“And when will you see him again?”
“I’m not sure. It sounds like he’ll be tied up in Palo Alto for quite a while.” Rowan smiled. “So, I’m free to stay here with you. Unless you’re tired of me already.”
“Of course not. I’m thrilled you’re here. How long have you been engaged?”
“Um...”
Gran raised an eyebrow. “It’s not a hard question.”
“He gave me the ring four days before I came to Alaska.”
“Four days. And yet, you haven’t worn the ring since you arrived. Most brides-to-be can’t wait to show off their rings to everyone. What’s going on?”
Rowan looked down at her bare finger. “It’s just that I’m not sure.”
“But you said yes?”
“Well, he proposed in front of this whole group of people, and he had the ring, and we have been dating two years. I suppose it is time to move on to the next phase.”
Gran scoffed. “You don’t marry because it’s time. You marry because you love that person and you want to spend the rest of your life together. Do you love him?”
“I—”
“Hello, Bonnie.” David, the physical therapist, stood at the door of the waiting room. “Come on back.”
Gran put her hand on Rowan’s shoulder. “Once I’m done here, we can go back to my place and have a nice, long talk.”
“Actually, after I drive you home, I have some things I need to take care of this afternoon.” Rowan had promised to work on the fundraiser, after all. “But I’ll take you to yoga in the morning. We’ll talk then.”
Gran shot her a no-nonsense look before she followed David through the door. “Yes, we will.”
* * *
“I’M HERE,” Rowan called the next morning as she let herself into Gran’s apartment. Rowan hadn’t practiced yoga in a couple of years, but this was a class for seniors. How hard could it be?
“Molly and Linda are riding with us,” Gran told her as she grabbed her cane. “The other three will meet us there.”
Molly, Gran’s best friend for many decades, was waiting in the lobby when they stepped off the elevator. “Rowan, good to see you. What’s this I hear about you spearheading the plan to raise money for the wildlife center?”
“I’m just pitching in to get things rolling. How did you hear about it?”
“Maggie Zeigler mentioned it at church,” Molly replied.
“You didn’t tell me about this.” Gran looked a little put out that her friend had more information than she did.
“Sorry. It’s not official yet. I’m meeting with the board Saturday.”
“Is this Zack Vogel’s wildlife center?” A familiar woman with silver glasses pushed up on top of her head joined the group. “Rowan, I’m Linda. We met at Lauren and Patrick’s wedding.”
“Of course, Linda. Yes, it is. You know Zack?”
“He’s my cat’s vet. She’s fifteen, arthritic and not particularly friendly, but she likes Zack. What are your plans for the fundraiser?”
Gran made a shooing motion. “We can talk in the car.”
On the drive from the Easy Living apartments to the yoga studio, Rowan told the three women her thoughts about the auction.
“What kind of internet publicity are you planning?” Linda asked.
“Once I have some donations nailed down and a solid date, I thought I’d start a website with information and advance ticket sales.”
“You should talk with Crystal, the yoga instructor,” Linda advised. “A surprisingly large number of people signed up for her goat yoga mailing list. She could mention the fundraiser in her next newsletter.”
“Even better, maybe she’d offer a yoga package as one of the prizes,” Molly said.
“She and Lauren might be willing to do goat yoga at the event,” Gran added. “Their sessions at the state fair last summer mostly sold out within minutes.”
Wow, for a group of eighty-somethings, these women were on top of things. Rowan made a mental note to ask for advice later on the best vendors to approach about donating prizes. “I’ll talk to Crystal,” she assured them. “Thanks for the tip.”
Rowan parallel parked behind a gray sedan near the studio. A woman wearing orange yoga pants and a lime green top with matching green streaks in her white hair was plugging the parking meter. She greeted Rowan. “I’m Bea and you’re Bonnie’s granddaughter. Sorry, I’ve forgotten your name.”
“Rowan.” People often forgot Rowan’s name. That’s what came of having ordinary brown hair and a tendency to listen instead of talk. She remembered Bea, but then, Bea made herself memorable.
