Marry Me on Main Street

by LuAnn McLane

  “I’m ready.”

  Susan cranked up the Christmas music and tried to concentrate on the job at hand but her mind drifted back to Danny. Would kissing him still make her melt as fast as a snowflake on her tongue? Maybe it was time to find out.

  Susan and Betsy sang and scooped until all of the jars were filled and decorated. Betsy stretched her arms above her head. “I’ll print out the baking instructions and then we can tie the tags on with ribbon.”

  “Oh, good idea, thanks,” Susan said. She remembered the jar she’d given Danny.

  “Why are you frowning?” Betsy yawned. “Tired?”

  “Not really. I just remembered that I gave Danny a jar of cookie mix without the instructions to bake the cookies.”

  “Good.”

  “Why is that? How will he know what to do?”

  “Well, he’ll just have to call you, or better yet, show up in person.”

  “He doesn’t have my number.” She’d refused to give it to him.

  “Oh yes he does. You sent him a text. I’m sure you’re saved in his contacts.”

  “Oh … right.” Susan felt a jolt of something she couldn’t quite comprehend. Anticipation? Excitement? Whatever it was, she liked the feeling and craved more. She nibbled on her bottom lip, trying not to let fear wiggle its way into her brain, but wasn’t quite successful. With his act of kindness back in high school, Danny had unwittingly broken her heart. Could she risk letting him do so again?

  “What’s goin’ on in that pretty head of yours?” Betsy asked while wiping down the kitchen counter.

  “Just thinking of my to-do list.”

  “Is Danny Mayfield on it?”

  “Betsy!” Susan felt heat creep into her cheeks but Betsy laughed.

  “If not, then pencil him in.” Betsy dried her hands and came over to give Susan a quick hug. “I’ll let myself out and lock the door with my key. See you tomorrow.”

  “Thanks for all of your help.”

  “My pleasure. Now you stop working and get some rest. Sometimes you don’t know when to take a break.”

  “I will,” Susan promised, thinking a steaming cup of green tea and a good book was on her agenda after she fixed a light supper.

  After Betsy left, her apartment seemed so quiet. Susan wondered if she should adopt a cat or dog—that would fill in the silence and keep her company.

  And so would a boyfriend.

  “Oh, stop it.” With a sigh, Susan walked over and sat down in her rocking chair. The gentle movement soothed her sudden blue mood. She looked around at her apartment, the eclectic collection of furniture and accents. Her gaze stopped on her sofa. With the wide cushions and fluffy pillows, the comfy sofa would be the perfect spot to cuddle with her guy. She envisioned a big bowl of popcorn and a scary movie where she would cling to Danny’s arm. Inhaling a deep breath, Susan shook her head. “Not Danny, just a guy in general. I need to get out and get back in the game. Well, at least get in the game,” she added with a little chuckle, but then her smile faded. Since she was a child, talking to herself had been easier than talking to others, so it didn’t feel odd to speak her thoughts out loud. But at the moment her own voice sounded hollow in the big apartment.

  With another long sigh, Susan twirled her finger around her hair, a habit of hers that came out when she was tired and went all the way back to her childhood. Yawning, she rocked, thinking that the chair really did put her at ease. She wondered if she could find out who had crafted the chair, because she could surely sell them in her shop, but she’d never give this one up. But what would be the odds that the maker was someone local? Pretty slim.

  6

  Knock on Wood

  Danny bopped his head to the beat of the latest Jeff Greenfield song playing through his headphones. Unlike Jeff’s usual ballads, this country tune had some serious rockabilly kick to it. Danny belted out the verse while he sawed through some maple wood needed for the little rocking chair he’d decided to make for Lily. If he worked diligently, he could have the chair ready for Christmas Day. Danny knew Lily would like cuddling in the chair with her favorite teddy bear.

  Mattie complained that Lily had already hit the terrible twos but in Danny’s mind Lily could do no wrong. If he ever had a little girl, he’d be toast.

  Just as Danny reached for some sandpaper he felt a hand grab his shoulder. Startled, he nearly fell off his workbench. Tugging the earbuds loose, he turned around. “Mason! You damn near made me fall on my ass.”

