“Mom, I’m here for a visit,” he called from the front door.
“In the kitchen,” she answered.
He wound his way to the back of the house, where his mother stood in front of the stove stirring a pot.
She turned and took one look at him. Mothers had a sixth sense about their kids. They always seemed to know when something was amiss.
“What’s wrong?”
He let his head fall forward. “I was firm with a perpetrator and now I am getting sued.” He took a deep breath and lifted his chin so he could see his mother’s face when he told her the next bit. “Also, I’ve asked Maya to marry me.”
Franny took a step back so she could look him in the eye. Her face was tight with emotion.
“I don’t have to ask you if you’re sure.” She spread her arms for a hug. “I know you are.”
Kevin leaned over so his mother could reach him.
“I’m sure. We both are. We want children, the whole nine yards.”
They moved to the kitchen table as they usually did.
“Children,” she squealed and then rubbed her hands together like she was planning a world takeover. “I can’t wait.”
“Calm down.” With his palm horizontal to the table, he patted the air like he was settling it somehow. “Things aren’t going as smoothly as I’d hoped, and I feel like I have to wait.”
“Why?”
“This man, who I believe gets his income solely by finding people with assets and then gets his hooks into them, has targeted Maya and now me. I wanted to get married sooner rather than later, but I have to take care of this first.”
“Kevin, you will wear yourself out if you try to make things perfect for her.”
He chewed on that statement. “I was going to go to Idaho Springs and pick out a ring I think she’d like.” His enthusiasm left with a heavy sigh.
“Kevin, if you want to marry her, marry her. Don’t let this get in your way. If you do, he’s won. Have you consulted a lawyer?”
“No, not yet.”
“You don’t even know if he has a case or not.” She gave him a motherly pat on the hand. “You’re standing here trying to solve this by yourself when you might not even have to. Where is she now?”
He looked at his watch. “Not sure, I can text her. Hold on a sec.”
He texted Maya and got a quick response.
“She’s at a meeting,” he read and then looked at the time. “An early bird meeting whatever that is.”
“She’s going to meetings then?” His mother smiled. “That’s a good thing.”
“Yes,” he said. “And you know Paula Jensen?”
“I do.”
“Apparently she has pictures of the Blackwoods as children. She used to watch Maya, Clem and all of them when they were kids.”
“That’s a small world, but this is a small town.” Franny rose to stir the pot.
“Yeah, but they were never around.”
“Their parents weren’t. I’m not sure why they kept the zip code because if I recall, the Blackwoods who lived in Lucy’s house farmed their kids out to posh boarding schools and then lived on the ski slopes.” She clearly disapproved.
“Let me get you something to eat. I made a pot of stew.”
His mother’s kitchen table was the same one he’d sat at when he was a boy.
“I’d love that, but I can’t stay. I just wanted to say hi and see how you were doing with the snow.”
He waited as she disappeared into another room and returned.
“Now Kevin, I know you have your heart set on buying Maya a ring.” She held something in her hand and dropped it into his palm.
“But—”
“She can have it. I have one ring for each of my children. This one is yours.” She kissed him on the forehead.
He opened the box to reveal a diamond ring. A sizable square diamond flanked by two smaller ones. “It’s beautiful, Mom.” His eyes stung with emotion.
“It was Grandma’s. Maya can break it up and make her own ring if she likes.”
“I’ll let her know that.” He stared down at the ring. The overhead lights sparkled off the stone, creating prisms of color that danced across the walls. “I have a feeling she would want to keep it the way it is. She’s sentimental like that.”
He let out a sigh, trying to release all the pent-up frustration he felt toward Tim Johnson.
“Don’t let that fellow cloud your moment.”
He nodded.
“You’re right. I have to go. I’m going to make her a special dinner and give this to her.” He closed the box and tucked it into his front pocket.
“When are you going to come over to my place and eat?” She pretended to sulk.
“When would you like us?”
“Anytime at all.”
“I’ll give you plenty of notice.” He kissed her on the forehead.
“No need.” She smiled. “I eat every night.”
Chapter Twenty
Maya
Maya and Togi sat together at the early bird meeting, enjoying a cup of coffee. They were now officially good friends and two people who supported each other. Maya hadn’t increased her meeting attendance, but somehow, now that she was involved, it felt like she went to them more. Her life was rich and full, miles away from the life she led after Brad died.
She was zoning, half listening to the introductory portion of the meeting when someone sat next to her. It was Tim Johnson. She shook her head and gently nudged Togi. They both ignored him, though the smell of liquor seeping from his pores was hard to overlook.
“I sued your boyfriend today,” he grumbled. He didn’t get a response.
Maya didn’t say a word. She knew she would talk to Kevin about it later. She didn’t have to rush to the rescue, but she turned and snapped a picture of him with her phone. She wasn’t supposed to take pictures of people in meetings, so she suffered momentary awkwardness.
“Sorry,” she said.
“Who you see here,” he reprimanded.
