Epilogue
E pilogue - Jace
Jace stepped into the office he now shared with Margo. She stood in front of her desk with stacks of goodies she'd ordered for the Sandbar.
She turned when he entered, and her smile was huge. "Look, the tablecloths have come in."
The bright blues, yellows, and greens were beautiful. She turned to the next box, sliced it open with her box cutter, pulled the colorful plastic margarita glasses from the individual compartments, and set them out on the table. The colorful stems of the glasses were a variety of parrots, surfboards, and flip-flops. They matched her tablecloths.
"Look at these. Aren't they fabulous?"
He chuckled. "They are indeed."
"This is going to be the event of the year."
"I have no doubt. You do an amazing job with all of our events."
She turned and smiled. "Thank you. I'm so happy with how they look together. I also have napkins to match, and for the Sandbar Punch, I bought these cute little mason jars with handles on them." She held them up for effect.
Jace looked into her eyes and chuckled. "Those are wonderful."
He kissed her lips. "Now it seems you have everything set for the grand opening, but what about our wedding?"
She set the mason jar glass on the table and turned to look at him. "What do you want for the wedding? If we have it here, we'll essentially be working. And so will the staff. We wanted everyone to have a great time and not have to work."
He grinned and leaned his butt against his desk on the other side of the room. "I'm glad you asked. I found a company that will come in and work the restaurant for the night. They bring waitstaff, cooks, bartenders, all of it. Since we won't be collecting cash, there's no money to worry about. All we have to do is work with them the day before for a couple of hours and show them where everything is. We can have Marco work with the kitchen staff. Mason can work with the bartenders. Theresa can work with the waitstaff. Then everyone can be here and enjoy themselves."
"Really?" She leaned her butt against her desk and stared at her handsome future husband. "You've really been working on this."
"I have. Because I want you to be my wife. We've been engaged for five months now. I don't want to wait anymore. You've already moved in with me, sold your house to Carley, and you've sold your real estate business to her as well. You've joined me here at the restaurant and business has never been better. Now it's time to focus on us."
She grinned and sauntered across the office toward him. He reached out when she was close enough, grabbed her by the waist, and pulled her to him. Her arms quickly wrapped around his shoulders. He kissed her lips. Softly at first, but their kiss deepened. When they pulled apart for air, he smiled and stared into her eyes.
"Set the date, Margo."
She smiled. "Next week, Saturday?"
He chuckled. "That's only eight days away."
"You said you wanted me to set the date."
"I absolutely do. But I also thought we had a birthday party scheduled here."
Her fingers slid into his hair and rotated slowly. He loved the way she massaged his head like this. She tilted her head slightly. "They canceled. Something to do with a family argument or something."
"When did this happen?"
"A few days ago."
"You didn't mention it."
Her lips turned up into a sweet smile. "Because I was doing some planning of my own. I wanted to make sure things could happen for us. Hanna can make a cake. I didn't tell her it was for us. She thinks it's for a party here. My sisters are available to be here. And I was sly when I asked Grace and Hanna if they had any plans for next weekend so they would be here. Also, I managed to find a dress yesterday, so we're actually all set now."
"You did all this planning without telling me?"
She laughed, and he couldn't look away from her. She was radiant. "You've been asking me to set a date for a while. And, with the expansion, my move, and training Carley in the real estate company, there's been no time for us. I thought you'd be happy if I took all the steps I needed, to make sure the date would work."
He kissed her again, then wrapped his arms tighter around her and moved them away from the desk. He swayed with her, dancing slowly, and he enjoyed the feel of her body so close to his. Her fingers still massaged his head, her body touched his in the most delicious places, and he was an incredibly happy man.
"I'll see if I can get them on short notice," he whispered.
She giggled. "That was the last piece of the puzzle."
He twirled them around a couple more times, then stopped dancing and kissed her again. They stood still, holding each other for a few moments, each of them grounded the other. They'd marveled about that recently. Their lives naturally joined together in all things. Business and personal. It all came together.
