The Perfect Plan

by Carina Taylor

  Marcie's smile widened. "If I have to." She coughed and wheezed.

  "Can I—" Marcie paused to cough. "Can I rest a minute before they cart me off to the hospital?"

  "Of course," Evan answered, bending to kiss her forehead. "We'll be right outside the door."

  "Wait," Marcie commanded weakly. "You haven't asked her yet."

  Evan's gaze sharpened on Marcie.

  "You want me to ask her right now?"

  She had never been asked out over a deathbed before. It had never been on her top-ten list. Heck, it had never been on any list of hers.

  But before she could say anything, Evan gave his grandma a big, watery-eyed smile and walked around to the side of the bed where Libby stood. He grabbed her hand.

  "Libby, would you go out with me?" He quirked his lips up at her.

  Libby gave him a genuine smile, though this time it was tainted with happy tears.

  "I would love to go out with you."

  "Oh thank goodness," came an exclamation from Marcie.

  A bit robust-sounding for a woman with a heart attack, but when Libby and Evan turned to look at her, she was resting with her eyes closed. Immediately brought back to the urgency of the situation, Libby glanced at the clock. "What is taking the ambulance so long?"

  Evan pulled his phone from his pocket. "I'll step out into the hall and call Vince to see what's taking so long."

  Evan kissed Marcie's forehead and squeezed Libby's hand before walking out of the room.

  Libby patted Marcie’s hand gently before following Evan out the door. She closed the bedroom door as quietly as possible and stood there facing it, trying to hold back the tears. She couldn't remember the last time she had cried like this.

  These tears were well-deserved. They were for a woman who loved her and had accepted her into her home in such a short time. And now that woman was barely hanging on to life.

  A sturdy pair of hands grasped her shaking shoulders. She turned around and stepped into Evan's embrace.

  They stood there in each other's arms, offering a silent comfort.

  The bedroom door swung open.

  "Would you two cry babies give it a rest? A person can't get any peace and quiet around here."

  Marcie slammed the door shut again.

  Libby and Evan looked at each other incredulously.

  Evan looked at the now-closed bedroom door and then back at Libby.

  "Grandma strikes again," he commented dryly.

  "She shouldn't be walking. She should — wait, she—"

  Evan interrupted and said in a loud voice so Marcie could also hear, "She should know better than to fake a heart attack. Grandmother!"

  Libby felt her jaw dangle open. "Fake a heart attack?"

  "Grandma, if you're not dying, you may be soon," Evan shouted before he dissolved into a gut-wrenching laugh.

  Libby looked at the insane man standing in front of her. His grandmother had nearly died. Or had she? And now he was standing in front of her, laughing with big, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. He sat down on a rickety three-legged stool that wobbled precariously beneath his weight.

  Maybe there was a local insane asylum with two vacancies. Libby knew of two perfect candidates. They might qualify for a family discount.

  "Why would any person with a brain — or even part of a brain —" she added extra loudly for Marcie’s benefit, "pretend to be dying?"

  Evan waved his hand through the air. "Think about it. She got us to give our word on something." He looked at her pointedly.

  "I see where you learned your manipulation skills. It must be hereditary. You guys would make a prime study case for some genetics guru."

  Evan grinned. "Admit it, you like us."

  Libby gave an exasperated grunt. "Fine, but I don't approve of your manipulating ways — yours or Marcie's." She narrowed her eyes at him.

  "Good, we agree then. Now, I hope you're free Friday."

  "I have half an idea to break up with you before our first date. Marcie thinks she's so funny pretending to die."

  Evan chuckled. "I should have known. Vince was making excuse after excuse not to hurry over here. Grandma probably bribed him. All so she could get me to ask you out. She must really want to keep you in the family."

  Libby muttered under her breath.

  Evan called through the door, "Hey, Grandma! Guess what?"

  "What?"

  "I already asked Libby out earlier today."

  A muffled voice spoke on the other side of the door. "All these plans. All this work. Wasted. I did this for you."

