by Nancy Thayer
Uncomfortably, Ben confessed, “I just realized it’s almost August. School starts at the end of next month. I’ll be a crazy man.”
Natalie tilted her head, watching him fondly. “So this is something you need to get done,” she prompted. “This plan to get married.”
“Exactly.” He stopped. “Is that wrong? Does it upset you?”
“No. I’m just learning how you think. I’ve always been around artistic types, Ben. They’re more—romantic.” She gestured at her clothing, and his. She was barefoot, in stained cargo pants and a black tank top. She’d brushed her teeth this morning, but she wore no lipstick and the only mascara on her lashes was left over from last night. Ben was standing there in his bathing trunks. The morning sun streamed in the window.
“I see,” Ben murmured. “You want romance.” He grabbed her wrist. “I have an idea.”
He led her down the stairs and into the kitchen. He snatched her floppy straw sun hat from the hook and plopped it on her head. He grabbed up the bottle of sunblock she kept by the back door and led her outside.
They went down the steps, across the lawn, and over to the canoe left upside down next to the water. As soon as she saw it, Natalie guessed where he was taking her.
Natalie helped Ben swing it over and shove it into the water. They both stepped inside. They both took a paddle. Ben sat in the bow to steer. Natalie was glad to sit in the stern, to watch his back as he took the lead.
The day was hot, the bright sun painting the water with a silver sheen. Their paddles made a kind of music as they stroked along. Ben had taken the day off from his lab in order to model for Natalie; it was a weekday, most other adults were at work or busy with chores. Summer ferns and foliage fell down the banks like a green filigree, and trees swayed in a playful breeze. They glided along the lake, enjoying the serenity of the late morning.
They arrived at the arch of willow branches reaching from one bank to the other.
“Duck,” Ben called.
She bent down as they slid beneath the tickling strands of leaves, and then they were there, inside the small, private cove. Light streamed through the trees, painting the water pale green. From the bank, a frog jumped into the water, affronted at their arrival. The canoe knocked gently against the bank. Ben shipped his paddle and turned around to face Natalie.
He was smiling. “Is this romantic?”
Natalie touched his cheek lightly. “Very.”
She expected him to kiss her. Instead, he reached into his trunks’ pocket and brought out a small black velvet box.
Inside was an antique engagement ring, one whopping large round faceted diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds, set in platinum.
“Ben!” She was breathless.
“It was my grandmother’s. My grandmother Barnaby. She passed it along to me for when I got engaged.” Awkwardly, Ben knelt in the bottom of the canoe, which was almost an impossibility with his long legs, and looked uncomfortable. He took Natalie’s hand in his. “Natalie, will you marry me?”
Tears glittered in her eyes, making rainbows fly up from the ring. Her heart was racing with joy. “Of course I will, Ben. I’d throw my arms around you and kiss you, too, but I’m afraid I’ll tip the boat and we’ll both fall out and the ring will get lost in the lake.”
“Then I’d better put it on you.” He slipped the ring from its velvet slot and slid it onto Natalie’s finger.
“Ben, did you have the ring in your trunks all morning?”
“Yup.”
“Didn’t you worry about being out on the lake with it in your pocket? What if we’d had an accident? What if the ring had fallen into the deep part of the lake?”
Ben’s gaze was steady, the expression of a man she could trust. “Sometimes, I think, it’s worth taking a risk.”
28
Bella hadn’t had the best of days.
First, an elderly couple came in, sour-faced and suspicious. The man walked with a cane. He and his wife made a slow tour of Bella’s, eyeing the furniture skeptically. The man would then extend an arm and whack the dry sink or table leg with his cane, several times, as if expecting to prove the wood was really pressboard. Bella politely asked him not to hit the furniture because it might leave marks. The man humphed, told her everything in her shop was too expensive, and the couple left.
The hours passed slowly until her next arrival, who turned out to be a very pregnant woman simply needing to use a bathroom. Afterward, she thanked Bella and rushed away.
