52. Chapter 51
Chapter 51
Beth
D oug looked sexy as sin in his costume. I’d pretty much been drooling since walking down the stairs and seeing him. At first, I’d been disappointed he’d forgone the chaps, but I got over it when he hinted he’d wear them for me and me alone.
After all the subtle verbal foreplay, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I wanted to see him in them. And nothing else . I held a cold bottle of water to my neck. It’s going to be a long night if I don’t get my horny thoughts under control .
We’d arrived early enough to help with any last-minute things needing to be done, and had a chance to talk to the mayor for a few minutes. She was a good person. Not your typical sleazy politician. Her husband was a military guy, still serving as a Naval Officer, and her kids were in college. She genuinely cared about the people of Weatherford, and it showed. This was her first term in office, and it meant a lot to me she’d taken time out of her busy schedule to attend.
Doug talked to the mayor for a fw minutes, then excused himself and joined John who was talking to the mayor’s husband.
“Beth, so good to see you. How are you and Chase holding up?” She knew all about the ordeal and had called me to check in a couple of days after Chase got home. When I mentioned it to Mary, she said the Mayor had called John and asked about us. Weatherford was lucky; it was rare to have a politician be so caring and hands on in any community.
We talked for a few minutes, mostly about our kids. I glanced at the clock and said, “It was good to see you madam mayor.” I shook her hand. “Be sure to stop by the raffle table later.” I looked towards the raffle tables along the far wall; the raffle items changing colors as the orange and purple twinkle lights flashed off and on.
You’d think I’d want to mingle with the guests, given the fundraiser was in my late husband‘s name, but I didn’t. I did at the first one, but preferred working at the table where I could talk to people without the pressure. The fundraiser wasn’t about me anymore, so I didn’t want to be the center of attention.
“I’ll stop by in a little bit and get my tickets. A little birdie told me there’s a full-service spa day available this year and I want to win it.”
Chase had stayed at the raffle table with Meg while I talked to the mayor, and when I sat down he came to sit next to me. I was relieved he seemed hesitant to wander off, but also a little sad because I wanted him to feel safe to walk around and have fun. There wouldn’t be a safer place in all of Weatherford tonight.
Meg looked adorable in her costume. She wore the shirt and hat from last year, but had replaced the skirt with khaki-colored jeans. When I asked why she wasn’t wearing the skirt, she said, “This way I’m a little Grannie’s and a little SSI.” She laughed. “But I refuse to wear chaps.”
Leave it up to Meg to find a way to represent both.
I was reminding Chase he couldn’t play with the raffle items on display when Jamie and Emily walked in. They’d been suspiciously absent all day. When I’d asked Doug about it, while we were setting up, he’d shrugged and said Jamie had mentioned them having plans and they’d be here later. I’d assumed he meant later while we were setting up, but obviously not.
It took all of five seconds after they walked in for Mary to shriek with joy. I watched as she lifted Emily’s left hand, then pulled her into a hug.
Jamie proposed ! Meg and I shared a look before jumping up and running to join the group surrounding the happy couple. Chase was close on my heels.
Emily practically glowed, and Jamie’s smile was so big it looked like it might actually hurt.
Jamie was wearing his cowboy costume and had surprised Emily with a matching cowgirl costume. They looked like they could be models in a magazine, with their big smiles, bright eyes, and athletic bodies.
“Well, I guess this is a good reason for skipping pack mule duties,” Mary said before hugging Jamie. When she playfully punched him, he rubbed his shoulder, feigning pain, as he asked, “What was that for?”
“For not telling me.” Her smile was far too big for anyone to believe she was upset.
“Dad knew.” Jamie didn’t hesitate to throw John under the bus so his mom wouldn’t give him any more shit.
John stepped back so he was out of Mary’s reach and grinned. Mary would give him hell later, not caring that she loved the surprise. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jack step out of Meg’s reach.
She saw it too. “You knew, didn’t you?” She pointed at him, closing the distance.
“I, uh, Jamie swore us to secrecy.” He shrugged.
It turns out the male half of our tight-knit group knew and had somehow managed to keep Jamie’s secret.
“Does this mean you’re moving in with us?” Meg asked. After a lifetime of feeling alone and unloved, Meg was thrilled to have a family and couldn’t wait to officially call Emily her sister.
When Mary asked Jamie how he proposed, he looked at Doug and said, “I didn’t yell it out while waiting in line for a banana split, but I think it was still a surprise.”
Everyone laughed. Jokes about Doug’s accidental proposal wouldn’t be going away anytime soon. He didn’t let it get to him, instead he said, “Good one, Sheppard.”
Emily swatted Jamie in the rib cage with the back of her hand.
“He took me to The Carriage House. There was a chilled bottle of champagne on a table at the foot of the rose petal decorated bed.” She looked at Jamie and smiled. “When I turned around, he was on one knee holding the ring box.”
She showed off her 2-carat oval diamond ring, set on a thin gold band. The oval shape was perfect for her long fingers.
“You did good, son.” John shook Jamie’s hand and clapped him on the back.
“Very good.” Mary’s smile was almost as big as Emily’s. Almost.
“After I said yes, we ordered room service and…” She trailed off.
“Relaxed in our room.” Jamie finished, with a grin.
