rest of my life, if you're willing." "Very much so," Lauren said, returning his kiss. Jake slowly tore himself away to put on his pants. Digging into the front pocket, he smiled at her. She was a sight to behold, tempting him back with a flash of breast. Any other time, he'd be naked and at her side again, and he would be, once this was done.
"Soon," he said, firm. "But I'll leave you with a small remembrance while I'm gone. Close your eyes."
Lauren offered a giddy squeal and held out her palm, curling her fingers around the small keychain he placed there. She fingered the ridges of the first key and her eyes widened. "Is this what I think it is?" she asked. "The key to the store." Jake nodded. "I had planned to tell you this morning, before...any of this happened, but I'd like to promote you and Debbie to assistant managers when Danny leaves for Suffolk. She will supervise the staff while you take care of inventory and finances. You've proven yourself well in the job...if you still want it. You mentioned quitting."
Lauren closed the keys tightly in her fist; a tear threatened to spill down one cheek. "I would hate to leave the store, Jake. I just don't want to be a point of embarassment for you. Are you sure you want to do this?"
"More than ever now. I don't like the thought of you having to commute to some school in Norfolk or Virginia Beach, especially when I tell you that the other key is to my house. Our house one day, I hope." The fist popped open and Lauren's jaw dropped. "Now, this isn't officially a proposal," Jake said quickly. "I told you before, I believe in commitment, but I don't want to rush you into anything until you're ready." He sighed. "On the other hand, I'm sixty years old, and who knows how much time I have left." "Don't talk like that," Lauren said sadly, "like you're going to die." Jake held up a hand to quiet her. "It could be five years, it could be twenty. At this
point in my life I don't want to waste any time. I love you, and I want that time with you." "So do I." Jake nodded to the key. "Then you have complete access to my house, which will be yours, too. When you are ready to take that final step, we'll set a date. Until then, you can come over any time you want. You can stay overnight, for the weekend, or move in. If you think you'd feel more comfortable being boyfriend and girlfriend for a little while," he chuckled at the notion of being somebody's 'boyfriend,' "I'm okay with that, too."
"I'll marry you tomorrow," Lauren said, and whipped back the sheet to reveal her nude body. "Let's get a head start on the honeymoon."
But Jake only laughed, took her hand in his, and offered a chivalrous kiss to the knuckles. "Don't make any rash decisions under the influence of sex, my love. Think about it while I'm gone. We'll talk more later. Or not." With a wink, he bade her farewell and started out the door.
He stepped over Bob on the way out of the bedroom and shot the doll a curious smile. "What are you smiling at?" he asked, and left. * * * J.J. wasn't lying, he did make trips to the cemetery on his own. Jake knew as much seeing the gifts left on Cindy's grave. One of the granddaughters, it appeared, had left behind a Barbie doll, probably when Red brought them up to visit their uncle. In the doll's hand was one of J.J.'s business cards.
Jake didn't know what to make of it. A joke, perhaps to celebrate Cindy's unique sense of humor, or a crass ploy to advertise to passing mourners? Whatever the motive, Jake didn't doubt Cindy would have appreciated the gesture.
Lowering himself to his knees, Jake settled the doll into a sitting position by the grave marker's bud vase and pocketed the card so it wouldn't eventually flutter away and litter the grounds.
"I just wanted you to know that I kept that promise," he told Cindy, fighting back the tears. "It may have seemed to you that I only said I'd find another woman so you'd be happy, and in a way I was doing just that. I dedicated my life to making you happy, and was happy in return. I can never thank you enough for those forty-odd years.
"I hadn't intended to look for love at all," he continued, "but love found me anyway. It didn't happen the way it did with you and me. You could say it was more gradual this time, and rather odd. You remember Lauren McKenna, right?" Jake shook his head, feeling silly for half-expecting an answer.
"Anyway, I learned she had sort of a crush on me, and these people were warning me about her. It was like how people warn you about not watching a particular television show, because it's violent or full of sex, and what's the first thing you do? You turn on that channel. Well, that's sort of how it was with Lauren. I saw all the warning signs but walked straight ahead...and I don't regret it."
