Moonstruck Marine

by Kirsten Osbourne

  “It’s the ‘and stuff’ that has me really curious . . .”

  She laughed and shook her head, taking the seat beside him and pulling up her Amazon account, where she’d already purchased all of the superhero movies. This was going to be a fun day . . .

  Jake was busy the following morning, because the equipment had started to come in. He asked his father for a strong man to help him out, and they got a lot of the broken machines out of the gym and put the new ones in places he wanted. As he looked around, he noted that the gym had been given a good cleaning overnight, and that pleased him. He wanted everything perfect when he was able to open for the public again.

  He had lunch with Melinda at noon, both of them going for tacos again. “Do you ever feel bad that you don’t eat in your own restaurant?”

  “I get sick of the same food every day,” she responded.

  “You eat the same food every day.”

  “I eat tacos every day,” Melinda said. “Who could get sick of tacos?”

  “Not me!” He grinned at Ciran as he placed their order. “How’s Roxie?”

  “Miserable and round. She wants the baby to come so badly, but not until after the wedding Saturday. She said Sunday would be a great day for him to be born.”

  Jake nodded. “Hopefully it works out that way for her.” He took their food and headed back to the hotel. It was definitely convenient to have the taco truck parked adjacent to his dad’s hotel. He sure couldn’t complain about that.

  As they ate, they chatted about what they wanted to do together next. “I work nights Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week. Friday, I’ll be prepping for the wedding all day.”

  “I’d ask you to be my date for the wedding, but it sounds like you’re going to be busy.”

  She shrugged. “I’ll have everything in place by the time the reception starts, so I can spend time with you then. I’ll be late, because I’ll have to run home and change, but not too terribly late, I wouldn’t think.”

  “Sounds good to me!” He bit into a chip after dipping it in the queso. “Are you still planning on going to the wedding with me this afternoon?”

  “That one, I wouldn’t miss for anything. I cannot wait to hear the vows they came up with.”

  “You never know. They may have decided to do traditional vows.”

  “I would weep. Copiously.” Melinda sincerely hoped they not only wrote their own vows, but maybe that they pantomimed them. It would make for a very interesting wedding.

  Jake went back to his parents’ house and put on a suit before the wedding. He was the best man, after all, though he wasn’t sure what that entailed with this wedding. Hopefully just standing at the front of the church with him and nodding.

  He drove to pick Melinda up at her house, smiling when he saw her dress. It was pink and had little flowers on it, but it was beautiful. How could he not want to spend time with this woman?

  “You ready for this?”

  “Is it possible to be ready for this?” she asked.

  “No idea. You clean up good, pretty lady.” He leaned down and kissed her quickly. “Okay, let’s do this thing.”

  She slid into the truck beside him, and he drove them to the church, having to stop several times as tourists crossed the street in unlikely and unsafe places.

  “Would you believe I haven’t gone tubing down the river yet?”

  “Are you kidding me? That was one of my favorite things about growing up in this town. Dad would take me tubing, just the two of us, every summer. I looked forward to it all year long. It was our special time together.”

  “We’ll have to go sometime. I think that would be a lot of fun.” She looked over at him. “You’re the oldest kid in your family, right?”

  He nodded. “All the girls are younger than me.”

  “Is it strange that they’re all going to be married in a few days?”

  “I don’t know. In some ways it is. I went off to join the military, and they were all still girls. I come back, and one is married and pregnant. Another is married. The two youngest are engaged and just waiting for me to get back for their wedding. Yeah, it’s a little strange. I’m sure happy for all of them, though.” He parked in front of the church and looked over at her. “What about you? Oldest?”

  She nodded. “I am. I have two younger brothers. Neither are getting married, though, so it’s different.”

  He shrugged, walking around the truck to open her door, take her hand, and help her down. Her shoes had heels on them, and he didn’t think she was used to wearing anything like that. “Looks like Jackson is already here.”

  “Oh, good.” Melinda was really excited about this wedding. She wasn’t quite sure why, but she thought it might just be very entertaining.

  They went into the church, and he spotted Jackson at the front. Ambrosia was nowhere to be seen.

  “Where’s your blushing bride?” Jake asked as he reached out and shook his friend’s hand.

  “She’s in the back getting all dolled up for me.” Jackson shook his head. “I still can’t believe I convinced that amazing woman to marry me. I hope she knows that I don’t need her to look any prettier than she does every day, because I already find her to be the most beautiful woman in the world.”

  Jake was always surprised to hear the other man say things like that about Ambrosia. He’d never really talked to him about his taste in women, but Ambrosia seemed strange for anyone’s taste.

  Blake had the two men get in their places, while Melinda sat down in the front pew. There were very few people there, which was sad, because Ambrosia had lived there for a very long time. Jake wasn’t sure if she was a native of Quinn Valley, but she’d been there long enough that he considered her one.

  He was watching the back of the church when the doors opened and his mother was walking with Ambrosia down the aisle. Jake was a bit confused, but it was Ambrosia’s wedding after all, and there was no telling what could happen.

