Mike chuckled.
“Be right there.”
Clara nervously tried to check her reflection in the window, but it was rather hard to see in the dark
“Man, I wasn’t prepared for this. How do I look?”
“Beautiful… sensual… amazing. You have absolutely nothing to worry about. Just walk right in there and be yourself.”
“I should probably freshen up my lipstick. We were just kissing,” she said.
“Just… be… yourself. My folks are going to love you. Come on.”
Inside, Mike’s parents were on the big screen in his office. Bruce stepped forward first, reaching his hand out to Clara, and Diane went for a hug.
“Mom… Dad… I should be ashamed of not thinking of this video set up before now… this is wonderful. Thank you, Diane, for setting this up for us.”
“It’s my pleasure. I hold a lot of my classes in person and online, so I figured why not try it tonight,” Diane responded.
“Perfect timing, dear. This way, we can finally meet this wonderful woman that my son can’t stop raving about. Is that her standing beside you?” his mother asked.
“Yes, Mom. This is Clara. In her defense, she did not know what she was walking into when she came over, so go easy on her.” Mike smiled proudly at Clara.
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Sanders. It’s so nice to meet you.”
“My my my… you belong on the cover of a magazine. It’s nice to meet you as well.”
“Thank you. I heard you just recently moved to Ft. Lauderdale. Are you all settled in and happy with your new home?”
Clara and Mike’s family continued talking for a while. It was a pleasant introduction and hopefully the beginning of a bond that would be long lasting.
Bruce and Diane left around ten, returning to their hotel to prepare for the remainder of their trip. Now that it was just the two of them, they could sit out back, listening to the crickets and catch up over the events of the evening.
“Unbelievable.” Mike commented out loud.
“What’s unbelievable?”
“Tonight. It was totally unplanned but very much needed,” he said.
“You guys have to be more intentional about planning trips and getting together more often. Busy or not. You’ll have Lighthouse Tours for as long as you want… but your parents… not so much. Take it from me. I miss my parents every single day.”
“Yes, I would agree with you there. Time with your loved ones should never be taken for granted. I’m going to do better. Starting with the holidays, as Mom suggested. It doesn’t matter if they come here or we head south to Florida. Either way, I’m going to see my folks,” he said.
“We?” She smiled.
“Ha, you don’t miss a thing, do you?”
“It’s part of the reason you hired me. I’m detail-oriented, remember?” She teased.
He kissed her temple.
“You certainly are. What do you say we discuss the details of you staying here with me tonight?”
“You make it difficult for me to resist. However, I should get back to the house tonight,” she replied.
“Is it your sister?”
“Yes…sorry. She’s fine and all, but I just think it’s the right thing to do. I actually wanted to talk about everything with you. It’s the reason I came over tonight.” She admitted.
“You don’t have to, you know.”
“But, I want to. I overheard your conversation with Ms. Mae. Specifically, the moment where you were questioning my past.”
“Clara, I’m sorry. I was upset things weren’t going according to the way I planned and started questioning things for no good reason,” he said.
“You have the right to know everything about me if we’re going to be a part of each other’s lives.”
“Wait… how much did you overhear exactly?” he asked.
“Just the part about you wanting to know about my life in New York.”
“Is that it?”
“Yes, even though now you’re making me speculate.” She teased.
“There’s no need. Everything is fine. What did you want to tell me?”
“Bottom line… my sister had a pregnancy scare, as I’m sure she already mentioned to you the night I left the house. Thankfully, she took a test, which turned out negative. If it hadn’t, I don’t know what I would’ve done with myself.”
“You would’ve survived and continued on, being the best aunt her child could ever ask for,” he replied.
“I’m not so sure. Sleeping with your sister’s ex-husband is a pretty low-down and rotten thing to do, Mike.”
“Yes, if you two were close all these years, it would’ve been worse. If she believed you were still married to the man, it would’ve been horrible times two, but all things considered…” His voice trailed off, and all that could be heard was the sound of the crickets for a few minutes.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m fine. Deep down inside, I know you’re right, but it’s going to take a minute for me to reach a place of complete forgiveness with her. Where was she for the last ten years of my life? It’s pretty pathetic when you’re about to lose your job and get evicted and you have no one to call on. No family at all. That’s where I was when Joan died. Yet, when her world falls apart, here she comes… expecting me to bail her out, just like she did when she was younger. Some things never change.” She grunted.
Mike invited her to sit on his lap, relaxing her head against his shoulders.
“So, where do you go from here?” he asked.
“I whisper a quiet prayer to my parents, like I always do, asking for their advice… I cry a little… and then give the woman a chance to get back on her feet, find a job, and then find a place of her own.”
“What about rebuilding your relationship?”
“If that’s supposed to happen… it will in time.”
She sat up, looking him in the eyes.
“I just want you to know I have nothing to hide from you about who I am, Mike. Nothing from my past or my present. If you want to go to New York and see where I grew up, we can easily book a flight. But, the only other person in this world who truly knows who I am to my core is sitting right in my basement and her name is Agnes Covington.”
