Just Right

by Jessie Gussman

  “Different from what I’d always thought my ideal woman was.”

  “Oh?” He seemed to be in such a contemplative mood and she couldn’t figure out whether he was thinking he’d been wrong, or if he was actually explaining why they didn’t fit.

  He waved his hand at the shiny bulbs hanging from the window, then over towards the tree and the bit of tinsel she’d arranged. “All this. I’ve always hated decorations. What a waste of time.”

  She drew back. If he’d have slapped her, she wouldn’t have been more surprised.

  “Knick-knacks. That’s what my mother calls them. I trip over them. Knock them down. Break stuff. I’m not graceful, and a body this size takes some space.”

  “But you made all those decorations for your yard.”

  “Yeah. I think that’s about the time I wondered what the point was. You know?” He shrugged. “I knew my mother liked the stuff and I spent a lot of time making it, but by the time I was done, I wondered why I’d bothered. You put the stuff out once a year. It clutters up the yard. You spend a lot of time trying to get the lights and stuff just so, only to take it down again.”

  He hadn’t been overly enthused or impressed about the party, but he’d helped her some with the decorations and had promised to help her with the decorating. And now he was saying that he hated it all?

  Avery squinted at him. The doctor said he’d reacted badly to the anesthesia. Maybe it had changed his personality. She made a mental note to ask the doctor if it was permanent.

  “So,” she hesitated, not sure she really wanted to know exactly what he was saying. “Do you want me to take the decorations down?”

  Gator dropped his foot from the chair and moved his body around to look at her, his brows drawn down in confusion.

  The lights fluttered on as a doctor walked in, a younger woman in a lab coat at his side. “You, sir, are not to be out of bed. If it’s completely necessary for you to be up, you are to have your leg elevated.”

  Dr. Hess shook hands and introduced Dr. Bensten. Avery read “resident” on her badge.

  “Were you on your way to or from the restroom?” Dr. Hess asked.

  Avery stifled a smile. Nice way of telling Gator to get back in bed.

  Gator gave her a last look, one she thought promised more conversation, before he lifted a lip at the doctor and leaned his weight on the wheeled tray before hopping to the bed. And, yes, Avery noticed that he barely glanced at the young, good-looking female “resident.”

  The older doctor pointed his clipboard at Avery. “If you want his foot to heal correctly, you are going to have to keep him in bed, or at the very least, off of his feet. When he’s sitting, it needs to be propped, and he should not stand any more than it takes for him to walk from his bed to the chair to the restroom and back.”

  “Yes, sir,” Avery said. Like she’d given Gator permission to get out of bed. Like he’d have gotten back in if she’d have told him to, and like she hadn’t heard it all yesterday.

  “It was all me,” Gator said, as though he could read her mind.

  The doctor turned serious eyes on Gator. “I know. Sometimes patients I work with aren’t going to listen to anyone. Don’t look so surprised. I’ve been in this a long time, and some people just don’t listen. You’re borderline.” He narrowed his eyes at Gator. “My instinct tells me that if your wife wants it, you’ll kill yourself to give it to her. That’s why I was giving her the instructions.”

  Gator’s eyes slanted to her. There was not a hint of a smile on his face. That slow burn in the pit of her stomach sparked and leaped.

  He looked back at the doctor. “Pegged.”

  Avery’s heart launched into a stunning rendition of Ave Maria.

  As though he could hear it, one side of Gator’s mouth quirked up. Avery turned toward the window to hide her own grin.

  The doctor droned on about Gator staying off his feet and being careful not to bump the foot and things to look for with his anesthesia issues. Avery tried to pay attention around the thumping of her heart and the heat in her stomach and the nerves that still twanged because of Gator’s decorations comments.

  After telling Gator he should be discharged by noon, the doctor and the resident left.

  Avery stood by the window, one finger trailing on the manger figurines she’d placed there.

  Silence descended heavily in the room, broken only by the occasional clicking of the machines near the head of Gator’s bed.