  The voice trailed off, and Libby couldn't hold in the laughter.

  Libby faked a cringe. "Is it too late to change my mind?"

  Evan brushed his hands together as though he was cleaning off dirt. "It's a done deal. There's no going back on a promise to a dying woman. Just not possible."

  "A dying woman who wasn't dying," Libby reminded.

  Evan stepped closer and put his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close to his chest. He leaned his head down closer to her face then ran his fingers up and down her sides, tickling her.

  She tried smacking his chest, but it didn't do much good while he tickled her ribs. "Stop! Mercy!"

  "Are you going to back out of our date?" He sounded so calm with his fingers poised against her ribs.

  "No, I won't back out."

  Evan immediately stopped. "See, that wasn't so difficult, was it?"

  Libby smacked his arm then put a hand on her hip and pointed her index finger at him. "I swear, if you show up and act like a sappy date, I'll walk out on you. If you ask me about my taste in shows, movies, books, or music, I will strangle you with my bare hands."

  "I know you would. Besides, I already know the answers to all that."

  Libby stared at him. "You do? Movies, books, and music? How?"

  "Of course. Action. I've only ever seen you read a textbook. And eclectic. How? I've lived next to you for three years. Give me some credit." His face split into an ear-to-ear grin that showed off his dimples and reminded Libby exactly why she wanted to be more than just friends with the man.

  "Hmm. I'll get back to you on that date. But first, I have someone else I'd like to strangle." Libby turned around and pounded on Marcie's door.

  "Come in!" Marcie called.

  Libby opened the door and stamped into the room. She stopped short when she saw Marcie standing on a chair inside the closet, pulling boxes down.

  "What are you doing? You're supposed to be dying!"

  "Let me ask you a question," Marcie said as she stepped down from the chair. "What is the perfect murder?"

  "We've discussed this for hours, Marcie. Besides, I'm not going to let you murder someone so that you can write the perfect book."

  Marcie smiled. "We never did agree on what the perfect murder would be. So, let me tell you my theory. The perfect murder is the one that never happens."

  Libby blinked.

  Marcie began folding some clothes on the bottom of her closet while throwing casual glances over her shoulder at Libby.

  Libby sat down on the edge of Marcie's bed. "You pretended to die for your stupid novel?"

  "I sure hope it doesn't turn out stupid, but I didn't want to spend the last thirty years of my life in prison just because I wanted to write a good murder mystery. Besides, I was having some chest pains."

  "Ha." Libby snorted.

  Marcie rubbed her chest. "Of course, it could have been that giant elephant ear I ate." She smiled guiltily at Libby.

  Libby glared. She had thought Marcie was dying. Her friend. The one who gave her a place to belong. The one who was teaching her about friendship and life and love. The crazy woman had tried to fake a heart attack — death by elephant ear.

  And then Libby laughed. And kept laughing. Pretty soon, she was lying on the bed, shaking, with tears running down her cheeks.

  "Evan!" Marcie called.

  "What's going on, Grandma?" Evan came into the room. Libb
y tried to sit up and talk, but then she fell backward with another fit of laughter.

  "What's with her?"

  Marcie patted Libby's knee awkwardly. "Oh, you know how unstable Libby is."

  Libby sat up to see Marcie standing there with a grin on her face. She looked at Evan. "She's been playing us. What about all your victim shopping? All your talk about the perfect murder weapon and how to not get caught?"

  Marcie sat down next to her on the bed. "How else was I going to scare you into calling Evan or getting him to drive his butt down here? Besides, he worries too much. I knew if you didn't jump to the wrong conclusion, then he would."

  "I thought you were going to kill Monty."

  Marcie chuckled. "I'll admit, you've done a good job of keeping an eye on me and trying to keep me alive."

  "So, basically, you've been playing us this whole time. Why?"

  "I wanted you to stay. I hoped if you felt needed, then you would stay."