Guests started to arrive, breaking up our celebration. Before long, Grannie’s was filled with locals. Some came in costume, some in uniform, while others wore their normal attire. Amber and I were busy at the raffle table, with Meg giving us occasional breaks. Doug shared bar duties with Jamie, Jack, and AJ. Two of them manned the bar, while the other two re-stocked as needed, or mingled when they could.
Emily’s best friend Ashley arrived a little while later, wearing a skin-tight red she-devil costume, which was borderline not family friendly. Oh, to be young again . I happened to be looking at the bar and laughed when AJ’s eyes almost popped out of his head once he saw her.
Ashley was too busy squealing and hugging Emily and Jamie to notice AJ drooling over her. Ashley pulled Emily off into a corner and they spent the next ten minutes in animated conversation. I could only assume Emily was giving Ashley all the details of her proposal.
As the evening wore on, Chase built up his courage to walk around. The temptation to join his favorite men, and talk to the uniformed police officers, was stronger than his nervousness.
The fundraiser was in full swing. People were dancing, chatting, and filling the raffle jars with blue tickets. Chase danced with Meg, or at least he tried to. He was having trouble keeping up with the steps to the line dance, but it wasn’t stopping him from having fun.
I looked over at the bar to see Doug watching Chase. He had a soft smile on his ruggedly handsome face, and his steel blue eyes were filled with love. If things work out, he’ll be Chase’s stepdad.
Not if, when. Because I didn’t see a way we wouldn’t work out for the long haul.
After the song ended, Doug and Jamie were relieved of bar duty. Doug scooped Chase up in his arms and brought my giggling, squirming child to the raffle table. “Chase thinks we should dance.”
“Does he now?” I couldn’t hold back my huge, goofy smile.
“I do.” Chase piped up.
“Maybe later,” I wanted to dance. "I can’t leave Amber alone at the raffle table."
“Break time.” Meg walked around Doug laughing as she said, “Go. I’ll help Amber.”
“Thanks.”
“Hey Chase, want to help me sell tickets?” Meg asked.
“Yes!”
Doug put him down, narrowly avoided getting kicked in the family jewels as Chase wiggled in his excitement. The world would be a better place if every kid had the love and support Chase does.
Doug held out his hand for me as I walked around the table.
“Have fun.” Meg waved, and told Chase so he’d do the same.
“We will.” Doug led me to the dance floor. The timing was perfect, since the DJ was playing a slow song. Did he planned this? I stepped in and wrapped my arms around Doug’s neck as he wrapped his arms around my back.
I barely heard the music as we swayed back and forth. My head on his chest, listening to the steady thump thump of his heart. His cheek rested on my head.
I fought off the intrusive voices telling me I shouldn’t be dancing with another man at the fundraiser held in honor of my late husband. Would people judge me? Would they not want to give to the cause because I’d moved on?
The fundraiser isn’t for me . It hadn’t been since the first year. Even then, they’d raised so much money there was enough left over, after Phil’s funeral expenses were paid, to help a widower in Fort Worth.
No one was judging me. Everyone I’d talked to had expressed nothing but happiness at hearing I’d found love again.
Get out of your head! I forced my shoulders to relax.
“Everything okay?” Doug asked, his tone curious rather than worried.
He must have felt me relax after I kicked out all the negative thoughts. I pulled back a little, looked into his eyes and said, “Perfect.”
I glanced around as we danced and saw AJ and Ashley dancing. He didn’t waste any time . Good for them. According to Emily and Meg, they’d hooked up a few times but weren’t dating. I wondered if that’d ever change for them; stranger things had been known to happen.
The rest of the night was a blur of ticket sales, mingling, and dancing. By the time the last guest left, I was ready to take off my boots and put my feet up. But it’d have to wait. We had to pack up the raffle items and ticket jars, clear out the liquor, and get the dining room cleaned up and put back to normal. At least we can leave the decorations up since they wouldn’t interfere with business.
Mary and John would announce the winners on Sunday. It usually meant a busy day for Grannie’s since a lot of the prizes could be picked up and people grabbed a coffee and snack while they were there.
Chase offered to help clean up but fell asleep in a booth when he sat down to rest after telling me, “I’m sleepy, Mommy.”
Poor kid. It was way past his bedtime. He’d sleep in late tomorrow, and probably be a little crabby. But he would have been miserable if he’d had to miss out on the fun.
It felt natural seeing Doug carrying a half-asleep Chase as we said our goodbyes.
After we got home, Doug carried Chase upstairs to his room. I didn’t bother with making him change or brush his teeth before putting him to bed. One night wouldn’t kill him.
Then Doug swept me off my feet, literally, and carried me to my room.
He waited while I got changed and washed my face in my en suite, then massaged my feet for a few minutes before kissing me goodbye. Those five minutes were a little slice of happy feet heaven.
“Want me to walk you out?” I asked as I snuggled further into my blankets.
He chuckled. “No, I think I can manage.”
“Lock up when,” I covered a yawn, “you leave.” I’d given him a key to the front door the day before. It was a big step, but it felt right.
“Of course.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead before kissing my lips. “See you tomorrow, Beautiful.”
I opened my mouth to say goodbye but yawned, so I waved instead.