“Shh.” Maya and Togi picked up and moved. They sat in spots where he couldn’t sit by them.
She didn’t want to give this man the satisfaction of leaving, but if he kept being disruptive, she would have to. She would go to the station and see about filing a restraining order so she didn’t have to deal with him at all.
He said something again from across the room and Togi leaned forward.
“Shh,” she ordered.
“You want to hear the beginning stuff?” he mocked. “We hear that at every meeting.”
“It’s actually important, and if you listened to it, perhaps you would be sober,” said Togi. “Please be quiet or take it outside.”
“He’s worth a couple mill.” Tim continued to talk. “I intend to wipe him out.”
Maya picked up and walked toward the door with Togi close behind. As she crossed in front of Tim, she turned and gave him a wicked smile.
“Then he’ll have to live off of me.” The ice in her voice chilled the air. “I will give him a nice big allowance. The right sponsor can do wonders for you, so find a man in the room and work with him.” She lifted her nose into the air and inhaled. “You smell like a quitter.”
As she left the meeting room, he followed her as he had before trying to continue their conversation.
“That allowance counts as income. I can make sure we attach that.”
“Make sure all you want,” counseled Maya. “You have to win your civil suit first. So far it doesn’t look like you’re capable of that.”
She marched toward the station. If the man touched her, she would stomp on him with the heel of her boot. She wanted him to leave her alone.
“I’m going to the police station,” she called out without turning and facing him.
“Kevin will have something to say about this,” said Togi.
“Let him say something.” Tim cackled.
It was then that Maya knew he was baiting Kevin through her. She diale
d the Idaho Springs Police.
“Who you calling? Your boyfriend?” he taunted.
“Not quite. The officer in Idaho Springs to let him know you’re stalking me.”
Tim followed her and waited.
Maya dialed the officer’s number and put Tim on videophone so he could see him menacing her.
“I see him,” replied the officer. “I’ll dispatch someone right away.”
Soon enough, another of the deputies emerged from the station. Tim darted to his car and pulled away.
“Thanks, Hal,” Maya said to the deputy.
“We have his file and his license plate. Kevin had a run-in with him this morning.”
“I want to go back in the meeting, but I’m afraid he’ll come back and disturb it again.”
“I’ll stand out here.” He set his hands on his hips and turned toward the street like a sentry.
Maya and Togi rejoined the meeting. After its conclusion, they walked over to the diner. She took a seat at a booth and waited for Kevin because she knew he would be there soon enough.
Togi went to get her an Arnold Palmer, and right on cue, Kevin showed up.
Maya didn’t think she’d ever seen him angry, so she was guessing the intense look on his face was about as close as he got.
“Why didn’t you come get me?”
“I didn’t want to get you in trouble, and I didn’t want to interrupt the meeting.” She picked up her napkin, ready to shred it but set it down instead. “He was drunk.”
“That’s awesome news, because he has a court order that forbids him to drink, and if he’s in a car, he’ll get busted for drunk driving.”
He leaned over and kissed her, and then slid into the booth across from her.
“I just saw, Mom,” he said tensely. “She wanted to feed me, but I waited for you. Is Togi bringing you something?”
“Yeah. She's getting me a drink.”
“Can we officially make this a date, like a dinner date, even if it is the diner?”
“I love the diner.”
“I love you,” he said intently. “I have something that might … just might make you feel better. I want to give you something that belonged to my grandmother.”
He fished in his pocket and pulled out a diamond ring. It was so unexpected. Maya’s heart melted. All the stress of the past hour was gone. Togi came back carrying Maya’s drink, but as soon as the ring sparkled under her gaze, she set the glass down and disappeared.
He took Maya’s hand, placed the ring at the tip of her finger. “Not sure if it will fit but we can get it resized if you like it.” He moved from his side of the booth to his knee in front of her. “I thought about going into Idaho Springs and picking something out for you, but Idaho Springs, especially now, isn’t the right place for us. This is your ring. If you want your own, we can do that too, but can we use this as a placeholder until then?” He stared up at her with love in his eyes. “Marry me, Maya.”
Her eyes welled with tears. “Yes, the first time you asked, and yes this time, too.” She was overwhelmed with the thoughtfulness of the man she loved and the sweetness of the ring. It was absolutely beautiful. It had an emerald-cut diamond with two baguettes on either side. Together they slipped it onto her ring finger. It fit like it had been sized for her.
“Imagine that, a perfect fit.”
“How do you do that?” She knew he had no idea what she was talking about.
“What’s that?” he asked with a twinkle in his eyes.
“No matter what the situation, you find the positive in it.”
He nodded. “Much better approach than stress and anger, don’t you think?”
She leaned forward and kissed him.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered. “I don’t want any other ring but this one.”
He rose and took the seat next to her. “I’ll never want another woman but you.”
They sat in silence and stared at her ring. The ring that officially said she was his.
Maya broke the silence. “He said he’s suing you.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
Togi brought Maya a side of fries and coleslaw as if she knew Maya would need comfort food.