“I believe you, and I apologize for ever sowing seeds of doubt between us,” he said.
“So, does this mean we’re good? No more weird phone calls between us at work and two-week breaks from the Solomons office?”
“That was kind of silly of me, wasn’t it?” he asked.
“Well, yeah, now that you mention it. I’d like to think we can work out our differences without taking breaks from seeing each other.” Her gentle words of correction were followed by soft kisses. After all, she didn’t want to bruise his ego, but he had responded rather childishly.
“If you keep doing that, I won’t be able to concentrate on what we’re talking about.”
“Is that so terrible?” she asked.
“No, but before I lose all cognitive ability, I think we should talk about planning our next date… you know… to make up for the one we missed when your sister arrived.”
“Ah, yes. How could I forget? I have just the perfect idea to make it special. It’s something I recently saw on television.”
“I’m open to whatever makes you happy. Send me the information and I will include it in our plans.” He offered.
“Nope. This one is on me. Think of it as my way of making it up to you.”
“But-”
“No buts,” she said, placing her finger on his lips.
“I’ll make a few phone calls and see what I can come up with. It will be so romantic. Trust me.”
Clara cupped Mike’s cheeks in between her hands and whispered words of endearment. Mike, on the other hand, wondered if he’d ever get back to finding the right opportunity to propose.
Chapter 11
“Mae, I have a surprise for you… it’s for both of us, really.
But, it requires you to pack a light bag and make sure you have enough clothes for at least a day,” Jonathan said, standing outside the bathroom door as she washed her face.
“A surprise? You know how I feel about surprises, Jonathan.”
Mae turned off the sink and leaned closer to the mirror, checking for remaining remnants of her facial mask. With a few pats to towel dry her skin, she evenly spread moisturizer, turned off the lights, and joined Jonathan in their bedroom.
“What are you up to? We don’t have any birthdays or anniversaries coming up soon. Or, at least, not that I’m aware of,” she said.
“Who said there has to be a specific occasion in order to surprise you? Trust me, I think you’re going to like this one.”
“Did you purchase something without involving me?” she asked, looking at him suspiciously.
“No, Mae. Although, if I did, I’d hope you would trust my judgement.”
“It has less to do with trust and more to do with making decisions together. We are married, you know.”
“Yes, yes, I know. All the more reason I should be able to surprise my wife without getting the third degree. Now, pack your overnight bag. We leave first thing in the morning,” Jonathan said, attempting to leave the room.
“Jonathan, you’ll need to do a little better than that if you want me to go along with this last-minute plan of yours. I had my entire Saturday mapped out, starting with a much-needed haircut. You know how popular Trudy is. It will take at least another week to get a new appointment,” she said.
“A whole week? That sounds terrible, Mae.” He teased.
“Jonathan, I’m being serious.”
“So am I. Your hair looks fine the way it is. I never understand why you women go to such great lengths with the face masks, the hair, and all the products in the first place.”
“Jonathan, please. If I didn’t take care of myself, you’d notice the difference. Trust me. Now, unless you intend on having a wife with split ends and overgrown toe nails, let me handle my business tomorrow and perhaps we can reschedule this surprise for our next weekend off.”
Jonathan held Mae by the shoulders, looked her in the eyes, and prayed he could reason with her. She could be stubborn and really dig those heels in when she wanted to.
“I only have two major objectives at this point, so I’m hoping you can work with me on this. The first is to go to bed peacefully with you tonight. I hate it when we disagree right before it’s time to go to bed. The second is to somehow get you to pack your bags and leave this house with me, so we can experience something special, planned for two. Now, if that means I have to make a few phone calls and rearrange the start time to later in the afternoon, I’ll do it. Just say you’ll agree to go with me… please?” He begged.
Mae flopped down on the edge of the bed with an enormous smile on her face, ready to accept defeat.
“Since you put it like that, I guess I can be ready by Saturday afternoon. Could you at least tell me what to pack? Will our adventure require a dress or any fancy attire?” she asked.
Jonathan sat beside her, patting his hand on her leg, chuckling to himself.
“Woman, you sure know how to make a man sweat. Good grief. You don’t need to pack anything fancy, unless you want to bring that little number you wore on our wedding night,” he said, nestling closely beside her.
“You would like that, wouldn’t you?” She teased.
“I won’t deny it. Okay, I guess it’s settled then. I’m going to head over to the office and make a quick call so we can adjust our arrival time. Can I get you anything from the kitchen on my way back?”
“No, thank you, I’m fine. I’m just going to pull out my overnight bag and figure out something to wear,” she said.
“Okay, I’ll be right back.”
On Saturday, Jonathan led Mae, blind folded, toward an unknown destination. When they arrived, she could hear the familiar sound of water, seagulls, and felt the movement of other people passing them by.
“Jonathan Middleton, I can’t believe you made me wear this thing for over an hour. Do you know what it feels like riding in a car blindfolded for that long?”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. But, it was the only way I could pull this off without you trying to figure out everything. Here… let me untie it for you. It’s bright out, so you’ll want to open your eyelids slowly.”