With only minimal help from her cane, Gran followed her friends into the studio. “Rowan, do you remember Crystal, Alice and Rosemary?”
“Of course.” Crystal was the instructor, a lithe woman in her fifties. Rosemary’s hair fell in a silver braid down her back. At Patrick and Lauren’s wedding, she’d worn a beautiful silk skirt fashioned from an Indian sari. Alice, in contrast, had dressed in a tailored navy suit. Even her yoga clothes were conservative—black pants and a gray T-shirt so simple it had to be designer. “Good to see you again.”
Crystal put on some music and, in one fluid motion, sunk onto her mat. “Let’s begin in comfortable pose.”
All the women sat on their mats with their legs folded. Rowan settled at the back of the class and easily mimicked their pose. As it turned out, that was the last easy part to the session. Toward the end of the hour, Rowan’s core muscles trembled from the effort of holding her up, while Gran, who’d walked in with a cane, made planking look effortless. But Rowan had to admit, at the end of the hour, she felt more relaxed.
When they left the studio, the Mat Mates headed toward the bakery next door. “We always have a little treat after yoga,” Gran explained. “I’ll grab a table. Rowan, could you get me one of those lemon scones and a cup of Earl Grey, please?”
“Sure.” Rowan was last in line. Once she had Gran’s order, along with tea and a poppy seed muffin for herself, she carried them to an outdoor table where the ladies had gathered.
“Sit by me.” Molly pulled out a chair. Rowan sat down and took her first sip.
“So, Bonnie says you accidently got yourself engaged,” Bea stated, almost causing Rowan to choke on her tea.
She set the cup on the table and blotted her mouth with her napkin. “I—”
“How did it happen?” Bea continued. “Did he pressure you? Or did you just blurt out the wrong thing? I’ve done that before.”
Rowan bet she had. Before she could answer, Molly laid a hand on her arm. “Rowan, what Bea is trying to say—” she flashed a warning look in Bea’s direction “—is that we’re here to support you. We’ve found that talking things out can give us perspective. How did you and Sutton meet?”
That was easy. “At an embassy dinner. Mom had asked me to fill in when someone dropped out at the last minute. We happened to be seated next to each other at dinner.”
“Wasn’t that convenient?” Gran murmured.
“Her mother set them up?” Alice asked.
“Renee seldom leaves anything to chance,” Gran confirmed.
“Not that there’s anything wrong with introducing two people you think might enjoy one another’s company,” Rosemary commented. “How long have you been dating?”
“Two years. That is, we started dating two years ago. But we only see each other when he’s in town.”
“He doesn’t live in Tokyo?” Alice asked.
“His home is there, but he travels maybe three weeks out of four.”
“With video phones and whatnot, I suppose you can keep in touch no matter where you are,” Molly said.
“Sure. Except that when he’s working, he likes to concentrate on his job. And with time zones and everything...” Rowan trailed off.
“Bonnie says he proposed at a party,” Molly said. “If it had been in private, what would you have answered?”
Rowan sighed. “I would have asked for more time. But I couldn’t embarrass him with everyone watching.”
“Is a public proposal something you would have expected from him?”
Rowan considered. “Now that you mention it, no.” Sutton was a private person, by nature and by nurture.
“That’s what I thought.” Linda nodded. “He must not have been too sure of your answer, so he put you on the spot.”
Bea crossed her arms. “He played you.”
“Now, wait,” Rowan protested. “Sutton negotiates contracts as a profession. It’s only natural that he would present a proposal in a way that most ensured a favorable outcome.”
“Favorable for him at least,” Bea grumbled.
“To be fair, he did risk a public rejection,” Rosemary pointed out. “That took courage.”
“Exactly,” Rowan agreed. “Sutton doesn’t deserve the embarrassment of a broken engagement.”
