“I can't wait. I'll look into renting the house today. I'm so happy you're going to be here.” Sara closed her eyes on a wave of happy tears. Everything was falling into place. An image of Allen's face popped into her mind.
Chapter Eight
The day was hell on him, and it had nothing to do with the three calls he'd gone out on and the long hours of training he'd put his new recruits through. Being apart from Sara had left his house feeling empty and his body craving hers.
He was sore in places he hadn't used in years. Even though he was used to the hard work and the long hours, he was looking forward to the next few days off. Morale around the facility was high. Everyone was looking forward to having some time off. The morning of the party came and his phone went off just as he was getting out of the shower. Tripping over Beast, who was lying on the shower mat, he barely answered the phone in time.
“Hello?”
“Allen, it's Richard. We have a call for help in international waters. Sounds like a boat of immigrants ran into some bad weather.”
“I'll be there in ten. Have them prep the chopper, and call the on-duty team.” Allen shoved out of the bathroom, racing towards his gear. Less than five minutes later, he had Beast locked up and was heading down his drive. Punching Sara's cell number, he waited as it rang.
“Morning.” She sounded so cheery he almost forgot what he was racing towards.
“Hey, sorry to spring this on you, but I've got an international distress. I may be a little late tonight. What do you say we meet there?”
“Oh, I hope everything is alright.” He heard the concern in her voice. “Sure, I understand. I'll see you there.”
“Thanks.” He drove by her shop and saw the lights on. “Don't tell me you’re baking at this hour.”
He could tell she was moving around, “Of course. Baker hours start early. Lacey contacted me earlier this week and ordered a few things for the party. Cakes, cupcakes, some fudge.” He heard her sober up. “Be careful out there.”
“Will do. Bye.” He hung up and made it to the parking lot just as Marcus and two other men on his team drove up. They may goof off during off hours, but today they were all business.
Less than ten minutes later, they were flying over the water at top speeds. Dispatch squawked in his ear, giving him the latitude and longitude of the vessel’s last-known location. His team was strapped in behind him, each doing their jobs, preparing for rescue. Each time they went out, they geared for the worse, not knowing what to expect.
It took them a little under an hour to reach the last known location. The weather out here was worse than on shore. Here the waves kicked up ten to twenty feet. The rain was coming in sideways and he could see lightning off to the north. Larry and Marcus scanned the horizon, looking for any sign of a vessel.
“There, two o'clock.” Allen glanced and saw the smoke of a flare and the flash of its fire. He pointed the bird in that direction.
When they got there, he assessed the situation. Roughly three dozen people were crammed onto the smallest sailboat he'd ever seen. No one had life vests or heavy jackets for the cold rain that was pelting them. When the waves hit the small boat, he held his breath, hoping that it wouldn't capsize.
“Call it in,” he told his copilot. “Have them get as many boats out here as possible. We're going to need them.”
With the Coastguard boats on their way, Allen and his team just had to continue to assess the situation and wait for backup. They wouldn't swing into action unless an immediate rescue was needed. Looking out his window, Allen saw everyone on the small boat start pointing off to the left. “Man overboard,” he called into his radio. “Damn it. Find him.” He glanced around, swinging the helicopter to the left quickly. Every team member searched the choppy waves for any sign of life.
It took them two minutes to find the mother and daughter bobbing in the cold waves, their dark heads barely hovering over each wave.
“You're on the rope, Marcus,” Allen called to the back, signaling who would take the lead. Larry was the newest member of his team and had yet to make a water rescue. He couldn't afford to lose the precious cargo because of a rookie mistake.
Allen carefully positioned the helicopter with the instructions his crew gave him as Marcus started moving down the wire with the basket. They were geared for the water in thermal wet suits. Larry talked calmly into the radio, telling Allen when to move, when to hold still.
“We've got them. Bringing the basket up now.” Larry sounded happy. They were half way up when a gust of wind caused the chopper to dip dangerously. He held the stick with both hands and for a second, his mind flashed back to five years ago.
“Man down. Man down,” Larry screamed into his ear.
Sara looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled. “Wow, you look good, sis,” Becca said from behind her. Her sister was dressed in green leggings and a large Oregon Duck's sweatshirt.
“Thanks.” She turned and gathered her long coat. “Don't wait up.” She smiled as she walked out.
Running through the snow, she entered the Golden Oar and shook off her umbrella. Her heels were just a little wet as she walked through the doors. She was greeted by Iian and Allison. They both looked so wonderful, Allison in her new dress, Iian in a tux.
Soft Christmas lights hung from the ceiling, making everything glow and look magical. There was a huge pile of presents underneath a large Christmas tree which sat by the fireplace near the back wall. She handed her gifts over to an employee who took them and set them amongst the others.
