by Megan McCoy
Logan had decided last week, before he hired Thomas that Ronnie needed to find her passion, her own passion, not something else someone had decided for her. Logan and his three brothers had all thought, growing up, they would work in some fashion in their dad’s stores when they grew up. He wanted to be in charge of accounting. Sebastian would be the clean-up man, travel around and open or straighten out new stores that weren’t performing to standard. Hank would be CEO, and take over from their dad and Lucas would be marketing. Then their dad had simply sold the company and they all had to scramble. Life happens. Now Hank and his wife Riley owned a yacht and did charters for rich folks. Sebastian and Maggie owned an online sporting goods company that specialized in women’s uniforms –Maggie was also a teacher and semi-pro ball player. He’d started a management company, helping overwhelmed business owners, including Ronnie get their finances and offices or stores under control. Lucas just changed jobs and he couldn’t wait to hear more about it over a late dinner tonight.
But Ronnie needed something. A passion. Something that fulfilled her. Knowing she thought being a ‘lady who lunched’ was a passion made him shake his head. His mom had worked in his dad’s offices until he and Lucas showed up, and then she stayed home, sort of. Classes. So many classes she took, cooking, languages, pottery, photography, he didn’t know what all, as well as being in charge of the parent organization at school, the library board, and he was certain, she was also a lady who lunched though he never knew that was what it was called before he met Ronnie. Plus giving their gruff dad a run for his money all the time, and keeping him happy was a full time job, too. They were never bored with each other and their lives. That is what Ronnie needed. She said she didn’t want kids, and he didn’t mind. She was enough for him at the moment. If she changed her mind later, that was fine, and if she didn’t, that was fine too. As long as she didn’t change her mind about him.
Ronnie just wasn’t cut out for retail work, specifically selling high-end shoes to rich women. This he knew. But she had to do something besides being an adorable handful. A person just needed to do something. He looked forward to finding out what her something was.
Ronnie settled back in the cafe’s chair. They should make these a little more cushioned. Her butt wasn’t sore right now, but if she came in here more often, odds were it would be. She was meeting a couple women from the Arts Guild here, today. Why here? They didn’t even serve alcohol! It wouldn’t have been her first choice for a meeting place. She thought fondly of her favorite little tavern that made wonderful salads and even better Long Island Iced Teas. Now that she had a district manager, she could be there more often. Next meeting of the Arts Guild, she would host, she decided, and they would meet there. Well, she hoped so. Being invited on the committee was the first step and this was it. She would make a good impression.
She would make a better impression with a Long Island Iced Tea in her hand, but her designer shoes with the high vamp and red soles would have to do for now.
In the back of her mind, a niggle of fear hit. What would these women do if they knew she had a court case tomorrow? What would they think of her? They needed to never find out. Surely there would only be a fine or even maybe a dismissal? She heard if the police person didn’t show up, it would be dismissed. Maybe that would happen? People did worse things than she did all the time and nothing happened to them. When would these women get here? She had been fashionably late, but they were just being rude. She needed a drink. There was no drink here. Had she been stood up? She stood up to leave. Then saw Lani and Lori walking in. Okay – she could do this. Twins. Unlike Logan and Lucas, however, they were identical. Logan said he and Lucas were identical, but to her they barely even looked alike. Logan was much handsomer and just had this air of confidence and authority about him that made her weak in the knees.
Lani and Lori looked the same, both tall and blonde, thin, and made her feel short and stout; even though she knew she was simply voluptuous. And her shoes were better. Air kissing, they slid into the same side of the booth. “We’re so glad you had time to meet us,” one of them said.
“We know how busy you must be,” the other one added.
“It’s no trouble,” Ronnie said, squaring her shoulders to boost her confidence. “I’m happy to make time for you, and very excited about the opportunity to contribute.”
The waitress arrived and the twins ordered unsweetened tea and a small side salad each. Rabbit food, Ronnie thought, but ordered the same, declaring it to sound ‘wonderful’ as she did. She could hit a drive through on the way back for a cheeseburger, but right now, she just needed to make a good impression.
“So tell us about your wedding,” one of them cooed at her. “Is it going to be huge? An event? With all the Jones’ money, I imagine you are going to have something quite luxurious.”
“Oh, it will be,” Ronnie said, sipping her flavorless, alcohol free tea. “We hired the wedding planner last night and Logan is insisting on having it in three months, so you can imagine how frantic I am.”
“Men!” Both blonde heads shook sadly. “They just don’t understand. Who did you get?”
“Katrina Nelson.” Ronnie held her breath, hoping she—Logan, actually—had made a good choice and apparently he did because now both heads were nodding.
“Oh, she’s wonderful! A little bossy, but really, you’d have to be, to be in that line of work! Our niece used her, and her wedding was spectacular,” Twin One said.
Twin Two chimed in, “Destination wedding in Mexico. Where is yours being held?”
“At the Empire Ballroom,” she said and waited, but they both nodded again.
“Lovely!” they chorused.
