by Devney Perry
“Favorite part of camping?” Nick asked as we drove home two days later.
“Canoeing on the lake.”
Nick had paddled me to every corner of the small lake. It must have been at least twenty feet deep in parts and I could see straight to the bottom. The sunshine above us had cast a shadow of the boat on the lake floor as we’d floated around.
“Yours?” I asked.
“Besides sex in the tent—which, by the way, I’m a bit hurt wasn’t your favorite part—probably the food. I love cookout food.”
“It was delicious,” I said. “And tent sex was a given. I believe I expressed just how much I liked it this morning when I was on top of you.”
“Oh, yeah.” He smiled. “Feel free to express yourself like that again. Anytime, Emmy.”
“So noted.”
I had lied to Nick. Canoeing wasn’t my favorite. The sex wasn’t either.
My actual favorite part was that I could look at Nick’s hand and see his wedding ring. And when I walked, I could catch glimpses of mine, glimmering on my hand as it swung by my side.
Standing in front of the mirror, I smoothed out the skirt of my dress. Tonight I finally had the occasion to wear my sexy green dress. The one that I had teased Nick with all those months ago. The one that required I forgo underwear.
The front of my dress was seemingly conservative, made of green fabric with a matching lace overlay. The neck was high and it had small capped sleeves. It was the back, or lack thereof, that made the dress. An enormous cutout started at the nape of my neck and extended all the way to my sides, down to just below my rear.
I hoped that Nick would be so enamored with the dress that he would be in an agreeable mood. Tonight, we were celebrating his birthday. And tonight, I was going to take him to the empty building in town that I had bought for his garage.
I was nervous that he would hate it. I didn’t want him to resent the fact that I had used my money for his potential business. On the bright side, my anxiety would be short-lived. I had just closed on the building this morning, and within the next two hours, I would know how Nick felt about my present.
“Ready?” Nick asked as I walked down the stairs. He was standing by the door, pulling on a sports coat.
I had never seen him so dressed up for dinner before. Or ever. He was still in jeans and a black T-shirt, but with the black tweed jacket and the absence of his green baseball cap, he was looking hot. Damn hot. I couldn’t wait to slide that jacket off his broad shoulders when we got home.
That is, if he wasn’t mad at me for buying him a building today.
“I like your dress, Emmy.”
I grinned before slowly spinning around.
“Fuck,” he hissed. “We’re skipping dinner.”
“Patience,” I said.
“Have you been waiting awhile to say that to me for once?”
“Maybe.” I smiled.
Not long after we left, we were at The Black Bull and I was demolishing the steak in front of me. “This is wonderful. Thank you,” I told the waitress as she brought me my second glass of wine and Nick his third beer.
“How’s your restaurant coming along in New York?” Nick asked.
“Really well. My project manager sent me a note on Tuesday with a progress update. They have the design done and are just getting bids on construction. My chef is over the moon that the menu is going to be simple. He’s going to work on creating some special butter sauces to serve over the steaks but other than that, he’s just going to focus on getting high-quality meat and produce.”
“When will it be done?” he asked.
“It’s scheduled to close at the beginning of July when everyone leaves for the Hamptons, then open back up at the end of August,” I said.
“What’d you pick for the name?”
My cheeks flushed. I was proud of the name but embarrassed to tell Nick.
“What?” he asked.
“I asked them to name it ‘Nick’s.’ ”
His eyes sparkled as the smile grew on his face. He reached out to hold my hand, lacing his fingers with mine on the table. “Best birthday present ever.”
“I may have gotten you a little something else.”
He gave my fingers a final squeeze and then we both went back to our meals. “Should we fly out for the opening?”
“To New York?” I asked, nearly choking on a bite of green beans.
“Yeah. If it opens early enough, we could get out there and back before the school year starts.”
“You’d go with me?”
“Are you my wife?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Do I love you?”
“Yes.”
“Is the restaurant important to you?”
“Yes.”
“Then there’s your answer,” he said.
I guess we were going to New York at the end of the summer.
By the end of dinner, my nerves were making me jittery. We climbed into the truck and I sat on my hands to keep them from fidgeting.
“Can you make a right turn here?” I asked. The building that I’d bought him was located off the highway. It was only a few blocks away from the fire station and two buildings down from the sheriff’s department.
“Why?”
“Your birthday present,” I said without further explanation.
“Okay,” he said and made the turn. Nick was clearly better at enjoying surprises than I was.
“Then a left here,” I said. “And pull into that building on the right.”
Nothing about the place looked like a mechanic’s garage but I’d picked it because it had great potential. The majority of the long rectangular structure was dark red steel, but at the far end, the metal transitioned to wooden fascia where a small office had been separated from the warehouse.
My realtor had told me that it was originally built by an out-of-state furniture maker. He had moved to Prescott from California but the cold winters hadn’t agreed with him. He’d jumped at my cash offer, glad to finally sell the place.
