Magical Weddings (117 page)

“Do you have to get that?”

Lindy lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “I’ve been expecting a call or text from my boss.” She fished the phone from the pocket of her khakis and opened it to find a disturbing message:
Can you fill in the rest of the week? I have some important things in need of my attention
. Snapping the phone closed, she tried not to scowl. Cerise failed to address the issue of the electric bill.

Gunther smirked. “You have a flip-phone?”

“Doesn’t everyone?” she jested. “I don’t always go with the flow.”

“I’ve noticed.” Gunther was studying her hard. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

Libby indulged in another sip of wine. “I was born in the eighties but I love things from the seventies. The style. The music. I have a house filled with harvest gold and olive green.”

“Your car cracks me up.” Amusement danced in Gunther’s eyes
and
his voice. “That year and model is rarely seen these days, yet yours is in great shape.”

“You know the sales pitch ‘it belonged to a little old lady who only drove it to church on Sundays’?” Lindy slanted him a coy smile. “In my case, it’s true; with one minor tweak–it was driven by a little old couple. I inherited it from my grandparents. Since it belonged to them I baby it.” She laughed. “Not that I’d be racing up and down the street if I had a newer car.”

“You’re quite the woman, Lindy McPherson.”

“I told you, I’m a nerd.”

“No you’re not. You have a rare zest for life I haven’t seen in a while.”

“I
am
a nerd, Gun’. I like thousand-leggers and spiders.” She glanced over her shoulder. “There’s a huge silky spider web with an equally huge spider at the corner of the garage. Most people would’ve freaked out and gotten rid of them. I wouldn’t dream of it. Even when I find them in the house I catch and release. Did you know if spiders disappeared we’d face famine? They take care of pests that would destroy our food supply.” Hmm. Gunther’s eyes weren’t even pre-glazed. “Did I mention I have a lava lamp?”

Gunther put a hand to his chin and probed her with an intense look. “I didn’t know the bit about spiders. I’ll try not to squish them.” Still with more seriousness than mirth, he added, “Realistically, they give me the heebie-jeebies. I’ll probably take them out. And I’m not referring to outside.”

“At least you’re not sucking up by saying you like them when you don’t.”

Gunther moved his head back and forth, not leaving her eyes for a second. “You’re unlike anyone I’ve…”

Lindy jumped in. “…ever been engaged to?”

“Exactly. Speaking of which,” he reached for her hand, “we really do need to pick out a ring. Can you meet me after work tomorrow to get it done? Wednesday is your day off, right?”

Lindy held her glass out for more wine. “You know I don’t work on Wednesdays?”

“I know a few things about you.” He refilled her glass. “You do your laundry every Thursday and mow your grass on Friday. You do the crossword puzzle in the newspaper every day. Your favorite fruit is strawberries and you’re a weirdo for liking brussel sprouts.”

Lindy was blown away. “I grow strawberries and brussel sprouts. If your dog didn’t
inspect
my garden occasionally you wouldn’t know what was there. By the way, I have an awesome recipe for brussel sprouts that involves soy sauce.” She put her teeth together in a toothy smile. “I digress. You’ve seen me pushing the lawn mower every Friday after work. How are you privy to when I do laundry? And how could you possibly know I work the crossword puzzle every day?”

“You always fold your newspapers with the puzzle showing. When you put your recyclables out at the curb on Tuesdays, I see them. On Thursdays, I smell dryer sheets coming from your place.”

Lindy playfully narrowed her eyes. “When do the Heringhouses mow? When do the Smiths do their laundry?”

A flirty grin flashed across Gunther’s handsome face. “I have no idea.”

“Soooo, you pay attention to me because I’m your closest neighbor.”

“That’s probably why.” Gunther topped off his glass with more wine. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“It’s your turn.”

“Not quite yet. Come on,
fiancée
, spill it.”

“Hmm. More about me.” Lindy tapped her glass. “I hope to one day own a pet store. In the meantime, I’m learning the ropes by working at Cerise’s Pet Supplies and Spa. I’m not sure for how much longer though. Cerise seems to be avoiding the store and other things. In the text I just received she asked if I’d work for her the rest of the week because she has some things to take care of. I’m getting a weird feeling.” She fidgeted in the chair. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“It’s okay to confide in me, Lindy. I promise to keep what you say between us.” Gunther motioned for her to keep going.

