As she passed the window on the landing, her eye fell on Oscar’s ancient, beat-up Honda sitting in front of the carriage house. He’d said when he first arrived that the car’s heater didn’t work. That was it – she’d buy him a new car. Have it delivered here and his old one taken away. That way he wouldn’t be able to refuse.
She found Luke alone in the dining room, finishing his breakfast. ‘Luke, do you know a reputable car dealer? Someone who’ll be working the next couple of days?’
He almost choked on his coffee. ‘Car dealer? What for? You’re not thinking of trading in your Cruiser, are you?’
‘Heavens, no. I want to buy a car for Oscar. On the sly. He refuses to accept a penny from me, so that’s the only way I can think of to share with him. Once he sees I’m serious, maybe he’ll let me do more.’
‘I do know somebody, as it happens. Cousin of mine has the Toyota dealership in Tillamook. I wouldn’t say he’s completely reputable, but he wouldn’t dare cheat me.’
‘That’s perfect! A Prius would be just the thing. Save him money on gas as well. And I can cover the insurance.’
He cocked his head at her. ‘You’re really getting into this half-brother thing, aren’t you?’
She pulled out the chair next to him and took his hand. ‘Oh, Luke, don’t you see? I finally have a family again! You’ve always had relatives enough and to spare – you can afford to dislike half of them. But I’ve never had more than a handful, and for some time now I’ve had none at all. I feel like I’ve found my place in the world again. I have roots. I belong.’
She gazed around the room at the carved wood paneling, the fine china displayed in the built-in hutch, the embroidered linens and sterling silver on the table. ‘All this was just stuff before – beautiful stuff, but stuff. Now that I have someone to share it with, it’s a legacy.’
Luke stared at his plate and mumbled, ‘You could share it with me.’
‘Oh, Luke – I didn’t mean – that isn’t the same, don’t you see? I mean, now I have someone to pass it down to. A Worthing. Someone who’s blood. And with that awful mother of his out of the way, maybe Oscar will marry, have children – carry on the line.’
‘I thought you were leaving the house to Katie.’
‘I was, when I thought that was the only way she’d be sure of a place to live when I die. But she has Jamie now. I think they’d rather build their own home together than be burdened with this dinosaur. I’ll leave them enough money to be sure they can do that comfortably.’
Luke cleared his throat. ‘So – does that mean you feel less responsible for this place? Less tied to it, I mean?’
She stared at him, baffled.
‘What I’m trying to say is, could you consider moving in with me? After we’re married, of course.’
‘Oh!’ Her stomach dropped to the floor. ‘Oh, dear. That’s a whole other question.’ She stared past him out the window, her face working as a witch’s brew of emotions roiled inside her.
He reached across and took her hand. ‘Look, Em, I’m really sorry about that whole being-jealous-of-Oscar thing. I don’t know what came over me. Well, I do, kind of – I’ve always felt like I’m not quite good enough for you, and seeing the way you sort of blossomed around a brainy guy brought all that to a head.’
‘Oh, but Luke, don’t you see? Now that I have Oscar for a brother, I can share my love of literature with him. I don’t need that kind of thing from you. That isn’t the issue for me, really. Never has been.’
He cleared his throat, not looking at her. ‘And wanting you to prove your love by saying yes. That wasn’t right either. I wasn’t thinking clearly at that point. I’m sorry.’
She covered his hand with her own. ‘Thank you for saying that. I was afraid I was being unreasonable, but I couldn’t change the way it made me feel.’
He was quiet for a minute, then spoke in a small voice. ‘I do still want to marry you, though. And I’m having a hard time understanding why you won’t commit.’
She sighed. ‘To tell you the absolute truth, I’m having a hard time understanding that myself. I need some time to think about it. Time without a murder investigation going on. Time without a bunch of people in the house, for that matter. Some nice, quiet time to myself.’
‘Can’t argue with that. Murder and marriage don’t mix.’ He gave a wry smile and raised his coffee cup toward her. ‘Here’s hoping we get a nice long break from murder. Preferably forever.’
Having noted Oscar’s preference for earth tones (which matched her own), Emily chose a fun orange Prius C for him, agreeing with Luke’s cousin that Oscar could exchange the color if he didn’t care for it. She paid for the car on the spot and arranged for an insurance policy with her own carrier as soon as she got home. Then she took Oscar for a walk on the beach – the weather being balmier than it had been since he arrived – while an employee of the dealership delivered the Prius, parked it in the carriage house, and drove Oscar’s Honda away. They’d take care of the title transfer later.
The next morning, she wrapped the key to the Prius in a small box and placed it next to Oscar’s breakfast plate. When he sat down and noticed it, she said, ‘I know it isn’t your birthday, but I’ve missed a whole bunch of them, so this is all your birthday and Christmas presents to date rolled into one.’
Looking mystified, Oscar unwrapped the box and took out the key – not a real key, as the Prius was much too high-tech for that, but the electronic gadget that passed for a key. He stared at her, uncomprehending.
‘Come on,’ she said and dragged him out to the driveway, where she’d parked the Prius – adorned with a big green bow.
‘What do you think? Is the color OK?’
‘The color?’ He gaped at her. ‘Emily, this can’t be for me? I told you not to give me anything.’
‘You said not a penny. You didn’t say anything about non-monetary gifts.’
He closed his mouth and walked around the car, stroking its shiny finish. ‘I never … I mean … Me? A brand-new Prius?’