He reached into his back pocket for the thick envelope from his dresser, and pressed it to his heart. "I think what helped me along was something she did for me, that reminded me of something you did. I can't help but wonder if, in some mysterious way, you had a hand in all of this. I wouldn't be surprised if you convinced God to plant a bug in Lauren's ear, but it's done and I fell and I'm happy. I hope you're happy, too."
He lifted the flap and pulled out the stack of weathered Polaroids, then flipped through the twenty-five-year-old snapshots of Cindy twisted in a variety of cheesecake poses. He stopped at his favorite one, that of Cindy in a halter top and shorts, turned away from the camera but peering over her shoulder with a seductive smile a la Betty Grable.
"I remember when you gave me these," Jake said, smiling, "and hearing about how you and Marcy cooked up this idea after a few bottles of wine." Jake had been feeling low then, worried that his libido had faded in the wake of raising two young sons. It seemed Cindy could say nothing to console him, and a brief period of impotency did little to help matters.
One day, he found the pictures tucked around the house in his books, in the store ledgers, in the sun visors of his truck. That resolved any performance issues he had from there on out.
"Lauren did something like this, for me," Jake said, and flipped to the most revealing shot in the stack, that of a topless Cindy raising her arms high. This one he received privately, thank goodness.
"A bit more explicit than this, but I suppose that's par for the course these days," he said. "Anyway, it wasn't so much the pictures that attracted me to her, considering I've only seen one, it was the intent. You had these done to cheer me up, and I suppose in a way she was doing the same thing. It helped me to see that she had the same spirit as you, but of course she has unique qualities that endear me to her as well. She's smart, has a great sense of humor, and a good head for business, more than she realizes. I think we're going to be good for each other, and if the boys don't like it, tough. They don't have to live with her." He chuckled.
He tucked the pictures away and stood. A few months ago he was ready to lay down and die right here. Funny how his desires changed in such a short span of time. Now, he couldn't wait to get out this cemetery and get back into Lauren's bed.
The thought suddenly unnerved him. He turned back to Cindy's grave. "I won't leave you completely, and you won't leave me," he assured her. "I probably won't be here as often as I used to, but I have a feeling you won't mind that so much. I love you, Cindy Redding Marbury. Thank you for everything."
He was halfway down the path toward his truck when he was halted abruptly by a sound. He looked around, seeing nobody else in the yard. He could have sworn heard a woman's light laughter carried on the wind.
Twelve
Two months later Cal Briscoe waved emphatically, bringing the band and singer to an awkward stop midsong. He took the microphone from the surprised black woman and goaded the crowed in an exaggerated DJ patter. "Okay, all you freeloaders, let's give a warm welcome to the couple of the hour, everybody's favorite grocer and pin-up girl," he was rewarded with a slap to the shoulder for this, "Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Marbury!"
The automatic doors slid open and Jake and Lauren strolled arm in arm into the store to thunderous applause. Having the wedding reception at Jake's Organic had been a mutual decision, as neither Jake nor Lauren could think of anywhere else they wanted to celebrate their first day as man and wife. To their delight, Jake's employees fully supported the decision; getting
a day off with pay most likely being the biggest incentive.
Yet, everybody had pitched in to give the store a festive, matrimonial look. Pink and white bunting draped every checkout station and back aisle. The buffet was set up in the meat department and the cake, prepared by Jake's bakers, waited in the bakery. The coffee shop was converted into the dance area, with The Cal Briscoe Four holding court.
Lauren smiled at it all and held on tightly to her husband's arm. He looked especially dashing in his black suit, the perfect complement to her ivory formal skirt suit. The church ceremony, though brief and informal, had been wonderful, and the reception would prove equally so.
Jake nodded to a few well-wishers and leaned close to her. "You're sure this is okay?" he asked, and Lauren batted him playfully with her bouquet. All throughout the planning, he questioned her desire for a small affair, and she had to constantly assure him.
"If you're thinking the honeymoon is going to be a small affair, think again," she joked, and steered him to the bandstand for the toast.
J.J. and Red, both appearing nervous and put-out in stiff matching suits, grimly took the microphone from Cal. They each raised a glass and the crowd followed suit. "I've heard tell that it isn't easy for the children of a surviving parent when he or she remarries," J.J. began.
