Something to Treasure

by Virginia McCullough

  Chapter Sixteen

  THE LAST FRIDAY night in September had rolled around and Dawn was now ready for the thank-you party to be over. She enjoyed the planning well enough, but she had other things on her mind since she and Jerrod were spending time at each other’s houses and at the Bean Grinder and the Half Moon Café. They never tired of each other’s company. The two kids, her work and Jerrod himself filled her days. Ever since that day in his office, when they’d settled things between them, it had been a whirlwind of activity.

  The night had arrived unseasonably warm, meaning they could open the verandah doors of the yacht club and let the guests gather outside if they wanted. They could light a fire in the stone fireplace later if it turned cold. It was a casual party, jeans and sweaters, but Melody, with Carrie’s help, had chosen the blue-tinted candle holders lined up on the top of the verandah wall. Tea candles had been dropped into them so they could be lit and protected from the wind. Carrie had wanted white fairy lights draped around the fireplace mantel. Dawn’s future stepdaughter had very specific ideas about where she wanted them.

  When Miles and Lark joined her, they stood on the verandah watching Brooke and Carrie playing tag on the grass at the side of the building. Evan and Gordon were keeping an eye on them. “How did we get so lucky to have such nice boys?” Lark asked.

  “Luck had nothing to do with it,” Miles said. “The two of you need to give yourselves some credit.”

  Lark shrugged. “You could be a little biased.”

  “Maybe so. But that doesn’t make me wrong.” Miles took stock of the guests coming into the room. “So many people I don’t know. Can you fill me in, Dawn?”

  “I can trace all the people Jerrod invited to something specific. They could be local customers, journalists and the librarians here in town. And Nelson and Zeke. Each one boosted—in some way—Jerrod’s presence here in Two Moon Bay. Some of the Two Moon Bay task force accepted the invitation, as well. It’s a going away party of sorts for Wyatt and Rob. Melody is staying here for Carrie.”

  “What a summer,” Miles said, his expression thoughtful. “I learned to dive and I got a taste of what it would be like to be caught in a wild storm in my own backyard. That alone taught me a lot about shipwreck diving.”

  “Miles.” Lark gave Miles an exasperated look.

  Dawn laughed. “Don’t worry, Lark. We all learned something that day. And besides, Gordon is fine.” In her case, maybe what she’d learned was about trust. Realizing, deep within her, that Jerrod, Rob and Wyatt had done everything they could to take care of the people they’d had out on the water when that terrible storm had hit. No one could prevent every possible mishap. “It reinforced the idea of preparing for something and not letting fear get in the way. My thirteen-year-old son taught me that.”

  “I’m hungry,” Lark said. “Let’s get some of that pizza. It smells so good.”

  The scent of sausage and tomatoes, onions and garlic, had drifted outside. She was ready to fill her plate, too. “Good ol’ Lou’s pizza,” Dawn said. “A match for the casual atmosphere.”

  As Dawn filled her plate, she looked around the room but didn’t see anyone she needed to catch up with. She had appointments scheduled with potential clients, and that was good enough for the moment. When she turned to find a drink, she almost bumped into Jerrod.

  “I was wondering where you were,” she said. “Lark and Miles and I were out on the verandah admiring everything from the lights to the food aromas floating in the air.”

  Taking her elbow, he guided her to an empty corner. “I’m going to make a quick speech, then later, when we’re alone with the kids, there’s something I want to say.”

  “Sure. I doubt Gordon will mind sticking around and keeping an eye on Carrie.” She touched his arm and smiled up into his face. Sometimes she couldn’t stop smiling—all day.

  “Carrie’s counting on that,” Jerrod said, glancing outside where the kids were still on the lawn. “She thinks the best thing about the party is seeing Gordon.”

  He patted his blazer pocket. “I made notes so I wouldn’t forget anything—or anyone.”

  “You’re not nervous, are you?” she asked. “You, the seasoned speaker.”

  Jerrod’s eyes softened when he answered. “It’s going to be hard to say everything without sounding, oh, too sentimental. Or worse, lame. I want to cover everything, but not bore people and make them wish they could sneak out.”

  Dawn groaned. “Like that would ever happen.”

  “I hope you’re right.” He did a quick scan of the room. “Okay, people are still here. I’ll greet the ones I haven’t talked to yet and then go up front to wrap this baby up.”

  “You’ll be great. And I’ll be listening.”

  He raised his eyebrows and said softly, “I hope so.”

  Dawn finished off her food and got herself a glass of wine from the bar. She preferred to stake out a place in back and be alone when she listened to Jerrod. She couldn’t explain why.

  She took a few sips of her wine and looked outside at the nearly full orange moon reflected on the flat surface of the water. The second moon of Two Moon Bay. It was never more romantic than in the fall.

  Earlier, when Jerrod asked her to hang around after the party was over, he’d looked at her with his wonderful tender expression, warm and inviting. Once their relationship found its foundation, and she could count on it, she’d let herself melt like a schoolgirl with every look, touch, and kiss.

