A Sudden Engagement (Love: Lost & Found)

by Helen Styles

  Avery bit her bottom lip before responding. “Baby, why didn’t you tell me?”

  Joel swallowed and tried to straighten into a proper standing position. Avery shot a ‘drop dead’ look at a couple of guys that were laughing openly at Joel. “You wanted to do it, and I didn’t want to disappoint you.” He gave her a crooked smile.

  “You, sir, are an amazing man.”

  “I try.” He said as they began to walk slowly away. “Do you think we could go back to the cabin for a while?”

  Avery giggled. “Yes, I think that would be a good idea.”

  The cabin was a cute three room space with a small kitchen area that faced an open room, and there was a bedroom and bathroom. Avery thought it was like her apartment, but far more rustic and beautiful. Light green curtains hung in every window and there were matching comforters on the beds. Avery was glad to see that there were two beds instead of one. It took the pressure away. Joel reinforced that without saying a word when they arrived by placing her suitcase on one bed and his on the other.

  Joel immediately went to the bathroom and Avery decided to settle down on the bed with a book until she could have a turn with the shower. She was a chapter in when he emerged and flopped down on the opposite bed. He grinned and propped his head up on his hand.

  “Do you want to have dinner at the lodge?”

  “I suppose so. I mean it isn’t like there are many places to choose from.”

  “No, but there is a little grocery fairly close by, and we could cook here.”

  Avery set her book down on her lap. “Cook with what pots and pans?”

  Joel’s face became blank. “Oh yeah.”

  Avery laughed and opened her book again. “The lodge will be just fine. Why don’t you take a nap? You still look a little pale.”

  “Yeah, think that is a good idea.”

  Avery nodded and began reading again. A few minutes later she glanced at Joel and saw that he was indeed sleeping. Water still glistened in his hair, and his face had taken on a more boyish look in the relaxed state of slumber. She watched him with a furrowed brow. There just wasn’t an explanation for what was happening between them. She was a waitress with no real future ahead of her, living in a one bedroom apartment. He on the other hand, was an accountant with a highly respected firm, had high ranking private clients, owned his house, and had a very bright future. So, why was he bothered with her? Avery watched the light slant in from the window and tears stung her eyes. She knew she could have done better for herself, but it all seemed so pointless. Deep down she had always thought that she would settle for a life with Chuck, and they would just blend into the lower middle class. She never really thought she could have, nor deserve more. Her mother made sure she believed that. She tried to think of a time that her father had instilled or nurtured any dream for her, but she really couldn’t. She just remembered him telling her that she would always be his princess. But princesses weren’t real, and princes certainly weren’t either. She slid her eyes back to Joel as he moved onto his back, snoring softly. The question of why still burned through her brain, but for today she would just accept that she was here with Joel, and have a good time. She could ask why another day.

  Avery held her stomach and sighed happily as they walked back to their cabin. “I have never seen a steak that thick in all my life.”

  “It was pretty good.” Joel carried the brown bag lightly by the handles that held their boxes of left overs. “We have enough stuff here for a whole other meal!”

  “I know!” Avery said delightedly.

  They walked up the steps and Joel unlocked the door, holding it open for Avery. “I’m going to change. Hey, did you bring movies? I saw a DVD player.”

  “As a matter of fact I did. I knew there wouldn’t be cable up here, and I didn’t want to count on them having a dish of some sort either, although I think they do. Anyway, I have three movies: romance, comedy, and of course hacker slash.”

  Avery looked over her shoulder before entering the bedroom. “You have thought of it all!” She closed the door quietly, and didn’t see Joel’s smiling face become apprehensive; nor did she hear him whisper, “I hope so”.

  After two movies and a bottle of wine, Avery was feeling the odd sensation of being giddy and completely relaxed at the same time. The evening air had turned almost cold, and she was grateful for the fire that Joel had expertly built.

  “My father used to take me to these cabins once a year.”

  Avery pulled her legs into chest and rested her cheek on one knee. “That is a sweet memory. I guess you were an only child?”

  “Yes.”

  “Me too, but my parents never brought me anywhere like this. The best place we ever went was the horse track in West Virginia.”

  Joel smiled. “Did you bet on a horse?”

  “I was too young of course, but my father allowed me to pick each time.”

  “Did you hit the jackpot?”

  “No! The most we ever won was ten dollars, but it was fun.”

  Joel came and sat in front of her. “What about your mom, did she bet on a horse too?” He watched her face darken and wished he hadn’t of mentioned her mother. Avery had told him little about her, but he knew it was a sore subject.

  “She enjoyed the bars at the track.”

  He cleared his throat and touched her arm. “Do you want to watch the other movie?”

  Avery shook her head. “If we do, we won’t have one to watch tomorrow.”

  The fire crackled and the smell of pine burning filled the cabin. It was pleasant, but Joel was sure he had ruined Avery’s mood by mentioning her mother. He wanted the night to be perfect.

  “Let’s see what’s on the radio.” He reached a hand out and pulled her to her feet. There was a standard alarm clock radio on the mantle above the fireplace, which was an odd place for it to be, but for Joel’s purposes it was perfect. The dial didn’t seem to pick up much more than country and one hip hop station, but he finally found one that was playing old 80’s rock ballads.

