The Husband Maker Boxed Set

by White, Karey

  “Hey.” Alex tipped his ball cap at me but stayed lounging in the corner of the back seat.

  Traffic leaving the city was heavy, and progress was slow, but the conversation around me stayed lively. I was glad they didn’t feel the need to pepper me with questions. I preferred listening. Occasionally they’d ask me a question, but mostly they talked about their jobs, their family, and politics.

  We were west of Sacramento when Roberta put up her hand for everyone’s attention. “Now, don’t forget. I said you could discuss this session of congress until we get to the cabin, and then all politics stops, and we enjoy ourselves. So get this out of your system.” She turned to me. “Sometimes we have to lay down the law, or all we’d do is talk about politics.”

  I smiled. It sounded like a good rule.

  “We have about twenty-four hours to play and relax, and we’re going to make the most of it.”

  Everyone was gracious and energetic. Well, everyone except Alex. He slept most of the way there. Kyle reached across our captain’s seats and stroked my neck under my hair. If I were a cat, I’d have arched my back and purred, it felt so nice.

  “We eating any time soon?” Alex leaned up between our seats, his face uncomfortably close to mine. “I’m starving.”

  “Margaret will have dinner ready for us when we get there,” Roberta said.

  “Sweet.” He leaned back in his seat.

  “Margaret and her husband get the cabin ready for us when we’re coming, and she cooks while we’re there,” explained Kyle.

  I nodded, as if I’d seen arrangements like this all my life.

  The Aldsworths’ cabin sat somewhere behind a gated entrance. Mr. Aldsworth pulled up to a keypad and entered a code. A robotic woman’s voice welcomed us home, and the wrought iron gate swung open. Mr. Aldsworth pulled through and drove slowly down a paved lane. A small stream bubbled beside the drive as we climbed the side of a hill and rounded a bend.

  In front of us was a rustic glass and wood home that looked out over a valley of wildflowers and grass. Behind the house was a forest of pine trees. Mr. Aldsworth pulled around to the back where the driveway opened up into a wide, paved courtyard. At the back end of the courtyard was a smaller house and a garage.

  The cabin wasn’t at all what I’d expected. My Uncle Paul has a cabin in Idaho. I went there once as a teenager. It was a log structure with one small bedroom and a loft where we could throw down sleeping bags. We’d been thrilled because it had a small, indoor bathroom with a shower.

  “We’re here,” Mr. Aldsworth said.

  “No more shop talk.” Roberta undid her seatbelt.

  We entered the house through the back door that led through a mud room and into an enormous kitchen with butcher block countertops and wooden beams high overhead.

  “Welcome home.” An older woman with short, salt and pepper hair greeted us.

  “Margaret, something smells wonderful,” Mr. Aldsworth said.

  “I love you.” Alex planted a kiss on Margaret’s cheek.

  “Of course you do. Especially when you’re hungry.” Margaret shooed him away.

  “You’re wrong, Margaret. I love you all the time.”

  Margaret shook her head. “Dinner will be on the table in twenty minutes.”

  “Kyle, take Charlotte to the yellow room and let her get settled in,” Roberta said.

  “Barry will get your bags and bring them up.” Margaret sliced tomatoes as she spoke.

  “Who’s Barry?” I asked Kyle as we left the kitchen.

  “He’s Margaret’s husband. They’re pretty much retired. Did you see the house by the garage?”

  I nodded.

  “They live there and take care of the place. When we come stay, they take care of us.”

  We walked through a great room with what had to be thirty foot ceilings and heavy, leather furniture and then up a flight of stairs. “The guys stay in these.” He pointed at a couple of rooms as we passed. “I’ll be in here.” Kyle opened a door to a bedroom with a tall, log bed covered with a red, white and blue quilt. “And your room is right here.”

  The yellow room was like something out of a magazine. A white four-poster bed sat in the middle of the room. A yellow, rose-covered quilt covered the bed, and an overstuffed, yellow chair sat in the corner. “This is so pretty.” I ran my hand over the quilt.

  “You have your own bathroom.” Kyle pointed to a door that led off the room. “Does this look okay?”

