7. Maverick/Maria
Chapter seven
Maverick/Maria
T hursday came around, and I was excited to be getting ready for dinner. After careful consideration, I was glad that we had decided on a four-thirty reservation this afternoon. With twenty people, we were going to have a large party, and it would take time to get us seated and get all our orders in. The sooner we could do that, the sooner we could enjoy our dinner.
Since we were also going dancing and gaming afterward, I decided to wear a pair of slacks and a good shirt. I didn’t want to overdress, but I also didn’t want to feel underdressed. I didn’t know what the other groomsmen had packed, nor did I know what the bridesmaids had packed. All I knew was that I wanted to at least look presentable in a nice restaurant but comfortable for the entertainment center after dinner.
Once I got upstairs, I found that most of the men had also been in the same vein of thought as me: slacks and a nice button-down top, but a few had also grabbed a tee shirt to wear, probably for the entertainment place. Maria, the only bridesmaid staying here, had decided to wear a pleated, flowery, flared skirt that stopped at her knees and a beautiful pink tube top with thin straps. She looked great.
“Well, if we’re all ready, I think we should head on over to the Black Key. We’ll be meeting everyone else there,” I said.
“Sounds like a plan to me. It’ll take us about fifteen minutes to get there, and if we get there a little earlier than our reservations, no harm,” Caleb piped up. “Shall we? Maria, who are you riding with?”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to ride with Maverick,” she said. “Stacey wants me to get there with all of you so that at least one of the bridesmaids is already there in case there are issues with the card. She, myself, and Elliott are all on that account.”
Caleb nodded. Without a word, we all divided up. I ended up with Maria, Elliott, Jason, and Caleb in my truck – with Caleb squeezing between Jason and Elliott in the back. He didn’t seem to care, though. We talked about just general things about our lives as we drove.
We arrived at the Black Key at four twenty-five on the dot. So, about five minutes earlier than our reservations. When I checked us in at the host stand, they had a table ready. Maria texted Stacey to tell her to ask for the party of twenty to be led back to the table, and then, we were seated. Our drinks got started, but we opted to wait for everyone else before ordering anything. They arrived about ten minutes later and joined us at the table.
The restaurant itself had a great atmosphere. The Black Key was known for its steaks, so many of us ordered steaks. Some of the women ordered the restaurant’s popular salmon dish. The food was delicious, and everyone expressed how glad they were that we came here for dinner. We didn’t end up ordering any dessert, as Maria had learned the entertainment place offered quite a few dessert options. If we got hungry later, that would be a good time for dessert.
Maria decided to ride with Stacey to the entertainment place. My truck was a little roomier on the way there, which was nice but not necessarily needed.
As for the rest of the night, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had the best time at the dinner, and I could have easily called it a night and headed back to the Airbnb. But the entertainment center was a part of the plans, and I wasn’t going to be a spoilsport. Yet I wasn’t much of a game player and didn’t dance very often, so while everyone else was either finding a game to play or enjoying the music, I sat at the table watching all the people – and Maria. She seemed to be having a lot of fun dancing.
About an hour into the evening, one of the bridesmaids broke the heel of one of her shoes and joined me. But then, Maria joined us at the table too.
“Come on, Mav. You’ve been sitting at the table the entire time we’ve been here,” she said as she tugged on my arm. “It won’t kill you to have just one dance, will it?”
“I’d prefer to watch the purses and to keep Emma here company. Her shoe broke, after all,” I said.
“Oh, I’ll be fine. I can watch the purses,” Emma said. “Go have fun! You don’t have to watch our purses. I need a break anyway, and then I’ll go back out and dance in my bare feet.”
Maria tugged on my arm again.
The band was playing a slow song, so I finally gave in and accepted her offer to dance. We seemed to fit well and moved in rhythm – like we were creating a connection. I pulled her closer.
“So, what do you do for fun in Texas?” I asked as I leaned down to her ear.
“Well, if I’m not doing my art and my business, I can be found in an aerobics or yoga class. And, of course, I love to dance. There’s a great dance hall a couple of towns over from where I live,” she replied excitedly.
“And what kind of dances do you do?”
“Oh, the two-step, the shuffle, and line dances,” she exclaimed. “I’ll have to teach you the two-step.”
“I’m not so sure about that. I’m sure I was born with two left feet,” I insisted.
“You found the right one for this dance,” she insisted.
“It must be you,” I ventured. “I’m feeling very comfortable with you, even with all your zany ways.” I had surprised myself with these words, and my mind was trying to process whether I had sounded stupid or gone too far or what. But then - she held me tighter.
“I’m feeling the same way, Mav,” she purred.
We danced a few more dances as she tried to teach me the two-step. We laughed. Then it seemed like the night was over – everyone was ready to turn in for the night.
Maria rode in my truck on the way back with Caleb and Elliott. It was a quiet ride, each of us in our own thoughts. I was still trying to figure out just what had happened on that dance floor, and when we reached our rental house, I merely told Maria to have a good night’s sleep.
***
Friday morning came, and my thoughts went immediately to Maverick and the dance we had together. What did his words mean, I pondered. And me – I was attracted to him more than ever – this guy so different from me.