He bent and rested his forehead against hers for a moment, then stood back. "Thank you for that reprieve. Now, are we all ready for the Grand Opening tomorrow night?"
"Yes, this was the last of the supplies. I wish it would have come sooner, but at least they're here now. I'll take the glasses to the kitchen and get them washed."
"Perfect. Jami Hart called, and they're home now and will be here to set up around noon tomorrow."
"That's great. I'm glad they made it home. They've been on tour for a while."
"Yeah, they're really hitting it big."
"I'm going to place a call and see if that company can fit us in next Saturday. Do you want to get married in the afternoon or evening?"
"The evening. Wasn't it beautiful when Quinn and Hanna married in the evening?"
"It was beautiful. Yes."
"Are you okay with that?"
He chuckled. "Yes. I'm fine with that."
She smiled and nodded her head. "I'll make some calls too and let everyone know we're getting married next week."
He swatted her butt, then turned to pick up the notebook he'd written the company name and phone number down in. They'd be his first call.
She winked at him as she carried the boxes of glasses to the kitchen. He was getting married next week, and he couldn't wait.
M argo put the final tablecloth on a table and glanced around at the colorful display. She loved standing up here on the upper deck. The view was impressive. They'd have to get some wedding pictures from up here next week.
She'd found cute little pineapple centerpieces for each table, and looking over them all now, they were perfect. From the upper deck, she could see the newly built floating deck downstairs, which eliminated the raking of the sand and chairs sticking in the sand at the tables. Everything was much cleaner, and their business had grown so much with the expansion. They were fortunate.
Heading downstairs, she checked on the tables down there, then checked the new menus that had arrived yesterday to make sure they were nestled in the hostess stand.
The grand opening was to begin in a half hour. She was nervous but also excited because it was a coming out of sorts. Many folks in town still didn't know she'd sold the real estate company to Carley. It had been Price Realty, but today was the first day that Carley changed the name on it to Florida Realty. She had done a fantastic job learning the business. She'd gotten her license and taken over the office quickly, and all of it seemed natural to all of them when Margo decided if she was going to start a new life, she needed to get rid of her old life. Her house, her business - all of it. It had begun to feel like a weight around her neck. When she began helping Jace on the weekends at the Sandbar, she found she enjoyed it so much. She loved working with him. And she was good at it.
Jace strutted across the floor of the restaurant, a sexy grin on his face. "Are you all set?"
"I am. Are you?"
"I am." His grin widened. "Come in the kitchen and eat something with me."
She lay a hand over her belly. "Oh, I'm not..."
"Come and eat something with me." He pulled her by the hand to the kitchen. She clung to his hand tightly, and as they entered the kitchen together, she noticed their staff standing there looking at them.
Marcus counted, "One. Two. Three."
They all yelled, "Surprise!"
There was a cake in the center of the stainless-steel table that said Grand Opening and Welcome .
She couldn't think of anything to say. She smiled and looked at Jace. "I don't understand."
Jace looked at Theresa, who took a step forward. "We wanted to formally welcome you to the Sandbar. You've joined us and immediately began working, and we haven't had the opportunity to formally tell you how happy we are you're here." She shrugged. "Oh, and it's our grand opening, and we're all pretty excited about that too.”
Margo laughed and hugged Theresa. "Thank you so much." She looked at the others. "Thank you all so much. You've made this transition wonderful."
They clapped, and Marcus cleared his throat. "Can we eat the cake now?"
Jace laughed. "Yes. Eat the cake. Save us a piece."
Marcus laughed. "You two should take the first pieces."
He cut the cake and plated them each a piece. They all dug into their cake and laughed and chatted. Jace whistled to quiet everyone down, then said. "We have an announcement for you all."
They stopped talking and stared at them. Jace looked into her eyes, a beautiful grin on his face. "We're getting married next Saturday, right here. You are all invited and won't have to work."
There was a smattering of claps and some questions, and Jace patiently explained how it would all work. As he finished, the doorbell rang, and Margo nodded. "That's me. We're up."
She strode out to the restaurant and found a younger couple at the hostess stand waiting. "Welcome to Sarge's Sandbar. Would you like to eat inside or outside?"