  “That would have been hilarious. I shouted your name but you were too busy singing really badly.” Mason reached down and scratched Rusty behind the ears.

  Danny shifted on the bench. “I’ve been told I have a good voice.”

  “Only after a lot of this.” Mason held up a growler of beer.

  “Please tell me that’s some bourbon barrel.”

  Mason grinned. “It’s some bourbon barrel.”

  “Sweet. What brings you over here?”

  “Gracie, Mattie, and Sophia are baking Christmas cookies and drinking wine over at the house. Mom’s watching Oliver and Lily. I had to get out of there. Too much laughter over silly girl stuff. Their singing is as bad as yours. About now they’re starting to think they sound like Adele.” Mason winced. He unbuttoned his Carhartt jacket and looked around. “Wow, I didn’t realize you had this many pieces of furniture in here.”

  “Yeah.” Danny shrugged. “I’ve accumulated a lot over the years.”

  “What are you working on?” Mason walked over and looked at a table.

  “A rocking chair for Lily.”

  Mason looked up. “Oh man, she’ll love that.”

  “Next comes a dollhouse.”

  “I think you’re gonna get the uncle of the year award.”

  “I could live with that.” Danny grinned. “A rocking horse for Oliver is next on my list.”

  “You have a list?” Mason gazed around the room and gave a low whistle. “How do I get on that list? I could use a nice bar in my man cave.”

  “Well, Mattie has been all over me about building a bar at the bistro.”

  “You gonna do it?”

  “Do I ever say no to my sister?”

  “Not that I know of. I always had to be the voice of reason when it came to you two rascals. Whenever either of you said watch this I knew I would have to come to the rescue or brace for the sight of blood. Being the oldest sucked.”

  Danny laughed. “I haven’t had any stitches lately. Knock on wood.” He tapped his knuckles on the bench.

  Mason chuckled. “You really are talented. You know we have compliments on the taproom bar all the time.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You ever think of selling some of these pieces? You could get a pretty penny.”

  Looking around, Danny said, “I haven’t done much woodworking lately. I’d kind of forgotten how much I had stored in here. This and fishing keeps me sane.”

  “You think you’re sane?” Mason walked closer and gave him a good-natured shove. “I’ve got news for you, baby brother.”

  “You’ve got a point. Hey, wanna go up to the cabin and crack open that growler?” Danny asked.

  “I can go up and get a couple of glasses if you want to keep working.”

  “Nah, I was just puttering around. It’s a little cold in here, anyway. Let’s go find a college football game or something.” Danny whistled. “Come on, boy, grab your bone and let’s get outta here.”

  “Where’d he get that big-ass bone? Did you steal some ham from Mattie, Rusty?”

  Rusty gave Mason an injured look.

  “I got it from John Clark at Ham Good Deli up on Main. Have you been there?”

  “Not lately, but I pop in there once in a while for the clam chowder. Gracie loves it. Wanna get on up to the cabin? I’m thirsty. Got any snacks?”

  “I can rustle something up.” Danny stood up and walked with Mason. “I’m glad you came over. We don’t get to hang out much these days.”

 
Mason nodded. “Between the brewery and fatherhood, I’m swamped. Plus, Gracie keeps coming up with new ideas. My wife wears me out.”

  “I won’t touch that line.”

  “Are you kidding?” Mason groaned. “Oliver has cramped my style. We never get any sleep,” he said but then pulled out his phone and showed Danny a dozen pictures of his son. “Mom thinks he looks a lot like you.”

  “Lucky kid.”

  Mason chuckled. “But, yeah, I’m super busy.”

  “And now we have the holidays to deal with.”

  Mason shot him a look. “Deal with? Where’s your Christmas spirit? Mom and Dad always made the holidays a big celebration.”