He removed the blindfold and stood back, waiting for her reaction.
“What in the world is that?” she asked, staring at the boat before her, then checking her surroundings.
“I can tell we’re in Annapolis… at Dock’s Marina. But, he normally picks out something more-”
“More what? This is a beautiful boat, don’t you think? It’s called the Blue Turtle. It’s a double decker, fully loaded with all the amenities needed for a special evening for two. Come on. Follow me,” he said.
“It’s a little different from what Dock normally plans for us. He picked out a regular yacht for our last dinner cruise,” she said, trying to keep up with him.
“Let me guess, you arranged this with Dock to try to persuade me on buying a boat like this one, didn’t you?”
Jonathan paused. “Mae, we have a wonderful dinner planned in an hour. All I want to do is set sail, freshen up, and have an amazing time with you.”
“And we will, but did you set this up with Dock?”
He turned around and made eye contact with her.
“Yes, my buddy Dock helped me. He’s always played a role in arranging our adventures, going back to our days of working for Lighthouse Tours in Annapolis. Now… Darlin, are you going to board this boat with me, or are we going to stand here and carry on about the details?”
Mae’s posture relaxed as she kissed Jonathan and then passed him by to board the boat.
“How thoughtful of you, love. When you removed the blindfold, I knew immediately where we were. The city of Annapolis. The place where it all began for us.”
Mae admired the plush seating in the main living area.
“You know, we probably should ask Dock if he has a few contacts who are looking to sell. Between him and Brody, we should have plenty of options to look at when we’re ready.”
Jonathan chuckled.
“Yes, of course. But, in the meantime, look around. Go check out the downstairs and tell me how you like it. Take your time… explore. I’m going to check on a few things and I’ll be right back.”
She explored the lower deck, noticing plenty of space to store the items she brought for the overnight stay. Mae then opened a narrow door leading to the power room that Jonathan mentioned. There was an abundance of wooden carpentry everywhere, that sort of gave the boat a touch of vintage flare.
“Jonathan, are we setting sail already? I thought surely I’d have a minute to run back to the car and get my sunglasses,” she yelled.
“You’ll have to use mine, dear. The Blue Turtle is on the loose,” he responded from above.
Mae returned upstairs to see Jonathan sitting in the cockpit, steering the boat.
“Wait a minute. Last time, Dock made arrangements for us to have a captain. Where’s our captain?” she asked.
He held his arms open wide and proudly. “You’re looking at him. Welcome aboard the Blue Turtle, my love. My name is Captain Jonathan Middleton, and tonight I’m taking you on the most romantic adventure of a lifetime, chartered by yours truly.”
Mae was a little surprised, but it wasn’t the first time Jonathan went out of his way to prove to be romantic… so she played along.
“Wow, you sure turned things up a notch since last time. Are you sure you’re feeling up to this? Our tours don’t last nearly as long, and I’d hate for you to get tired and overdo it,” she said.
“Come here. You’re so kind to always worry about me, but this time we won’t be sailing overnight. I figured we could explore Chesapeake Bay a little and head back before it gets dark. Dock made arrangements for us to stay at the marina overnight. Don’t
worry your pretty little head. I haven’t lost all my marbles,” he said.
“Aww, I have to give it to you, Jonathan… you never cease to amaze me. I’ve never met a man with so many tricks up his sleeve. I can’t even imagine what you’ll come up with next.”
Mae stood behind Jonathan, massaging his shoulders. Something about the wind blowing in her hair and watching her man lead their adventure felt satisfying… even a little enticing as she thought about the romantic evening ahead.
“Mae.”
“Yes, baby.”
“I want to share something with you,” he said.
“Go right ahead.”
“I may have told you a little fib to get you out here. I figured if I had done it any other way, you may not have come along for the ride.”
Her hands dropped to her side, but a smile remained on her face as she considered what he could say.
“You bought the boat, didn’t you?” she asked.
He winced a little.
“Yes, was it obvious?”
“Oh, Jonathan. We just talked about this. We were going to do it together, remember?”
“I know, and I swear I had every intention of following through with our plan. The only mistake I made was calling Dock. As soon as I mentioned something about setting a date to drive up and check out a few boats, he told me about this beauty. Mae, this boat was set to be auctioned off as a part of a three-day estate sale. The price was an absolute steal, I couldn’t pass it up. It’s been checked out by his best mechanic and received a glowing seal of approval,” he said.
“For crying out loud, Jonathan.”
“Here me out. I don’t want you to think I didn’t consider your feelings. I made a deal with Dock that I’d buy the boat, but if we took it on a test run and you absolutely hated it, he’d help me sell it. He even thinks we could see a profit from the sale if you truly don’t like it,” he replied.
“That’s a relief. I’m glad somebody has some good sense. This is the most irrational thing you’ve ever done, Jonathan. What’s gotten into you? You should be well beyond the point of having a mid-life crisis.”
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