“Of course Jack, I wouldn’t miss it, you know that. And I’ll get to yours too Amanda. You kids are pretty high up my list you know.”
What caught Laura by surprise was the deep male voice next to her saying “Wouldn’t miss it for the world. You know, some of our travelers are getting on in years. I need to start looking for some good actors to replace them. Besides, if you’re anything like your mother, you’ll look great in a spotlight.” Richard had never ever attended anything for either child, regardless of what it was, and here was a man to whom she was not yet married taking time from a hectic schedule to spend time with two little kids. It was true that she was sure he was developing a love for them as his own, but to actually take that step was a notable milestone. But just to be sure, she turned to face him and asked for a little assurance it was all true:
“Can you go, really? The kids would love it, but I thought you were out of town that day and wouldn’t be back until later. Really, if you can’t, just the thought you would try to be there would mean a lot to them.”
“Can’t miss my first opportunity to see them perform. Besides, I overheard Marie the other day talking about it, so I called the school and checked. They were a little reluctant to talk to me, until I told them I planned on coming with you. Guess I sort of invited myself, if that’s okay. I reassigned my travel to someone closer to the site; they needed a break from routine, and so did I. Did I do good?”
“You could not have done better. I know we haven’t been through any ceremony or anything like that yet, but right now you are a better dad than these kids have ever known. Where have you been all my life?”
Jack had been listening and watching as the adults turned toward each other: “Look out Mandy, I think it’s gonna get mushy in here and….eeeahhha!
Laura had gathered Jack up and was planting little kisses all over his face, while he wriggled mightily to get free and Amanda went into the giggles. “Mushy, mushy, mushy. I’ll show you mushy.” Laura intoned, while Jack broke down in gales of laughter. Not to be left out, Amanda jumped into Ryan’s lap, wound both arms around his neck, and asked if he would come see her as well. Assured that he would, peace finally ensued, and they returned to a little quieter time; Laura would remember it later as the most “family” thing she had ever seen in her married life, at least where she and her children were concerned, and she wasn’t even married to this man, yet.
Later in the week when they actually attended the school activities, Laura learned something else. She thought about it later and decided maybe her senses were a little keener with Ryan at her side, or maybe she was getting territorial about him. She didn’t catch it at first, walking through the corridors, but when she paused for a moment to look aside at a display, she realized several women they had just passed had slowed and turned enough to look back at them. Laura was sure they were not looking at her, or her children, but solely at Ryan. At first she dismissed it, but involuntarily checked over her shoulder the next time they passed some women, and sure enough, they looked back. They had been walking along more or less as a group, but now Laura moved closer to Ryan and interlocked her arm around his, almost as a defiant gesture to the other women around. In his maleness, Ryan simply enjoyed her closeness, never realizing the stir he was causing.
Stopping for a treat after the school activities, Ryan was seated where he could observe the playroom, while Laura placed the order and the kids burned energy at will. The familiar voice that greeted him was from a temp who had worked at Windmere several years previous, and who had kept her eye on Ryan from the outset. She knew he was married at the time, but she also knew Mary had passed away, and as near as she knew, he was a single and very eligible man.
“Ryan, how nice to see you again. How are things with you?”
It never dawned on Ryan this woman was on the hunt, and he was in her sights. “Oh, Gail, good to see you. Things are going good for me. And you?”
“Really good, now. I stopped dating the guy I was seeing back when I was working at Windmere, so my life is less complicated, and I have some free time to enjoy. I was sorry to hear about Mary; I enjoyed knowing her. But, life does go on, like it or not. So, what have you been up to recently? Anything good?”
“Yes, he has been up to some good things. He’s really great with my kids, soon to be our kids.” Laura had come up on them so quickly it was almost as though she appeared magically. “Ryan, that tray’s going to be pretty heavy. Could you carry it to the table please?” And with that, things became perfectly clear to Gail that Ryan was no longer a fish in the sea. Although they exchanged pleasantries, Gail melted away quickly, but not before Ryan caught the scent animosity between the two women. It was not something he had ever bothered himself with, but obviously Laura did, and he was concerned about allowing any misunderstanding, however small, entering into their relationship.
Later in the evening, kids asleep in their beds, Ryan and Laura were having a nightcap before separating for the night, chatting about minor things they needed to discuss concerning their upcoming wedding. Laura remembered the incident in the ice cream shop earlier in the evening, and needed to clarify things a bit, as much in her own mind as for Ryan.
“I need to tell you I’m sorry about that little fit I threw when we stopped for a treat. I don’t know exactly what set me off, but I want you to know it was my fault and I won’t let it happen again. It wasn’t very fair to you, putting you in the middle like that. So, I’m sorry. Okay?”
“I knew something was wrong, and that you were clearly upset, but I didn’t understand what happened. Really, all she did was stop to say hello to me. That’s all.”
“Look, we think differently. Men and women are just different…..”
“For which I will eternally be grateful, especially in your case.”