The third person to enter was a man in his fifties, so dapper and decorous Bella suspected he was a professor at one of the universities. Enchanted by a desk, he examined it inch by inch, squinting, squatting, peering, even sniffing. He asked Bella if she could come down on the price, and she sweetly said perhaps a few hundred. Then he began to grill Bella: What were her qualifications to sell antiques? Did she belong to the Antiques Dealers’ Association of America? Did she subscribe to any journals such as Art and Antiques? Did she have an associate, perhaps someone older and more experienced, he could talk with? Bella struggled to remain polite, and after he left—without buying the desk—she counseled herself that the interaction had not been worthless. She knew she needed to find out about various organizations and antiques magazines. Perhaps she could even start taking some courses.
Another dark cloud on her horizon was the mess she, Natalie, and Morgan had gotten themselves into. Their last get-together had ended so badly, with Morgan storming away, and understandably so. Josh shouldn’t have told Natalie about his novel before telling Morgan. As for Morgan and Slade—Bella was glad that Morgan had told her about Slade’s pass. It hurt Bella’s pride, but deep down, she wasn’t really surprised. Most important, it had helped her sort out her feelings about Slade and Aaron. Slade had been such fun, bringing such a sense of romance. Slade was a summer breeze, enticing, playful, inconstant. Aaron was the earth beneath her feet, and the sun and moon as well.
She was flicking off the lights, preparing to close the shop, when the phone rang.
“Bella?” Morgan’s voice was surprisingly cheerful. “Could you come over for a drink right now?”
Surprised, for a moment Bella didn’t speak.
“I’ve asked Natalie. She’s coming, too. I want to apologize to her, and to you—”
“No apologies necessary—” Bella began.
Morgan cut her off. “Fine, but come anyway. As soon as possible, okay?”
Something good had happened, Bella could tell. Her spirits lifted. “I’ll be right there.”
Aaron had gone down to the Cape to sail with his brother. Bella drove home, showered, slipped into a clean pair of shorts and a tee shirt, and headed next door to Morgan’s.
Morgan was on the deck, setting out a board of cheese and crackers. Her long brown hair was loose, falling around her shoulders, transforming her from athlete into model. She wore khaki shorts and a casual blue linen shirt.
“Hey, Bella!” Morgan kissed Bella on the cheek as she came up onto the deck.
“You seem happy,” Bella remarked warily.
“Oh, I am!” Morgan did a little spin. “I’ll tell you about it when Nat gets here.”
“I’m coming!” Natalie called, running across the lawn in a blue sundress.
Bella gawked. Natalie in blue instead of black? Wow.
Natalie skipped up the steps. She hugged Morgan. “I’m so glad you phoned. I’ve been miserable since—”
“I know. I have, too,” Morgan said. “I don’t want the three of us ever to split up, even if we argue. Did you ever hear that the Chinese character for disaster is the same as the one for opportunity?”
“Morgan,” Bella said, “you’re not quite making sense.”
Morgan laughed. “What I’m trying to say is that what you told me, Natalie, about Josh’s novel—Well, wait!” She dashed into her house and quickly returned carrying a tray with champagne flutes and a bottle of Perrier-Jouët.
“What are we celebrating?” Nat
alie asked.
“Everything! Wait till you hear!” Morgan poured the frothy liquid into the glasses and handed them around. “All right, ladies, here we go. (A) Josh spontaneously, without coaxing, decided to have a boys’ night out with Petey. That’s a first. He’s taking him to see Daddy’s office, to Fresh Side for dinner, and to the library.”
“Ergo, our girls’ night out,” Bella said.
“Oh, it’s more than that. (B) He’s getting ready to become Stay-at-Home Dad!” Morgan lifted her glass high. “Here’s to me! The new assistant director of hazardous waste management at the University of Massachusetts!”
“Get out!” Natalie shouted. “When did this happen?”
“Yesterday!” Morgan waved her hands. “Sit down, sit down, I’ll tell you all about it.”
“I didn’t even know you were planning to take a job,” Bella said.
“I’ve been keeping my eye on the U. Mass. site all along,” Morgan confessed. “Then, when there was the blood spill at Felicity’s—”
Natalie demanded, “The what?”