  When Jerrod tapped a fork against a glass, the room quieted. “Now that I have your attention,” he quipped, nodding at Dawn.

  He didn’t have a mic, but didn’t need one for this relatively small crowd. His voice was at his best, deep and able to project into the room.

  “I decided to throw this party to thank all of you for what you’ve done for me, my crew, and my family.”

  Spontaneous applause rippled through the room. His eyes opened wide in surprise.

  Dawn smiled to herself. He didn’t get it yet. Of course they applauded him. The people around here had taken to him. She’d seen it as it happened. To Wilson and Morton, he represented the future of Two Moon Bay, especially because of his interest in the past.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gordon and Evan come through the open verandah door with Carrie and Brooke in tow. They led the girls to a space across the room from her. She smiled at them, not knowing if they’d see her. It didn’t matter.

  Jerrod went down the list one by one, but kept the pace moving along, talking again about his strong feelings for what Great Lakes shipping represented in the history of the region. Jerrod singled out Nelson and Zeke. “You can’t keep boats without docks and spare parts and all kinds of gear, so I especially appreciate the hospitality they showed to me and my crew.”

  Zeke raised his glass and smiled. Nelson looked self-conscious. Dawn was 100 percent sure he hadn’t expected the special words.

  Time to finish, Jerrod, she said under her breath. He was going on a little long, and risked losing the crowd.

  “There’s one person here who began this chain reaction. Kick-started doesn’t begin to cover it.” Jerrod lowered his head. When he looked up, he gestured to her.

  The tingling started at Dawn’s fingertips and traveled up her arms. The tender look was public and all eyes were on her, leaving her self-conscious, embarrassed. But she held his gaze.

  “Of course, I’m talking about Dawn Larsen, who many of you know and have worked with. I realize how much you all respect—and love—her. Dawn was referred to me by a friend and agreed to take on my business. In a matter of weeks I’d launched my Great Lakes location of Adventure Dives & Water Tours.”

  More clapping. Dawn felt warm in her sweater and the tingling in her arms was intensifying and moving through her body. So many pairs of eyes were on her now. Like Nelson, she hadn’t expected this a
ttention.

  “But more than that, Dawn made me and my little girl feel welcome, and we in turn were able to find a home here in Two Moon Bay. And she introduced me to all of you.”

  Her arms weak, even shaky, she put her wineglass on the table next to her and clutched her hands in front of her to keep them still.

  Jerrod had recaptured the audience, so he took a few seconds to release a deep breath. “By now, you’ve likely seen some of the news stories about my life before I came to Two Moon Bay. Some of you have heard me speak publicly about my earlier life. I lost some people close to me in an act of violence meant to destroy. And it did. I thought I was destroyed as well, alive only to raise my little girl.”

  Jerrod stopped talking and for a few seconds, the room was so quiet only the sound of the gentle waves lapping the shore broke through the silence.

  “It was here in Two Moon Bay with all of you, but especially because of Dawn’s heart, that I started believing in my future. With great employees at the Key West location, open all year round, I’m heading in a new direction. I’ll be working on a book about shipping and shipwrecks in Lake Michigan, and the way the shipping industry shaped the culture of the region.”

  So, it wasn’t their secret anymore, Dawn thought. They’d talked about how he’d work on the book during the winter, while also planning periodic visits to his Florida offices. The pieces of their life together were falling into place one by one.

  Jerrod paused, still held the attention of the room. “I’m tempted to leave it at that, but I’ve got one more thing to say. I’ve already mentioned Dawn Larsen and her huge heart and incredible energy. But now it’s time for me to admit that she won my heart.” With a huge smile, he said, “I’ve fallen madly in love with Dawn.”

  He turned to her and said, “I’ve listed a dozen reasons I’m staying, and they’re all true. But being with Dawn is the best reason of all.” He lifted his glass.

  Somewhere, Dawn found the poise to reach for her glass and lift it to match Jerrod’s gesture. She was giddy. And shocked. Mostly, though, she was in love.

  That was the end of the speech, and with it, something had shifted in the room. It had turned into a celebration.

  “People can’t get enough good love stories,” Lark said, approaching her as the crowd thinned out. “I didn’t know Jerrod had it in him to be so public about...you know...you!”

  “Me, neither,” Dawn said, leaning toward Lark. “I’m just happy, though. Now we’ve told the kids, so it was time to be a little more public. Jerrod was so quiet when he first arrived, but look at him now.”

  Lark gave her a quick hug and headed toward the door, hollering something back about their Thursday coffee at the Bean Grinder. Dawn wouldn’t miss it.

  A few minutes later, everyone was gone, except for the four of them. After putting a plate of cookies on a table for Carrie and Gordon, Jerrod led her out to the verandah.

  “Are you warm enough?” he asked.