  “I don’t dance very well, Joel.”

  “Me either.” He said leading her to the middle of the room, placing her hands on his shoulders and his hands on her hips. “It will be like one of those bad school dances.”

  “Well, for starters, we graduated quite a while past the 80’s and secondly I never went to a school dance.”

  Joel stared at her incredulously. “Not even Homecoming?”

  Avery shook her head.

  “Why?”

  Avery let her hands drop from his shoulders. “Because no one asked me, Joel.” Anger flashed in her eyes, and he took a step back from her.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

  She wasn’t sure if it was the wine or her thoughts from earlier, but Avery was feeling mean. She wanted to protect herself from Joel hurting her. “Of course you didn’t know! You were too busy being one of the biggest catches of high school, hiding behind your good looks and your books! Why would you care that some ordinary girl like me didn’t have a prom date?”

  Joel’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you so angry?”

  “Because…I” Avery stammered with tears once again stinging her eyes. She looked away and tried to regain her composure.

  “Because?” Joel said in a voice harsher than he meant it to be.

  Avery turned her head back to him as a fat tear slipped down her face. “Because I don’t know what you want from me. Because I have loved you from the moment I ever saw you.”

  Joel crossed the space between them in one long stride, grabbing her face in his hands. He kissed her with ownership, exploring every inch of her mouth, while his hands moved to grab handfuls of her blonde hair. Avery held on to the back of his shirt and felt the blood rushing through her veins.

  Joel pulled his face away from hers and brushed the tears off of her face. “Do you know what I want from you?” he asked hoarsely.

  Avery shook her head and tried to look at the floor, but he wouldn’
t let her. He lifted her chin so she was forced to look at him.

  “I only want you. There are no strings attached. I brought you here to tell you that I love you. I wanted you to feel special, because the short time we have been together has been the happiest of my life.”

  Avery heard his words but couldn’t absorb them. She didn’t feel worthy of someone like him. He could sense her doubt and made a rash decision. He took one of her hands and knelt on one knee before her. “I don’t have a ring.”

  “Joel, you don’t mean this.”

  “Yes, I do. Who cares about time? I could have known you, I mean really known you years ago, but I was too stupid to see it. I see you now and I know what I feel. Please, Avery, tell me you’ll marry me. We can wait as long as you want, and I’ll get you a ring as soon as we are home, but please tell me you’ll marry me.”

  He was looking up at her with imploring eyes. Avery couldn’t understand how this was happening, but she knew her dream man had come at last. She wiped more tears from her face and pulled him gently to his feet.

  “Yes.” She said quietly.

  Joel bent his knees slightly and looked into her eyes with a smile playing on his lips. “Really?”

  She nodded and touched the side of his face. “Just please don’t hurt me, Joel.”

  He pulled her into him and embraced her. The scent from her hair was intoxicating him, and he marveled at how perfectly her frame fit to his. He placed his lips next to her ear and whispered, “I won’t, and I won’t let anyone else hurt you either.”

  Avery could feel security envelope her like a warm blanket, and she didn’t resist as Joel picked her up and carried her into the bedroom.

  The next morning Avery awoke to see sunlight just beginning to break through the bedroom. She turned her head and smiled at Joel’s sleeping face. She sighed remembering how he had cautiously removed her clothes and how he had reverently touched her skin. Heat rose up her face as she remembered the rest of the night.

  She carefully pushed the blankets away and slid out of bed. She shivered slightly and tiptoed to the bathroom. As she waited for the water to heat up, a thought entered her mind that made her shiver again. What if Joel’s proposal was wine induced? How many men had proposed marriage to women while completely intoxicated? She stepped into the shower and adjusted the knobs before stepping directly under the water. As if on cue, Joel’s head appeared around the edge of the shower curtain with a sleepy smile on his face.

  “Who’s this I see? Could it be the future Mrs. Benjamin?” At that moment all of Avery’s doubts about Joel Benjamin evaporated like smoke.

  The last day at the cabin was perfect and the evening even better, causing Avery to dose all the way home the next day. It was late afternoon when they arrived at Avery’s apartment and a light rain had just begun to fall. The clouds didn’t bother Avery in the least. Normally a heavy leaden sky, like the one she was looking at, caused her anxiety or sadness, but not today. Today was bright and beautiful in her mind.

  Joel took her suitcase out of the trunk and walked with her up the stairs, playfully smacking her rear end near the top. They sobered themselves as Mrs. Barrimore’s door creaked open and her round face popped out the door.

  “Oh good, you’re here!”

  “Hello!” Avery beamed. “Was Otis any problem?”

  She stepped out of the door and closed it behind her. “Oh no, dear, he’s a sweet cat. There was another problem while you were gone.”

  Avery felt some of her internal sunshine slip away. “Like what?”