“The blood spill.” Morgan’s tone was matter-of-fact. “Felicity’s boyfriend injured himself climbing out of Felicity’s window—”
Bella sipped her champagne as she listened to Morgan recount the events of the adolescent drama at the Hortons and the satisfaction Morgan felt that spurred her to initiate the interview at U. Mass. She heard the authority in Morgan’s voice, her knowledge and experience clear in every word.
“I discovered the director of the Environmental Health and Safety Office knows my old boss at Weathersfield. I’ve got the perfect qualifications, plus I’m here. Perhaps they were desperate, but they called today to offer me a full-time position. Josh is going to talk with Ronald Ruoff to tell him he has to resign because we can’t both work full-time. Josh will take care of Petey and work on his novel. He’s got an agent who’s very optimistic about selling it.” Morgan paused to sip her champagne, then continued. “Even better than all that, it’s as if Josh and I are falling in love again. We talk and talk and make love like we used to. It’s heaven. It means, of course, we’re going to have to put this place on the market.”
“Oh no!” Bella cried.
“I know. We love it here. I’ll be making a decent salary at the university, but nothing like what Josh makes at Bio-Green.”
“Maybe he’ll make a killing with his book,” Natalie suggested.
“Maybe, but we can’t count on that. We’re going to sell this place and buy something smaller, not on the lake. But near here, of course, so we can come visit as often as you’ll let us.”
“Well,” Natalie said slowly, “I won’t be here after next spring. Aunt Eleanor’s returning then.” She met Morgan’s eyes, and then Bella’s. “Oh hell,” she said. “I can’t wait. Morgan, I don’t want to spoil your big announcement, but I have a couple of my own.”
Morgan perched on the side of a chair impatiently. “Tell.”
“A New York gallery has contacted me. They read the reviews and they want to carry me. I’m going down to New York to meet with them.”
“Oh, Natalie, what fantastic news!” Bella cried. She hugged her friend, carefully, so she wouldn’t spill their champagne.
“It’s all because of you, Bella,” Natalie said. “I owe it all to you for hanging my work in your gallery. I owe it to both of you, for believing in me when I hardly believed in myself.” She raised her glass in a toast. “Here’s to you, Bella, for discovering me.”
Bella’s eyes teared up. She was happy for Natalie—and she was thrilled for herself. She had helped a friend, and she had proved to herself that, truly, her judgment was worthy.
The three women toasted.
Morgan said, “You said you have two announcements.”
Natalie’s grin was like a flash of sunshine. “Ben asked me to marry him. I said yes.”
“You’re going to marry Ben?” Morgan and Bella exploded from their chairs. They grabbed Natalie and all three hugged and jumped up and down like teenagers at a rock concert.
Morgan poured them more champagne. “Natalie,” Bella said, “you’re going to be my sister-in-law.”
“How cool is that?” Natalie’s laugh was contagious.
“Where are you going to live?” Morgan asked.
“Next door,” Natalie told them. “Ben has already talked to Louise and Dennis. He wants to buy their house. We expect to get married in January. Ben says that’s a quiet month at the university, so we can have a honeymoon. We plan to move into the house sometime in May.”
Bella’s jaw dropped. Ben had talked to his parents? Ben and Natalie were going to live in the Barnaby house? Where was Bella supposed to live?
“Bella,” Morgan asked. “What are you thinking?”
Bella forced a smile. “So much change …”
Natalie nodded, her face somber now, too. “I know. More changes to come, too, enormous changes.”
“But we won’t let anything change our friendship,” Morgan declared. “Listen, I’ve never had such close friends as you two. This has been an amazing summer, and something quite unusual has happened here, on Dragonfly Lake. I mean the three of us meeting and influencing one another’s lives. Even if I leave this lake, I still need the two of you to be my best friends. I want to be your best friend, too. Okay?”
Natalie reached out and touched Morgan’s arm. Very seriously, she said, “I’ve always wanted to be the best friend of an assistant director of hazardous waste management.”
They all laughed.
Morgan aimed a look at Bella. “Are you with us, Bella?”
Bella smiled. “Always.”