The young man said, "Actually, can we eat upstairs?"
Margo smiled. "You sure can. Follow me."
Their evening passed in a whirl. They were a full house most of the night. The music was fantastic, and the energy was high. Some of that may have been from the cake, but the staff was happy and so proud of the restaurant and bar area.
Her sisters, Carley, Holly, and Josseline, had come to celebrate with them. Holly and Josseline were staying at Carley's this week and would be here to help her get ready for their wedding.
A couple of times during the night, she thought she saw Mason staring at Carley, but when he saw her watching him, he busied himself. She'd have to ask Jace about it later.
O ne week later...
Margo was in her wedding dress. It was a tea-length silver gown. She didn't want to wear white. And as she shopped, she saw this one in the store window and fell instantly in love with it. She had her hair piled high, a few dark tendrils trailed down, and white roses were tucked in here and there. As she looked in the mirror now, she was completely and totally happy with how she looked.
Jace was getting ready at Sid's place, and they'd be down here in about a half hour.
Her sisters were getting ready in the various guest bedrooms here in the governor's mansion. She still couldn't believe she lived here. She stepped out of her bedroom and started down the stairs when Carley stepped from her room. "Hey."
Margo stopped and looked at her sister. "You look absolutely beautiful, Margo."
She smiled. "Thank you, Carley. You look beautiful, too."
Her sisters were wearing different color tea length dresses. Carley wore a soft pink color, Holly wore a light blue, and Josseline, the only sister with light brown hair, wore a light green. They all wore matching shoes. She'd purchased each of them a single diamond necklace with a gold chain. They were simple, elegant, and perfect. She'd used the money she'd earned from selling off the necklace Logan had stolen and given to Sierra. It was the perfect use for the money, and her sisters were overwhelmed and happy with the gifts.
She stood at the top of the steps with Carley as her sisters stepped from their guest rooms one by one. They stood together, holding hands in a circle. Margo glanced at her gorgeous sisters and smiled. "Thank you all for being here with Jace and me today. It is, without a doubt, the happiest day of my life."
Josseline sniffed and Carley said, "Nope. No tears. Let's go get a new brother-in-law."
The women walked the path from the Governor's Mansion to the Sandbar. A few cars were already in the lot, waiting for the wedding to start. They entered from the back and slipped into the office. A knock on the door had Carley telling her to hide behind the door in case it was Jace.
Margo laughed but did as her sister asked. It was the photographer asking to take some pictures.
They dutifully obliged, and then Grace found them on the upper deck. "It's time to get married, Margo. Jace is pacing downstairs."
Margo smiled. "I'm ready. So very ready."
She stood inside the restaurant as her sisters each walked up the aisle. Jami Hart sang a soft, pretty rendition of “Faithfully” to serenade them. It was beautiful.
She stepped from the restaurant and to the end of the aisle, and Jami started singing “Heavenly” by Bryan Adams, one of her favorites. She walked down the aisle toward Jace, who had to swipe a couple of tears from his cheeks. It was hard for her not to cry when he was emotional. But she made it.
As they stood face to face, she smiled at her handsome, almost-husband, "You're crying. This is supposed to be a happy day."
He chuckled. "I've never been happier. Never."
The pastor cleared his throat lightly, and they turned to face him. He prayed with them, and he spoke of love and fidelity and marriage as a partnership. He mentioned communication and understanding. And, finally, since he knew them well, he told them to make sure they danced every day. They both agreed. Their vows were said. Rings exchanged. And finally, the kiss.
Jace held her head between his hands and stared into her eyes for a long time. She loved looking into his eyes. It was her new favorite color of brown. He whispered. "I love you, Margo Marriott."
She smiled at him. "I love you, Jace Marriott."
Finally, he kissed her. And it was beautiful. She remembered their friends and employees clapping and cheering for them. But all she had her mind focused on was Jace.
The pastor then said, "Ladies and gentlemen. I'm proud to introduce you to Mr. & Mrs. Jace and Margo Marriott."