I hopped out of the truck and made my way to the doors. Nick’s boots thudded on the pavement behind me. Tugging the keys out of my clutch, I unlocked the office’s glass door, hitting the light switch as I pushed inside.
“This is where I got my coffee table and the dining room set,” Nick said. He was casually looking around the office, running his fingers over the desk that still remained in its center.
His relaxed and easy demeanor was making my nerves spike. How was he able to function not knowing what we were doing here? I would have been a fumbling mess.
I walked further into the building, flicking on the many switches at the light panel. The warehouse came to life under the bright fluorescents hanging from the industrial ceiling.
My heels clicked across the cement floor as I walked to a table on the sidewall. On it was a handful of business cards that read Slater’s Station. I’d asked my restaurant project manager for a favor, and based on a picture I’d sent him of Nick’s sign, he had been able to have a graphic designer build a logo for the garage. The cards were just a mock-up but I thought they were amazing.
I just hoped that Nick liked them too.
I turned around and saw him standing in the center of the room. His arms were crossed over his chest and his legs planted wide.
“In the future, Wife, I’d prefer we make our real estate purchases together.”
My chin dropped. “What? You know I bought this building?”
“Found out this morning. Your realtor had coffee at the café after you two signed papers. Seth Balan was down there with his retired buddies. His first stop after coffee was the fire station.”
“I can’t believe this!” I yelled. “He ruined my surprise.”
The smirk on Nick’s face turned into a wide, white smile. “Oh, I was surprised, Emmy. When he told me you were buying this place and wanted to know what we were doing with it, I believe my exact words were, ‘What the fuck are you talk
ing about? I think I would know it if my wife was buying a warehouse.’ It took Balan nearly five minutes to stop laughing at me.”
“That man is a nuisance. He needs to get a job so he can stay out of other people’s business,” I snapped. No wonder Nick had been so casual on the drive over.
“He’s not even the worst of that old bunch. Just wait until you meet Silas’s dad, Elliot,” Nick said.
Throwing my hands in the air, I blew out a loud breath. “Now what do I do? I had this whole speech planned. But you know everything already so it doesn’t matter.”
“Tell me anyway.”
“No. It’s stupid now.”
“Please?” he begged.
In a monotone and rushed voice, I told him what I’d been practicing all day. “Happy birthday, Nick. I bought this building for you so you could open up a garage of your own and finally have your dream job. If you decide that isn’t for you, that’s okay. I just wanted you to have the option. So here are your keys. You can do whatever you want with the space. I’ll support you no matter what. I love you and I can’t wait to celebrate so many more birthdays together.”
When I finished, I huffed out another breath. “There. That was my speech. All the time I spent worrying about it today was a waste of time. All because of that damn Seth Balan.”
With long strides, Nick crossed the room. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to surprise me,” he said, taking my face in his hands. “And I liked your speech, though you could have said it with a bit more feeling.”
His joke triggered an eye roll.
“It’s a great gift, Emmy. I don’t know that I deserve it.”
“Of course you do. You’re not mad that I bought it, are you?”
“No. I’d rather you spend your money on yourself instead of me. But I’m not mad,” he said.
“I can’t make that promise,” I said. “That money isn’t just mine anymore. It’s ours.”
I had already made the decision to add Nick to my trust and my attorney was currently drawing up the amendment papers. Nick was a permanent part of my life. My money wasn’t mine anymore, because we were a team. He had the right to use it just as much as I did.
Not that I thought he would. I doubted he’d ever take a cent.
“That’s a conversation for a different day,” he said.
“Okay. I’m willing to stall the money talk since it’s your birthday,” I said. “But soon we need to discuss it.”
“All right.”
“Here,” I said, handing him the business cards. “I had these made for you. They’re not real. I just wanted to throw out the idea.”
Nick lifted the cards to his face and studied them intently. “‘Owners Nick and Emmeline Slater’?”
“We can change that,” I said quickly. “I don’t need to be a part of the garage, and if you’d prefer to do it on your own, I completely understand. But if you want my help with office work or bookkeeping, I’d be happy to help. Whatever you want.”
“I like your name on there, Emmy. Especially followed by my last,” he said.
“Oh,” I said, looking to the floor when my cheeks flushed. “It’s just, I always thought I would take my husband’s name. I guess I’m traditional in that sense. Does it bother you?”
He bent down and brushed his lips against mine. His tongue darted out and teased my lower lip. I pushed forward, hoping for more, but he leaned back.
“Does that answer your question?”
“What do you think about starting a garage?” I asked.
“Balan didn’t know why you bought this place, so when he left the station, I racked my brain, trying to figure out why. I had some other guesses but figured this was the mostly likely. It was probably good I had the day to think about it.”
“How come?” I asked.
“My first thought was that I couldn’t do it and that you wasted a shitload of money. But then I got to thinking about starting a custom shop. If I could build up a name for myself across the Northwest, I wouldn’t be taking business away from the garage downtown.”
“You’re a good man, Nick, to be worried about someone else’s business.”