The three women sat on the deck while the sun sank lower, burnishing the gray clouds with a dull silver gleam. Around them the birds were settling in for the night, calling out and answering. Even the trees seemed to be settling their leaves for sleep. As darkness fell, a slight breeze stirred the air, drifting across the lake, lightly brushing against their skin, teasing their hair, cooling the backs of their necks. Lights came on in houses all around the lake, flicking into brilliance like fireflies, here and here and here. So many families, Bella thought, so many people with their own dreams and struggles.
At last the women rose. Natalie and Bella helped carry the empty bottles and glasses and plates into Morgan’s house, then went away, calling out, “Good night.”
At home, Bella peeked into the living room. Both her parents were reading.
“Hi, guys.” She perched on a chair. “I’ve been talking to Natalie and Morgan. Natalie’s engaged to Ben.”
Louise beamed. “We know. Isn’t it grand?”
Dennis cocked his head thoughtfully. “Ben wants to buy the house.”
“I know. I’m glad for them, and for both of you.” She paused, her eyes full of melancholy. “I guess I’m kind of sad for myself. I love this house so much.”
Louise reached over to pat Bella’s hand. “You’ll have your own place soon enough. Oh, that reminds me. Aaron phoned. He’s back in Amherst. He’d like you to call.”
Aaron. His name was like a fresh breeze in a stuffy room. “Great, thanks.” She hurried up to the privacy of her room and called Aaron.
“I thought you were staying at your parents’ tonight,” she told him.
“I missed you,” Aaron said. “Any chance you could spend the night? I could come get you.”
“I’d love it,” she said. “I’ve got a lot to tell you.”
As she had many times before, Bella packed a duffel bag with toiletries and a change of clothes. She ran out as soon as Aaron’s car turned into the drive.
“Hey,” he said, his voice warm with affection. Beneath the overhead light, his nose glowed with sunburn and his cheeks were rosy. He smelled fresh from a shower and shaving cream.
“Hey.” Leaning over, she kissed him. “I’m glad to see you. Good day sailing?”
He laughed. “Oh yeah. The wind was perfect.”
“Nice and even?” she
asked.
“Not at all. It was gusting from the southeast, a real challenge. We got up some speed, too, and almost capsized.” He slapped the steering wheel. “Damn, it was fun.”
She’d never been much of a sailor, and Dragonfly Lake had its moods, but nothing ever challenging.
While he drove back to his apartment in Amherst, Aaron raved on about the sail. Bella studied his profile in the flickering light from the street lamps. He looked like a Roman emperor. A centurion. Although what was a centurion? She’d forgotten. She meant that he looked classical, wise, and strong.
Aaron parked on the street, hefted her duffel bag on his arm, beeped his car locked, and taking Bella’s arm in his, walked with her up the sidewalk and into the apartment building. It was just after ten o’clock. The building was silent; people were settling down for the night.
In his living room, he turned on the lights. “Want a drink?”
Bella shuddered. “I think I’ll get myself a nice, cool glass of water. I’ve been drinking champagne all evening with Morgan and Natalie, and I’ve had quite enough alcohol for a while.”
“Want to go to bed instead?” Aaron asked.
She grinned at him. “I always want to go to bed with you. But tonight, I’d like to talk awhile.”
“Okay.” Aaron got himself a cold beer and flopped down on the sofa. “About anything special?”
She kicked off her sandals and sat at the opposite end of the sofa, bringing her bare feet up and stretching out her legs so she could put her feet on his lap. “Lots of special things,” she told him, looking up through her lashes.
He ran his hand over her ankle and up to her knee. “Shoot.”
“Well, Morgan got a job at U. Mass. in the biosafety department, or something like that, involving waste management, and if you can imagine, she’s absolutely over the moon about it. And Josh is going to quit Bio-Green and they’re going to sell their house and buy something more modest so they can live on Morgan’s salary while Josh writes his novel.”
“Wow. I had no idea Josh was writing a novel. What’s it about?”
“It’s sci-fi, that’s all I know. And, Aaron, Ben and Natalie are going to get married! They’re going to buy Dad and Mom’s house and live there, and my parents will buy a more manageable house and do some traveling.”