Lauren felt Jake's grip on her hand tighten, and she hoped there wouldn't be a scene. His sons hadn't been very enthusiastic about their marriage, but didn't outright oppose it.
"I suppose it's because children want to think their parents will be together forever, and to see a widowed parent remarry somehow voids that destiny," J.J. continued. "When I see my father with Lauren McKenna, how happy he is with her, and how she makes him feel young..." Lauren stole a glance at Jake. He was blushing. "...I think perhaps my mother would have approved of this union. Cynthia Marbury was a woman in love with life, and a woman who lived for her family. I don't doubt that she is looking down on us right now and smiling, knowing that we continue to enjoy life and be happy. If Mom could approve of my father finding happiness with Lauren," he looked at Red, who nodded, then turned back to the mic, "so can we. To Dad and Lauren." "Hear, hear." Glasses clinked, champagne splashed, and cheers followed a drumroll
that ended with the happy couple's kiss. The reception carried on happily and smoothly, with dancing in the aisles and socializing throughout the store. Jake enjoyed dances with his daughter-in-law and granddaughters, while Lauren tried her best not to joke with her new 'stepsons' as each asked for a turn about the floor.
J.J. held her close during one song, seething, "Let's make a deal. I don't call you 'Ma,' you don't call me 'son.'"
Lauren pouted. "Does this mean no Mother's Day breakfast at the Knights of Columbus hall?"
"Long as you don't try to fix me up with any of your friends's virgin daughters. What?" he added as Lauren snorted.
"Nothing," she said quickly, relieved when her maid of honor broke in to pull her away.
"Time to throw the bouquet," Sue sang. "You better get ready, too, J. Your dad's tossing the garter afterward." "I'm on pins and needles," J.J. grunted, and stalked to the bar. "Forget about him." Sue nudged Lauren as the two wove past the crowd to the bandstand. Her giddiness was contagious. "Can you believe this day finally came? I'm so happy for you and Jake."
"It's a wonderful dream. I hope I never wake up." Lauren held the bouquet to her lips. She couldn't wait to throw it, just one more ritual closer to the reception's end, and she and Jake could head home and make love all weekend. Her pussy throbbed just thinking about it. "I can't help but think it might not have happened, either." "Were you worried about that for real?" Sue asked. Lauren nodded. "Well, somebody tried to sabotage it, you know. Jake told me somebody planted one of my pictures in his work computer, I guess to discourage him and get him to think I wasn't good enough for him." She sighed. "Luckily it had the opposite effect."
"Luckily so," Sue agreed. "If I'd known it was going to cause trouble, I wouldn't have put the picture on the hard drive when Cal and I got Jake the computer."
Lauren's heart stopped. She didn't! Thinking quickly, though, it did make sense. Sue had arrived with a delivery man, but Lauren didn't actually see the package arrive from his truck. "You—?" But Sue pushed Lauren onstage toward Cal and disappeared into the crowd with a cackle. * * * "Ooookay, all you single ladies, it's time to line up for the bouquet toss. Winner gets a stunning floral arrangement courtesy of Dareville Florist and Gifts and the honor of being the next single girl in town to be badgered with matrimonial-related questions. The losers, come talk to me after the reception's over."
Laughter filled the store, but J.J. thought Cal's banter rankled. He would have liked nothing more than to toss a well-aimed champagne cork into the musician's mouth.
Leaning against the coffee bar, downing his fifth longneck, he watched as a flurry of Dareville's most eligible ladies, and his young nieces, gathered around the bandstand. Lauren teased the crowd with a fake toss that revealed her hand still gripping the long sash that tied the bouquet, then turned around again for take two. In the distance, Jake sat at a table with Red and Brady Garriston, watching on and laughing.
He wanted to be there, too, enjoying the day with his father, but his heart just wasn't it. It had nothing to do with Lauren, either, though J.J. wasn't completely okay with the marriage. It had taken some time for him to be convinced that Lauren had no ulterior motives, and he felt a bit better when she willingly conceded to a pre-nuptial agreement. She only wanted his father, and J.J. supposed he could be happy with that.
What made J.J. unhappy now was that fact that his father had managed to snare a second wife when J.J. couldn't even get a second date with a woman. His sixty-year-old father, married to a woman J.J.'s age! The idea irritated him to no end.