“Me too, but let me finish, okay? What you heard was her asking was how you were, but what I heard was her telling you she had dumped her boyfriend, she knew you were flying solo since Mary was gone, and the way she was standing said she wanted to take you for a test drive. You were obviously sitting there waiting for someone since you weren’t in line or eating, and the only other people in the place were me and the kids. I guess I saw her as invading my territory, and I know I don’t own you or anything, so I shouldn’t have reacted so quickly.. I’m sorry. Forgive me?”
“Nothing to forgive. You do own my heart, and I guess I’d be a little put out if you didn’t defend your territory. So, suppose we call it a draw for now. I can put my class ring on my ring finger and wear it upside down so it looks like a wedding band, if you like, until I get the real thing. I know: how about a nose ring with a string on it for a leash? Are we having a lover’s ‘incident’? If we are, can we practice making up now? I’d like that.
“You’re smart mouthing me, aren’t you, and I’m trying to be serious.”
“No, ma’am; I’m being very serious. I understand the deal, but if you think I’m smart mouthing you, meet me halfway around the table and I’ll show you what else we could be doing.”
So ended the discussion about Gail. Laura satisfied herself that Ryan either didn’t read Gail’s advertising, or discretion being the better part of valor, had elected to ignore the signs. Either way, Laura felt assured he was not vulnerable to approaches from other women, and her concern receded.
Christmas Day morning saw the four of them in the cottage. Virtually all activity at Windmere had stopped for the day. Other facilities would be operating full tilt, but the home office had done quite well during the year, and in truth, decided to take the day off. People would check in from time to time, and being on-call was assigned to top management in three hour increments so everyone had a fair shot at an uninterrupted day. It was notable of the Windmere operation that the home office had sufficient confidence in their operators at other locations that they could virtually shut down for a while; it was something developed over the years by giving those operators the confidence to make decisions based on the
ir training and knowledge of their operations. The only caveat was that the operator making the decision be able to justify the reasoning. It was a productive system that tended to weed out those unable to handle the demands of being decisive based on the best information at the time. Not one operator had ever been discharged for failure to act in a crises, even though not all of their actions had been exactly correct. It was more important that they be seen as doing something proactive, right or wrong, than being weighed down with inertia.
Laura had warned Ryan to be up early or miss the ripping open of gifts. She was grateful that she had the income to buy things for the kids, and was equally grateful that she did not have to justify her purchases to anyone. Ryan was totally lost about what kids wanted or needed, so the two of them had done some joint shopping. Although he did come up with a couple of things on his own, he ran his ideas past Laura before ordering, just to make sure they were both doing the right thing. It would not, she assured him, get any easier, because kids grew and changed so quickly and people who marketed to kids were both greedy and devious. That aside for the moment, Ryan arrived early enough, and with a good morning kiss to sweeten his coffee, the two of them awaited the still sleeping children. They had discovered to their surprise that as the day of their marriage grew closer, they not only grew closer to each other, but if they had any apprehensions about it, those apprehensions diminished in the anticipation of the many good things that day would bring.
The waiting was soon over as both Jack and Amanda appeared to pop out of their beds at the same moment. Laura maintained strict rules on morning hygiene, but that was disposed of quickly and the kids piled into the living room. Past Christmas Day activities had virtually been programmed into them: open things, say thank you, take things to your room if you ever want to see them again. It was one more thing about Richard that Laura had learned to loath, but today she was not married to him anymore and the kids were allowed to be kids. Laura had restrained herself, and Ryan to a degree, so there was an impressive array of presents, but not so much as to be overwhelming. The other precaution she had taken was to remind Ryan that these were kids and that their priorities were not always the same as the adults in the room; she did so to protect his feelings just in case he gave them something that was not an immediate hit. It was an effort without future justification. At the same time, it was curious to her that while she knew Ryan had purchased some things, she had seen him bring nothing into the cottage. There was the usual assortment of clothing, kid’s books for later reading on someone’s lap, and an assortment of toys and games. When they had finally worked their way though about everything, Ryan announced that Santa had mistakenly left some things in the big house and that he had brought them along that morning. Asking the kids to help, he opened the front door and rolled in a four wheel cart Laura recognized as coming from the kitchen, but laden with several packages instead of equipment.
“Carefully, carefully. We don’t want your mom to yell at us for messing the place up.” In truth, the place already looked like a confetti plant, and Laura laughed at his incongruous remark.
“Jack, I think this may belong to you. Mandy, I’ll have something for you in just a minute, okay?” Ryan’s biceps bulged under the weight of the package. Whatever it contained belied the pretty wrapping paper. Jack tore into the paper, to expose a very heavy packing box under it. They virtually needed some kitchen tools to get the box open, but when the top flaps finally yielded to the pull of young hands, Jack’s eyes widened until Laura thought they might meet in the middle; she caught it with her camera just in time.
“Franz, and Santa, tell me these engines are pretty temperamental, but once tuned correctly, they are both powerful and have a high top end. I know you may not recognize the name right now, but I think you will in time.”
