by Maddie James
Why had it taken him so long to realize that?
“Still whistling, Doctor?”
Kathleen leaned against his doorjamb, her arms crossed over her over-large midriff.
“Whistling? Me?”
Sam grinned and returned to his desk. What the hell if Kathleen knew? She’d been a good friend the past few months, helping him get his practice up and going, running an efficient office.
“So, it looks like love on that face to me, Dr. Kirk.”
“It does, Kathleen? Tell me, what does love look like?”
“Just look in the mirror, Doctor. Or look at Lucki’s face next time you see her. When did all this happen, if I might ask?”
Sam glanced away from Kathleen and thought about that. When had all this come about? Thing was, he couldn’t exactly pinpoint it. He guessed it just had always been.
“Hard to say there, Kathleen. Hard to say.”
“So when do we hear wedding bells?” She grinned and winked at him.
“Wedding bells?”
“Yes. Wedding bells, Sam. I’m sure that’s been on your mind, hasn’t it? I mean, all these years, we’ve all just been waiting for you two to realize what we’ve know all along. You too were meant for each other. Now, when can I plan a wedding shower?”
“Wedding shower?”
Suddenly, Sam wasn’t sure Kathleen knowing this was a good idea. Lucki, he knew, would go berserk if she heard Kathleen talk like this. It was too new. Too fragile right now. He’d only had one night with her. And it had taken him forever to convince her that they belonged together. It had taken some planning to set that seduction scene the night before.
No, Kathleen had to back off. He had to stop her. Now. Before she ruined everything. Before Lucki got wind of this and turned tail and ran.
“Look Kathleen. No wedding bells, okay? We’re not planning anything. No showers either. The timing isn’t right. Lucki and I have no plans. Lucki and I are just good friends. Yes, we do share something a little more intimate than most friends, but there will be no wedding bells. So please, don’t make any plans, okay?”
“But you are getting married, right?”
Damn. She could ruin everything if she took this and ran with it.
“No, Kathleen. Lucki and I have no plans for marriage.” Not yet, at least. When we do, I promise you Kathleen, you wil be the first to know to spread the word.
Sam crossed his fingers behind his back. He hoped Kathleen would cool off, forget this conversation, and let everything die down for a while. He needed more time with Lucki. Lots more time to convince her she was meant for him, that he was meant for her. That he would love her until the end of time. That they would be a wonderful team together. And that someday, they would be excellent parents together. Suddenly, the thought of he and Lucki being parents made him feel extremely satisfied. Was this what he’d been looking for all his adult life? Memphis had never satisfied him. The practice there was lucrative, however a bit stifling. Here, in Freedom, he’d felt so much more at home. Much more relaxed. Suddenly, he realized that he needed Lucki to complete that picture. He needed Lucki in his life, in his bed, and needed her bearing his children to make his life worth living.
All is right with the world, he thought.
All is definitely right with the world.
Chapter Thirteen
“And I expect you to be at board meetings,” Rick added.
“Yes, sir.” She nodded. Why did she suddenly feel so small and insignificant sitting across from Rick’s desk?
“We were discussing the new skateboard park, and you were the only one who had all the statistics and figures on that. It was your baby, Lucki. The kids are going to be disappointed.”
She swallowed. Hard. She’d let down her kids.
“Can we call a special meeting? Isn’t there anything I can do?”
Rick shook his head. “Board members are extremely busy, you know that. Most of them have their own businesses to run. We’re lucky if we get them in here for quarterly meetings. This is a project they were interested in. They want to see these kids off the streets, off their sidewalks, away from their business doors, and some place safe. It’s not that they don’t want them there because they think it will hurt their businesses, they want them off the street for safety reasons.”
“I understand that Rick.” She pondered the situation for a minute. “What if I go to each board member separately. Granted, it will take a little more time, but I’ll do it on my own time, Rick, after work. Perhaps if I give them each a one-on-one presentation, it would be more positive anyway. Perhaps not cost-effective, but more positive.”