  Ambrosia was wearing a long, flowing dress that looked more like it would be appropriate for an ancient Greek muse than a wedding. She wore her glasses that made her eyes look ten times bigger than they were, and she walked slowly, clinging to April Lynn Quinn’s arm.

  When they reached the front of the church, Blake asked, “Who gives this woman in marriage?”

  “I give myself! April Lynn is just here to help me keep from passing out.” Ambrosia sounded as normal as she ever did.

  Jake grinned at his mother, who couldn’t help but hide a smile. He had never thought of Ambrosia as someone who was close to his mother, but she was one of those people who would do anything for anyone, and she’d been asked to help, so she was there.

  Ambrosia stepped forward and stood beside Jackson. “You’d better behave. We’re in a church,” she hissed at him.

  Everyone heard what she said, and there was muffled laughter from the wedding party and half-dozen guests.

  Blake looked a little bit nervous about this wedding, but he plowed forward. “We’re gathered here to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony.”

  When it was time for Jackson to recite his vows, he pulled out a folded sheet of paper. “Ambrosia, I have been waiting my entire life for a woman like you to come into it. You are beautiful, smart, and you always bring a smile to my face. I’m blessed to have you as a bride, and I hope for a long and happy marriage together.”

  Ambrosia sniffed loudly, pulling out her own vows. “Jackson, you make me absolutely crazy. I never know if you’re going to show up outside my door caterwauling to the tune of a mariachi band, or if you’re going to bring me the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen. You keep me guessing every day. So, I’m proud to be your wife, but if you don’t behave yourself, you’re going to find a crystal in a place that will be difficult to explain to the doctor.”

  Blake looked stunned, but he pressed on, obviously not knowing what else to do in the moment. Ambrosia was not a typical bride by any means. When he pronounced them man and wife,
Jackson grabbed Ambrosia and kissed her soundly . . . a little too soundly for the onlookers, but it was nice to see how happy they were.

  Jake realized he had known Melinda a short while longer than Jackson had known Ambrosia. It was strange how quickly the other couple’s relationship had progressed. Jake felt like his was going awfully fast, but it seemed ridiculously slow in comparison.

  After the kiss, Ambrosia announced to everyone there, “Thanks for coming. There’s no reception, because Jackson and I are eager to take care of my flower. I’ll have a ten percent off everything in the store next week to celebrate!”

  With that, the newlyweds left the church, and everyone else just stared at each other for a moment, wondering what had just happened.

  Finally, April Lynn started laughing. “Now, that’s what I call a wedding. Are you and Riley going to have one just like it on Saturday?” she asked Blake.

  “A million times no. Riley and I will do things a little more traditionally than they did.” Blake shrugged. “But they seem happy, and I’m not going to say anything about it. Why would I? It was their wedding, not mine.”

  Jake smiled, pleased with the pastor’s “live and let live” philosophy about the whole thing. He was glad he wasn’t going to be saddled with a preachy brother-in-law. “All right. I think I’m taking Melinda to a movie now. Since we’re all dressed up with nowhere to go.”

  Melinda shook her head at him. “You could ask, you know.”

  April Lynn smiled. “My son is one who has always told everyone around him what to do. I swear he came out talking, telling the doctor that he should have done things differently during the delivery.”

  “You lie, Mom, but I love you anyway.” Jake kissed April Lynn’s cheek and then went and took Melinda’s hand. “Let’s go see a movie. We’ll eat popcorn and Sour Patch Kids and throw things if the movie is bad.”

  “I’m not sure that’s exactly the way we want to do things . . .” Melinda followed him out. “I don’t want to get kicked out of the only movie theater in the valley.”

  “I don’t know why not. . . . It’s more fun to watch movies from the comfort of your own home anyway.”

  “Then why exactly are we going to the movies?” she asked.

  “Because sometimes it’s interesting to watch things on the big screen. Besides, I have to see Lion King in a theater. It would lose something if we saw it on television.”

  Melinda shrugged, not really caring. She’d expected the wedding to last longer, so she had no other plans. A movie sounded as good as anything else. “Okay. We’ll watch Lion King. I have nothing better to do.”

  “Will Kaz get jealous of me taking up all your time?”

  “Absolutely, but he’ll survive it.”

  After the movie, he took her to the pub for dinner. “When you have the new healthier menu options, we’ll eat at the hotel more.”

  “I guess that’s a good idea,” she said. “I don’t much care either way. The bad thing about a chef eating at their own restaurant is if there’s a problem, people will come to me to solve it. Here I’m sort of incognito.”

  “Oh, that reminds me.” He pulled his nametag out of his pocket and put it on his dress shirt. “Can’t risk Bobling coming out and taking over. I’m Jake.”

  “Are you admitting to having a dual personality with two different names?”

  “Nope. Not at all. I admit nothing about anything.” He grinned at her, taking her hand in his. “Thanks for being my date today. You have to admit Ambrosia’s vows were amazing.”

  “They were. And a little scary. I worry about her.” Melinda knew the woman was known for her eccentricities, though. “I hope they’re really happy together.”

  “We’ll all know it if they aren’t. Ambrosia isn’t known to suffer anything in silence.”

