop on their employees.
As good as this family was, she couldn’t help but wonder about Mike’s dad. Joann had completely written him out of her life. And in doing so, out of her children’s. It seemed to Lily most kids still had a relationship with their father after a divorce.
On the way home that night, Mike went out of his way to drive through a neighborhood without any explanation. He slowed down and looked at a house that appeared to be empty, and then drove on. Who lived in that house? To Lily, it was obvious. Mike’s father. It had to be. She didn’t ask. He didn’t offer an explanation. Without a word, he headed the car toward the freeway.
Lily tried to call Reggae to see if there was any news on the Great Snake Hunt, but she didn’t answer. Neither of them thought Mingo had a cell phone, so they couldn’t call him directly...
Set in Seattle. See the video on YouTube (search Janelle Meraz Hooper).