“We can’t wait for the wedding, you are going to be a beautiful bride,” Twin One assured her, patting her hand and Ronnie felt a little condescended to, but decided to go with it. And apparently she had a few more guests to add to her list. Right now, though, she needed to be on that board. Smiling to show her dimple, she said, “Thank goodness for my wedding planner. I want to give a lot of attention to the Arts Council Board.” If that wasn’t assuming the close, she didn’t know what it would be.
“We are looking forward to having you on there,” Twin Two said. “Did you know the Thompsons are divorcing?” She leaned forward and whispered, “Apparently he was caught cheating.”
The Thompsons? Oh! Mr. and Mrs. Lawyer! She’d actually caught Matt, Mr. Lawyer, at a bar with a very young woman, not Mrs. Lawyer, and mentioned she’d had lunch with his wife. That had seemed to come as a surprise to young not Mrs. Lawyer and she’d stalked out. Feeling a twinge of guilt, Ronnie thrust it aside and made a concerned face.
“Is she dropping off the board then?” she asked. Too bad, she rather liked her.
“Taking a leave of absence for now, and then will see how things shake out once it’s settled, but we are looking for someone to step right in and help out. We meet once a week, and it is usually a long night.”
“We do many good works for the community,” Twin Two added. “It is a lot of work and we are hoping that you will have time, with the stores to run and a wedding to plan?”
“Oh, yes,” Ronnie assured them. “I’m willing, able and do have the time. We just hired a district manager to take over a lot of my responsibilities with the stores, and the wedding planner, well, I think it will work out just right. Besides, Logan thinks this would be a wonderful place to showcase my skills.” She held her breath as they both nodded, slowly, but in unison. Logan had no clue she was even here but she was sure, if she’d asked him, he would have said the same thing about her skills. Of course he would have!
“We have to go pick up the children at school.” One of them flipped out her cell phone. “We have our regular meeting tonight and will vote; I will call you tomorrow and let you know.”
“But we are sure there won’t be any issue, it is just a formality.” The other one slid her phone back in her purse, and they stood up. “We will look forward to
having the future Mrs. Jones on the council.”
“I will look forward to hearing from you.” She stood up too, and they all air kissed again. Why was that a thing? Well, it just was and she would have to learn the art. Make it smoother and more natural. This was what she wanted, and she couldn’t wait to tell Logan!
Maybe she would wait until she got on for sure, before she told him, though. This would be a very busy week. They had the meeting with the wedding planner later tonight, Lucas was coming to town and they were having dinner with him, she had to pack to move, which was a little scary for her she had to admit. She had assumed she would stay in her house until the wedding, but her lease was up and Logan wanted her in his house, he said. That made it feel real, moving in together, at his house.
However, he said at some point, after the honeymoon they would look for a ‘their’ house. One she could pick out and furnish how she liked, and she was so excited about that. And he was right, it made no sense to renew the lease for a year when she would only be there three months. Then there was court. Ronnie wished she could just not worry about that, but it was always in the back of her mind. She’d be so glad when it was over; she’d pay her fine and put it behind her. Never to think of it again. Maybe it could be a funny story to tell her great nieces and nephews when they came to visit crazy Aunt Ronnie, when she was much older. Maybe not. Probably not. Yeah. Not.
She looked at her cell phone and realized, when the waitress put it down, she was paying the bill because the twins had just left. Walked out the door without paying or even looking for the bill. She wanted to be that entitled one day. Just leave the little annoyances like bills for someone else to deal with. She did not want to be the someone else, and right now, she needed out of here to find some place that would serve her a drink before she met with Logan and Lucas for dinner. Taking the edge off was a good thing she told herself as she threw some bills down on the table and hoped it covered it with plenty left over for a tip.
After she had a drink, she’d go home and change and be escorted to dinner by two handsome men. Her life was good, sometimes, she told herself. She just wanted it to be great and being on the Arts Council board would get here there. She hoped now that Thomas was on board that Logan would stop making her take those stupid online classes about business. She was so over them, and didn’t like that he reinforced his demands with that wicked clear paddle. What kind of motivation was that? None. Perhaps she did try a little harder to do well so she didn’t get any swats but still. It was wrong. It made her dislike class, not motivate her to do better, like he thought it did. See! He was wrong sometimes! Not that she’d tell him that. If Ronnie soon to be Fischer-Jones was anything, it was smart.
Happily, she pulled into the small parking lot next to her favorite tavern/restaurant. It was where she had first met Logan and she frequented it often. The waitresses knew her by now and she liked that she didn’t even have to order. They brought her a Long Island Iced Tea just the way she liked it as soon as she settled into her favorite little booth with a good view of the bar. People watching was enjoyable, and really, with her in the mirror above the bar, they probably were watching her, too.
“Hi, hon.” Ronnie waved at the waitress as she walked in. She loved being a regular. It was like going to that bar on the oldies channel on TV where everyone knew your name. She didn’t care if she heard a chorus of “Ronnie!” as she walked in the door, but she would love if they just brought her drink. Sliding into the booth she sighed happily. She’d needed this all day. She deserved a drink or maybe two. “Thanks, hon,” she said brightly.
