Chapter 23
Jack
My heart is so happy to have Laine back. I know I have work to do, but getting her to believe I’m serious? Getting her to agree to try? That’s huge, everything I could ask for right now. I can hardly believe it.
“What time is it?” Laine stretches as she pushes her hair out of her eyes.
“It’s a little after seven.” I resist the urge to tackle her.
She lies back. “I need so much sleep.”
I run my hand up her arm and pull her in tight. “Well, what’s the plan for today?”
She yawns. “Big brunch at ten with the Cedar Creek wine tasting to follow, and then the awards ceremony. Trish is doing most of it, but I need to set up the table. I also need to put the final touches on the highlight reel.”
“Have people sent you anything?”
“A few, but I’ll send a text this morning to see what else I can drum up before noon. I have some editing software on my computer that will make it easy to put together, but I need a little time.”
I reach for my phone. “Can we include this?” I play it at a low volume. It’s a video of me wearing earplugs. You can hear Griffin grunting in the background.
“Are you sure you want to do that? It may not go over very well with the women in the group.”
“Hey, he was warned that the walls were thin. I asked them to be quiet. After that, they did it on purpose.”
“What if he sends me a video of them listening to us?”
“We were fairly quiet.”
She shrugs. “They may have thought they were quiet too.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Let me know if they send that to you.”
Laine sits up in bed and sends a text message in the group chat, reminding them about the highlight reel. Almost immediately, her phone blows up with incoming videos and photos. “There’s a lot here,” she says after a moment. “I’m going to start working on this.”
“Okay. I’ll go for a run, and we can grab breakfast together afterward.” I crawl toward her on the bed to kiss her goodbye. “I’m out of condoms. Do I need to go to the store? I was tested to go to Sudan, and I haven’t been with anyone since—well, except you, I mean.”
She nods slowly, her mind whirring. “I’m still on the pill, and I haven’t been with anyone since we broke up.”
“Does that mean you’re okay if we go back to no condoms?” I ask. When she doesn’t respond, I worry I’ve messed things up again already. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to put pressure on you. I’ll go buy more condoms.”
“No,” she finally says. “I’m fine if we go without condoms. I trust you.”
“Thank you.” I know that’s a big deal for her to say, and it makes me feel giddy. “That will free us up for a few things this evening.” I bounce my eyebrows.
She nods and rolls her eyes as she fires up her laptop.
I get changed, but before I leave, I go down to pick up a cup of coffee for her. Trish is in the kitchen.
She looks me over carefully as I enter. “I guess you and Laine had a pleasant evening?” she asks.
“We did,” I assure her.
“I hope there will be more of those to come,” she says, smiling sweetly. “But let me be clear. You treat her like trash again, and I’ll ruin your life. This isn’t a game, not to her, not to me, and it had better not be to you.”
I hold up my hand. “I hear you. I am dedicated to making things right and treating her the way she deserves. We’re all good.”
She gives me a searing glare as I proceed to the coffeemaker. But when I look back on my way out of the kitchen, she nods.
When I walk back into my room, Laine’s wearing my T-shirt, and her hair is all tousled. She looks so sexy as I set the coffee in front of her.
She smiles as she takes the cup. “Thank you. I have about four hours of video to comb through in less than three hours.”
“Let me know how I can help.”
“Just go for your run,” she assures me. She lifts the coffee to her lips. “This is perfect.”
I nod and slip out, leaving her to do her thing.
“Where are you going?” Steve asks as I step outside.
“For a run. Care to join me?”
“Yep, I was going to do the same thing.” We stretch for a few minutes before he gestures to the trail beyond the deck. “Lead the way.”
The morning is cool but not cold, and it feels good to be up and moving. About ten minutes into our run, Steve looks over at me. “What’s going on with Laine?”
“We’re going to give things another try.”
He gives me the side eye as we run up the road along the lake. “Who started rekindling the relationship?”
“I did.” I skirt around a pothole.
“And she agreed?” he says with surprise in his voice.
I roll my eyes. My friends have been on me forever about what a huge mistake I made, yet they didn’t think I could fix it? “Yes. Why are you so shocked?”
“I didn’t think she’d do that.”
“Well, she did. Thanks for your support.” I’m annoyed that no one thinks I have what it takes here.
There’s a rustling in the woods beside us, and I look over at Steve. I’m pretty speedy, but in a full-on sprint from a bear, he will outrun me, no question about it. He looks back at me, and I’m not even sure he noticed. Should I say something? We continue running, and I don’t hear anything else.
“I’m glad you’re back together,” Steve huffs after a moment. “I’ve known you a long time, and she’s good for you.”
I look over my shoulder to make sure nothing is following us. They have black bears around here, though my bigger concern is the cougars. Surely, two big guys like Steve and I would intimidate a cougar.