  Avery looked around. At the sparkly wreath that hung on the back of the door. At the colored string of lights on the wall near Gator’s bed. At the stained-glass throw in green, red and gold across the bottom of Gator’s bed. At the iPod docking station where she’d been streaming Christmas music.

  “Maybe I went a little overboard on the decorations.” It had taken five trips from her car to his room to carry everything. That was probably a little excessive.

  “Come here,” Gator said, softening his command with a quieter plea. “Please.”

  Avery smiled at Gator’s barely polite command. She stepped toward the bed.

  He reached out a hand and clasped hers. “I hate not being able to go where I want to.”

  “This will be good practice in self-control.”

  Gator gave a derisive snort. “It’s going to take some soul-searching before I determine whether it will be worth the full use of my foot for the rest of my life, versus not being stuck in one place for the next six weeks.”

  “Stop. Six weeks versus the rest of your life.” Six weeks would put them past the New Year. She’d be gone. Three weeks with Gator versus the rest of her life without him. The time was an easy choice when she was thinking about his foot. But what about her possible life partner?

  Possible was the keyword.

  “I was saying earlier about the decorations,” Gator began.

  “Yes, I know. You hate them.” Avery tried to pull her hand away.

  “No. That’s what I was saying. It’s not that I spent a lot of time thinking about the perfect woman for me, but I guess if I had, someone like Kristen would have come pretty close. And, I’d wager a guess that your idea of a perfect mate never looked like me.”

  Avery grunted. “No. You’re right.”

  His thumb stroked her hand sending charges of excitement skimming up her arm.

  “So, after spending so much time with you, I realized last night that I was starting to see the world from a different angle. I mean, it’s nice to be with people who see everything the same way you do. No arguments.” They laughed together. “But, no growth, either. Because I laid here and looked at the things you’d done—the homey blanket you laid across my legs, the Christmas lights sparkling off of the bulbs you’d hung. Just everything you’d done to make my room look comfortable, festive and pretty. Before I spent time with you, I would never had appreciated it, or even noticed, really.”

  “Maybe that’s why opposites attract?”

  “Sure. Maybe that’s why whoever designed us built us that way. Because we need to be more than our own opinion. Because being with people, a person, who is different than I am helps me be better.”

  “You’re saying I help you be better?”

  “Yeah. I’m better now than I was before I met you.” He smirked. “But if you’d have told me that from the top of the light pole, I don’t think I would have believed you at the time.”

  “So, are you going to be rubbing that light pole thing in for the rest of my life?” she asked with an eye roll.

  Gator’s look was serious. “Am I?”

  “You’re right about our differences. I fed your dogs last night and actually enjoyed it. I looked over the backyard at where your mom said the old hatchery used to be and I could see the potential. I would never be thinking like that if I hadn’t met you.” She smiled. “There’s a lot more about you that I like because it’s different from me.”

  “Yeah?”

  She shrugged. “I like how you’re bigger than me. I feel
safe and protected with you. Actually, I like how you protect me—you drove me through the snowstorm. But I also like how we work together. Your strengths buffer my weakness. And mine yours, maybe. Just that idea makes me happy.”

  “So, you didn’t really answer the question.”

  “What question?” She fingered the Christmas throw.

  He squeezed her hand. “The one about whether I’m going to be teasing you about the light pole for the rest of my life.”

  “Knock, knock.” McKoy stuck his head in the door. “Is everyone in here decent?”

  “I am, and I’m working on her,” Gator called. “Come on in.”

  “We both know the opposite is true between you two. Give her fifty years to work on you. Might be close to decent by then.” McKoy grinned as he sauntered in. “Hey, Avery.”

  “Hello, McKoy.” Avery greeted Gator’s friend, then tried to pull away. Gator tugged on her hand.

  McKoy’s eyes went to their clasped fingers. “I actually am interrupting something, here. Aren’t I?”

  Avery shook her head. “No. Not at all. You come right in. Gator needs someone here who’s big enough to make him stay off of that foot.”

