“Jen, are you still there?” he asked quietly.
“I’m still here,” she said with a forced, bright note. “So I guess it’s a real honor to be invited to this dinner. You must be proud.”
“I am, I guess. I just hope I don’t freeze up when the conversation gets rolling and all the other guys start preening.”
“You’ll do fine, Kyle. You’ll probably stand out because you don’t preen. Besides, all you can do is be yourself.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” he said with a laugh.
“You know what I mean. You work so hard and you’re always well prepared. I think all you have to do is be you, and they’ll see how smart and amazing you are.”
“It’s good to have you in my corner, Jen,” he said, his voice sincere now. “If their opinion of me is even half of what yours is, I’ll be fine. You’re the best.”
She could tell her encouragement had helped him. That was the important thing, she reminded herself.
“So I guess you won’t be back tomorrow. I’ll call Reverend Ben and change our appointment to next weekend. They won’t keep you there over Memorial Day, will they?”
“Reverend Ben . . . Oh, Jen, I’m sorry. I completely forgot.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll explain the situation to him. He’ll understand.”
“Thanks, Jen. I’ll try to call him during the week, too,” Kyle said. “And I’m glad you understand. You know I want to be with you this weekend, but this is something I’m doing for our future. It could be very important for us.”
“I know. Really, I understand,” she assured him.
Do you really think you can get this job?
she nearly blurted out. But Jennifer held her tongue. He had already told her that it was unlikely. Highly unlikely. She didn’t want to sound negative and critical. It would seem as if she didn’t believe in him and wasn’t on his side.
“Don’t worry, honey. I have plenty to do. I won’t even miss you,” she added in a teasing tone.
“You won’t? I’ll miss you,” he said with longing. “I’ll call you tonight if I don’t get in too late.”
“You can call late, that’s okay. I want to hear how it goes.”
They talked a few more minutes before Kyle had to go. He had to be at his desk by the usual time, even though it was Saturday. He was working so hard, but he seemed to thrive on it.
Was this what she had to look forward to once they were married—Kyle being swept up and preoccupied with his job all the time, and asking her to understand?
She quickly put the thought out of her mind. Everyone was tense before a wedding. Maybe this new interview situation was just Kyle’s way of distracting himself from his own anxiety. She knew he had no doubts about walking down the aisle, but he had to be a little nervous. That was only normal.
She decided to let him talk about this possible promotion as much as he wanted. She wouldn’t worry about it. If he ever got the offer—and there was such a small chance of that happening—Jennifer was sure Kyle would still want the same things she did. He would never want to leave Boston and their hometown behind. Not when he really thought about it.
ABOUT half of the cyclists left on Sunday afternoon; the other half checked out on Monday morning. Liza and Claire began working on the rooms to get the inn in shape for the next wave of guests who were coming for Memorial Day weekend.
While Liza was grateful for the sudden spurt of occupancy, it was still a demanding schedule and left little time to keep up with the Bennet wedding. Though Sylvia had been discouraged from stopping by on Saturday, she still managed to call and e-mail every day, and usually more than once. Would the tent hold another two tables? Could Liza enter all of the wedding info on a website for out-of-town guests? Could Liza find napkin rings that coordinated with the silverware? Could she get a crystal vase for the flowers on the altar? (Cut glass was fine but Sylvia was not a fan of pressed glass.)
Some of these requests were so trivial that Liza wondered if Sylvia was really just trying to share her own anxiety. She knew that Sylvia was having trouble finding a mother-of-the bride dress. Which was in a way a blessing for Liza, since it kept the mother of the bride out shopping and not underfoot at the inn.
Liza only had a few more reservations scattered in the book for the weeks prior to the wedding. After Memorial Day she planned to focus totally on the wedding—unless some other huge group called at the last minute.
Meanwhile, Daniel was steadily working his way through Sylvia’s list. Due to the other jobs he had going, he wasn’t able to stop by every day, but Liza always managed to spend a few minutes with him when he did show up at the inn.