“Anyway, keep your head out of your ass,” he adds after a moment. “We all like Laine.”
“That message has come through loud and clear,” I assure him.
“Good. And since we kicked your ass in the jet ski relays, you know where you stand.”
We make the final turn, and I can see Phillip’s place again in the distance. “Thanks for not being too big of an ass about it.”
He snorts, and then falls quiet a moment. “Listen,” he says. “In all seriousness, I know Laine’s article had to hit you hard. I don’t lose many patients as an orthopedist, but I get it. We all know Stacy was a mess.”
I nod. “I’ve had to reexamine everything about that part of my career. I want to do some things differently. And I will always wonder if I should have stopped sooner or done the surgery for Stacy.”
“You can’t second guess it. Encouraging her to go to therapy was the correct call. You did the right thing. The idiot who did the surgery and screwed up is the person who’s responsible.”
Emotion tightens my chest. I needed one of my friends to say that, not because I needed their approval, but because they’re medical professionals and hearing them tell me I did the right thing takes a weight off my shoulders. I wish I would have been open to hearing them a lot sooner. “Thanks,” I tell him as we finish our run. “I really appreciate that.”
The house is coming alive as we walk back up to the deck. Merry is putting brunch out, but I desperately need a shower. So, I get a coffee for myself and another for Laine and head back upstairs to my room.
“How’s it going?” I ask as I enter.
“I think it’s pretty good.” Laine sits back in her chair. “I’ve got it down to thirty minutes, and I think there’s something in there everyone is going to like.”
“Can I see it?” I ask.
She smiles. “Nope. And I wouldn’t let Trish see it when she came up earlier.”
“You have the two of us in there?”
She nods.
“I’m going to grab a quick shower. Care to join me?”
Laine smirks. “No. But I’ll wait for you to go downstairs.”
I nod. That’s pretty much what I expected.
I hand her a coffee and zip into the bathroom. Once I’m showered and dressed, Laine tucks her computer under her arm, and we head downstairs for brunch.
Most of the crowd is here, but we’re missing the celebratory couple. “Where are Henry and Allison?” Davis asks.
“Feel free to go make sure they’re up,” Phillip says.
Davis looks around the room with a twinkle in his eye. “I think my big brother needs a visit.”
“I’m coming with,” Griffin and Phillip chorus.
The three of them go bounding up the stairs, and a moment later, we hear Allison shriek.
“Get the fuck out of our room!” Henry announces.
The guys come thundering back down, laughing hard.
“They’re busy,” Davis shares. “But I suspect they’ll be down shortly.”
“You know she’s going to get you back,” Paisley says. “And your mother and I will happily help.”
He puts his arm around her shoulder. “I’ll make it up to them. Promise.”
Laine and I have loaded our plates, and we move outside to the back deck to eat.
It takes a solid twenty minutes before anyone sees Allison and Henry.
“I should kick you out of here,” Henry bellows.
“It’s my house,” Phillip responds. “For all we know, you could have been hurt or maybe you were kidnapped. We had to check. Everyone else was downstairs.”
I swear I hear Henry growl, and everyone is laughing.
When most people have finished eating, Trish stands on her chair, using Phillip to balance. “In fifteen minutes, please join us downstairs in the media room,” she announces. “We have our second wine tasting, and then we’ll have prizes and our weekend recap.”
Laine excuses herself to help Trish, and I linger over my coffee until it’s time to go in. When I get to the media room, Henry and Allison are already seated at the front talking to Kurt Simcic, the owner of Cedar Creek Winery and an organic viticulturist. He’s brought five wines from their platinum collection—pinot gris, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir, and a surprise sparkling rosé, which will be served at the wedding.
Kurt’s enthusiasm is infectious, and soon everyone is sipping away. On my next trip to the Okanagan, I want to stop at his vineyard to see everything and take a few cases back to Vancouver.
Once he’s finished, we clear away all the glasses and snacks, and Trish and Laine place crowns on Henry and Allison’s heads.
“Your majesties, thank you for sharing your hen and stag party,” Trish tells them. “It seemed to keep almost everyone on the straight and narrow.”
That gets some snickers from the crowd.
She and Laine hand out prizes for various weekend events, and I end up with a glow-in-the-dark rubber dildo.
“Who donated this?” I ask as I open it.
No one answers.
“Don’t look at me,” Laine says. “It wasn’t me, and I don’t want that anywhere near me.”
The crowd laughs.
Steve and Eliza receive a box of extra-small condoms and a game of Twister I donated. Nadine ends up with penis lipsticks in four bright colors, and Michael gets a men’s string bikini.
“Did you donate a pair of your underwear?” Nadine teases.
He shrugs. “I’m happy to model them for anyone who’s interested in what a real man looks like.”
There’s no rhyme or reason here, and mostly it seems the plan is just to make everyone open something embarrassing—anal lube, a cock ring, edible underwear, stripper playing cards...