  “It looks great.”

  “This your bag?” asked an older man at the door.

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “Thanks, Barry.”

  “No problem.” He left the bag and pulled the door almost closed.

  I laughed.

  “What?” Kyle asked.

  “This isn’t like any cabin I’ve ever seen before.”

  Kyle smiled and put his arms around me. “I’m glad you came.”

  “I think I am too,” I said, and he raised his eyebrows. “I’m still kinda dreading the wakeboarding.”

  “You’ll do fine.” He kissed me. “I’ve wanted to do that ever since we picked you up.”

  “You can do it again if you want,” I said.

  “I do.”

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back.

  “Want to join us?” Alex said, standing in the doorway. His voice sounded bored. “We’re all hungry. For food.” I stepped away from Kyle, my face hot with embarrassment.

  Kyle laughed. “Let’s go.”

  Kyle knocked on my door when it was time to go down for breakfast. The previous night had been fun. After a delicious dinner, we’d watched an old John Wayne movie and then played a few games. In spite of Alex’s good-humored trash talking, I’d beat everyone at Yahtzee. I wasn’t so lucky at Ticket to Ride.

  I liked Kyle’s family. Everyone, including Alex, had been pleasant and funny.

  Margaret served pancakes and eggs for breakfast, and Mr. Aldsworth, who told me to call him Donald, announced we’d be leaving for the lake in an hour. I returned to my room and put on my swimsuit, shorts and a t-shirt.

  Roberta knocked. “Do you need anything before we go?” she asked when I opened the door.

  “I don’t think so.” I wiped my damp hands on my shorts. The reality that we were going wakeboarding soon was hitting me hard.

  “Kyle says you’ve never done anything like this before.”

  “That’s true.”

  “Don’t worry. You’ll do fine.”

  “That’s what Kyle keeps telling me. We’ll see. I’m not as optimistic as you two.”

  “If I can learn how, I’m sure you can too. And we’re all friends, so you don’t need to worry about us.”

  “Thank you.” I appreciated her encouragement, but it didn’t stop my palms from sweating.

  “Shall we head down?”

  The Navigator was sitting in the courtyard. On a trailer behind it was a sleek, red and white boat. It looked fast. I wondered if anyone would be suspicious if I said I was sick.

  The trip to the lake was much too short, and much sooner than I wanted, we were out on the lake. I insisted everyone take a turn before Kyle tried to teach me. That was both a good thing and a bad thing. Good, because it bought me another hour. Bad, because I soon realized I was boating with what might as well have been the U.S. National wakeboard team. They were all good. Even Donald and Roberta. Kyle and his brothers jumped across the wake, and even though he crashed on his first attempt, Alex did a flip. As each of them took their turn, Kyle pointed out their form and gave me tips.

  “If you start to fall, be sure to let go of the towrope. Then we’ll circle around and pick you up.”

  “Be sure to bend your knees and lean back.”

  “Let the boat pull you up. Once you start to stand, dig in your back foot and swing the board sideways. The way you’d ride a skateboard.”

  “We’ll pull the boat away from you slowly until the rope is tight, but we won’t take of
f until you give us the signal.”

  By the time they’d all had a run, I was starting to think that maybe I could do it. How hard could it be if his fifty-something-year-old parents could do it?

  Kyle helped me with the equipment.

  With one more pep talk, I entered the water. I tried to keep my view of the boat over the board, but keeping myself steady in the water proved difficult. Peter edged the boat away from me until the towrope was tight then it idled as they waited for my signal. “Let us know when you’re ready,” Kyle called to me.

  I did my best to relax in the water, which was what Kyle had told me to do. I tried to keep my knees bent, but the buoyancy of the board made it difficult. Quickly I lifted my hand from the towrope and gave a thumbs up, grabbing the handle again as the pitch of the engine rose. With all my strength I kept my legs in front of me. I tried to pull myself up, but the edge of the board submerged and I flew forward, awkwardly diving back into the water as the towrope was yanked from my hands. My first effort had made me feel like I’d just visited the chiropractor. I desperately tried to pull the board back around and get my feet in position before the boat came around to pick me up. It wasn’t easy with both my feet stuck in the board.