“There’s not much else to tell.” She sat her wine glass down. “Sometimes I’m a real girlie-girl. I watch chick flicks and read romance novels. But I’m also a tomboy who likes to build things.”

“You did a great job with the fire pit.”

“Thanks.” Lindy acted like it was no big deal. “I watch how-to videos on YouTube.”

“You’re a remarkable woman…who managed to sidestep my question. “Do you want to meet me tomorrow after work to pick out a ring?”

“Wednesday evenings we’re open late. Five to nine is reserved for grooming. Since Cerise has jumped ship, I’ll be the one ankle-deep in dog hair and elbow-deep in suds.”

“Thursday then. If I can pull you away from dirty laundry.”

“Maybe.” Lindy added a log to the fire. “Your turn. Tell me about the guy who has an Airedale but plainly knows very little about dogs.”

“It shows, huh?”

“It doesn’t take an Einstein to know you’re not comfy with Bankston.”

“He’s not comfortable with me either.”

“Airedales are normally devoted companions. This may sound funny but their breed expects to be an equal partner in their master’s life. They’re smart but they have a mind of their own. If they don’t want to do something, chances are they won’t.”

“How can they be a devoted companion but not listen?”

Lindy had just enough wine she was starting to feel relaxed. “They’re a lot like wives. Equal partners. Smart. Have a mind of their own. Don’t want to be told what to do. Not always obedient.” She put a hand to her mouth and laughed behind it.

“Like a wife,” Gunther said like he was testing out the theory. He squinted and nudged Lindy with his forearm.

“Yesiree. Bankston is priming you for Mrs. Justin.”

“He’s a pain in my…”

“You’re dodging your part of the tell-all by putting the focus on your
adorable
companion.”

“You’re a hoot.” Gunther drained his wine glass. “Okay, here goes–boring stuff about me. I prefer beer over wine. I sing in the shower. I’m told I snore but I’ve never heard myself. I have partial hearing loss in my left ear from a bad ear infection I had as a kid. The only time it’s a problem is when there’s a lot of background noise. My mom blames it on years of listening to heavy metal music. I played saxophone in high school. I was the guy who got smashed into lockers by the jocks. I have two brothers–Ron and Terry. They’re not as nice as me.” He put his pearly whites together for a second. “I got straight A’s in every class except sex education. It was a pass-fail class. I failed on purpose. I didn’t want anyone to think I knew all about the body.” His eyes dropped to Lindy’s chest

Lindy noted how Gunther’s face tightened when he mentioned getting shoved into the lockers. She guessed it was an old wound that hadn’t fully healed. She also realized his smooth transition from something painful to something funny. In that respect they were alike. She had a tendency to mask discomfort with humor too. “You flunked sex ed?”

Gunther raised both eyebrows and kept them in the up-position. “Only on paper.”

“You don’t say?” Lindy stood. “I think we have enough to bluff our way through this engagement.

“We’ve only skimmed the surface.”

“True. But it’s getting late and I have to work in the morning.”

“It’s nine o’clock. The sun hasn’t even set.” Gunther closed the small gap between them. “Do I make you nervous, Lindy?”

“Oh yeah,” she confessed.

“You tell the truth without any forethought.”

“I better learn to fib then, or at least get a poker face if we’re going to pull this off.”

“I don’t want you to fib. Hopefully no one will question whether our engagement is legit.” Without warning, Gunther brushed her lips with a kiss and then backed up as if gauging her reaction.

Tremors of delight coursed through Lindy. “Practice? To make us seem believable?”

“Nope. I’ve wanted to kiss you from the moment you dropped the burger on the patio.”

“You find dropping food attractive?”

“I can add quick-witted to your list of attributes.” Gunther moved a lock of hair from her face and she thought he was going to move in for a deeper kiss. “Goodnight, fiancée.” He turned to leave. “Thanks. For everything.”

No deeper kiss. She was only slightly disappointed. “Happy to help. Oh, and thanks for performing the Heimlich maneuver.”

Gunther smiled so big it engulfed his face. “I saved you. You’ve agreed to save me. What could be better?” He took a few steps away, grinned over his shoulder and came back. “Could I have your cell phone number?”

Lindy rattled it off and laughed when he walked away repeating the number. She was sure he’d forget it before he got home.

