Chapter 6
“Granddad, I’ve done some thinking,” Vince said the next morning when he finally had cell service to make a call.
“Well, it’s about time you stopped being a pushover like your dad when it comes to Delores,” his grandfather said. “When you fall off that fence your mama has you on, which way are you going?”
“With Ava, I hope,” Vince said.
His grandfather chuckled. “I’m glad to see you finally cut the apron strings. I’ve got a deal worked out for you if you still want it.”
“I sure do, and I’ve got the scissors sharpened for those apron strings,” Vince said.
“Then I will put all this in motion,” his grandfather said. “And I’m proud of you, son.”
“Thank you,” Vince said. “Could you say a little prayer that Ava will like the plan?”
“You got it.” His granddad chuckled again.
When he finished the call, he went out to the balcony and looked out over the lovely Honduras beach. If Ava agreed to his proposal, he would bring her back here for a second honeymoon.
The afternoon dragged on and on, and as each minute clicked off the clock beside his bed, he felt more and more antsy.
His grandfather had given him an amazing opportunity, but what if Ava didn’t agree with it?
He could hear her saying that if they did this, they would just be running from the problems that had brought them to this point, rather than standing up and facing them.
If Ava said yes, his mother was going to pitch a pure old hissy fit.
She was dignified most of the time, but when she didn’t get her way, it was Katy bar the door—as Grandfather often said.
“Too bad, Mother,” Vince said as he ran a comb through his hair and picked up his room key on the way out.
He was halfway to the elevator area when Henry stepped out of his room and raised both eyebrows. “How did things go today?”
“I took a page from your playbook,” Vince said.
“Which one?”
“Remember telling me about how your dad gave you some land and cattle, and told you to learn to run that much?” Vince asked.
“I do remember that very well,” Henry said with a smile.
“My grandfather kind of said the same thing, only in different words. He asked me if I thought I could eat an elephant. Walk with me to the elevator,” Vince said. “If I’m late, Ava might not wait on me.”
“Can you eat an elephant?” Henry fell into step with him.
“I told him I didn’t think so, and he explained to me that trying to learn to run the company was like trying to eat an elephant. He said anyone can eat one, but it’s one bite at a time, not grabbing a fork and knife and trying to take care of the whole thing in one setting.” Vince chuckled.
“I see where you’re going with this and, son, it’s good to hear you laugh. So, you’re going to start out with a little land and a few cattle to see if you can take care of that much, right?”
“More like a small oil company and a really small house compared to what Ava and I’ve been living in, and it’s not even air-conditioned,” Vince answered.
“Sounds like a smart move to this old man. You go on to the place where you’re supposed to meet Ava, and I’m going on down the hall a little way. You don’t need me to hold your hand for this.”
“I might,” Vince told him. “It was your story about the ranching business that got me to thinking about my idea. Grandfather thought it was great and said he’d like to meet you someday.”
“Tell him to book a cruise.” Henry winked. “Tell him to bring a friend, and then tell him that I know three ladies who can be a lot of fun.”
Vince stopped long enough to extend his hand. “I will do that, and thanks, Henry.”
Henry shook with him and then patted him on the back. “Good luck. A man can’t do no better than havin’ a woman who loves him and who will stand beside him.”
“Amen!” Vince agreed and turned the corner to find Ava sitting on the steps in front of the elevator.
The lights above her created a halo effect above her head where her hair had been pulled up into a bunch of sexy curls. Vince had the sudden impulse to kiss her shoulders, which were left bare by her pale-green sundress, but he just smiled and held out a hand.
“You look amazing,” he said.
“So do you. This feels like one of our dates back at the beginning of our relationship.”
“Yes, it does, and I hope in the future we have a lot more date nights with just me and you.” He kept her hand in his and led her across the hall and pushed the button for the elevator going up.
They were the only ones inside it, and he had never wanted to steal a quick kiss as much in his life as he did right then.
“I think you were wearing either that dress or one like it the night we met.”
“It was one very similar to this.” There was hope after all, and her heart was lighter than it had been in weeks. “I’m surprised that you remembered. We were at the wedding reception dinner, and you came over to me and shot me a stupid line.”
“Not my best moment.” He liked the feeling of her hand in his, maybe even more so than he had the first time he’d laced her fingers into his.
“No, it was not, but it wasn’t your worst one either.”
The elevator stopped and they stepped off. The restaurant was only a short walk away, and there was not a long wait, so they were seated in a matter of minutes.
“You’re right,” Vince said when the waiter had seated him across from her at a private table for two in a corner. “I’ve had far worse ones in the past five years. Don’t bother disagreeing with me.”
“I wasn’t going to.” Ava picked up the menu, scanned it, and then laid it to the side.
“I talked to Grandfather today.” Vince reached across the table and took her hands in his.
“Remember that I told you I was thinking about asking him for a favor? Well, I did last night and it’s set in stone now.
I’m miserable without you, Ava, and I want a second chance for a do-over for our marriage.
Being an only child, I really felt like I had a family obligation, but I have a greater one to you and our marriage, one that’s based on love and respect and finding happiness, instead of just responsibility.
I’m making a mess of this, but I didn’t realize where my priorities had been until you weren’t there anymore. ”
Nothing.
No facial expression.
No nod or shake of her head.
Vince gently squeezed her hands. “Are you even listening to me?”
“I’ve heard every word. I’m miserable without you, too, but I haven’t heard anything yet but more of the same words I’ve heard for five years when I begged for just a couple of nights a week of your time.”