Gran chuckled. “You’re a sweetheart, Rowan, but you can’t live your entire life not rocking the boat. Imagine it’s your silver wedding anniversary. Can you see Sutton and yourself more in love than ever, looking forward to another quarter century together?”
Based on their pattern so far, the most Rowan could expect would be an extravagant bouquet of flowers and a short video call from wherever he was working. “Well, when you put it like that...”
“What did I miss?” Lauren came out of the bakery carrying a large cookie. “Sorry I didn’t make the yoga class this morning. I got held up.”
“Rowan is trying to figure out how to break her engagement,” Alice said.
Lauren’s eyes widened. “You’re engaged? And you didn’t tell Patrick or me?”
Oh, shoot. Now Rowan had offended Lauren. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean...it’s complicated.”
Alice quickly summarized the conversation for Lauren. “And now Rowan finds herself in a situation where she has to hurt someone’s feelings.” She gave Rowan a sympathetic smile. “I can see that’s not easy for you.”
“No.” Rowan had spent her whole life avoiding conflict.
“When will you see Sutton again?” Rosemary asked.
“Good question,” Rowan answered. “He’s in California and might be there for another two or three weeks.”
“Well, you can’t do this by phone,” Linda said. “So maybe you should put everything on hold until you’re back together.”
If only she could. “Mom is pushing me to make wedding plans. She says the best venues fill up fast.”
“You haven’t talked to your mother about this?” Gran pressed her lips together.
“Don’t look at me like that. Have you ever tried talking to Mom about anything when she’s in planning mode?”
“Renee can be a steamroller,” Gran admitted. “But she loves you. So does your dad. They want you to be happy.”
“I know, but Mom and Dad are happily married. So are Patrick and Lauren. Mom thinks it’s time I was, too. I am thirty-two, and I’ve nothing against marriage.”
“The key word being happily. Your boyfriend wants to marry you. Your mother wants to plan your wedding. What do you want?”
Rowan took a deep breath and finally said aloud what she’d known all along. “I have to break up with Sutton. Not just the engagement—the whole relationship.”
“Explain it to your mother now,” Linda suggested, “and when you and Sutton are back in Japan, you can tell him.”
Rowan shook her head. “Mom and Sutton’s mother are good friends, and I don’t want to risk it getting back to him before I’ve had a chance to talk to him.”
“You can’t put your mother’s wedding planning off for a few weeks?” Rosemary asked.
Gran, Lauren and Rowan all laughed. “Haven’t you met my mother-in-law?” Lauren asked her.
“Oh, now I remember,” Rosemary said. “When that freak hailstorm ruined the peonies you’d ordered for your wedding, Renee arranged for someone to fly peonies in from Australia.”
“That was so sweet of her.” Lauren gave a fond smile. “Unnecessary—because I’d really only chosen peonies to support the local farmers and daisies would have been fine—but still sweet.”
Gran chuckled. “Once Renee gets going, she’s like a boulder rolling downhill. Best just to get out of her way.”
“She means well,” Lauren protested.
“Oh, yes. Renee isn’t at all selfish,” Gran agreed. “She’s always thinking of other people. It’s just that people don’t always appreciate having things done ‘for their own good.’”
Rowan gave a wry smile. “Like when she decided your car didn’t have the latest safety features and sold it without asking you?” Gran had been spitting mad at the time.
“I’ve grown quite fond of the new one,” Gran answered smoothly.
“In any case,” Alice said, “the longer you leave it, the harder it will be to break the engagement. Rowan, you need to fly down to California and talk to him.”
Rowan winced. “You really think so?” When Gran raised her eyebrows, Rowan nodded. “I suppose you’re right.”
Molly patted her arm. “You’ll feel better once it’s done.”
Rowan hoped so. “I’ll book a flight.”
CHAPTER SIX
“WILL CHARLOTTE BE HERE?” Becca asked as she took Zack’s hand in the diner’s parking lot.
“Yes.” Zack glanced around but didn’t see Jessie’s or Greg’s cars.
“Can I have pancakes?” Becca asked him.