Looking around, she noticed a huge fish tank where there used to be open space. The tank, complete with blue lights and exotic fish, looked great as it separated the bar area from the main dining room.
Employees were handing out drinks to guests and she grabbed a flute of champagne.
“Where's Allen?” Allison walked up behind her, wrapping her arms around her.
“Oh.” She turned and hugged her friend. “There was a call. He should be here shortly.” She nibbled on her bottom lip, hoping.
“Well, come on in and see what they've done to the rest of the place.” She smiled and motioned her into the back ballroom.
A large Christmas tree stood in the center under a disco ball. There was a band playing on the stage, and people were slowly dancing around the tree to Christmas music.
Luke and Amber were already there and just seeing how they looked at each other made her heart skip.
“They look good together,” Allison said beside her.
“Yes,” she sighed and looked towards the front door. Iian walked over and, smiling, pulled his wife onto the dance floor. They look good together, too, she thought. Now she was left standing in the doorway, watching the couples spin in circles around the floor.
She was just turning around to walk back to the bar area, when the music stopped short. Turning back into the room, she watched Luke get down on his knee.
“Will you do me the honor of moving in with me?” he asked a very embarrassed Amber. He opened a box and presented it to her.
“Yes! Yes, I'll move in with you.” She laughed as he stood up and they hugged.
They spun around to the cheers of the crowd. But then Amber pulled away. “Actually, now that I think about it. No.”
The whole room went quiet. Every eye was on the couple. “No, I won't move in with you. Not until you say that you'll marry me.”
Several people laughed. “She beat him to it,” Aaron said to Lacey a few feet away from Sara.
Luke smiled, then got down on his knee again, holding up another box to her. “I was hoping to ask that question next.” He opened the lid and smiled up at her. “It was my grandmother’s.” He pulled the ring out of the box and slid it smoothly onto her finger. “Amber Kennedy, will you move in with me? Be my family? The mother to Jackie? And to some human babies maybe a few years down the road? Will you marry me?”
Amber smiled and nodded, then the couple was kissing and everyone ch
eered. Sara smiled as she watched the newly engaged couple turning around the dance floor. They looked happy. Marriage. It was a huge commitment, one she wasn't ready for anytime soon. But an image of Allen popped into her mind. Stepping back, she turned and walked towards the bar area and took another flute of champagne. She’d set hers down somewhere and had lost track of it.
“Here alone?” She spun to see Zach leaning against the bar.
“No, I'm waiting for my date to arrive. For the moment. I thought…” She broke off, embarrassed.
“What?” He stood up and walked towards her, caging her between the fish tank wall and him. She hadn't realized that he was almost a foot taller than she was. Even though she thought of him as skinny, he still was bigger than her. “You thought that since you turned me down, I wouldn't show?” He leaned his hand on the wall behind her, caging her in even more.
She shook her head and looked around. At this point of the party, everyone was still in the back room congratulating Luke and Amber and few people had trickled out yet. “No, I thought you'd find someone else to bring along.” She tried to move around him, but he grabbed her. Since her dress was strapless, his cold hands curved around her shoulder, causing her to shiver.
“No, there's no one else.” He leaned closer and she could smell the alcohol on his breath.
“Zach, I really think you should…” She moved his arm away then stepped aside.
“There you are.” Allen walked into the bar area, causing Zach to jump back a full two feet. She let a sigh escape her and quickly walked over to him, not looking back at Zach.
“Are you okay?” He took her arm and steered her towards the main dining room. Looking behind him at Zach.
“Yes, just a misunderstanding.” She felt warmer, close to him. His arms moved around her and he smiled down at her.
“You look beautiful.” He stopped and leaned down to kiss her.
“Thank you. You look very dashing.” He did, he looked like a young Clark Gable, stepping into his next movie set or a high-roller Hollywood party. “How did the rescue go?”
His smile fell away. “Marcus fell from the bucket. He's got a broken collarbone, but other than that…Thirty-five Mexican immigrants are alive.”
“Oh, no. Is Marcus the one that had the puppies?”
He chuckled a little. “Well, his dog Sadie did most of the work, but yes. His wife and kids are at the Edgeview hospital with him now. He'll be fine.” She could see something in his eyes.
“It wasn't your fault.” She took his hands and held them in hers.
“For a minute there I was back in Afghanistan.” He shook his head, then looked down at her and smiled. “None of that talk tonight. Tonight it's all about dancing, good food, champagne, and presents.” He pulled a box out of his jacket pocket. The long black box had a bright red bow on it.
“Merry Christmas.” He smiled as she took it from him.
“Oh, wait here.” She handed the box back to him and walked over to the tree, looking quickly for his present Finding it, she rushed back over to him.