  “No, she’s not.” Melinda studied her menu, trying to decide on something she wanted. She really did prefer to cook herself, but she could find something she was sure. She was just happy to be able to spend an afternoon with Jake.

  Nine

  Jake and Melinda ate together every day for lunch that week, and Melinda found herself a little less nervous about the wedding as they did. Hopefully everyone would be happy with what she made for the reception and no one would find reason to complain.

  When Saturday morning dawned, she was up early, cooking the three meal choices and filling the restaurant’s kitchen with wonderful aromas. The decision had been made to close the restaurant for the breakfast and lunch shifts so that the wedding could be top priority for the day.

  It was shortly after the reception was due to begin when Melinda sent her catering staff down to the reception with the food she’d made. Everything was going according to plan. She hurried home to shower, changed into something appropriate for the reception, and went back to join the festivities.

  As soon as she got to the hotel, she stopped short. Jake was slow dancing with a woman she’d never seen before, and she had to wonder who it was. She walked to the ballroom, where the party was taking place, and stood for a moment just inside the door, her eyes on Jake and the woman.

  From in front of her, she heard two of the older ladies in town, whom she knew were friends with his grandmother, discussing Jake and the woman who was in his arms.

  “I always thought Bobling would marry Felicia. They made such a great couple.”

  “I think we all thought they’d marry straight out of high school and have a family. But then Bobling went off to join the Marines and she went to college. It’s nice to see them together again.”

  Melinda closed her eyes for a moment, wondering if she should just leave. Why would Bobling want her there when he obviously had someone he loved in his arms?

  She stood uncertain for a short while before April Lynn hurried over to her. “The food is wonderful, Melinda! Bobling has been wandering around looking lost without you.”

  “But . . . he’s been dancing with some woman.”

  April Lynn shook her head. “Trust me, he thinks a lot more of you than he does of Felicia.”

  “Glad to hear it.” She wasn’t convinced, but she wasn’t going to tell April Lynn that. It just felt strange to see a man she had started to think of as hers dancing so closely with another woman.

  She walked in and looked around, noting that most of the dishes—served as a potluck—were close to empty. That was good for her to see. She fixed herself a plate and found a place to sit where no one was already spread out. She was halfway through her meal when Jake joined her.

  “You should have come and found me, and I would have shown you my table. I saved you a seat.”

  She smiled and nodded. “You looked busy, so I just found food and took a seat. I’ll be finished eating in a few minutes, and I’ll move to your table then.”

  Jake immediately sat down beside her. “The food was fabulous. Everyone was talking about it. And they got a big kick out of Ciran’s sopapillas as well.”

  “I’m glad it was a hit.” Melinda took another bite of her food, pleased that they’d chosen the sausage casserole as one of the dishes. It truly was delicious. “How was the wedding? I hate that I couldn’t be there, but my job was food.”

  “It was good. They didn’t write their own vows, so it wasn’t the best wedding I’ve been to this week, but it was still good.”

  She laughed. “Were Ambrosia and Jackson there?”

  “Not at all. I’ve texted with Jackson only once this week, and he said Ambrosia closed the shop all week and they’re being honeymooners. I was afraid to ask anything, because he may have told me something I didn’t want to know.” He shook his head. “Details are not something I’m interested in.”

  Melinda laughed softly. “I’m glad you know him well enough to know when to ask questions and when not to.”

  “Me too.” Jake shook his head. “Mom made me promise not to wear a nametag today, and I’ve been called Bobling more times than I can count. I’m going to start carrying some of Ambrosia’
s crystals to throw at people’s heads. I’m sure it’ll help my stress levels.”

  “I hope so. You get kind of feisty when people call you Bobling.”

  “It’s not my name, and it’s absolutely ridiculous to call a grown man that. Ugh.” He shook his head. “I want to grab the microphone from the band and announce that I will be taking my aggression out on everyone who calls me Bobling from this day forward. Not sure how my grandmother would react, though . . .”

  “Probably not terribly well.” She finished eating, and he took her hand.

  “Let’s dance.”

  “All right.” She didn’t know where Felicia had gone, but she didn’t care. She wanted to concentrate on dancing with him, not worrying that he had another woman on the line.

  Together they went out to the dancefloor, and he held her close as they danced to a slow country song. He pulled her toward him, knowing his entire family was watching but not really caring.

  When the song finished, he leaned down and kissed her, right there in the middle of the dancefloor. When he heard applause, he looked up to see his sisters and all of his cousins who were there clapping for them. Instead of being embarrassed, which would have invited the vulture-like family members to tease him worse, he took Melinda’s hand and bowed for them.

  Melinda was red-faced, and he whispered, “Play along with it, or they’ll tease you worse.”

  Melinda sank into a deep curtsy, as if she was being presented to the queen of England. He was definitely impressed.

  “For our next number,” Jake called, “we will walk back to our table!” He gave them all a royal wave as he led Melinda across the room.

  Ciran was sitting at their table, and he nodded to Jake. “You couldn’t have handled that better.”

  “I can’t let them harass me all night and all day. And they would.”