  “That’s not what the doctor said,” Gator said in a low, almost husky, voice.

  “Let’s not argue about that now,” Avery said. She gave McKoy another smile. “I appreciate you coming to visit.”

  “Can’t let my friend languish in the hospital all alone. Not with all these cute nurses hanging around. And I’m pretty sure that one good-looking blond was a doctor.”

  “I wouldn’t know,” Gator said.

  “I’m not going there,” McKoy said with a wink. “What’s this about the big party being cancelled? Lots of people in town are really looking forward to it.”

  Avery lifted her hand and shrugged. “My help broke his foot.”

  “And my mom was in the hospital too. Avery gave up her party to take care of us both.”

  “Jillian helped too,” Avery said. She didn’t deserve all the credit. And she really didn’t deserve to be painted in such an unselfish light. Giving up the party hadn’t been as easy as Gator made it sound. Maybe that was part of the reason she went so far overboard decorating Gator’s room.

  “The whole town is disappointed. That’s all I heard about when I made my rounds yesterday.” McKoy shoved his hands in his pockets.

  “Maybe we can do something after Christmas,” Avery said. Although if she was going to take the position in D.C., she would be too busy trying to find a place and…

  Was she considering turning down the position?

  Chapter Twenty

  Avery shut her car off in front of Fink and Ellie’s house. Because of some kind of computer glitch which had caused a paperwork snag, Gator hadn’t been released until early evening. Impatient wasn’t a strong enough word to describe his attitude all afternoon. But now he was home, and she was back at the farm, thinking she’d relieve Jillian who’d been putting in way more hours at the tree farm than anyone had expected.

  Only there were lights on in the barn. And a lot of cars parked outside of it. So Avery had driven by the farm office, curious.

  Now, as she walked down through the dark yard toward the lights, she could hear voices and Christmas music playing. At least if Fink had hired someone to gut the interior, they probably wouldn’t be playing Christmas music, would they?

  Avery slid open the man-door and stepped inside, hardly believing her eyes.

  Ellie, who was quite crafty herself, stood on a ladder hanging the pine swags Avery had just finished making last week. Other town ladies bustled around, setting up tables, hanging lights, arranging chairs along the knee-wall, and all the while, they checked the pictures that lay on the center table, making sure they had everything just as it was at Mrs. Franks’ engagement party.

  Mayor Higham did a double take, then threw up a hand in a wave, before leaning over and saying something to the man he was hanging the candle holders with. He set the holder down, then strode over.

  “Avery! Does this mean Gator is finally home?”

  “Yes, I just dropped him off.”

  “That’s great. That’s great.”

  Avery looked around. “So, what’s all this?”

  “Well, we’re decorating for the party tomorrow, of course.”

  “But…” She’d cancelled it. On Facebook. It’s not like anyone would have missed that.

  “I know. You had to cancel it. But everyone in town has watched how hard you’ve worked, not just on the party, but on helping Fink and Ellie when Fink had his little mishap this summer, and how you’ve worked with Mrs. Franks, and how you’ve picked up the slack when Harper and Wyatt went to Chile. It takes all of that—successful small businesses, neighbors helping neighbors—and reasons to celebrate and get together to keep a small town like ours thriving.” He gestured around the barn. “Right now, you see neighbors helping neighbors.”

  Avery just stared at him. This was the man who put her on the dunking board.

  As though he could read her mind, or more likely her face, Mayor Higham said, “You were a great sport at the town Christmas celebration.”

  Good manners made Avery say, “Thank you.”

  The mayor clasped his hands together. “Jillian is really the one who organized this. But I, and the townspeople also, think it’s a great idea. It’s things like this that pull everyone together. We’re all on board trying to recreate Patty Franks’ engagement party. Patty’s been a fixture in our town for years, and she’s well liked by everyone. People admire you for helping her.”

  That people admired her was a shock to Avery. “I thought everyone thought I was odd.”