Sometimes they had coffee or lunch together in the backyard. Some days, there wasn’t even time enough for that. The brief moments in his company always left her feeling happy and hopeful. But their time together also left her longing for more.
Daniel didn’t reschedule their date to go out dancing, and Liza wasn’t sure what to make of that. Had he changed his mind or simply forgotten? Liza decided that once Memorial Day weekend was over, she would figure out some diplomatic way to remind him. A night out with Daniel would be the perfect way to celebrate the inn’s sudden spurt of popularity.
Chapter Ten
T
HERE weren’t that many people in church on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, Jennifer noticed. She guessed that many families were away for the holiday. She still enjoyed the service, especially with Kyle sitting beside her. He had returned on Friday night, just as he’d promised, and would be in Cape Light until Monday afternoon when he was going back to New York. The sanctuary was dark and cool while outside the morning was bright with sunshine. Jennifer had grown up attending this church and had always found it a peaceful, restful place. She enjoyed Reverend Ben’s sermons, which managed to mix insights about the Scripture with lessons from everyday life and even a bit of humor.
Kyle looked as if he was listening closely to the sermon, but Jen could tell he was a bit tense and tired. He needed a break from work. She hoped this long weekend would feel like a mini-vacation, with time to play golf and tennis, to visit the beach and go out on his parents’ sailboat. They had a short meeting with Reverend Ben scheduled for after the service, then they planned to spend the day on the beach, taking a break from the wedding mania.
How could New York, with its traffic and crowds and not a green sprig in sight for miles, compare with a place like this? Cape Light felt like a resort town in the summer. There was no contest, as far as Jen was concerned.
Reverend Ben gave the final blessing, and the sanctuary quickly emptied out. Jennifer and Kyle waited in the back row while the reverend spoke to the members of the congregation as they filed out.
“What are we talking about today? I think we covered all the big topics,” Kyle said quietly.
“I think we’re up to planning the ceremony. The reading we want, the music and all that,” Jennifer said. “But maybe he still needs to check if we’re ready to get married.”
“Then this will be a very short meeting. I couldn’t be any more certain of that.” Kyle picked up her hand and wound their fingers together.
A short time later, they were sitting with Reverend Ben in his office. They sat side by side on a couch and he took a seat in an armchair.
“Jennifer, Kyle. How nice to see you both,” he greeted them. “So, the big day is getting close. You’ll be married in—what is it?—about three weeks from now?”
“Three weeks exactly,” Jen said. “June nineteenth.”
“Don’t worry, I have it marked on my calendar, I won’t forget,” the reverend promised with a smile. “You know, in all the times we’ve met, I’ve been meaning to ask you, any reason for the brief engagement?”
“It doesn’t feel brief to us, Reverend,” Kyle answered. “We’ve been dating since high school. We knew we wanted to be together forever, pretty much from the start. We were just waiting for Jennifer to finish college, or we would have gotten married even sooner.”
“I suspected that was the reason, Kyle. I just wanted to hear what you would say. I’ve known you both since you were children,” he reminded them. “And I know that you’ve been in a relationship a long time. In fact, I commend you both for getting the hoopla out of the way quickly. Not that a marriage shouldn’t be celebrated,” he quickly added. “It’s one of the most important days of your life. But I find that there’s often great thought given to the food, the music, and flowers—and not as much to the awesome task of opening your hearts to each other and truly merging your lives. What about preparing your heart and spirit for such a sacred, momentous step? Do you think that you’re prepared in that way?” he asked solemnly.
Jen felt a bit awed by the question. “I do,” she said quickly. Then had to laugh at her own answer. “I’m sorry . . . that sounds as if I’m up on the altar already, doesn’t it?”
Kyle smiled at her and squeezed her hand. “Practice makes perfect.”
“But I really do,” she insisted. “I feel as if Kyle knows me completely and loves me, no matter what. I feel as if I can tell him anything and share the deepest secrets of my soul. I trust him totally and I couldn’t imagine making a life, or having a family, with anyone else in the entire world.”