He stared at her then rubbed his chin. “It’s a thought, Lucki. We’ve got to get the advisory board behind us before we go to the city and county councils to ask for more money. We need our ducks in a row. I want to be at the city council meeting in one week, the county meets shortly after that. If we want to start construction on this thing early spring, we have to get moving now. We have to get our funding sources lined up and assure the community at a whole that this is a good thing. Oh, and I need that information on that grant you were looking into. More outside money we can snag the better, I think.”
Lucki stood. “I agree, Rick. I’ll get right on it.”
“Do that, Lucki.”
He nodded and she nodded back.
After leaving his office, she breathed a deep sigh of relief. She’d screwed up. But she had a chance at retribution. She could do this. She could make the board see the positive side of this, then take it to the local government. She could do it.
And she would.
“Everything okay in there Lucki?”
She turned toward Pinky’s voice. Somehow, she looked different.
“I smoothed it over. Have my work cut out for me though.”
“The skateboard park?”
“Yeah.”
She stared at Pinky again. “Pinky, what have you done with yourself that’s different?”
Pinky grinned ear to ear. “Died my hair back to it’s natural shade, Lucki. I like it better this way.”
“That’s it! So do I, Pink. It looks great!”
“Matt likes it better this way, too.”
“You did this last night? Yesterday it was blonde.”
“Well, yes. Matt commented he liked it the old way better, so I thought I’d surprise him this morning.”
“And. .?”
Pinky grinned again, widely. “He loved it.”
Lucki smiled at her friend. “Pinky, I couldn’t be more pleased.” And she meant that, sincerely. Seemed like everyone was falling in love these days.
* * * *
Soon as she stepped inside her kitchen door, her phone shattered the silence. Goodness! Did that thing ever stop ringing?
“Hello?”
“Hi lover.”
Lucki melted. She loved hearing Sam call her that.
“Hi, Sam.” She was blushing.
“Was waiting for you to get home. How was your day?”
Lucki exhaled. “Long. Tiring. Complex.”
“Too tired for dinner out?”
Closing her eyes, Lucki leaned against the kitchen counter. “Out?”
“Yes. How about riding back into Peabody with me, oh, in a couple of hours, and having dinner at a la Lucie’s?”
“A couple of hours?”
“You need more time to get ready?”
“More like a little time to unwind a bit.”
“I understand that. It’s early honey. How about if I come over about seven, we get to the restaurant about eight, have a late dinner then come back here?”
“We both have to work tomorrow, Sam.”
“I know. We can swing it. We’re both young.”
She did need some down time. And she did want to see him. Dinner at a la Lucie’s would be absolute heaven. It had been ages since she’d eaten anywhere that didn’t have paper napkins and straws.
“Why don’t you come over her
e around six-thirty. We’ll get a little earlier start then.”
She could almost sense Sam grinning through the phone.
“Sure thing, lover.”
A chill ran through her.
“Bye, Sam. See you in a while.”
“Can’t wait.” She thought she heard a kiss through the phone.
It took her only a few minutes to run a nice, warm bath, assess her closet for the right clothes to wear, and slip into the tub for an hour of unwinding. She could get used to this. She could get used to coming home everyday to Sam Kirk and his surprises. Yessir. She sure could.
* * * *
a la Lucie’s held every bit of romantic ambiance a woman could want, Lucki decided, as she stepped into the restaurant on Sam’s arm. It had been ages since she’d been there. Not since her parents had taken her out to celebrate her twenty-first birthday. She’d never been here with a man, so this was a special treat for her. That Sam would bring her here was even more special.
He turned and smiled at her then and Lucki had to shake herself at the newness of all this. Sam, her best friend since childhood, now her lover. It was a concept her brain was having little trouble dealing with. It seemed right. Like it should have been this way all along. Yet, at the same time, it seemed foreign and a little odd.