My suspicions are confirmed when Laine gets a perfectly legitimate and non-embarrassing box of hedgehog truffles in their signature triangle box.
“My favorite,” she says, popping the top off right away.
And finally, Henry and Allison receive a gift basket full of sex toys and lingerie. I suppose that seems right, given the occasion that has brought us together.
Laine stands. “I hope you’ll all enjoy your rewards, and thank you to everyone who sent me video and pictures. I had to shrink this down to twenty minutes, but I have a blooper reel as well.”
The lights dim, and the video opens with Allison and Henry’s engagement photos as Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” plays in the background. There are also a few pictures from the night they met at one of Paisley’s gallery openings.
There are pictures of Allison and Henry’s dating life, and Laine has included the headlines from Allison’s retirement and a parade of pictures from events around town they attended. Then we get to the main action—this weekend. There’s footage of Allison winning the jet ski relay, with Henry cheering her on.
Next up are some pictures of Phillip and Trish playing pool, and one where someone caught Trish sneaking one of his balls into a pocket.
“I knew he cheated,” Griffin announces.
Then we see them come in last on the jet ski relays, which has Phillip with a red face and Trish with a smirk.
“We couldn’t win everything,” Trish explains. “It wouldn’t be fair.”
The screen dissolves into Davis and Paisley cuddled up on the sofa and then holding hands as they go for a walk. It’s very sweet.
A montage of faces and activities catches everyone having fun, and then it slows to a clip of Nadine and Michael going head-to-head in a chess match.
“I won that game,” Nadine announces.
“Only because I let you,” Michael responds.
Then there’s a shot of them falling asleep here in the media room as they watched a movie.
That gets a collective awwwwwww from the crowd.
After a few more montages and a hilarious clip of everyone’s faces during the wine tasting, the video ends with an assortment of photos of Allison and Henry with the rest of us. The final two pictures are of the women all together and then the guys all together.
“Wait a minute,” Michael says. “What about the other photos I sent?”
“Well, I couldn’t use everything,” Laine says. “But I do have a blooper reel.”
That gets everyone excited.
“This is not for the faint of heart. If you’re easily offended, you need to leave,” Laine says.
“Bring it on,” Trish announces.
The video opens with me in my earplugs and Griffin’s grunts in the background. “What the hell?” Trish asks.
“That was the treat that Griffin gave me the first night,” I explain.
And it just goes downhill from there.
“Wait!” Trish yells at one point. “Did I just see a pierced dick in there?”
No one says anything.
Laine holds her hands up. “I just compiled what I was sent.”
When the lights go up, Paisley stands and lifts her glass in toast. “Allison, I take all the credit for you and Henry finding each other, but you deserve all the credit for working things out and creating something beautiful. We’re all so glad you’re together. I’m excited to have another sister, and I wish you both much happiness and fun.”
Phillip stands. “Let us toast the future that lies before Allison and Henry. May your journey together be filled with countless adventures, unending support, and boundless love. May you always find solace in each other’s arms, and may your love shine brightly, illuminating the world around you. Cheers!”
“Here, here!” We all raise our glasses.
Phillip turns and smiles at Trish. “I’d also like to thank Trish and Laine for all the work they did to pull this together. I’ve been drowning in mergers, so they really picked up the ball and made this weekend so much fun.”
“I have gifts!” Allison announces. She pulls out two bags. “I’ve been a working actor since I was seven years old. I’ve never had any good friends my own age. You all have welcomed me, and it’s changed my life. Trish, you run an amazing company with great values and a great product. Laine, the work you did this weekend makes me want to yell from the mountaintops how fantastic you are.”
Laine stands and gives her a big hug.
“Thank you both for all the work you did in pulling this party together,” Paisley adds.
Henry stands. “Thanks so much to all of you for being here, and for being in our lives. I’m grateful for my three nosy-ass brothers who always have my back, and for the smart, strong women who love them. And I’m grateful for those of you who are like brothers to me. Oh yeah, and we have Michael too.”
Someone snorts in the back.
“And now, at least some of us have a plane to catch,” Henry says.
Those going back today on the private plane filter out to grab their suitcases.
Laine and I are staying until tomorrow with Trish and Phillip, so we make our way back to the kitchen more slowly as they filter out to their waiting rides.
Laine puts her hands on her hips. “This place is a wreck. We have a lot to do.”
“Don’t you even think about it,” Merry says from the kitchen sink. “This place is usually so quiet, and I love having something to keep me busy. This is no bother at all.”
“Thank you, Merry,” Phillip says. “You and Alan do a great job. I really appreciate all you do.”
“Of course,” she says. “I hope we’ll see a lot more of you this year.”
Phillip looks down at Trish and gives her a squeeze. “We’re already planning it.”