Love, Chocolate, and Beer (Cactus Creek #1)(67)

Reading that again made him smile.

The next photo to go up was of a third grade girl giving a boy at the playground a sweetly wrapped homemade chocolate. Luke and the two kids’ mothers had thought it just about the cutest thing they’d ever seen. The boy had torn open the chocolate right away, pausing a brief second before inhaling the treat to thank the girl and see if she wanted to ride bikes together the next day. When the little girl’s mom asked her why she’d given that particular boy a valentine when they always seemed to fight in the park, the girl replied like it was so obvious: “It doesn’t matter if the person you like acts stupid sometimes. You should tell them you like them anyway.”

Talk about profound.

The business guy sitting at a coffee shop with his fiancé had similar advice. The camera revealed the man looking at the love of his life as if the sun had just risen when she laughed and told him she loved him because he knew how to order her complex coffee drink exactly how she liked it. The man told Luke: “While gestures may speak louder, it’s still nice to hear the words.”

That one immediately made Luke think of Dani.

The photo following was the one that had hit him the hardest. It was of an elderly couple walking down the lake path this afternoon. The woman’s purse strap had slipped down her arm and her husband, hands shaking in his old age, tucked the strap back onto her shoulder as if he’d done it a million times before. The action prompted a smile between them with a familiarity that simply transcended time. Luke was racked with emotions when he showed them the resulting photo and listened to the sage advice they gave to him in that half-you/half-me way of speaking only those couples who shared everything could. The husband said, “Though your brain can give you good advice, your heart is the only organ you should listen to about love.” And the wife finished, “But always remember to go with your gut on when you should heed that advice.”

Luke finally understood.

Probably the funniest photo of the day was of a young couple perusing the display cases in Desert Confections. It had begun as a whimsical shot focused solely on the dog they had with them—a tiny yippee one in a pink dog dress and matching jeweled collar, sitting pretty in a giant purse carrier. But, instead of catching the moment when the pup got the little ‘doggie bag’ containing their special line of dog-friendly chocolates, the camera’s shutter lag instead caught the boyfriend rolling his eyes dotingly at his girlfriend. When Luke showed the photo to the couple, the boyfriend chuckled and said, “Can’t really help it. Seeing someone you love be silly happy should always make you happy too.”

And on it went.

The gallery displayed the new, passionate love as in the one between Jonathan and Derek who’d given each other a rock and a bottle for reasons that were significant to them alone. It showed the my-heart-is-yours love of a man giving his wife an eternity band with the promise of more years to come And finally, it celebrated the kind of love Luke hoped to one day have—the one of a man exchanging homemade cards, treats, and hugs with his wife and children.

The completed photo gallery showcased love in every aspect of the word. Seeing it all brought him a sense of calm as he opened the Desert Confections blog site and started typing:



HOW BEER BEAT CHOCOLATE ON VALENTINE’S DAY



Yes, it’s true. Shocking, I know.



But beer has in fact triumphed over chocolate by exactly one tie-breaking vote.



My vote.



All month, Desert Confections has promoted the “new” Valentine’s Day, challenging men and women everywhere to change how they celebrate this special day. Now while I do wholeheartedly believe that a day for women to spoil their men separate from a day for men to spoil their women is still a terrific idea, I’ve recently been reminded of what I seem to have forgotten along the way.



I - Love - Valentine’s - Day. Exactly as it is, antiquated though it may be.



And I’m not alone.



In the photo gallery below, you’ll see what I saw all day throughout Cactus Creek—folks showing their love for one another through gestures unreliant upon any preconceived rules. All of these couples graciously allowed me to post these photos to celebrate their love and to help remind me of what else I forgot.



Valentine’s Day isn’t about chocolate sales.



I think somewhere, for various personal reasons, I forgot that a little. One woman, though, has stayed true to the meaning of the day. I think you all know who. Dani Dobson has done nothing but inspire romance over the last month in her brewpub without any agenda (well, perhaps the thrill of beating me was a tiny bonus). All she wanted was for people to love and be loved, experience the greatness of romance without antiquated notions or new kitschy pressures.



We should all be so lucky to experience that from her. I know I am.



What’s even more incredible is that Dani was able to show me all the most romantic parts of Valentine’s Day, amazingly, without having experienced one of her own. Those closest to her tell me she has spent the last seventeen years never once having celebrated Valentine’s Day, instead choosing to ensure all those around her created the best memories possible in her place.



And she doggedly insists that she’s not a romantic.