“Yes sir, I recognize the name, I just can’t say it very good and I don’t think Franz can say it at all, but I’ve seen pictures of ‘em on things, mostly carts and stuff like that. I can’t wait to find something to put this one on and see it run.”
“Tell you what, Jack; after we get done here, and you get some breakfast in you, suppose we go over to the carriage house and see what else may have come along with this and just got dropped off in the wrong place. Franz said he had some weird things there, oh, and by the way, here’s one more thing you’ll need eventually. Your mother said it is a requirement. Okay?”
Ryan handed the boy a smaller, lighter package for him to open. Laura was quick with the camera when Jack managed to free a helmet with visor, chin strap, and flame painting, from the box. The grin on the boy’s face literally lit up the room. Ryan was delighted at the way things were working out, and he had cleared it all before taking the plunge into go-cart racing for the boy who would soon be his son. In her own wisdom, Laura trusted this man to do the right things with her only son, and while she was not exactly entranced at the thought of racing, Ryan had all the facts on his side. He pointed out how few things really went wrong in cart racing compared to kids left to develop bad habits on their own, and he would be there to watch as much as possible at the local track. It was truly a father-son moment.
“Thank you sir, this is the bestest present I ever got from anybody. I promise I’ll take great care of it, and I’ll always wear my helmet.”
“You’re welcome Jack; it’s my pleasure. But, remember to wear that helmet or your mother will beat both of us. Now, I have a little something for your sister, who has been waiting very patiently. Amanda, can you help me with this box?”
Lightning couldn’t have been faster to get to Ryan’s side as they slid the huge box off the cart. It really wasn’t all that heavy, but Ryan made a show of it anyway. Laura had known about the engine and the cart awaiting assembly, but this one was a secret even to her. Finally, with the box placed in the middle of the floor, Amanda started in with the unwrapping, tearing through what seemed like layer after layer of paper and packing material. The pile of discarded material grew considerably before she came to what looked like the final wrap, a soft cottony blanket of material gently placed around whatever was contained. As the removed material started to expose the contents, Laura gasped aloud. Jack was pretty busy in his own world, but stopped examining the engine for a minute, and the eager Amanda made short work of the remaining wrap. There it stood, a dollhouse sized version of the White House, the place they had only seen from the road, but which in only a few more days they could enter. The real significance was probably lost on Amanda, who was simply thrilled to have the huge dollhouse to play with, but Laura looked at Ryan for some explanation.
“It took a little doing to come up with this. After the plans for the White House were drawn up and construction completed, I took the drawings to a model builder and asked him to build a replica sized so scale model furniture would go with it. My plan was to give it to my little girl someday, but things didn’t work out so well with that idea. Anyway, it’s here today, and there’s a little girl here; I think she likes it. How about her mother?”
“You never cease to amaze me. And by the way, as of this Saturday afternoon, you will have a little girl. Remember? We’re a package deal.”
“And I like the package very much, especially what I see from here. Now, before I forget entirely, here’s the box with the furniture. We can move this whole thing into the bedroom before she gets too far with it.”
“Ryan, that’s my only concern about this doll house. There isn’t much room left in here now that we have managed to gain back some possessions. I’m afraid the house could be damaged if it stays here; I wouldn’t want that to happen, and I know Amanda would be upset, so…..”
“Not to worry. Remember our deal: you do weddings, I do real estate. I’m working on a solution to that problem even as we speak. Trust me on this; I can work it out. Okay?”
“Yes, okay. I know you have some way of making things all work out for us. Guess I should trust you one more time. But really, are you looking at a place? I know, I k
now, that’s your part of the deal, but us girls get curious now and then. Any hints?”
“Nope, no hints, but the answer is that I’m getting pretty close. Besides, we will be married in a few more days, and after that suppose you, we, I mean, you know, suppose there’s more of us in the future. I’m taking all that into account. Anyway, I think I’m getting too weak to do much on that just now.”
“I got the hint. Southwestern omelet? Or do we move the dollhouse into the bedroom first, or are you going to go carting with the guys first, or is there something else you’d like to do?”
“There is, but I’ll settle for an omelet first. Oh, by the way, Santa left this for you.”
Ryan extracted a small elongated box, neatly wrapped, from his pocket. From the look of the paper, Laura surmised correctly that a store had wrapped it, but it was coming from Ryan’s hands and that is what mattered. With the kids absorbed in their own activities, it was almost as though Laura and Ryan were in the room alone when she finally opened the box cover. Typical of a jeweler, it was a box within a box, but that was quickly resolved by her nimble fingers. Raising the lid, Laura could only hold her breath at the sight of the diamond necklace and matching earrings. If there was a moment of doubt, it was dispelled by the tiny sticker of origin in the corner of the box.
“Do you like them?”
“Oh my God, Ryan, I’m shaking. I know you love me, I do, but this is crazy; they had to cost a fortune.”
Laura's Big Win Page 27