“You can have whatever you want.”
“What if I want a taco?”
“They don’t have tacos here.”
“But you said I could have whatever I want.” Becca grinned, and he realized she was teasing him. She’d never done that before. Maybe she was starting to feel more secure.
“Okay, you can order whatever you want from the menu.”
“I want pancakes.”
“Then you’re in luck.” He held the door and she skipped inside.
“Hi, Becca! Zack, we’re back here,” Maggie called from the big booth in the back corner. Rowan waved from the seat beside her.
Becca went dashing back. “Hi, Rowan. How do you say hi in Japanese?”
“Kommichiwa.”
“Komo chihuahua.”
Rowan smiled. “Close. Kom-mi-chi-wa. Or we could just bow.” Rowan demonstrated bowing her head.
Becca bowed back and then burst into giggles. She slid into the booth and scooted up against Rowan. “I’m getting pancakes.”
“That sounds delicious,” Rowan answered. “Good morning, Zack.”
“Kommichiwa.” Zack slid into the booth. “Thanks for coming today.”
“Rowan says she has good news for us,” Maggie told him.
“What’s that?”
“Don’t tell him yet,” Maggie instructed. “We have to wait for Jessie and Greg to start the board meeting.”
“And Charlotte,” Becca added.
“And Charlotte,” Zack affirmed. He could explain to Becca that she and Charlotte weren’t official members of the board, but why ruin it?
“Hey, guys.” Jessie waved from the entryway with Charlotte right behind her.
“Here, you can sit by Becca.” Maggie scooted toward the end of the bench but before she could stand, Charlotte ducked under the table and popped up between Maggie and Becca.
Becca bowed to her friend. “Rowan says that’s how people in Japan say hi.”
Charlotte bowed back, and both girls laughed.
“That’s Charlotte, an
d I’m Jessica—call me Jessie—and that’s Greg coming in the door now.” Jessie waved at her husband and scooted in next to Zack. “You must be Rowan. Maggie said you were looking into holding a tasting and auction for the wildlife center.”
“Nice to meet you, Jessie and Charlotte. Yes, I contacted a few local merchants—”
“If you’re all here, I can take your orders,” Karma, their usual waitress, interrupted as Greg sat down at the table. She set paper place mats and a cup of crayons in front of Becca and Charlotte, and then waited with her pen poised.
“I’ll have the reindeer sausage skillet,” Greg decided and turned to shake Rowan’s hand while Karma took everyone else’s orders. Rowan asked for pancakes. Zack suspected she did it just to please Becca. If so, it worked. Becca beamed.
Karma tore the order from her pad. “I’ll get these in and be back in a minute with coffee and juice.”
“Thanks, Karma.” Once the waitress had gone, Jessie tapped her water glass with her spoon. “Okay, I’m officially calling the meeting to order.” She turned to Rowan. “When Zack was setting up the nonprofit, they had to list someone as president, and I drew the short straw. Zack is VP, Maggie is secretary and Greg is officially the treasurer of WildER, although since I’m an accountant, I actually keep the books.”
“And I check her numbers to make sure she’s not embezzling.” Greg grinned, and his wife laughed.
“We have occasional volunteers who help with big projects, but so far we haven’t recruited any more board members. Anyway, we’re all eager to hear about your idea. Rowan, you have the floor.”
“Thank you.” Rowan gave a little smile at that. “Okay, well, my brother and sister-in-law, Lauren and Patrick, love the idea and said they’d host the fundraiser outdoors at Now and Forever Farm if you want. The Salmonberry Bakery is also interested in providing food, and Pioneer Peak Sporting Goods says they will donate a new tent and pair of sleeping bags as an auction item. There will be yoga class certificates, and I’m waiting to hear back from a bookstore and a sausage-maker. They’ll participate, but they haven’t decided what to donate.”
“That was fast,” Greg said. “How many merchants did you approach?”
Harlequin Heartwarming June 2021 Box Set Page 29