  Libby glared at Evan. "Good grief, I see where you get your machination skills. It must be genetic."

  Evan shrugged. "She did help raise me."

  "Get out of here, you two. I have a manuscript to finish," Marcie told them with a smile. "Oh, and Libby? You might want to tell Evan about your little arrangement."

  Marcie and Libby gave each other exaggerated winks as Libby followed Evan out of Marcie's room.

  "What did she mean, 'arrangement’?" Evan asked as he closed Marcie's door.

  Libby gave him her best innocent look before skipping down the stairs and into the kitchen. Evan followed.

  She started to open the fridge, but Evan stepped up behind her and reached around her to hold it closed. Both their hands held the handle, his chest brushing against her back.

  "Libby," he growled in her ear, causing her heart to speed up. "What arrangement?"

  Libby turned to look at him over her shoulder, and his lips brushed her cheek. "The arrangement where I rent Marcie's cottage from her. I've resigned at the Portland firm, and I've accepted a full-time, remote position with a freelance accounting company. I plan on staying in Colter."

  His eyes scanned her face.

  She licked her lips. "I need an energy drink."

  Evan released the fridge door handle and spun Libby around. His face was stoic as his eyes darted over her face. "Is this what you want? Will you be happy here?"

  Libby nodded. "I think I like living in a place where people know me. It's my place to belong to. If I move to Portland, I'll be starting all over. Besides, I think I've found out that I'm not a big city girl. I just thought I was.”

  A snicker caused both of them to look over their shoulders. A white-haired head disappeared down the hallway.

  Libby slipped underneath Evan's arms and headed into the backyard. Marcie had moved Felicia to her newly purchased property on Friday morning. She claimed she didn't want to have to worry about the emu killing someone on The Garden Show weekend.

  Libby walked to the pond and stepped onto the small bridge. She had never walked on it before, but it looked like the perfect seat. If it broke, they would fall into a foot of water.

  Evan followed her and sat down beside her. He reached over with his large, calloused hand and grasped hers.

  "Are you sure this is something you want to do?" Evan asked with a serious face. "I want you to do whatever would make you the happiest."

  Libby nodded. "I feel like I'm home when I'm here. I know it sounds crazy, but I have real friends here. I love Marcie, and I've had way more fun playing cribbage with Bob and Harvey than I thought possible. I feel like, for the first time in my life, I have somewhere to belong."

  Evan smiled. "I'm glad. I want that for you."

  "I thought about all the reasons I should move up to Portland or try to find another job in San Francisco, but I couldn't come up with any. Aunt Leanne is getting married and moving to New York. Vivian is moving here. And then there's you."

  "What about me?" A worried look crossed his face.

  "I've talked to you and spent more time with you since I moved to Colter. I'm afraid if I leave, I won't get to spend that time with you."

  Evan's thumb started rubbing circles on the back of her hand. "What about us? Are you still willing to give us a try?"

  Libby smiled at that. "I think I like the sound of 'us.'"

  Evan's face broke into a large smile. "Good, I like the sound of 'us' too."

  He released her hand and slipped his arm around her back. "We never got to finish our conversation from earlier this evening. Forgive me for not telling you the truth?"

  Libby bit her lip and nodded.

  "I'm sorry I tried to micromanage your life. I don't want to be that person. I want to be your cheerleader. I want to be someone you can count on. I want to be someone you can trust."

  Libby squeezed his hand. "Thank you for that.”

  "Forgive me for being a coward about asking you out?"

  Libby shook her head.

  Evan made a choking sound in the back of his throat.

  "Not until you make it up to me by taking me to dinner," Libby said as she pretended to study her nails. "Without Ellie and Lane."

  "You're going to make this harder on me, you know, by living here in Colter. We'll be living two hours apart."

  "I'm sure we'll manage somehow," Libby said with a smile.

  "You know I'm going to be here anytime I'm not working."

  "Good. We'll keep you out of trouble."

  Evan chuckled as he pulled her closer. "You are trouble."