“Here, Merry Christmas. Let's open them together.”
“Okay, come over here.” He steered her towards the fireplace and they sat on the stone seat in front of the heat.
They opened the gifts together.
She opened the lid to a dainty bracelet full of silver spoons, pans, cupcake pans, a small mixer, a rolling pan and even a whisk. She laughed. It was perfect.
“I saw it and thought of you.” He smiled at her. “There's even a measuring cup.” He set his box down and helped her put it around her wrist. The silver of the bracelet shone in the lights, sending sparkles around her wrist.
“It's perfect.” She smiled at him. “Now, open yours.”
He picked up the box again, this time ripping the paper off quickly. “I always love the sound of that.”
He opened the tissue paper and stared down at her gift. The knife set was one of the finest, made for the highest quality restaurant. “I noticed you didn't have a good set the other day. These are the best.” She smiled.
“You bought me knives?” He smiled at her and shook his head. “Leave it to a baker to buy a guy something he'd been thinking of getting for the last few months.” He chuckled. “Do you know how hard it is to cook a steak without a good knife?” He pulled the box open and started looking at the knives one at a time.
She laughed. “Now you won't have to. I hope you like them.”
He set the knife he was currently examining down and pulled her closer. “They're perfect.” He kissed her and the heat from the fireplace wasn't the only heat in the room.
“Tell me you can stay with me tonight?” he whispered into her hair.
She nodded. “I packed an overnight bag.” She pulled back and smiled at him.
“Good. Now,”—he looked around—“you mentioned something about bringing some fudge?” She laughed.
Chapter Nine
He'd never had a better weekend in his thirty-two years. They’d spent most of the time inside getting to know one another, but had also taken a long walk in the woods behind his house, walking the dog and playing in the snow. He spent an hour on the phone with his family, enjoying the fact that they'd gotten his presents on time.
Sara ended up spending two nights. She'd convinced him to drop by the bakery the first day, just for a few hours. She had to make some calls and promised to bake him a large chocolate cheesecake. He couldn't resist.
Her tables and chairs had been delivered and were heaped up along the south wall. He helped her unstack them and they spent an hour moving everything around until she was happy with the placements.
“I've got some white tablecloths that will go over them. That small table,”—she pointed to a rectangle table—“goes to the right of the door. There will be a trash can to the left and people can clear their own tables.” She crossed her arms over her chest and looked around the room, nodding her head. “Allison is going to hang some of her art along that wall.” She pointed to the bare wall, across from the one full of refrigerators.
“What's going to go in those?” He pointed to the large display units.
“Cakes, pies, sandwiches.” She tilted her head. “Party trays, salads. The cupcakes, cookies, and tea cakes will all go up here, along with some of the smaller specialty items.”
He turned to her and took her shoulders. “Sara, just one question.” Her face turned serious.
“Yes?”
“What exactly is a tea cake?” She laughed at him.
“It's a cookie made out of cake batter, covered with a thin layer of icing.”
Looking around the place, he could just imagine it all finished.
“When are you opening?”
“I was shooting for the fifteenth. My best friend, Josie, is moving down from Seattle to work for me. I still need to find two more employees. One part-time, who will work when Becca is in school, and one full-time baker.” She chewed her bottom lip and he knew she was already thinking about other things she had to accomplish.
“So much goes into running a business.” He shook his head. “I would have never thought.”
She smiled at him and walked across the room to wrap her arms around his neck. Her lips were an inch from his when Becca walked in the front door.
“Oh, hey.” Her sister didn't even look embarrassed about catching them in an embrace. “Did you hear that Amber and Luke are having an engagement New Year’s party?” Becca texted as she said this.
“No.” Sara pulled away and looked down at her phone as a message came in. She smiled. “We're invited. It's an 80s theme.” She laughed. “Luke says you should dress as Tom Selleck since you're his twin without the ’stache. Actually,” she tilted her head and looked at him, “when I first saw you, I thought you looked a lot like him myself.”
He chuckled. “I've heard that before.” Becca looked at them.
“Who's Tom Selleck?” They both looked at each other and laughed.
After leaving the bakery, Allen stopped by Marcus's place to check up on him. The man's whole family was crowded into the small living room. Marcus was propped up on the couch, watching football. He stayed for an hour, then headed out. Knowing the man was going to be okay helped ease the guilt that he still felt. By the time he headed to the Boys and Girls club for a weekly game with the guys, he was pumped for the rematch with the teens who had almost whooped their butts a few weeks ago.
When he walked in, the guys were all standing around, no doubt waiting for him.
“Sorry, went to check up on Marcus. He's doing fine. He's back home and on the mend.”
My Sweet Valentine Page 9