Knowing Sam so intimately was going to take a little getting used to. But a task she was not adverse to. In fact, it was a task she quite welcomed. They were seated across from each other at a small table in a darkened corner of the Italian restaurant. A candle flickered from the center. A single rose was held there within a crystal bud vase. The restaurant smelled of Italian spices and tomatoes and scented candles. Low conversation graced the room. An oldworld sort of charm enveloped them. They were given menus and fresh glasses of water with lemon, then they were alone.
Sam reached across the table and took her hand. “Lucinda Stevenson, you are so very beautiful.”
Immediately, she blushed. “It’s because of you,” she whispered.
“No. You’ve always been beautiful, Lucki. It’s just now I know you are my beautiful woman.”
Lucki’s gaze played with his. “Am I Sam?” she returned softly. “Am I yours?”
“Always, honey.”
“Always?” As in forever?
Their server came then and interrupted the moment. Sam ordered the veal. Lucki opted for bow-tie pasta and vegetables. Each requested a salad, dressing on the side. Sam ordered a fine red wine. Finally, the server left.
“You were saying?” Lucki hinted. She had to know where Sam was coming from. He leaned closer, drawing her hand further into his. “Lucki. Don’t you know? Can’t you feel it?”
Yes, she could feel it. But she had to know it. What were Sam’s intentions here? “Tell me, Sam.”
“I love you,” he whispered, a heart-felt look upon his face. “Don’t you know that yet?”
She nodded. She knew it. But was it a lasting kind of love? “I love you, too, Sam, but—”
He gripped her hand tighter. “There are no buts here, Lucki. We love each other. From there we can build
—”
“Your wine, sir.”
The server placed two glasses of red wine before them. Sam nodded to the server who immediately left. Then he tipped his glass toward Lucki. “Toast?”
She nodded and lifted her glass.
“To us.”
“To us,” she repeated, sort of hanging in a spellbound kind of mist. Was this happening? Did he truly and forever love her? Then she touched her glass to his. They both took a sip of the warm wine. Sam held his glass in the air a moment longer, pausing. “To a lifetime together.”
He tipped his glass forward again. Lucki hesitated.
“Lucki?”
Searching his face, Lucki finally let go of her anxieties. A lifetime. His words. He wanted a lifetime together. With her.
“To a lifetime together, Sam. Our lifetime.”
She touched her glass to his once more, then both sipped the wine as they held each other’s gaze. When Sam at last sat his glass on the table, he leaned closer and drew her closer.
“Lucki, my darling, will you marry me?”
She felt like clutching her heart. She was sure it was going to jump out of her chest. Marry him? Marry Sam?
Was this it? Was he actually, finally, totally willing to commit to one woman? And was that one woman her?
She studied his face for a moment and knew that this man, this grown up boy-next-door, was the only man she ever wanted in her life. Ever. He’d always been the only man for her.
“Yes, Sam. I will. I will marry you,” she whispered.
She wasn’t sure which one of them breathed the biggest sigh of relief. Then Sam pulled her fully across the table and kissed her square on the lips.
It was a kiss a la Lucie’s would not soon forget.
* * * *
All day Thursday, Lucki worked on the skateboard project. It was late when she finally got home. She’d holed herself up in her cubicle and dared anyone to open her door. She researched grant possibilities. Made appointments with board members. She even lined up a couple of young skateboarders to come with her so the business community could see for themselves that these kids were not just juvenile delinquent punks. By the end of the day, she was pleased with her progress.
Friday put her on the road seeing through her appointments. It was a long day but a fruitful one. Every single board member agreed with her suggestions. Every single board member stated their support of the project. And every single board member was impressed by the articulate young skateboarders she’d brought with her. So much so, that the board felt it was a good idea to bring along the young men to the council meetings. Lucki agreed. Her plan was working. By spring, the skateboard park could be a reality. Through all this, she and Sam had had limited time together. Even though they’d not had time to actually
“date,” Sam had managed to sneak up Lucki’s back staircase for a few hours of intimacy each night. Lucki waited for him, knowing he would be there, and looked forward to the day when they wouldn’t have to sneak anymore.