  If he only knew how good the cool air felt on her face after she’d flushed during his talk. “Absolutely warm enough, especially my heart. And your party was quite a success, huh? So many people were touched by how you feel about Two Moon Bay.”

  “Come here and sit on the brick wall with me,” he said. “We can let the kids munch their snack while we watch the moon.”

  She pointed to the flat second moon on the surface. “We lucked out tonight with the weather and the moon.”

  “Lucky in lots of ways.”

  “Now everyone knows you’ll be writing your book all winter,” Dawn said.

  Jerrod gazed at the water and smiled. “I’ll promote Wyatt and Rob to be general managers. Meanwhile, I can develop this other side of myself.”

  She took one of his hands in both of hers. “Sounds so good to me.”

  “I’m thinking about our family,” he said. “I mean, starting a family, and not waiting too long.”

  She glanced inside and saw the kids still at the table. “It won’t always be easy with the two we have, you know.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m just being honest.”

  “If you’re sure, I’m sure,” Jerrod said.

  She moved so she could see his whole face and look into his eyes. “Oh, I want our baby, but I’ve also been doing a lot of thinking over the summer about my direction. And I know now that if it doesn’t happen for us, then I’ll accept that. I’m so grateful for the two we have.”

  Jerrod pointed with his chin to the kids at the table. “Those two will get restless soon, so I better get down to it.”

  “To what?”

  “You’ll see.”

  Jerrod reached in his pocket and took out a box. “We talked about taking it slow, but we also want to be a family with our kids. And I realized I never formally asked you to marry me.”

  She glanced at the box. “Oh, Jerrod.” It was another moment when she might have danced in circles and grabbed his hand and done the jitterbug. Instead, she kept a lid on her excitement and glanced into the room. “You’re doing this right here, right now, with our two great kids munching cookies?”

  “Right. Gordon is probably listening to one of Carrie’s long tales.” Jerrod laughed. “Here’s my secret. I bribed Gordon with the cookies in order to get a few minutes alone with you.”

  “You mean Gordon was in on your scheme? A scheme that started with putting me in the spotlight during your speech.” She gave him a playful look of warning. “I was beyond self-conscious. I got shaky inside.”

  “So, Dawn Larsen, will you marry me, sometime in the next, say, four or five months?”

  He opened the box and revealed a ring, an opal set in a ring of diamonds.

  She gasped when she saw it. “It’s perfect, Jerrod.” He took it out and Dawn extended her hand so he could slip it on. “And it fits.”

  “Well, I lucked out,” he said.

  “I never imagined an engagement ring,” Dawn said, holding out her hand and having a look at it. “I really didn’t.” She pursed her lips. “Maybe because we’re serious adults with children and all that.”

  Jerrod looked shocked. “You don’t want it?”

  “Oh, real funny. Of course I want it. I’ll treasure it. I’m just bowled over, that’s all.” The air around her swirled with exciting, dizzying romantic energy. Love really was in the air.

  Jerrod wrapped his arms around her. “I thought the other day about the need to go back and forth to Florida regularly this winter, and how we’ll try to time the trips with school breaks so we can all go together.”

  “We’ll work all that out, but not tonight.” She put her hands on his chest. “Along with everything else. Remember the day Carrie asked me if I could be her mommy? We were all thrown by the question.” She’d tried to deny the complicated feelings involved, too. “I told her anyone would be lucky to have her. That’s how I feel.”

  She lifted her face and found his lips, firm and warm, and when she inhaled his scent she thought of red maple leaves, the full moon and the holidays, and the spring and summer and another fall after that and on into the future.

  He smoothed his hands over her hair. “I’ve got one more thing on my mind and then we should go.”

  She drew her head back. “I’ll bite. What is it?”

  “I’m going to need you to trust me about something.”

  Dawn looked into gray eyes, soft now and full of love. She had a sense of what was coming. She’d said yes to everything else. She was about to trust him with the rest of her life. She could hear him out. “You want me to dive with you. Right?”

  “Hear me out.”

  And she did.

  “I don’t want to see anyone walk away from adventure out of fear,” he said. “That’s all this is about. All I’m asking is for you to give me a chance to help you get past the fear. I’ll take you on a dive, step by step, wat
ching you every minute. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  Trust. That’s what he was asking for. He trusted her to be with him and his child, start a family, take a chance. She could trust him to help her break through a barrier from her past.

  “It’s not only about love, is it?” She leaned against his chest and closed her eyes. “It’s about trust, too. So, my answer is yes.”

  “Good. Thank you.” He stood and pulled her to her feet.

  She stepped back and did a little dance step before he caught her in his arms again. “Did I ever tell you how much I like to dance?”

  “No, but I can’t say I’m surprised. You’ll have to teach me.”

  “Anytime.”

  They stood with arms around each other, gazing at the moon on the lake. They could have stayed that way all night, Dawn thought, but that plate of cookies wasn’t going to last forever.

  “Let’s go,” she said.

  Hand in hand they went inside. Both kids looked up and smiled.

  * * * * *

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