  “I dunno.” Danny turned off the lights and opened the door. “Having a family makes a difference. To be honest, the holidays are kinda a pain in the ass for me.” Zipping up his hoodie, he shoved his hands in his jeans pockets, falling in step with Mason. Even though Mason was four years older than Danny, they’d always been close. They’d both been overprotective of Mattie, making local guys reluctant to date their sister. Who would have thought that homegrown, tomboy Mattie would have ended up falling for Garret Ruleman? Danny and Mason had been skeptical of Garret at first but now he was part of the family.

  They walked toward the cabin, through the light dusting of snow. The flurries had stopped but more winter weather was in the forecast. “I’ve got to get you revved up for Christmas,” Mason said. “Gracie’s planning a big bash at the brewery.”

  Danny inhaled a deep breath of pine-scented air. “I appreciate the spiritual part of Christmas but the rest is just …” He shrugged. “More bother than it’s worth.”

  “That’s pretty damned sad,” Mason said as they entered the warmth of the cabin. Rusty trotted in behind them.

  “I guess …” Danny flicked on an overhead light revealing a total lack of Christmas decorations.

  “Not even a tree?” Mason shook his head. “You’re a total Grinch. Parties, presents, cookies, what’s not to like?”

  “Fruitcake. Endless diamond jewelry commercials. Piped-in tinny Christmas music everywhere I go. Shopping with no clue what to buy Mom every year. This list goes on and on …”

  “You forgot ugly Christmas sweaters.”

  Danny thought of Susan. “I don’t mind those so much.”

  “Gracie’s thinking ugly sweaters will be the theme of the party at the brewery. Come on, don’t be such a downer. I thought I was supposed to be the moody one.”

  Danny unzipped his hoodie. “Don’t get me wrong. I don’t hate Christmas. I’m just not, you know, into it.” Danny wasn’t ready to tell his brother that he’d been feeling like the odd man out, nor his insecurities about not being successful like his siblings. They had their lives together while he felt like he was treading water, getting nowhere. His most faithful companion these days was Rusty. He loved his dog, but still … waking up to a warm woman rather than a cold nose in his face would be a step up.

  “You at least need to get a tree. We can chop one down.”

  “Nah …” Danny shrugged. “I don’t have any ornaments or lights. Just give it up. I don’t need any of that crap. And whatever you do, don’t tell Mom or Mattie. They’ll be over here putting Christmas stuff up everywhere. I don’t want it, okay?”

  “Okay, you’ve made yourself clear. Enough said.” Mason put the growler on the breakfast bar that separated the galley-style kitchen from the great room. He unbuttoned his coat and tossed it over a barstool. “What the hell is this?” He picked up the jar with the cookie mix. “Saw the mason jar and thought you had some moonshine.”

  “Cookie mix.”

  “What do you do with it?”

  “You bake them in the oven.” For some reason Danny felt like grabbing the jar and putting it somewhere safe.

  Frowning, Mason raised the jar up higher, inspecting the contents. “Mattie’s the expert baker, but don’t you need eggs and stuff?”

  “Well yeah.” Danny opened the growler and poured some of the ale into two glasses.

  “But where does it say how much?”

  Danny grinned. “I’ve got to find that out.”

  “Where did you get it?” Mason put the jar down and picked up his beer.

  “Susan Quincy gave it to me,” he answered carefully.

  “Susan Quincy?” Mason frowned as if trying to place her. Shy Susan must have been lonely in high school. “Did she ever come around the marina?”

  “Susan was in my grade at Cricket Creek High. Mom and Susan’s mother are friends.”

  “Oh.” Mason took a drink of his beer and seemed to lose interest. “I don’t remember her but then again I’d already graduated by the time you were a freshman.”

  “Susan didn’t go boating or come to bonfires.” Danny felt another twinge of regret that Susan had missed out on the popular social activities for Cricket Creek teens. The marina was the main hub and between all of their friends, something was always going on.

  “So why did she give you the cookie mix?” Mason poured more of the amber-colored ale into both of their glasses.

  “A reward for coming to her rescue.” He took a swig of his ale, savoring the bourbon-infused flavor.

  “Come on, you can’t stop there.” Mason sat down on a barstool and waited.

  Danny told Mason the tale, grinning while he relived the time spent with Susan, including sending her lunch.