Saturday morning, she slept in. How long had it been since she’d done that, she wondered? But at ten minutes after ten, her phone rang, interrupting her silence.
“’Morning, love.”
Sam.
Ahh, so nice to hear his voice. Hadn’t he just left hours before?
“Hi, baby.”
She liked calling him that. Called him that a lot lately.
“You up yet?”
“Just waking. You?”
“Umm. .same here. Plans for the day?”
“Not really.”
“I was just thinking. Maybe we should go see Reverend Halcomb.”
In mid-stretch, Lucki’s ears perked up. “Reverend Halcomb?”
Sam chuckled on the other end. She knew that chuckle. He had something on his mind.
“I mean, it’s been a few days. Have you seen him since he broke his leg? I was just wondering how he was doing.”
“Omigosh! I’ve been so busy, so distracted, I forgot all about that! Yes, Sam, I think we should go see him.”
“That’s what I thought, too. I’ll be over in an hour. That okay?”
“Sure. Fine.”
Lucki hung up the phone and stretched again. Staring at her ceiling, she contemplated that entire conversation. Thought about it for a while. There was just something. . Something, not quite right. Then it dawned on her.
“Sam Kirk you sly devil,” she said out loud. “You don’t want to see Reverend Halcomb about his broken leg. You want to see him about us getting married. You don’t fool me, you bad boy you.”
At that, Lucki grinned, ecstatically hopped out of her bed, and rushed for the shower. She and Sam were going to the preacher.
They were going to get married.
Life was good.
* * * *
The parsonage sat next to the church, but when they knocked on the door
, there was no answer. So, they thought that perhaps Reverend Halcomb was well enough to venture to his office at the church.
“The break must not have been too bad then,” Lucki tried to reassure herself.
“I’m sure he’s able to get around on crutches all right,” Sam replied. He held her hand as they stepped into the vestibule and then walked down the stairway into the church basement. “I’m sure he’s fine, Lucki, and doesn’t harbor any ill feelings toward you.”
Lucki hoped not. But as concerned as she was for the good Reverend, she was trying to tamp down the butterflies in her tummy right now. She had other things on her mind besides Reverend Halcomb’s broken leg. She knew Sam had other things on his mind, as well. He kept looking at her and winking every chance he got. He definitely had other things on his mind. He wasn’t fooling her. Not in the least. She knew exactly what they were going to discuss with Reverend Halcomb.
Their wedding.
The thought made Lucki tingle. She almost wanted to giggle. Giddily giggle. And she was not the giggling type. Guess that’s what falling in love does to you. Wonder how long Sam wanted to wait? Would he want a quick wedding? A big one with all the trimmings? A small, intimate one? Oh gosh. .she had to get hold of her parents! Where would they be now? Somewhere in Colorado, she suspected. Maybe they would call home Sunday. She was due for a call. Gee, won’t they be surprised?
They neared the church office. The door stood partially ajar.
“I guess he’s here.” Lucki pointed toward the door.
Sam looked down and grinned. “Good.” He squeezed her hand. Before he stepped closer to the door, however, he leaned over and placed a nice little kiss on her lips. Lucki fleetingly recalled the last time she’d kissed Sam in church. In the choir loft. In front of the entire congregation. Next time we kiss in church, Sam Kirk, I expect it to be at our wedding. She wished she would have said that out loud, but she didn’t want to spoil his surprise. Perhaps, no, he wouldn’t have done that, would he?. .well, yes, maybe he would have. Would he have a ring for her today?
That would be perfect. They she could finally feel like telling the world. That it was all official. That they were an item. A couple. A pair.
