41. Jake
Jake
The renovation isn’t done, of course, but the place looks a lot better than it did when I closed on it.
I watch Mackenzie’s reaction as we pull into the gravel drive.
There are trees along the road that give the house some privacy, so it always feels like a surprise to turn the bend in the drive and see the house with the lake behind it.
There’s only a carport at this point, though I have plans to change that.
I park in front of the cottage, then go to open her door.
She walks around the house to the back and just stares at the lake. “Now that’s a view.”
“My thinking exactly.” I’m never going to stop loving it.
Mackenzie nods. “I’ve noticed this house before. I always thought it was sad that it was empty.”
“Empty no longer.”
“So, this is your home away from home?”
“No. It’s home. Period.”
She looks at me, surprised.
“I still have a small condo in the city, but the one you saw is sold.”
Her expression changes, just a little, and there’s a new light in her eyes. She speaks with determination, though. “I think you need to tell me about this iceberg,” she says, holding my gaze.
I’m more than ready to do that. I take her hand and lead her toward the lake, strolling across the flat run of land that leads to the edge of the cliff. I can see not just the lake but the harbor below and to the right, with the lovely Isobelle in her slip.
“Start at the beginning,” she says. “After the presentation to your family on Labour Day.” She squeezes my fingers. “You were great, by the way.”
“You were on the call?”
“At Bradshaw & Weatherby. Daphne invited me and Richard said it was okay.”
I smile, because I’m glad she was there, and give her hand a squeeze. Once I know where to start, it’s easy to tell her everything.
I tell her about the new building that is going to block my old view and my decision to buy this place. I tell her about turning down the promotion that I thought I wanted more than anything. Then I tell her about giving Tyler a few cards to play and that makes her smile.
“Did she get the job?”
“No! This is the best part. They called to offer it to me again. She went to work for another firm.”
“The head-hunter.”
“He’s good. Besides, there was no happy ending that included Tyler working for the people who took advantage of her.” I earn a smile for that. “Unless it’s the one where they hire her back in a couple of years for vastly more money. That would work.”
“You don’t mess around, do you?”
“You’re telling me that you have a sudden affection for compromise?”
Mackenzie laughs. “No.”
I tell her about downsizing my condo, too, distracted by the fact that she’s looking at me as if I hung the moon. “And then there was Mike, and our presentation to the investors.”
“I heard you got the funding.”
“But it was a close thing. I was sure they were going to say no. I could feel it turning. You know how it goes.”
“I do.” She grimaces. “I hate when I feel that change.”
“Me, too. I hate losing, but they were slipping away. The numbers, as great as they are, weren’t compelling them.
People love to say no, you know. It’s a power word, one that puts them in charge.
” I realize I shouldn’t be confiding this right before I ask the one question that I don’t want her to refuse.
“And so here I am thinking we’re dead in the water, and Merrie arrives. ” I lift a hand, still amazed by this.
“Merrie?”
I don’t have to pretend to remember my surprise. “Merrie, with a cart and a toaster oven and all kinds of prepared dishes of food. She has that Colin kid with her and they start laying out a spread of appetizers, all made with Cavendish tomatoes.”
“Bruschetta,” Mackenzie says with a laugh as if she was in on this.
“With wine from Rhodes Vineyards.”
“A rosé?”
“Yes. Did you know about this?”
“Not really, no. Go on.” Her eyes are sparkling like the lake on a midsummer’s day and it’s all I can do to keep the thread of the story. I want to kiss her so much.
It’s funny how easy it is to talk to her, even confessing my own shortfalls.
It’s right and good.
“It turns out Mike had planned this catering to deliver the message about the superior flavour of our tomatoes. He pampered a dozen plants beyond the season to make sure Merrie had perfect fruit. But I’m thinking it’s all going to go sideways because of the suits.”
“The suits?”
“A great suit isn’t just a fashion statement. It’s a lifestyle choice. You eat to maintain the integrity of the suit. It’s a code.” I nod. “No spaghetti or sauces that flick, for example.”
“No mustard that can drip,” Mackenzie says, getting it.
“And no bloody bruschetta with little chopped bits of tomato in olive oil. That stuff is an avalanche waiting to happen.” My exasperation has to be clear because she laughs again. “But Mike didn’t get that memo with his great suit and Merrie rolled in with her bruschetta train.”
“Did they say no?”
“No, they did not. Because Merrie made single-bite bruschetta, and she toasted the bread right there in that conference room. And she talked about sourdough bread, and fresh basil and chèvre from local producers while she was making these delicious little bites. And when I choked on my presentation, Mike starting talking. He’s so earnest and so enthusiastic.
He was telling them about different varieties of tomatoes, comparing the flavours, and Colin was pouring wine and the place smelled like Tuscany and it was a quarter to twelve.
