by Nancy Adams
I put an arm around her and pulled her close. “Sweetie,” I said, “look at it this way. You have moved into a different world, you really have, but it's a world of love and wonder and happiness that was put here for you and your new husband to enjoy. Don't let it frighten you, and don't let it intimidate you. Money is nothing but the way we keep score in this game we call life, and all the money in their bank accounts simply means that his father figured out how to play and win. Now Nate gets the chance to show that he can play the game, as well, and you are the woman who will stand at his side. His actions and his decisions with the company he runs could have far-reaching effects on the entire country. You've got be the best wife for him you can be, so that he can be the best man and businessman that he can be.”
Katelynn smiled, and squeezed me back. We turned to look at the first of the dresses close to us as a salesgirl approached.
“Good morning, ladies,” she said, “My name is Constance, and how can I be of service to you today?”
“My daughter is getting married soon, and we're looking for a dress. Your store came highly recommended, so we thought we'd stop here first.”
“I see,” she said, “and when is the big day, may I ask?”
Katelynn told her, and the woman's eyes went wide. “Are you by any chance referring to the Simmons wedding?”
“Yes,” Katelynn said.
Constance was suddenly beaming from ear to ear. “My dear young lady,” she said, “oh, you have come to the right place! Why, the Simmons family have been customers here for quite some time, and so you must absolutely get your wedding dress here.”
She winked. “But of course, that means we have to provide you with the most wonderful wedding dress that you've ever seen; to do any less would be a failure on our parts, and if there's one thing we cannot stand to do here, it is to fail our customers, and especially our loyal customers. For this reason, I can assure you that we'll do anything it takes to make you happy in one of our dresses.”
Katelynn was smiling just as widely, and looked at me. “Well,” she said, “I guess it can't hurt to see what they've got, right? I mean, we've got eight more stores we can check out before we have to make a final decision, right?”
Constance was about to have a heart attack, I think, especially when I smiled back at Katelynn and said, “Of course, Sweetie. You don't have to choose one until you're certain. After all, this is your wedding, and it's gonna be the wedding of the century as far as I'm concerned!”
Katelynn turn to the salesgirl and said, “Well—let's see what you've got.”
We were led further back into store, where price tags on wedding dresses went all the way into mid six-figure range. Even I was beginning to feel uncomfortable at those prices, but there really wasn't a reason to refuse to see them. After all, Nate had given Katelynn his credit card, and told her that its spending limit was only about a million dollars a day.
The great hunt began. We were shown dresses that were so incredible they reminded me of the famous wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles. We saw dresses with emeralds and rubies and diamonds literally embroidered into the bodice, and we saw dresses that had genuine gold and silver threads woven through the fabric.
“Of course,” said Constance, “each of these dresses comes with a climate-controlled display case and mannequin made directly from your own measurements. We alter the dress to fit you perfectly in every way, so the display case gives you a way to let it be shown off without risking it suffering any damage.”
Katelynn's eyes were so wide I was afraid they were going to pop right out of her head, and if I were to be honest, mine were probably just as wide. We looked at dress after dress, some with trains so long it would take six people just to keep them up off the ground. They were incredible, beautiful, some of the most wonderful works of art I have ever seen...
Katelynn was torn. There were so many dresses, and so many different styles, that she could not possibly choose between them, When Constance suggested she try one on, I thought the poor girl was going to have a stroke.
We kept looking for about two hours, and it became absolutely overwhelming. Katelynn finally suggested we look at a few other places, and Constance was almost beside herself with panic, but we promised not to make a final decision until we had come back and let her show us more designs that were due in the next day.
Katelynn fumbled in her purse for the transmitter, pushed the button and we headed for the exit. The chauffeur made it to our pickup spot just as we came outside, and the poor man almost fell in his rush to get the door for us.
Nate
Chapter Three
A Working Man
* * * * *
Jim and I left for my office about a half hour after Katelynn and her Mom went to look at wedding dresses, and he seemed delighted when I picked him up from the house in the Cobra. The power of the big 427 made him smile, and he almost acted like a kid in a candy store when I stopped on the private road and offered to let him drive it.
“Oh, man,” he said, “are you serious?”
I assured him I was, and we traded places. He slipped behind the wheel, buckled in and reached up to turn the key on the dash. The big engine roared to life as soon as it was turned, and he could feel the power that he now had control of. He slipped the car into first gear, gave it a little throttle and eased the clutch out, and we were off.
“I want you to know,” he said, “that you have just made a lifelong dream come true. I have always wanted to drive one of these. The Cobra is most incredible car ever built, in my opinion.”
“I agree,” I said. “There's just nothing like the feel of the power in one of these older cars. Something gets lost with slapstick automatic transmissions and computer tuned timing and fuel injection. Give me a car that's controlled only by my hands and feet, so that I know it's going to do what I want it to do, instead of what a computer might want it to do.”
Jim handled the car beautifully, letting it flow around the curves on the road and even drifting it around a couple of corners. By the time we got close to the main road, he was laughing and smiling, but pulled over let me take it back before we hit the highway.