He shrugged. “They’re good people.”
“What about the fire station? Do you think one of your volunteers would be interested in your job?”
“Maybe. I need to think on it some more. Run the numbers and talk to Dad and Dash. I don’t know if it’s smart to open my own business if we’re trying to have a baby.”
“Why?” I asked. “I think it’s the perfect time. Think of how much you could teach our kids. They could work with you here, just like you did with your family.”
A small smile tugged at his mouth. “I’ll call Dad and Dash later,” he said. “Maybe talk to Ryan at Jamison Valley Construction too. See how much it would cost to renovate this place.”
“Oh. About that,” I said, scrunching up my nose. “I may have already discussed that with him. And the money for the remodel is in the office desk. That’s the next part of your present.”
“I’m thinking that money conversation needs to happen sooner than I thought,” he said.
“That’s probably not a bad idea.”
“Thank you, Emmy. For believing in me.”
“You’re easy to believe in.”
“Let’s go home, Wife. I want birthday sex with you in that dress and those heels. But I’m not fucking you in this cold garage. At least, not yet.”
I shivered as I walked through the room, and not because it was cold.
“Can you be my teacher next year?”
“Bye!”
“Will you come to my birthday party this summer?”
My students were taking turns hugging me as they shuffled their way out of the classroom and into their summer break.
The kids were excited to be moving up to first grade and I was looking forward to a whole new group of children to teach, though I would miss this bunch. My first class would always have a special place in my heart. Especially Rowen and Mason.
But the wonderful thing about Prescott was that the kids would never be far. I would run into them on the street or at the café. In the school hallways, I would get to watch them grow from kindergartners to seniors in high school.
Prescott was my home and it would be for the rest of my life.
When the line ended, I scanned the classroom and found the student I had been waiting for. It was no surprise that Mason had held back. He wasn’t one to move with the crowd.
“Are you excited for summer at the farm?” I asked, kneeling in front of him.
He nodded, returning my smile and giving me his dimple. “Jack and Annie said I could change my last name from Carpenter to Drummond. And that since I was going to be a Drummond now, the farm would be mine too. I don’t have to leave my vacation.”
“Wow! That’s awesome, Mason!” I said, feigning surprise.
Annie Drummond had asked me to write a recommendation letter when her and Jack had decided to officially adopt Mason. She had been worried a judge would object due to their age but it had gone through without delay. The judge had agreed to an immediate adoption with the condition that Mason’s biological mother sign away her parental rights. Jack had chosen to visit the woman in prison, and no sooner had he pulled out the papers than she’d signed them and walked away.
“Will you come and visit me?” Mason asked. “I could show you around. And you could meet my dog.”
“I would love to. Now, you’d better get going. I’m sure Annie is outside waiting for you. I think she mentioned something about ice cream to celebrate.”
He darted around me and sprinted through the door. He didn’t get too far before his footsteps came back my way. Mason ran through the door and straight into me, throwing his little arms around my hips as he hugged me tight. I bent low and did my best to hug him back.
“I’ll miss you, Ms. Austin. I mean, Mrs. Slater,” he said, remembering my new last name.
“I’ll miss you too,
Mason Drummond.”
As quickly as he had come back, he was rushing out again.
My nose started to sting and the tears weren’t far behind. I had known that today would be emotional for me. In a lot of ways, these kids had pulled me through the year. How many times had I thought about moving? I doubted that I would have stayed in Prescott if it hadn’t been for them.
So in a way, without my students, Nick and I might not have made it through. I might have given up.
When my phone rang, I wasn’t surprised to see Nick’s name on the screen. Even from across town, he could tell when I needed him.
“Hi,” I answered.
“How are you doing?”
“I’m sad.”
“Don’t be sad, Emmy. You’ll see them again.”
“I know you’re right. But I’m still sad. I’ll miss seeing their little faces.”
“You’ll be okay. Are you done for the day?” he asked.
“Just about. I need to put a few things away and drop off my grade sheet in the office. I’ll likely need thirty minutes.”
“Okay. When you’re done, meet me at the building,” he said.
“Your building.”
“Our building. See you soon.”
It didn’t take me long before I was walking into the warehouse. Nick was standing in its center with two other men, Ryan from the construction company and Jess.
Jess bent to give me a quick hug and Ryan shook my hand. Then Nick secured me to his side and explained why we were all here.
“We’ve been brainstorming different layouts for the garage. I thought we could cut out two big doors on the front and then one at the back, add a couple of lifts in the middle of the floor, benches and tool cabinets around the walls.”
The sadness in my heart vanished. Did this mean he was going to do it, quit the fire station and start his own garage?
“Whatever you think is best.” I smiled.
“We were talking about building a paint booth out back. Maybe extend off the office? Keep that wooden siding so that it looks nice. That would save me room in here so I could fit two, maybe three cars at a time.”
“Okay.” I was so overjoyed that I had a hard time coming up with anything else to say.