” I raise my hands. “They surrendered to temptation. They didn’t even pay attention to the last half of my presentation. ”
Mackenzie laughs. “And Mike was unrepentant.”
“He said he couldn’t tell me about the plan because I would have nixed it. I would have. In a heartbeat. I would have said it was doomed.”
“But Mike knew better and you are a great team.”
“Apparently so.”
She taps me on the chest, delighted. “Tell me you ate the bruschetta.”
“Why?”
“You don’t eat tomatoes.”
I give her a look. “And I could have stood there, asking for investment in tomato greenhouses, then said ‘nah, not for me.’ Of course, I ate bruschetta!”
Mackenzie is laughing at me and I don’t even care. “Did you get it on your tie?”
“No.”
“Was it good?”
I take a breath. “It was fucking delicious.” I grin as she laughs and tug her back toward the house. “We got the funds, then everything worked out with the Graham farm.”
“When did they sign off?”
“Last night.” I heave a sigh. “So, I could finally come to you, mission accomplished.”
She smiles up at me, so delighted that I have to tell her everything before I ask.
“Full disclosure,” I say, because this could queer the whole deal. “You should know that I had a vasectomy, years ago.”
“I figured as much,” Mackenzie says easily.
“What?”
She smiles the mysterious little smile that gets me right where I live. “You were too sure. Condoms aren’t that reliable and you’re smart enough to know that.”
“Thank you very much.”
The best part is that she doesn’t look troubled by this dose of truth, which means it’s time.
I pull the little box out of my jacket pocket and her smile fades. I’ve been carrying it around ever since I picked it up at the jeweller. I’ve had it all day and have been trying to figure out all day what to say when I ask.
I still don’t know, so I just guess.
“A fling, a thing or a wedding ring,” I say and Mackenzie catches her breath. “It’s up to you.”
I open the box to show her, then say the words I hope will be the charm. “Marry me?”
The rings I chose are wide platinum bands with a little Celtic braid on each edge.
They’re comparatively plain, but I could immediately imagine one on Mackenzie’s hand.
It wouldn’t be something she’d have to take off for work.
Having no stone is simpler for a 24-7 ring, to my thinking.
I can buy her other jewellery that’s fancier.
In this moment, though, I’m afraid I’ve made a mistake and that she might be someone yearning for a huge diamond solitaire.
She might be someone who would rather pick her own ring, thanks just the same.
She might have different future plans, ones that don’t include me, or the vasectomy might be too much.
She’s staring at the box as if it’s full of snakes, which means I might have made a bigger mistake than the choice of ring.
“Are you sure?” she asks in a whisper.
“I’m sure. It looks like you aren’t, though.”
“Oh, I’m sure,” she says with a smile. “I was sure before I brought Madison to you. Why do you think I challenged you?”
I smile back at her in relief. “Why do you think I moved the mountain?”
“You didn’t have to have everything arranged before you asked me.”
“I needed every possible variable in my favour.”
“No, you didn’t,” she says.
“Yes, I did. I knew I wanted to be with you, when you told me how you felt. I just couldn’t see how it could work. Not until everything fell into place.”
“Like we were meant to be.”
“Yes. Exactly that.”
She smiles and steps into my arms, and I hold her close. “I love you, Jake Cavendish. I would have married you whether you moved mountains for me or not.” And she kisses me, the sweetest, most potent and promising kiss ever, not to mention an excellent way to get the evening’s festivities started.
“Wait,” Mackenzie says after a highly satisfactory interval. She pulls back a little. “Opa smiled when we were together at the vineyard.”
“Is that a problem?”
Her eyes narrow. “Did he know about this?”
“I did ask his permission.”
She laughs. “You did not.”
“I did. If the feud between my father and your grandfather taught me anything, it was that things can only be easier with Augustine in your corner.” I give her a chance to smile before I continue. “He told me I didn’t have to ask his permission, but I think he was glad I did.”
“I’m sure he was. Opa is very old-fashioned.”
“For what it’s worth, I don’t think he was surprised.”
“He probably wasn’t.”
“It also was a strategic choice, one that resulted in Mrs. O’Neill packing you an overnight bag.”
Mackenzie laughs.
We stare into each other’s eyes for half an eternity, before she turns to the cottage. “Do I get to see inside?”
“Yes, but be warned that there’s work to be done. Someone has to pick tiles and counters and paint colours.”
“That’s the best part!”
“That’s why I saved it for you.”
I get another hot kiss for that, then I remember to put the ring on her finger. I even carry her over the threshold, mostly because it makes her laugh.
“Ooo, this is the abduction part, right?” she teases me, her eyes shining as she kicks her feet. “I’ve been looking forward to this bit.”
You know that’s a challenge I’ll take to heart.
Forever and ever.