  "Your grandma is an excellent tutor."

  "Let's not talk about my grandma when I'm about to kiss you."

  Libby raised her brows. "We haven't even been on a date yet. I'm pretty sure you're breaking date protocol."

  Evan bent down and rested his forehead against hers. "I've been waiting three years to do this."

  He brushed his lips against hers. Libby reached her hands behind his neck and leaned up to meet him.

  It felt. . . right. It felt like coming home. It felt like finding the final piece to a five-thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle.

  His hand snaked through her hair and pulled her closer to kiss her deeper.

  When they finally pulled apart, Libby had to catch her breath. "That'll do."

  "Libby, I know neither of us are fast movers. It's taken us three years to get to this point. But you need to know something before we go on."

  "What's that?"

  "I love you."

  Libby swallowed and nodded.

  "I think I've loved you ever since I put that red shirt in your whites load just to get your attention."

  She lightly smacked his arm.

  "I knew, without a doubt, that I loved you when you showed Grandma so much love and attention. You say that she gave you somewhere to belong. Well, you gave her someone to love by being here. You jumped into Colter with both feet. You're so caring for other people. It's one of the things I love about you."

  Libby smiled slowly. "I started to fall for you when you would help me tape my car back together, even if it meant you would be late to class. When you would hide my Red Bull stash because you were afraid I'd have a heart attack. When we sat in the laundromat together and played 'Would You Rather.' When you've tried to smooth my way in life because you didn't know how to say the words 'I love you' instead. I love you too. And we might not be fast movers, but what we have is real, and it's not just a passing feeling."

  Evan's breath hitched. "I guess waiting three years only makes it that much better."

  "Hush up," Libby told him as she pulled his head back down and her lips met his.

  Epilogue

  “I’M DOING SOMETHING nice for you.”

  “You’ve said that five thousand times now, Evan,” Libby told him as he guided her through the doorway. The blindfold made it impossible to see anything.

  “Hey, I learn from my mistakes. From now on, you’re going to know when I’m doing something nice for you.”

 
Libby laughed and squeezed his hand that held hers. “Thank you for that. I don’t like to be blindsided by surprises.”

  “There’s a reason they’re called surprises,” Evan muttered under his breath.

  “You don’t like surprises, either. Remember when we were still in San Francisco and Vivian threw a surprise birthday party for you?” Libby laughed at the memory.

  “I’d walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel to find a bunch of strangers in my house yelling ‘surprise.’ I’m pretty sure they got the bigger surprise.” Evan chuckled.

  Libby felt Evan wrap his arms around her and carry her down a few steps then set her on her feet again.

  “Okay. You can open them.” Evan’s voice cracked as he said it.

  Libby peeled off the blindfold.

  A brand-new Honda sedan sat in Marcie’s driveway with a big red bow on top.

  Libby’s jaw dropped. “You didn’t.”

  Evan took a step forward and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “You’ve been without a car for a month. It was time. Please don’t be mad.”

  Libby laughed. “I’m not mad. Just surprised. It’s gorgeous. It’s so shiny. And there’s no tape or dents on the outside! How am I going to know it’s mine?”

  Evan chuckled. “They have these things called license plates.”

  Libby walked over to the car and brushed her hands over the top. The sleek black showed her reflection in it. “I love it, Evan.”

  She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him quickly. “It’s perfect. And so are you. Thank you for this.”

  Evan leaned down and placed his lips on her temple then whispered in her ear. “Get in the driver’s seat; we’ll take it for a spin.”

  Libby let out an excited yelp when she dashed around the car and jumped into the driver’s seat. The new-car scent was strong, and Libby sat, taking it all in. After her old car finally quit on her, she hadn’t bothered to buy a new one. She kept meaning to but hadn’t gotten around to it.

  Living in the cottage behind Marcie’s now that it was finished, she could walk anywhere she needed to go. Evan was moving to Colter since his supervisor was opening a new office branch in Eugene, and he planned on commuting.