However, I couldn’t dwell on it for too long. We had the morning to finish any last-minute preparations with our outfits, and Emma needed some new shoes after the night before. And I was a bit surprised she had worn heels last night, knowing we would be dancing. Anyway, we headed to the mall and decided we would meet everyone else at the church later to help decorate.
After an hour, we found her a pair of shoes that she was confident would work, and she decided to wear them to do decorations to break them in. She had packed a pair of flats for the reception and for the rehearsal dinner tonight—a smart idea in my book.
“All right. We should grab some lunch and then head out to the church,” I said, looking at the time on my phone. “Stacey texted me ten minutes ago, and that was the rest of the group’s plan.”
“I’m good with that. Want to grab something here or hit a drive-through?”
“Let’s hit a drive-through on our way back to Eagle Falls,” I said. “The rest of them are going to a sit-down place close to where we’ll be having the ceremony, but we’ve got a longer drive.”
“Fair enough.”
With that, we hurried out to Emma’s car. It didn’t take us long to get on the road. We stopped for burgers on the way and ended up arriving at the church at the same time as everyone else. Emma had the balloons in her car for the balloon arch and the garland that would be on the head table, while Stacey’s car had all the linens and the large backdrop that would be set up behind the main table. Flowers were to be delivered for use by the bridal party in the sanctuary and the reception area.
“Hi, Stacey!”
I waved at her.
We all headed inside and got to work. With Stacey, Jason, and me on balloon duty, we had the arch built in about an hour. The garland took half that time, so we were able to spend an hour and a half working with the rest of the party to put together the tables and make sure everything was just right. The flowers were delivered, and we were able to decorate the sanctuary with flowers – around the door through which the bride would enter, the pew ends, and around the altar. Most of the rest of the flowers went into a refrigerator just outside the kitchen area to keep for tomorrow.
All this time, I found my mind wandering off, thinking about Mav. On occasion, our eyes would catch, and we’d exchange a smile.
Suddenly, Caleb and Stacey asked for our attention, drawing me out of my daydreams.
“Before we do the rehearsal and then head to my parents’ home to have the rehearsal dinner,” Caleb said, “Stacey and I wanted to take a moment and thank all of you for the work you’ve put into this wedding. I hope that you will all find a chance to use these gift cards after the wedding.”
Stacey then handed everyone a fifty-dollar gift card. It wasn’t to any specific store but was one of those prepaid cards that could be refilled if needed. I smiled a little at her.
“This is so thoughtful,” I said as she handed me mine. “Thank you.”
We all headed back to our respective houses to clean up for the rehearsal. Mav and I didn’t really talk to each other. I think we were both trying to understand what had happened last night. Or maybe, he didn’t think anything of it. I could be making a big deal out of nothing. That would be typical of me.
I felt a bit awkward at the rehearsal as Mav and I walked back up the aisle together, but I also felt warm inside.
Once the rehearsal was finished, Caleb asked, “Now, let’s go have some barbecue, shall we?” Loud voices of agreement shouted back to him.
We piled into the cars. The drive from the church to Caleb’s parents' home didn’t take long. My parents had been hanging out with Caleb’s parents all week long, and all four of them had been working today to make sure that everything was prepared for the barbecue tonight.
When we arrived at the house, I was surprised to find that it was a large home just outside the city limits of Eagle Falls. There was a large fire pit outside, with a grill to one side of the lawn. They had a large outdoor table with a mosquito net around it, and I wondered if mosquitos were that much of an issue in Idaho. It had been so long since I had lived here that I had forgotten. They could be a big problem in Texas, though.
I knew that.
As everyone started to mingle, I found Maverick had pulled himself off to the side to help with the cooking. I walked over to him. Part of me was unsure what to say to him and part of me wanted to know if he was always so industrious. I decided I just needed to forget about last night. It was just a dance for heaven’s sake. Don’t make a big deal out of it.
“Hey, Mav, got a moment?”
“Always, Maria,” he said as he turned towards me. “What’s up?”
“About last night, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable dragging you onto the dance floor,” I said.
He held his hand up to stop me from saying anything more.
“You don’t need to apologize,” he said. “I had a fantastic time. In fact, it might be me who needs to say sorry. You did so much to help plan for the wedding, and I’ve been reluctant to participate in the more exciting parts of the week. Thank you for helping me dive in. Though, I have a feeling that there was more that you wanted to ask me about?”
“Are you always so diligent and steady, or is it just because we’ve had a lot to plan for to make this wedding a success?” I asked.
He laughed a little.
“I think it’s a bit of both,” he replied honestly. “When you work in the tourism industry, you can’t afford to be caught off-guard or waiting around.”
With that, he turned back to the grill and started helping light it up. It appeared there was nothing special about last night for him, so I guess I just misunderstood what I had thought was happening. The remark about the tourism industry, though, stuck with me, but I didn’t have time to follow up before Stacey came over to get me. All the bridesmaids were going to play with some soaked sponges while they waited, and Stacey wanted to know if I wanted to join them.
We had been advised to bring our swimsuits, and I now understood why. We all went inside, changed, and started throwing wet sponges at each other in a mock water balloon fight as we waited for dinner. The groomsmen, Caleb, and even industrious Maverick got in on it, too!