As soon as Gunther was out of sight she put a hand on her rapidly beating heart to keep it from thumping its way out of her chest. This wasn’t how she imagined her evening going. Or her day, for that matter. She started the morning with Gunther and ended it with him. She also started it with frumpy bed-hair and technically still had it. Gunther didn’t seem to mind but those close to the dashing banker would know he’d never settle for frumpy. She chewed on her thumbnail again. It was time to make a few changes.

****

Gunther popped the tab on a can of beer. “Of all the things you could say about yourself you told her you flunked sex ed. What the hell?” He took a few swallows of beer and clunked the can on the counter. “Why are you complicating things by trying to entice her?”

A knock at the back door produced an instant smile.

He turned, expecting to find Lindy. Spotting Anastasia peering through the glass instead, he frowned. When she’d split a month ago she’d left her key on the table. Now she couldn’t barge in without knocking.

Opening the door, he filled the doorway to prevent her from entering. “Did you come back for the dog?”

“Good one, Gunth’.” Anastasia beamed with happiness as though nothing happened. She tried to work her way past him.

Gunther placed a hand on the door jamb.

She tried to duck beneath it. “I’ve decided to come back.”

“Because?”

“Because I’ve missed you.”

“No, really, why?”

Anastasia tilted her head down in annoyance. “I said I missed you.”

“That explains all the phone calls and texts.”

“There’s no need to be sarcastic.” She placed a hand on his chest and poured on the sugar. “As I’ve said before, I needed to figure out how I felt.”

He narrowed his eyes. “And how do you feel?”

Anastasia cupped his face. “I’m into you and I’m ready to take things to the next level.”

Gunther opened his squinted eyes wide. “It doesn’t work that way.”

The sweetness was gone. “Why not?”

“Because I’ve moved on.”

Anastasia yanked her hands away. “You’re messing with me.”

“I’m not.”

She looked at him like he was daft. “I’ve been gone less than thirty days.”

Gunther had one of those all-powerful no-turning-back defining moments. He didn’t want Anastasia in his life. Without hedging, he put it out there. “We’re done. We were finished a month ago.”

“You’re going to toss away a good thing?”

The question produced a vision of Lindy and a slow smile crimped the corners of his mouth. “No. I’m going to keep her.”

Anastasia threw herself against him. “I knew you’d soften.”

Gunther moved away. “I have feelings for someone else.”

The blonde hothead’s syrupy attitude vanished in a nano-second. She looked as if she wanted to puncture him with an ice pick. “Just peachy,” she spat. “I’ve finally decided you’re the one and you’ve decided you’re not. Who’d you replace me with?”

“No one you know.”

“What does she have that I don’t?”

“Me.”

Anastasia spun angrily on her heel. “This isn’t over. Not by a long shot, Gunth’. I’ll find out who your mystery woman is and fill her in on the chump who wouldn’t know a good thing if it smacked him in the face.”

Gunther backed up in case smacking him wasn’t a figure of speech.

Anastasia stormed to the door, ceremoniously yanked it open and ceremoniously slammed it shut on her way out while firing off some words strong enough to make a longshoreman recoil.

“That went well.” Grabbing his beer he downed the last of it in one swallow. He was tempted to go next door to warn Lindy to be on the lookout for a blue-eyed blonde stirring up trouble. Instead, he added Lindy’s phone number to his contact list and sent a text:
Brace yourself. Word is out I have someone new in my life.

His cell phone dinged with a reply:
Then
I guess we’re good to go.
Gunther chuckled. Why couldn’t all women be easy like Lindy?

Freshly showered, Lindy stretched her eyelids and popped in the second contact lens. She danced around the bathroom to Andy Kim’s,
Rock Me Gently
. When the song was finished, she hit replay to listen again. She studied her reflection in the mirror and opened the drawer containing eye shadow, foundation, lip gloss, an eyelash curler and mascara. Not a huge fan of makeup she closed the drawer, only to open it again and grab the tawny colored eye shadow.

Lindy cranked up the music and sang along.

Examining the smoky eye color with approval, she lengthened her lashes with mascara. She turned her nose up at the bottle of foundation but dabbed on a small amount and gently blended it in. A little blusher to highlight her cheekbones and a swipe of cherry lip gloss finished the look. “Not bad.” Lowering the tube of gloss, she paused to look at her left hand. For a short time she’d be sporting an engagement ring. It would be emotionally difficult to slide it on but perhaps harder to slide it off when the deal was done.