‘You. A brand-new Prius. And don’t worry about the insurance, I’ve paid for that. You’ll save lots on gas, so you can afford to come visit me whenever you want.’
He turned and gave her an enthusiastic hug. ‘Oh, Emily, thank you so much. It goes without saying this is the best present I’ve ever received. I feel like a real grownup now with an actual fully functional car. What’s next? Tenure? An apartment with a real bedroom all to myself? I might even think about getting married!’
‘I hope you will,’ Emily said, beaming. ‘We need to keep the line going. I missed my chance for children, I’m afraid, and so did Geoff. Do you have anyone in mind?’
‘Well …’ Oscar blushed. ‘There is this assistant psych prof I’m rather keen on. Lauren Hsu. We’ve gone out a few times, but I could never let myself get serious – because how could I ever take a woman home to Mother?’ His face clouded, then brightened again. ‘Now I can bring her home to you. If that’s OK, I mean.’
‘I’d love to meet her. Bring her down for spring break. If things work out, that is.’
Oscar scooped Emily into a bear hug. ‘I have the feeling everything’s going to work out from now on.’
Katie and Olivia could handle the wedding preparations far more efficiently on their own, so Emily got out of their way for the next few days and spent some much-needed time by herself. She had promised Luke to think seriously about marriage, and she had no excuse to put it off any longer.
The house was too full of people and bustle, and the weather was holding clear, so she headed up the beach to what she thought of as the Sacred Cove. It was actually a small cave up above the tide line, with an archway one had to stoop to pass through and a flat sandy floor. She and Luke had discovered this cave as teenagers and used it as a trysting place. Those memories hung thick in the air as Emily entered and found a seat on a ledge of rock.
It had been a warm summer – unusually warm for the Oregon coast – that
year they met. She’d reported for work at the ice cream stand on the beach that first day, and there he was – tall and lean, with dark hair that waved over his forehead and a laugh that rang for miles. She knew right then it would be the best summer of her life.
And it was. They plunged headlong into love, so fast and so deep they never stopped to question what their future together could be. Whether they could even have one. And because of a run of luck so bad that, in hindsight, Emily could only regard it as providence, it turned out they had no future at all. Until last June.
Somehow their teenage love had been preserved, as if in amber, as if in the cool, secluded atmosphere of this cave where she now sat. After thirty-five years apart it had awakened, and over the seven months since then it had matured into something much more solid and satisfying than they had known in their youth. The adult Luke was a man of character and integrity, a man people looked up to, a man Emily could trust and rely on absolutely – and a man whose kiss could still weaken her slightly arthritic knees. What more could she ask for in a partner for the remaining years of her life?
Her doubts washed away with the receding tide. All the practical considerations, such as where they would live and how she would complete her research, would resolve themselves somehow. Above all else, she would choose love.
Katie – reenergized by the opportunity to do a sort of dry run for her own upcoming wedding – worked her usual magic, and the wedding on January fifth was as elegant as any bride could wish. Olivia looked stunning in an Edwardian lace gown Veronica had produced from her shop and altered to fit, while Ian was handsome and dignified in a rented morning suit. Their happiness shone out to include everyone around them.
They held the ceremony in the parlor at eleven a.m. so the reception could take the form of a wedding breakfast, in which Katie outdid herself. As everyone sipped champagne in the library after the obligatory toasts were finished, Luke pulled Emily aside into the parlor. ‘Doesn’t this put you in the mood to do it ourselves?’ he whispered in her ear, following up with a sly kiss on the spot behind her ear that always drove her mad.
She returned a kiss on his cheek. ‘It puts me in the mood to get Katie married off. I think we need to get that out of the way before we contemplate a wedding of our own.’
He sighed. ‘I guess that’s reasonable. Have they set a date?’
‘They’re talking about late April.’
‘Then we could shoot for June. We could get married on our birthday.’ They shared a birthday, June first, though Luke was two years older than Emily.
‘What, and have only one gift-giving occasion between one Christmas and the next? Not a chance, buster.’
He laughed. ‘I promise I’ll give you double presents. What do you say?’
June first was five months away – time enough to complete her Dostoevsky research and work out any other issues. ‘In that case, Luke Richards, I accept your proposal. I will marry you on June first – the birthday of our new life together.’
She watched an answering joy suffuse his features. He pulled a small box from his pocket.
Emily gazed at the box, then at Luke in astonishment. ‘What – how?’
‘Bought it months ago. Just in case you ever got around to saying yes. Open it.’
She pulled back the lid to see a ring with one large pearl flanked by tiny emeralds, all set in burnished gold filigree. ‘Oh, Luke, it’s perfect!’
‘Vintage. I know how much you like old stuff.’ He took it out and slid it on to her left ring finger. ‘Fits perfect, too.’
She held her hand up to the light. ‘How did you know I prefer pearls to diamonds?’
‘I didn’t. But you’re my pearl of great price.’
She beamed at him, speechless.
He pulled her close and gave her a kiss that almost made her want to drag the minister back in to marry them on the spot. Suddenly June seemed awfully far away.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
I have taken some liberties with regard to Reed College, my alma mater. The character Oscar Lansing is supposed to be a grossly underpaid adjunct professor at Reed. In reality, to my knowledge, Reed does not employ adjunct professors and does pay all its instructors a living wage. However, there are certainly many other institutions of higher learning in the US where Oscar’s situation is deplorably common.
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