“Son,” he said, “that was a blast. I don't know how to thank you.”
“No problem, Jim,” I replied. “But be careful what you say, I might come up with a way for you to say thanks.” I added a smile to soften my comment, and he smiled.
“Let me tell you something, young man. There's not a whole lot you can ask of me that I wouldn't give you, and that's the truth.”
I drove us to the office and took him inside, and introduced him to everyone there. He was an instant hit with all of the office staff, and particularly with the secretaries. Jim's a fine-looking man, and he hadn't yet hit fifty, so the girls were all happy and smiled a lot in his direction.
We went to my office and sat down, and I let him see a bit about what my job there entails. My secretary, Anna, brought me all of the documents that were waiting for my signature from the day before, and I let him glance through some of them just to give it taste of what being the CEO is like. Once that was finished, I had reports from department heads. I let Jim sit in while I listened to them and we discussed any actions that were needed.
Albert Weiss, head of the legal department, came in just before lunchtime, and he looked a bit upset.
“Albert,” I said, “you look like something's eating at you. What's the problem?”
Albert smiled, but it was weak. “I'm afraid that we have a little problem in New York. One of our national rivals has filed a lawsuit in federal court there, claiming that we've copied a lot of their business plan and operational procedures manual. Now, as far as I know, we've never even seen those documents, but there are apparently some similarities, and so it's making a bit of a fuss.”
“Well,” I said, “is it going to mean going into court? Is it something we can settle without hurting ourselves?”
“Right now, I'm thinking w
e're looking at a court date. There's a preliminary hearing next Monday, and I'm afraid we're both going to need to be there.”
I scribbled down a note. “What time?” I asked him. He told me, and I jotted that down as well.
I turned to my future father-in-law. “So, how would you feel about flying to New York with us?”
“Hey,” he said, “I'm at your disposal! I figure when the girls are ready to get us involved in the wedding preparations, they'll let us know. Until then, I'm all yours.”
Albert filled us in on a few more of the details, and Jim impressed him by asking several very pertinent questions. When lunchtime came, the three of us went out together to a nice place nearby where we often had power lunches. I got to sit there and listen to the two lawyers discuss the case, and how best to handle it. As the waitress brought us our after-lunch coffees, Albert looked at me and said, “Tell me you're going to recruit this man for my department!”
I laughed. “I'm certainly going to try,” I said, “because my bride-to-be really wants her parents to be out here close to us. If we can get Jim involved in our legal department, then I might have a better chance of making her happy.”
We all laughed, and shortly afterward we headed back to the offices. I let Albert take Jim down to his department to show him around, and once more he was made to feel welcome and appreciated. He spent the rest of the afternoon there, while I took care of business.
About two o'clock, my cell phone rang with the special tone that told me that it was Katelynn calling. I snatched it up and said, “Well, hello, baby.”
“Nathanael,” she said, “I think I am going to strangle you.”
I narrowed my eyes. “But, baby, why? What did I do?”
“You told me to go out and find a wedding dress, but there are so many different freakin' designs and styles that I'm going crazy! Mom feels the same way, we just can't decide which of probably three hundred dresses we like! This isn't fair, you should be out here helping!”
I couldn't help letting out a chuckle. “Baby, that's why I told you don't worry about price, don't worry about anything except finding the dress you truly want. Surely you can narrow it down to a few choices, and then you and your Mom and my Mom can vote on them until you pick a winner. Right?”
She sighed “I guess I can try that,” she said “but it's going to take a few days no matter what! So, what are we doing for dinner tonight?”
I smiled. “I thought we'd let Pierre decide, and have dinner at our new home. I'll tell Mom and Dad, and your folks will already be there, so it won't be a problem, How does that sound?”
“Well, it sounds a lot better than me trying to make a decision about what restaurant to go to. All my deciding powers have been wiped out by this dress hunt.”
“All right, then,” I said. “I'll call Pierre and get things started.”
“Sounds good, baby. What time will you be coming home?”
“I'll be leaving here around four thirty, so I should see you around five thirty, no later than that. I'll meet you at my folks house, so I can shower and change for dinner, okay?”
“Okay, baby,” she said. “I'll see you then. I love you!”
“I love you more! And I win!” That was a game we always played, like so many other couples.
“Yeah, yeah, you got me this time. Just watch out, I'll get you back. Bye, baby.” She hung up.
The rest of my day went smoothly, mostly filled with answering questions for various staff and department heads. I talked with several of our store managers, just letting them know about minor changes to be coming in the near future. All in all, it was a pretty easy day.
About a quarter after four, Albert walked Jim back to my office, and we went to the Cobra to head back to the estate. This time, I simply tossed Jim the keys when we got to the parking garage.
He looked at me. “Are you sure you want trust me with this machine on the open road?” He asked.
I smiled, and said, “Absolutely! I'm pretty sure you can handle it. It's usually in my garage, and I want you to know that you can drive it anytime you like—if, that is, you decide to move out here. I'll show you where I keep the keys to all of the cars, and you can take one out whenever you want.”