  “Ah, so she owns Rhyme and Reason?”

  Danny nodded. “It’s a sweet little shop.”

  “I haven’t been in there but Gracie and Sophia have and they thought it was really cool. So you sent her chicken soup?” Mason shook his head. “Sounds like you have a thing for her.”

  “I do.” There wasn’t any reason to deny his attraction.

  “And she’s single?”

  “As far as I know. Sweet girl. Tall and gorgeous. Dark curly hair.” He wondered how soft her hair would feel running through his fingers. Damn …

  “So did you get her number?”

  “In a roundabout way.” Danny explained how Susan had texted to thank him for the soup.

  “You didn’t ask her out? You falling off your game?”

  “What game?” Danny took a swallow of his beer. “Damn, this stuff is so good,” he said, trying to change the subject, but Mason wasn’t having it.

  “Seems like I remember girls digging you at the parties at the marina, Danny. I’m surprised one of the hometown girls hasn’t corralled you yet.”

  “It’s different now. Everybody’s got families, full-time jobs.”

  “You don’t lack for attention when you bartend at the brewery.”

  “Girls out to have a night of fun. Goes with the territory.” He pulled some ranch dip out of the fridge and located a bag of baby carrots. “Being an adult sucks sometimes.”

  “Doesn’t have to. Maybe you need to think about getting serious with someone. What about Susan?”

  “She made it clear she isn’t interested in me.” Danny located a bag of potato chips from his pantry, dumped some into a plastic bowl.

  “Did she say why? I mean, you might not be as good-looking and charming as me but you’re a close second.” Mason swiped a carrot through the dip.

  Danny laughed but then shrugged. “Susan is super shy.” He took a swallow of his ale, wondering if he should tell the whole story.

  “Don’t do that.”

  “What?”

  “Hold back. Danny, you’ve always been here for everybody. First Mom and Dad with the marina.”

  “So were you and Mattie.”

  “Yeah, we’re a close family, and I know we’re all busy, but I want it to stay that way.”

  “There’s zero chance of us not staying close.” Danny couldn’t imagine otherwise.

  “No doubt.” Grabbing a handful of chips, Mason nodded. “When I was in deep financial trouble with the brewery, you were my voice of reason. You helped me get over my fear of expansion and knocked some sense into me when Gracie
was slipping away from me.”

  “You’ve always been hardheaded.”

  “I won’t disagree with that. But I want to be here for you.” He casually swiped another carrot through the ranch dip. “What do you want out of life?”

  “Wow, I didn’t expect this to get so deep. At least not until we’ve had a couple more beers. Then we can solve all of the world’s problems and mysteries.” He held up a baby carrot. “Like how are these grown with perfectly rounded ends? Are they really baby carrots?”

  “Are you really using a carrot to distract me from the question?”

  “Yes.”

  “Baby carrots originated as a way to get ugly carrots to the market rather than just throwing them away. Now a sweeter, smaller version is grown especially for baby carrots. They’re not really baby, but peeled and chopped up. The rounded edges happen during the washing process when the carrots rub together.”

  “Did you just make all of that up?”

  “No, I am full of useless knowledge. Just ask Gracie.”

  Danny laughed. “I’ll never look at a baby carrot the same way.”

  Mason poured more beer into their glasses. “I spend a lot of time reading about ingredients for beer and get sucked into information holes. So back to the original question. What do you want out of life?”

  “Geez, Mason, can’t we just chill?” Talking about the lack of direction in his life wasn’t something Danny wanted to do right now, but judging by the look on Mason’s face he wasn’t going to get let off the hook that easily. “Seriously?”

  “You don’t have any problem handing out advice, little bro.”

  “Who are you calling little? I’ve got you by two inches.”

  “In your dreams. I’m the tallest.”

  “Whatever.” At six-foot-two, Mason only had him by an inch. For a long time, it had been Danny’s goal in life to outgrow his big brother. He knew part of the feeling stemmed from being the baby of the family. Mason and Mattie always got to do things before him, making Danny feel as if he was playing catch up with them. And with their successful businesses, the feeling was hard to shake.