  “Well, we do.”

  Avery snorted.

  “After you’ve lived here for fifty years, people might start treating you like you’re almost normal.”

  “Fifty years?”

  “Or so.”

  “It’s not going to take that long.” Ellie slipped her arm around Avery. “I think the good mayor forgets that you’re family.”

  “Oh, yes. I did forget. There’s not much resemblance.”

  Avery turned to hug Ellie. “Thank you so much, Ellie. This looks exactly the way I’d pictured it.”

  Ellie hugged her back. “I couldn’t let all those beautiful decorations go to waste.”

  “I should have known.”

  “Plus, this could be really good business for the farm.” Ellie looked around approvingly.

  “That’s what I thought.”

  “I hadn’t realized how popular it’s become to renovate old barns and turn them into bookable venues.” She nodded. “This old place fixes up pretty nicely. I’ve already had two people ask about weddings here and one ask about having their reunion. Plus, I overheard a group of teens talking about having the prom here.”

  Avery’s heart soared. “I knew it!”

  “I don’t think it will be hard to get Fink onboard. But we’ll have to talk to him. Maybe after the party?”

  Avery grinned. “It’s still on, then? Tomorrow evening?”

  “Yep. You don’t think we’re doing all this work for nothing, do you?”

  Gator sat in a corner with his foot propped up on a chair, feeling more than a little bit surly. After all, he hadn’t even been able to drive himself and his mother to this party, let along, pick up his girl. Girlfriend? He’d loved the pairing of Avery and “wife,” but in truth he didn’t even know if he could call her his girlfriend. If he’d been able to walk, he could steal her away for a few minutes and get their relationship straightened out. And kiss her. Mostly kiss her.

  But with his confounded foot, he was stuck here, watching.

  The words he’d said to Avery in the hospital came back to him. Words about learning to appreciate the things he hadn’t appreciated before.

  He tried to stop his negative thoughts. The barn was beautiful. Even his old self could have appreciated that. Candles flickered from the boxes Avery
and he had built. And, because it was an old barn, they had discreetly placed at least ten or so fire extinguishers in easy to reach, but hard to see, places.

  Friends of Avery’s and local musicians had combined to provide live Christmas music. Some brave souls had even ventured out onto the dance floor, such as it was.

  Still, the flickering glow from the open flames lent a romantic atmosphere to the whole party. There were more lights than just candles. And lots of shiny bulbs and garland to pull the reflections in and toss them out again in happy, shimmering waves of color and sparkle.

  A Christmas tree in the corner had real gifts under it, and several fascinated children had already picked up the wrapped packages, shaking them and trying to peek through the slits in the paper. He’d laughed at that, because that would have been him twenty years ago.

  But, best of all were the two women standing together. Avery glowed in a sparkling black dress with her arm around his mother, who wore an outfit very similar to the one she’d worn in the old picture he’d seen of her standing beside the man who’d sired him. His mother, the woman who’d loved him and raised him, shone with happiness and health. Hard to tell that she’d just been in the hospital only days before.

  It was hard to take his eyes off Avery, too. She sparkled with life and laughter. He didn’t know how he hadn’t realized before that she had been doing all this work, not just because she loved decorating and organizing and planning parties, but because she knew how much it would mean to his mother.

  To see his mother smiling and looking so radiantly healthy and happy made him love Avery even more.

  He loved Avery.

  He’d almost realized it that night in the hospital when he’d seen how much she cared for him by the way she’d fixed up his room. All that work just to make him feel comfortable and happy. How could he not love someone who put others ahead of themselves so consistently?

  He was on unpaid leave, but he’d called his boss earlier in the day and given his two weeks notice. He didn’t know how Avery felt, but in the end, it hadn’t mattered. He was going to pursue her. If she didn’t love him, he was hoping she’d eventually be able to. But he didn’t have any hope of convincing her from Montana. Since there was no way she could move to Montana, and there was no way he’d expect her to, that left one choice—he had to give up his job.