  Mrs. Barrimore put her hands together and made a wringing motion with them. “That Chuck was here last night banging on your door at two a.m.! He kept yelling for you to come out. I finally told him you weren’t home and he demanded to know where you were.” She took a shaky breath and opened her hands in a pleading gesture. “I told him I didn’t know, but he said he didn’t believe me. That man got right in my face and told me I was a liar!”

  Avery ran a hand down her neighbor’s arm. “I’m sorry he frightened you.”

  Mrs. Barrimore made a gesture like she was shooing a fly away. “I’m over that part, but when I first opened my door he had a key trying to get in your door. I could tell the key worked but something was holding the door shut still.”

  Avery looked over her shoulder at Joel. His brow was furrowed and his eyes met hers with anger. “The new dead bolt.” she whispered.

  “Did he have a key to your apartment to begin with?”

  “No.”

  Joel took the keys from her hand and opened her apartment. He turned back and asked Avery, “Do you have a cat carrier?”

  She nodded and looked back at Mrs. Barrimore. “Thank you for keeping Otis.”

  The older woman entered her apartment and returned a moment later with Otis cradled in her arms. “I’m glad you’re rid of that man, Avery. He’s no good.”

  Avery took her cat and nodded. In her apartment she saw Joel moving with quick precise movements. He entered the bathroom and reemerged with her body wash and several other toiletry items in his arms. She followed him to the bedroom and watched him dump it on the bed next to several pairs of her shoes. She didn’t say anything as he pulled open two of her dresser drawers and threw several shirts onto the growing pile one the bed.

  “You’re not staying here, Avery.”

  “This is where I live, Joel. I’m not going to run.”

  He stopped what he was doing and looked at her with two handfuls of her underwear clutched in his hands. In any other circumstance the scene would have been hilarious. “You agreed to marry me! My house will be yours soon. You might as well start staying there now.”

  “What about the rent here?”

  He shrugged and tossed her underwear on the bed. “Sub lease it, break lease, I don’t care. How long before you have to renew?”

  She crossed her arms and looked at the floor. “Two months.”

  “That’s fine. We can swing your rent for two months. My God, you’ve been swinging it on your own anyway, and that’s another thing; I want you to put your two weeks in at work.”

  That was the final straw. “What! Why?”

  “Does Chuck know where you work?”

  “Of course!”

  “That’s why.” He said and pointed at her as he marched out of the room. Avery followed him into the kitchen and saw him open the refrigerator. He bent and peered inside, moving a few things around.

  “Are you hungry?” she asked with a sarcastic tone.

  “No, I just thought some of this perishable stuff could be given to Mrs. Barrimore.” He began lining her counter top with milk, coffee creamer, and other items.

  Avery took a ketchup bottle from his hands and put it back slamming the refrigerator door. She didn’t like this bossy side of Joel. “Who do you think you are?”

  Joel sighed and leaned on the counter with an outstretched arm. “I just want you safe, Avery.”

  His softer tone calmed her a little. “I know you do, but this isn’t the answer. He wins this way.”

  Joel looked at her hard and shook his head. “Let me spend the night then.”

  “Go home, Joel. I’ll call you if I need anything.”

  He reached out and pulled her in to him by her hips. “Are you still going to marry me?”

  She smiled and kissed his nose. “Of course I am.”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you too. Now go home!”

  Joel stepped away from her and walked to the front door. “I can put all that stuff away if you want.”

  Avery laughed. “It’s ok. I can do it.”

  “Hey, are you off at two tomorrow?”

  “As usual.”

  “Good. I’m going to come by here around six, if it’s alright. I’d like to take you out so we can do this thing properly. I want to look at rings.”

  A smile spread slowly across her face. A RING!

  “I told you that man was crazy about you!” Joanne hadn�
�t talked about anything else all morning. The squeal she had let out over the phone the night before was still ringing in Avery’s ear. “And he moves fast too!”

  “It’s pretty fast, I agree, but I don’t care. I love him, and he’s good to me.”

  “Well let’s just hope it stays that way.”

  The Brick Oven was unusually busy that morning and Avery didn’t have time to do more than serve Joel and kiss his cheek lightly before he left. He had whispered a quick, “Six o’clock!” in her ear before leaving. By one o’clock Avery was dragging but her apron pocket was filled with more tips than she had seen in a while.

  “Is there a convention somewhere that we don’t know about?” Joanne asked, fanning herself with a napkin.

  “I don’t know, but I wish it could be this way every day!”

  The two women walked out of the kitchen and Avery stopped dead in her tracks. Joanne looked to the door and froze too. Chuck Dupree filled the doorway and met Avery’s eyes with an evil grin. He walked directly into her section and sat in Joel’s normal booth.

  Joanne didn’t say a word and went to the other waitress on duty. She bent her head and whispered into the girl’s ear. She looked across the restaurant, then at Avery and nodded. Chuck was meanwhile staring at Avery like a cat about to pounce on a mouse. Joanne came back to her and pushed her back into the kitchen.

  “Janet’s taking the table.”

  Avery nodded. “Thanks.”

  Joanne looked at her sympathetically. “Look, you know I love working with you. You’re my best friend, Avery, but you might consider what Joel said about turning in your notice.”

  “I’m not going to let him win like that!”