“Fair enough.” Vince removed his hands. “Henry actually gave me an idea, and I went to my grandfather with it.”
“And that is?” Ava asked.
Vince said. “Mother always wanted me to get a degree in business and geology so I could go into the business, but I wanted to be a lawyer. After I graduated and passed the bar exam, no other firm could offer me the kind of money that she and Dad did, so I took it. You know all this already.”
Ava nodded. “Yes, I do, and understanding the problem doesn’t solve anything. We’re growing farther and farther apart every day.”
“The very idea of the responsibility of running that company, even with all the help I would have, has intimidated the hell out of me.” Vince looked her right in the eye and didn’t blink. “Then Henry told me what his father did to get him ready to run a huge ranch.”
“What was that?” Ava cocked her head over to one side in that cute little way that he loved.
Vince told her the story of Henry’s father giving him a small ranch so he could learn to run it, and then went on.
“We have a new little oil company opening up in Morisset, Australia, or maybe I should say near there. It’s actually a few miles out from a small town that has a population of less than four thousand.
There’s a hospital there, and a school, and a nice beach… ”
Ava stared right into his eyes, all the way to his soul and beyond eternity. “Isn’t that running from the big problem? You can learn to run a business right where you are.”
“No, it is not,” he declared.
“Are you thinking of moving there?” Ava asked. “Does your mother know?”
“Not yet. I wanted to talk to you about this first. My folks will know as soon as I get back home. I’m going, Ava, whether you come with me or not.
I understand if you don’t want to join me because it will be an enormous culture change.
We’d be living in a rather remote village of maybe three hundred people.
We’d go to town for supplies about twice a month.
I would be overseeing the operation from the ground up.
” He stopped and took a breath before he added, “And I would need someone to help me in the office that we’d be running out of the house at first.”
“Are you offering me a job?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am, I am, and a brand-new start for our marriage.
” He pulled out his phone and handed it to her.
“Scroll through the pictures. That’s Morisset, and the house at the end is where we would live.
It’s just a stone two-story, with a couple of bedrooms upstairs, and a living room and kitchen on the first floor”—he paused—“and no air-conditioning, but it’s got a really nice porch across the front.
We can both learn the business this way—one bite a time. ”
“What does that mean?” She flipped through the pictures he’d collected, taking time to study each one.
He told her the story of eating the elephant.
“One bite at a time,” he repeated.
“That’s marriage.” She finally smiled. “One bite, or one day, at a time.”
She stared at the last image on the phone for a long time. “How long has it been since this house has been lived in? Is that a barn and a shed that I see in the background?”
“A year since the house has been lived in, but the people my grandfather talked to said that there’s some furniture still in it.
We would have to chase out some spiders,” Vince answered, feeling better by the minute.
She hadn’t thrown the phone at him and stormed out, so that was a positive sign. “So, what do you think of the place?”
She looked at the picture again. “It’s charming. It looks like it could hold a lot of love. If it had siding instead of stones, it would look a lot like my grandparents’ home out on the farm. I loved that place.”
“I remember. There were several properties I could have chosen, but this one also reminded me of your grandparents’ place where we got married. It seemed perfect to me.”
“I could grow vegetables like my granny did,” she whispered.
“Yes, you could,” Vince answered. “Does this mean you will think about going with me?”
“You’re really going to do this with or without me? You’re not doing it for just a second chance?” she asked.
“I need to learn how to run the company and to rekindle our dreams.” He reached across the table and slipped the phone from her hands. “What about you, Ava? Yes. No. Maybe. I guess we could build a bigger house after a year or two. You said money wasn’t everything.”
“I did, didn’t I?” she said. “Vince, I love that house. I love the idea of living on a place with a barn and a shed. I can have a dog or cats, but most of all, I love the idea of helping you build something with our future in mind. I want to be a part of your life, so the answer is yes, I will go with you to Australia. When are we moving?”
“Next week, but first we have to tell Mother and Dad,” he said, “and I want you to be there with me, right beside me, when I do. Grandfather is setting up a dinner the night we get back, and he’s already put the wheels in motion.
He’s got more pull at the company than I thought he still had, and he loves this idea. ”
“Will you shove me out of the way when the bullets start flying? I’m sure that Delores and William will both be ready to shoot me.” She flashed a smile, one that lit up her eyes.
That’s when Vince knew they were going to be all right.
“No, I won’t push you out of the way, but I’ll shield you with my own body,” he answered. “Ava, I feel like I should propose to you again.”
“No, darlin’, you just need to carry me over the threshold of our new home when we get to Australia,” she told him. “I don’t care where we live, how big the house is, or if we have a lot of money. I just want the man I married back in my life.”
“You’ve got him, darlin’, but I could carry you over the threshold in either of our staterooms. This is our last night onboard,” he said.
Ava slowly shook her head. “I think we should wait to begin that new step in our marriage until we get to our new home. How do you feel about starting a family in Australia?”
“I think it would be a perfect place to raise a couple of kids.” Vince grinned.
“A couple?” Her eyes twinkled. “I was thinking more like half a dozen.”
“I’m game if you are,” he said, “and I like the idea of a bunch of children so one won’t have to bear the load alone like I’ve had to do. So…” He sucked in a lungful of air and let it out in a whoosh. “You are really, for sure, going with me?”
“Yes, I am. I love you and I want this marriage to work.”
He stood up, rounded the table, and bent to give her a long, steamy kiss. “A kiss like that is what you can look forward to every morning before we leave for work, every evening when we get home, and every night before we go to sleep.”
“Then our marriage will be amazing,” she whispered.