Jim grinned. “Okay, that just isn't fair, at all!” he said. I think that actually settled the issue, right then and there. One of the first things I had shown Jim was my car collection, and he'd drooled like a kid in a candy store. It was fun just to watch.
He handled the powerful Cobra as if he'd been doing so for years, and it was delightful to watch him, just to sit back and enjoy the ride. I could tell he'd been into powerful cars at some time in his life, but obviously, the responsibilities of home and family and career had moved him into a more sedate lifestyle, at some point. I looked at him, and wondered if I were looking at myself in twenty five years.
The ride wasn't as long as it sometimes seems, and soon we were back at the estate. Jim drove right up to my family home, and we went inside to visit with my folks, Katelynn and her Mom. We were going back to our new house for dinner, but all our clothes and such were still at the house I'd grown up in, so I needed to change there, anyway.
Everyone was gathered in the kitchen, "Hey baby," I said, as I gave Katelynn a kiss.
"Hey, Baby" she said back, as she kissed me delightedly. "You would not believe the day that Mom and I have had, and I really should probably shoot you for making us go out without you. That just wasn't fair, you know!"
"I'm sorry, baby, but your Dad and I have had a great day together, and we needed it.” I turned to my future mother-in-law. “By the way, you should see Jim handling my Cobra," I said. "He drives like he was born for the race track"
"Oh, dear Lord," she said. “Did he tell you that he used to dream of being a race car driver? Back in the early days of our marriage, it was all I could do to get him to hold it down to the speed limit!"
Katelynn looked at her Dad. "Daddy? You had a lead foot?"
"Maybe a little bit," Jim said. "I really did want to be a race driver when I was young, but I grew out of it not long after you were born. Sweetheart, there's something about having children that slows a man down."
"Well, I'm glad," she said. "If you had ever became a race driver, I'd probably be trying to follow in your footsteps. I have enough trouble not getting a speeding tickets as it is, I don't need other reasons to drive like a maniac!"
"Oh, come on," I said. "There's nothing wrong with a little power under the hood!"
Everyone laughed, but Jim gave me a wink to tell me he understood exactly what I meant. I was careful not to let anyone see me wink back,
"Baby, I'm going to run up and shower, and I'll be back down in fifteen minutes." I leaned down for another kiss, then turned and headed up the stairs.
I showered and shaved, then dressed casually in jeans and a short sleeve button down. It actually took me about twenty minutes, but nobody seemed to mind the extra few moments. I got back downstairs to find everyone having coffee, so I grabbed a cup and joined them at the table, Rebecca looked at me with her eyebrows raised. "My husband says you're trying to bribe him to move out here. Not sure how I feel about that. I mean, what kind of bribe you going to throw my way, to get me to go along with it?"
"Well," I said, looking as innocent as I could, "I'm thinking that being close to grandbabies and able to spoil them rotten all the time, and then send them home so that we have to deal with them ought to be a pretty good bribe in its own right, don't you think?"
"Well, that's not bad," she said, "but I think it might depend on just how many grandbabies we're talking about. I mean, if there's only one, it might not be worth uprooting everything to move out here."
Katelynn shrieked, and softly punched her mother in the arm, "Mom!" she said. "Don't you start that! You know darn well that it wouldn't matter how many grandbabies there are, you're going to want to be with them every minute of every day, and you're not fooling anyone!"
Rebecca la
ughed. "Okay, I'm busted. You know me too well." I smiled. "Of course, I could always throw in a few perks. I could buy you a house, if that would help?"
"Oh, no," Jim said, "don't even go there! Having a rich son in law is wonderful when it comes to thinking about my little girl and her future, but there's no way that Rebecca and I are going to become leaches! I've seen how that goes, with some of my clients. No way, no how!"
I chuckled. "No worries, Jim," I said, “I know you too well for that, already. No one would ever believe it of you, anyway."
We finished our coffees and headed out the door to go over to our new house for dinner. I went into the garage and came out a moment later with a '59 Cadillac, big enough for everyone. We all climbed in and I drove across the estate.
It dawned on me that I was an extremely happy man. There's something about seeing your future coming together that just makes you happy, that makes you want to get up in the morning and face every day and the new adventures it will bring.
I looked over at Katelynn and reached for her hand. "Have I said thank you today?"
She looked at me quizzically. "For what?"
"Just for being yourself, and for bringing all of this joy into my life. I never realized what a lonely and unhappy man I was until I knew how much I loved you. Thank you, my love, for showing me what happiness truly means."
Katelynn
Chapter Four
I wanna dance with somebody
* * * * *
I find it incredibly interesting that it can very very difficult to find somewhere to hold a reception for almost a thousand people in the city the size of San Francisco. The problem came in because we were looking at a potential of more than a thousand guests at the wedding, and it was likely the most of them would want to go to the reception, as well. Where do you find a reception hall big enough to handle so many people? That was the problem we faced as Mom, Dad and I left the house that morning.