The Winters(43)

He tensed up. “That’s a nice idea. But she’s got school until June. That’s part of our homeschooling agreement.”

“Then we’ll wait,” I said. “It’ll give me time to think of a great place. We don’t have to rush off, do we?”

“We don’t, no,” he said, removing his cuff links and placing them in a dish in front of me. “But campaigning begins in the summer.”

“Right. Of course.”

He looked at me with concern. “Look, I love how much of an effort you’re making with her. I do. But I wonder if you should ease up a bit.”

“Well, I am going to give her a wedding gift.”

He weighed his next words carefully.

“Listen to me. Dani can be very hot and cold. I just don’t want to see you get disappointed if she suddenly pulls away. You’re going shopping with her. That’s great. Taking her on a honeymoon—maybe. But it’s your wedding day. You’re the bride. You’re the one who receives gifts. Not Dani. She is quite literally a girl who has everything.”

“I just want everyone to be as happy as me,” I said. “Especially Dani.”

He sighed and put his arms around me, kissed my neck. When I reached up to caress his thick hair, he took my hand to examine it.

“You keep taking off your ring. Do you hate it that much?”

“Oh no, I love it. But I’m still working on the boat,” I said, getting a good look at my fingers. My nails were a wreck. The wrinkles in my knuckles were stained brown from the varnish. I pried my hand away. “I have one more coat to go.”

Far from being deterred by his warning, I was excited about my gift to Dani. I planned to name the Aquarama Dani’s Luck, a play on Daneluk, her ancestral name. I had already ordered the stencil online; it would take me two days to paint on the letters. Then I’d drape the boat until the big day. If we were closer by then, I would unveil it after the ceremony. I’d ask Max to bring her down to the boathouse, where I’d be waiting. He’d cover her eyes with his hands. Dani would be impatient, as always. “For God’s sake, what is going on?” Then they would come in and he’d remove his hands. Dani would slowly take in the gleaming boat that I’d sweated over, varnished, and now named after her. Her eyes would go from me to the boat and back again. “For me?” she’d say, smiling, while Max’s eyes brimmed with tears. How did I get so fucking lucky?

“Where did you go just now?”

I shook off the daydream.

“Do we have enough?” he asked.

I looked at him dumbly. I had missed the first part of the question.

“Enough tables and chairs. Or should we rent more?”

“I’m sorry, Max. For the reception. Yes, rent, definitely.”

He still looked concerned. “All right, then. I’ll get Gus to call around. Forty people. Maybe eight round tables. Some for food, the cake.”

“That’s a lot.”

“Rebekah fit twenty tables in the great hall for our wedding with room to spare.”

Of course she did. The room probably magically expanded to accommodate her needs—straight out of a Disney movie. The coffee poured itself. Plates floated so guests wouldn’t have to carry them and a drink.

I knew it was stupid of me to ask, but I did it anyway. “Max, I have an interesting idea for our reception.”

He closed his eyes and threw his head back. He already knew what I was going to ask.

“Before you say no, I want you to think about it.” Like a trial lawyer, I had prepped responses to his arguments. “You said yourself that the great hall might be too big for such a small event.”

“Well, then, the dining room.”

“There’s no access to outdoors for smokers, and the powder rooms are too far.”

“Why not a tent?”

“It’ll still be early spring. The weather will be unpredictable. What if it’s a chilly, rainy day?”

“What about the barn? The horses are moving soon.”

“It smells. Plus there’s only one bathroom and it’s too far. The guests will have to walk over muck if it rains.”

“The boathouse, then.” He moved over to the bed, opened a book and pretended to read, indicating the discussion was over.

“The boathouse is too small, Max. And it’ll take weeks to air out the varnish.”

He slapped the book shut. “The greenhouse is not safe.”

“We have time to do repairs. Gus can help.”

“It’s filthy.”

“I know how to wash windows.”

“Look. I love you. I want to give you everything you want, so I hate saying no to you. But that’s my final answer. The greenhouse is closed and it’s staying that way.”





SEVENTEEN


Louisa was on her second martini when I told her about Dani’s offer to come dress shopping with me. We were sealing the last of the invitations while enjoying an early dinner in town.

“Told you she’s full of surprises,” she said. That’s when I realized, with some disappointment, that she’d put Dani up to it.

“How much did you pay her?” I asked.

She smiled, patting my hand. “Look, all that matters is Dani’s going with you. It’ll be a great opportunity to get to know each other. To finally bond.”