“Is it a two drink day?” the waitress asked.
“How did you know?” Ronnie took a long sip and relaxed knowing there would be another at her elbow before she finished this one. Everyone should have a place like this to relax in. Nice, quiet, intimate and yet the drinks were strong and the waitresses were right there when she needed them. Plus, she could just throw cash on the table and walk out, and Logan didn’t need to know how often she showed up here. Not that she was hiding anything, but really why tell him everything? A girl needed her mystery after all. A drink or two took the edge off her nerves. Not that she was a nervous person, but really, she loved the way the drink felt surging through her. It made her feel strong and in control and she liked that feeling very much. She needed to be in control because first, dinner with her soon to be brother-in-law, and then meeting with the wedding planner after. Logan would also want to know how far she’d gotten on the class she hadn’t looked at in almost a week. Strength would be good to get her through the night. She wasn’t worried about the soon to be brother-in-law, he would be easily handled. The wedding planner, well, Katrina worked for her and she knew what she wanted. Katrina just needed to do what she did and make it happen. Logan, on the other hand, was not going to be pleased about her class progress. She had thought briefly about lying, but was that any way to start a marriage? Even to keep the peace, or the ability to sit? Maybe but probably not. He’d find out anyway and he might do that thigh thing again. She did not want that thigh thing again. Ow. And that was all she was saying about that.
Pushing the thought of what he would say if he knew about the court case out of her brain, she reached for the second drink and downed it quickly. She would just focus on tonight. The plan was to, she decided, go to supper, whine about a headache a little, meet the wedding planner, and suddenly her headache would get worse and she could go home and catch up on her class before tomorrow. Maybe that would save her a paddling, who knew? Sure couldn’t hurt to try. Fishing in her purse, she threw money on the table, gave the waitress a big wave, a “Bye, hon!” and headed out to change for the second date with twins she would have today. How weird was that?
Chapter 3
“So you are really going through with this?”
Logan sat down and grinned at his twin brother, Lucas. “I am.”
“Why? Is she pregnant?”
“You don’t have to get married to have a baby together. Join the modern world, but no, she isn’t. I just have to marry her.”
“I don’t get it.”
Logan laughed. When Lucas met Katrina tonight, he would understand. But he said, “She is the first woman I ever met who I know isn’t going to bore me in a few years. She’s going to make me laugh, piss me off, keep me alert and entertained and I never know what I’m going to get with her. Hell, I don’t even know what color her hair is going to be tomorrow. I know she’s not going to learn any lesson the first time, and I know she’s so damn scared of life she comes off like a badass, and even she doesn’t know she’s the furthest thing from it.”
“Sounds exhausting,” Lucas said.
“Or the most fun I’ve ever had,” Logan said smiling up at the waiter who came over. Logan told him, “There are going to be three of us but the third will be very fashionably late.”
“Can I start you off with some drinks?” the waiter asked.
They both ordered a stout ale, and a platter of appetizers to share, and Lucas asked, “So are we waiting until she graces us with her presence to order food?”
“I’ll order for her. She probably hasn’t eaten much of anything all day and needs something in her stomach before she meets with the wedding planner.”
“You are sure this is what you want?” Lucas asked again.
“I am,” Logan said. “When did a Jones man not know the right woman for him when he met her?”
“Never,” Lucas admitted.
“Right. So, Best Man, want to go tux shopping while you are in town or next time?”
“I can’t wear the one I already own?” Lucas sighed heavily, and laughed.
“I doubt it but we will know more tonight after we meet the wedding planner,” Logan said.
“The one I’m going to fall in love with at first sight?” Lucas teased him.
“The very one,” Logan assured him. “If I knew Ronnie wouldn’t have the grandest of fits, I’d offer to do a double wedding. I know
she wouldn’t stand for it though.”
“I thought you had her under control.” Lucas took a sip of his beer.
Logan snorted. “I keep her butt well blistered but it seems to go in one ear, or ass cheek, and out the other.”
“Might want to step up your game, brother,” Lucas said.
“Yeah, you spend some time with her and see what you think,” Logan laughed as he closed the menu and ordered steak for him and shrimp for Ronnie whenever she decided to get here. Lucas got a bigger steak and Logan smirked. “One upping me, brother?”
“I guess we will find out tonight. Mine would only be late once.”
Logan laughed again as he heard a familiar tone rise above the buzz of talk, “Hi, hon, I’m looking for a couple handsome twins. I’m sure they are already here.” He stood up and shook his head. Purple streaked hair tonight, and dressed in a very form fitting pink sheath dress that accentuated everything she had. Purple heels and nails coordinated with her hair. When had she had time to get her hair done? Oh, when she was supposed to be working on her class, of course. When else? Maybe Lucas was right and he needed to be on top of her more. He looked at her, though, and his heart melted just a little. Why? He loved her just the way she was: outgoing, brash, loud, insecure and totally unique in her ridiculous heels and hair.