More laughter, more patter, more teasing and cymbals crashing. Lauren faked the toss a second time to the crowd's mixed delight and annoyance. A raucous sound erupted from Jake's table, and J.J. saw his brother rear his head back, his mouth open like a PEZ dispenser's.
J.J. fumed at Red, perfect Red. Track star, fraternity president, successful career, beautiful wife, great kids, big house on the beach. How was it that his younger brother got everything before he did? The second son was supposed to come in second!
True, real estate was good to J.J.—he had the flashy Mercedes and a nice condo on the beach in addition to property in Dareville, but he knew he could be doing better in the current market. He had his father's handsome looks as well, and the attention of many attractive, willing women. So where was his wedding? Why weren't these people celebrating him? Why wasn't it his wife taunting a crowd of wallflowers?
He slammed down the empty bottle and barked for another. He knew damn well why: no woman in Dareville, or for that matter Virginia, excited him enough for him to persue a second date. Only one woman could do that, could stiffen his cock with just a simple smile, and she was the standard by which all the other women he dated were judged. All those women had failed.
That woman, that one woman. Jake watched the cold mist curl up from his bottle's neck before taking a long pull. That woman broke his heart so many years ago, so badly he doubted it could ever be repaired. That woman was— "Claire!" J.J. nearly dropped his bottle. Somewhere in the course of his bout of self-pity, the bouquet toss was finally executed. Ellie Garriston stood on the cusp of the circle of bouquet helpfuls, staring in shock as the young ladies parted to either side to reveal a tall, slim blonde in a dark green dress. Claire. Claire Walker stood quietly, clutching the bouquet to her chest. She looked uncertain, as if wondering how the bouquet fell into her hands, and wondering what she should do with it. J.J. watched, along with everybody else, as she stepped carefully into space vacated for her. He twitched uncomfortably, and looked down at his himself.
Damn. She could still do it. After all these years they hadn't seen each other, and here he was with a hard-on at his father's wedding.
Claire stopped in front of her
cousin with a slight smile. It seemed the entire wedding party and guests were hanging on this very moment. Claire and Ellie looked at each other as if they were the only people in the room.
"I-I just wanted to say," Claire said haltingly, and handed Ellie the bouquet, "that I'm happy for Jake and Lauren, and that I'm happy for you and Brady." Sympathetic clucking all around. J.J. swallowed back a comment. "And..." Claire visibly trembled now. Tears spilled, bangs moved out of place, and the woman practically fell into her cousin's arms. "I'm here," she said finally, "and I'm back."
Another thunderous cheer heralded the reunion between the estranged cousins. J.J. glanced at the bandstand and saw that Lauren wasn't put off by no longer being the center of attention at her own wedding. Hell, she probably arranged it to look even better in front of her father, who the hell knew?
"I'm back!" Claire cried to the crowd, practically dancing in her cousin's arms. "I'm back, Dareville, and I'm never leaving again!"
The scene played like a movie ending. The band struck up a happy tune, and Lauren waved her new husband over to the bandstand. Jake rose gladly and approached, twirling the garter as he went.
And J.J. set down his beer and straightened his tie. What a day for Dareville. The farmer takes a wife, and the prodigal daughter returns. Claire Walker was back. And, J.J. thought with a smile, so am I.
About the Author
Having found moderate success in writing mystery and suspense, Leigh Ellwood decided in 2004 to try her hand (and pen) at romance. Her first two attempts resulted in shelved projects that, after some time away, were combined together to produce one fulllength novel. This book would eventually become the Phaze release, MUSE. Ellwood's first attempt in the erotic romantic genre is Phaze's TRUTH OR DARE, the first of Ellwood's Dareville series. The inspiration for the contemporary romance TRUTH OR DARE evolved from many a day browsing a message board dedicated to one of Ellwood's favorite music groups...and the strong feelings of one particular member as evoked by his female admirers! The meaning of the name Dareville is two-fold: Dare is a name commonly seen around Virginia, as Virginia Dare is the first known born on US soil among the original Plymouth settlers, and of course each book in this series is quite daring, as you will soon read.
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