Kyle was quietly smiling at her. He looked proud and even a little overwhelmed by her speech. “I feel the same as Jennifer does. I feel totally loved by her, even though I’m not perfect,” he added with a grin. “I know she knows me and accepts me for how I am, and she sees qualities that I sometimes don’t even see myself. I know I can be honest with her. Even if we disagree. I know we’ll have disagreements, but I trust that we can figure things out. I believe that we’ll be happy together and our love for each other will only grow as the years go by. I have to marry Jennifer. I can’t imagine sharing my life with anyone else.”
Reverend Ben nodded thoughtfully. “I hope you can remember those words when it’s time to write your vows,” he said with a smile. “It sounds as if you two have a close relationship based on respect, honesty, acceptance, and trust in one another. Marriage is not easy. I know you’ve heard me say that before. I’m sorry for repeating myself, but it’s one of those truisms that you can only understand by firsthand experience. Too often young couples enter into marriage with expectations that can only disappoint them.”
“What kind of expectations?” Kyle asked.
“Expectations that they love each other so much, they’ll never disagree or argue. Expectations that the other person is perfect. Well, that’s not possible. Or that their lives will follow a certain, predetermined plan. It’s only natural to make plans. I’m sure you have plans for your future married life—where you’re going to live and work. When you might start a family,” he added. “But God might have other plans for you. In fact, I can almost guarantee it. That’s when the going can get tough,” Reverend Ben warned.
Jennifer considered Reverend Ben’s words. They did have plans, and she hoped that their plans worked out. Was it wrong to think that way?
Kyle had been talking a lot the last two days about this position in New York. Would this be her first challenge in their marriage? Was this God making His own plans for them—or was this a challenge for Kyle, to learn to put their married life above his career and personal ambitions?
“Jennifer, did you want to say something?” Reverend Ben’s voice broke into her rambling thoughts.
Jennifer felt flustered. She looked up at the minister, his kind, encouraging expression and clear blue eyes. Part of her wanted to talk about Kyle’s interviews for the job in New York, but another part of her didn’t want to. She hadn’t told Kyle she wanted them to talk to Reverend Ben about it. Maybe he would feel ambushed, and it would make things even worse.
Now Kyle was looking at her, too. “What is it, Jen? Is something the matter?”
“Um . . . no. I’m fine. I was just distracted for a moment,” she said. “I’m sorry, please go on with what you were saying, Reverend.”
“I was about to say that, just like any relationship, marriage is a journey that you take step by step, day by day. It isn’t a static, stationary place that you just arrive at on your wedding day. As if you were stepping down off a train with your family and friends on the platform to meet you. It’s more like you’re getting on the train together and leaving for an amazing journey. One that is partly uncharted,” he added.
Kyle turned to her and picked up her hand. “We’re going on a journey together, Jen. Just you and me. And we don’t know where we’ll end up, but we’ll be together.”
Jen felt Reverend Ben watching her reaction. She forced a smile but was finding the entire conversation unsettling. She had the sinking feeling that she knew what Kyle was thinking. A feeling that was confirmed by his very next sentence.
“We might end up in New York,” Kyle told the reverend. He glanced at Jen with an excited smile. But she couldn’t smile back. She knew she looked nervous and quickly looked away. “I’m up for a position in my firm’s New York office. I’ve had a lot of interviews, but I won’t know for a week or two if I’m even a finalist.”
“It’s sort of an honor to even be asked to apply,” Jen added. “But Kyle says it’s pretty unlikely he’ll get it.”
Kyle glanced at her, looking a little hurt, she thought. But that was what he’d told her, hadn’t he?
Reverend Ben glanced at Kyle, then looked back at Jennifer.
“That will be a big change. For both of you. How do you feel about moving to New York?” he asked Jennifer.
Jennifer’s heartbeat quickened. She didn’t know what to say. She wanted to tell Reverend Ben how she really felt about the idea—she didn’t like it. Not at all. She wanted to tell both of them. But she finally decided that it was best to bring this up with Kyle first. When they had some time alone.
If she brought it up in here, it might seem as if she was blowing everything out of proportion. Kyle would say, “Why didn’t you just tell me?”