  Kyle leaned over the boat and gave me a few pointers then Peter pulled the boat slowly away and I tried again. With the same result. I tried three more times before Kyle let me off the hook.

  “Do you want to try again right now or take a break?”

  “I’ll take a little break and let some of you board again.”

  I caught my breath in the boat, while Donald took another run. Roberta sat down beside me and patted my leg. “Don’t worry, Charlotte, you’ll get it with a little practice. Just keep watching and try to follow Kyle’s instructions.”

  “Let’s get her back in there,” Alex said when everyone had taken a turn.

  Donald drove the boat this time. “Now remember,” Kyle said before they moved the boat away from me. “If you try to stand up too soon the board will sink, so let the boat pull you up and keep your weight on that back foot. You can do it.” I appreciated his enthusiastic tone and wanted to succeed for him, but after being dragged through the water three more times without successfully standing, Donald stopped the boat and slowly circled back.

  I felt like I’d been on the water for days. My muscles were screaming at me and the fake smile was getting harder and harder to plaster on my face.

  “You’re so close,” Kyle said. “Let’s give it one more try. You’re going to love it once you get up. You can do it.”

  I wanted to do it. I did. I didn’t like failing, especially in front of people.

  I was exhausted, embarrassed and determined that this time I’d get upright on the board. I tried to ignore the bleak glances Kyle’s parents and brothers exchanged and gave myself a silent pep talk. I felt like I was single-handedly ruining their trip.

  I shook out my hands one at a time while the boat crept forward and the rope became taut. Then for the last time that day, I held up my thumb. Donald gunned the engine and the boat lurched forward. It took every ounce of strength left in my rubbery muscles to keep my legs in front of me. I glanced at the boat, and Kyle gave me an encouraging thumbs-up. My legs wobbled, but I gritted my teeth and forced them to stay steady. Slowly, I lifted myself out of the water. I was upright. I risked a quick glance at the boat. Everyone was cheering, and Kyle was fist-pumping the air. Even Alex was smiling.

  For about ten glorious seconds, I was a wakeboarder. And then the edge of my board dipped forward and before I knew what was happening, I face-planted into the hardest water I’d ever felt. Once again the towrope was torn from my grip at the same time the board was torn from my feet. But I didn’t care. My head pounded with the worst migraine I’d ever felt and my entire body stung, as though someone had slapped me all over. I rolled onto my back and floated there, willing my head to stop pounding.

  When the boat came back around, Kyle looked worried, but Peter and Alex had turned away from me. Alex’s back was shaking with laughter.

  “Are you okay?” Kyle asked.

  “I think so.”

  “You got up. Great job.” He reached down to pull me into the boat. My arms felt like jelly and I couldn’t see straight. Halfway up the side of the boat, my wet hand slipped out of Kyle’s, and I splashed back into the water. New laughter erupted inside the boat. My muscles quivered as we tried again. “Hey guys, can one of you come help me?” Kyle asked. Alex kept his back to me, but Peter leaned over the side with Kyle. Each of them took an arm, and with a grunting effort that made me feel like a dead hippopotamus, they finally pulled me into the boat.

  Once I was seated, I felt the tears prickling the edge of my eyes. If I cried, I might as well throw myself over the side of the boat and drown. I’d embarrassed myself and Kyle enough. So I fixed a smile on my face and stayed that way throughout the afternoon as everyone else took a few more turns on the water. Kyle took over driving the boat, so I moved my sore body to the front with him. Thankfully, no one tried to offer words of consolation or comfort. Any extra kindness would have turned on the faucet of my tears.

  Margaret had barbecued beef sandwiches ready when we arrived at the house. We ate and loaded up for the trip home.

  Peter drove, and Kyle and I sat in the back seat on the drive back to San Francisco. We’d hardly spoken since the boating. Had I embarrassed him? Maybe he wanted to break things off and find an athlete. Maybe an Olympic beach volleyballer or a swimmer. Were Shawn and Peter’s wives professional wakeboarders like the rest of the family? They were probably good at everything.