Kevin sighed. He didn’t approve of her food choices.
Maya waggled her fingers for Togi so she could see the ring.
Togi gasped. “Congratulations.” She gave her a fierce hug.
Togi even hugged Kevin.
“You should have a party at the saloon,” Togi suggested.
“Not many people can brag that their sponsor recommended that,” kidded Kevin.
“It’s not a big deal. Besides, if she wants to get loaded, she doesn’t need a special building for that.” Togi glanced at Maya. “By the looks of her, you’ve got her drunk on love.”
“That’s a better alternative.” Kevin covered Maya’s hand with his own.
“I actually like that idea. In fact, I love the idea, and I love this town.” She turned to Kevin. “And I love you.”
“Then we can do that. Anything you want, baby.”
When they were alone, he mentioned his mom again.
“Mom wants us to have dinner with her sometime soon.”
“I’d like that.” She lifted her hand and stared at the sparkling stones. “I want to thank her for my beautiful engagement ring.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Kevin
While Clem and Kaitlin were occupying John’s house, Kevin invited Maya to camp at his place. He didn’t mind having her there. It was so nice playing house with her. They were going to be married, so it was only a matter of time before she was there permanently.
From the last and probably final snowfall, there were big mounds of snow on either side of the roads around the town created by the plows that worked to clear the streets. Those mounds would remain for a long time, but otherwise, the roads themselves were completely ice free. The temperatures weren’t dipping much lower than fifty, so the white mountains were melting at a good clip.
It was actually warm enough for Kevin to keep his garage open. He raised the door and backed his truck into the driveway because he, Maya, and his friend Damon were going to work out together.
Damon knew Maya, but they wanted to have him over so he could get to know her better since she’d be a permanent part of Kevin’s life.
As he set everything up, Kevin acknowledged that his life felt so complete. He had such fun arranging the equipment. He knew Maya liked to jump rope, so he set up a cushioned floor he’d ordered for her to do that. She had had one at John’s house she used all the time.
He dragged the weight benches so they were parallel for Damon and him. While he worked in the garage, Maya cooked. He loved that she was a homebody. She was downright domestic-looking in the apron she wore over her heart-stopping spandex workout wear.
The smell of whatever she’d made reached him all the way into the garage. He went into the house and sidled up behind her while she stirred a pot on the stove. His eyes dropped and walked all over her spandex-clad body. She was a damn wet dream to watch.
“What do we have here?” He looked over her shoulder into the pot. Whatever it was, it looked wonderful. It was more hearty than fancy, which said something about the woman who could afford caviar but preferred French fries and coleslaw.
He pressed his body to hers. He loved holding her. Loved that she was in his house. Loved everything about her.
She lifted a spoon from the pot for him to taste.
“Wow, that’s delicious.”
“Chili.” She pulled the spoon to her mouth and licked off what he’d left behind. “So simple, and yet I thought it would be a nice post-workout meal. That and rolls and a salad. I made tea, but I’m not as good at it as Togi is.”
“Hello?” called Damon from inside the garage.
“Hey. We’re in here,” he answered back.
Damon was so at home at his place that he just walked in. He was an enormous man, a fact which was m
ore obvious when he wasn’t behind the bar. He was larger than Kevin, wore all black that didn’t diminish his size and carried a bouquet he handed to Maya.
“Thanks, Damon.” She accepted the flowers. “You must have driven a distance for these. They’re beautiful.”
She put them in a vase.
Kevin and Maya fit nicely in his galley kitchen but Damon, who had been a defensive tackle when he played ball, crowded the area.
“This can simmer indefinitely,” she said. “Let’s go work out.”
She turned the stove down to low and set the vase in the middle of the table and joined them as they headed to the garage.
“I was thinking about what we need in town and we didn’t have.”
“What’s that?” Kevin prepared to spot for Damon.
“A gym.” She said it like it was a big reveal with her hands spread wide like she was a game show host.
“I’m sure once the developers come in—if they ever do, we’ll have one.”
He counted as Damon bench pressed.
Maya jumped rope on the dance floor.
Kevin lifted the bar and put it back in place. “Wanna try?” He asked as Maya rested between sets.
“Sure, I’ll go after Damon.”
“Where would you put a gym if you could?” Kevin removed several weights from the bar.
“I thought we could put it in the town hall and make it free.”
“The money would have to come from somewhere.” Kevin dried his hands on a nearby towel.
“From a Blackwood, of course. I would pay for it. We could do after-school stuff. There’s so much space that goes unused. I thought there was only one room—number eleven, but there’s a bunch of unused space. Rooms one through ten aren’t occupied. We could combine them.”
“Insurance would be an issue.” Damon moved to switch places with Kevin.
Kevin was suddenly self-conscious lifting in front of his girlfriend. She started jumping rope again, so he relaxed. Even though she wasn’t paying attention per se, he pushed harder to show off.
“Okay, Bam Bam,” chuckled Damon.
Imagine That: A Small Town Big Love Novel Page 14