  The sun was setting when we merged into the I-80 traffic. Alex manned the radio and Donald worked on his laptop, while Roberta fell asleep. I glanced at Kyle. He was smiling. I returned his with a small, sheepish one of my own. He unbuckled his seatbelt and moved to the middle seat. “Come here.” He put his arm around me and pulled me into his side. I snuggled in and rested my head on his shoulder while his fingers moved up and down my arm. “You okay?” he whispered, and I nodded even as a tear slid down my cheek. I quickly brushed it away.

  He pulled my arm around his waist and held me there in his arms. I realized I was holding my breath and tried to breathe normally so he wouldn’t know how his touch affected me. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Kyle felt so warm I wanted to burrow into him. His arm stopped moving. I held perfectly still, afraid any movement might change the mood and make him pull away.

  And then his hand lifted my face slowly toward his, and his lips brushed back and forth over mine a few times before they settled there. It was an unhurried kiss that lasted several miles, but still I knew it would end before I wanted it to. His hand moved to the back of my neck, and his lips moved against mine, silent but intense. I ran my fingers through his hair and then let them trail down his jaw and neck until my hand rested on his chest. I could feel his heart beating through his shirt.

  Finally, his lips left mine. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  “What for?”

  “For putting you in an embarrassing situation. You’re always such a good sport.”

  I shook my head against his neck. “I ruined your teaching streak. I was hopeless.”

  “It’s a good thing it doesn’t matter if you can wakeboard or not.”

  I turned my head and kissed his jaw. He laced our fingers together and rested his head against mine. I sighed.

  Soft music played as I fell asleep. Happy.

  I was sketching some ideas for a series of postcards for an old silver mine in Virginia City, Nevada when my phone rang. I glanced at the caller ID and saw it was Will.

  “Hey, little brother. You ready for some good, live music?” “Little brother” was a long-standing joke between us because I was ten minutes older, and although he ended up several inches taller than me, there had been one year of awkward adolescence when I had him by almost two inches. Will had insisted we stand back to back almost daily so we’d kno
w the moment he became taller than me. It was a ritual Mom grew to loathe.

  Will sighed. “That’s what I’m calling you about.”

  “Is something wrong?”

  “Gina insisted I call you and tell you what I’m thinking.”

  I was confused. “Okay. What are you thinking?”

  “I’m thinking I shouldn’t go to the concert. Gina says I should go and take Angus with me, but I don’t feel right about it.”

  “Gina can’t go?”

  “She’s sick. Well, not sick, sick, but this pregnancy is beating her up. She can’t keep anything down, not even water. We had to take her in for an IV twice last week just so she doesn’t get too dehydrated. I appreciate the tickets, and I wish we could go, but I’d worry about her all night, and I don’t want to leave her throwing up in the bathroom while I go to a concert.”

  “Will, I’m so proud of you. You’re such a thoughtful husband. You make me feel like I raised you right.

  “You’re nuts.”

  “I’m only sorta joking. I totally understand, and I think that’s thoughtful of you.”

  “You’re not upset since you gave them to me?”

  “If you were blowing it off to go watch cage fighting or something, I’d be bothered, but not if you’re missing it to take care of your wife. Don’t be silly.”

  “I was thinking of giving the tickets to Angus. He can take Wyatt, and then the tickets won’t go to waste. And he could use a good distraction.”

  “Is something going on with Angus I don’t know about?” Suddenly, I felt guilty. Since Kyle and I had been dating, I hadn’t checked in much with Angus.

  “He’s trying to decide where to do his residency, and he has to decide soon.”

  “I assumed since he’s still dating Wyatt, he’d choose Alameda.”

  “He likes Wyatt, but I’m not sure how much. It sounded like he might be leaning toward New York. He thinks he’d like it there, but I’m also wondering if he might be thinking the distance will let things end naturally without anyone getting hurt.”

  “Oh. He doesn’t want to see if it can work out?” Sometimes Angus was such a puzzle.