Second Chance Pass (Virgin River #5)(88)

Everyone dropped by to pass along their congratulations, including Muriel St. Claire.

“Can we count on you to come to the wedding next Saturday?” Vanessa asked her.

“Oh, sweetheart, thank you for including me. Actually, I’m driving to Sebastapol to pick up a dog. A little guy named Buff. Another Lab—this one is yellow. I’ve got a good hunter already—Luce, my little girl and best friend, a year and a half and brilliant. But no dog should grow up alone.” And then she grinned. “But I hope to see you soon after the wedding. It would be lovely to have dinner with you and Paul. I’ll speak to Walt about that, since I can’t cook.”

“At all?” Vanessa asked.

Muriel shrugged. “At all. I’d like you to know, though, I have other talents. I can paint, hang paper, sand and varnish, grow vegetables, hunt duck and tell jokes. Besides, I heard there’s great takeout at Jack’s.”

“There is.” Vanni smiled. “And you ride, too.”

“I do. I have two horses with me. We should go out for a ride sometime. We can meet midway between our houses along the river.”

“I would like that so much,” Vanni said. “We have a lot to talk about.”

“Yes, we do,” Muriel agreed, then gave Vanessa a conspiratorial wink.

As he was leaving the party Tom took Paul aside for a minute. Just outside the closed front door, Tom asked, “So. You ready to take on Vanessa?”

“More than ready, pal.”

“Great, man. I couldn’t have planned this better myself.”

“Good. I hoped you’d say that.”

Tom took a matchbook out of his pocket and flipped it around in his hand. “There’s an all-night graduation party tonight that Brenda and I are going to,” he said. He put the matchbook in Paul’s hand. “Except we’re not going to it. Someone should know where we are, in case there’s any kind of emergency. Someone who can keep his big mouth shut.”

Paul looked at the matchbook. The Brookstone Inn. He met eyes with Tom.

“Someone who isn’t going to ask me one more time if I have a condom in my pocket.”

“Why would I ask that?” Paul said. “You’re way outta my league, brother.”

“Just in case someone has a heart attack or something.”

“Thanks,” Paul said, slipping the matchbook in his pocket. “I appreciate that you think smart. Have a good time.”

“See you tomorrow.” And he was gone.

When Paul went back in the house, Vanni was waiting for him. “What was that about?”

Paul leaned close to her ear. “Just asking your brother’s permission to be his brother-in-law,” Paul said. “It’s official. I’m welcomed to the family.”

Tom checked into the Brookstone in Ferndale while Brenda waited in the car. The way it had gone lately, they’d make wild love, and then there would be some tears about him leaving, and then they’d make wild love again, then they’d have a few more tears. There hadn’t been any long nights together since that first time at his house, but there had been some remarkable sessions, here and there, especially evenings at the Booth house when Vanni was in Grants Pass and Walt was down at Bodega Bay with Shelby.

“Before you start crying again, I have something for you,” he said.

“You do?”

“I do.” He leaned over the bed and dug around on the floor for his pants, pulling a box out of the pocket. He passed it to her. “It’s how I feel about you.”

She opened the box and there, curled around a velvet circle, was a sparkling diamond bracelet. She was speechless. “My God,” she finally said. “My God.”

“Here’s how I feel. If we somehow manage to keep it together, through separations and school and all that stuff, I want to be with you forever. I didn’t want to get you a ring—that would be too crazy. I mean, a senior in high school wearing an engagement ring? A senior like you who practically aced the SATs and is going all the way—you can’t be wearing an engagement ring. I want you to be thinking about yourself now—you’re just a girl.” He took the bracelet out of the box and put it on her wrist. “But you can wear this. To remind you that I love you. And I’m not leaving you to be away from you, but to start building what we’re going to have.”

“Oh God,” she said again. “Is it real?”

He laughed. “It actually is.”

“How could you afford this?”

“I have a couple of bucks and college is paid for by the Army. It’s not the best diamond bracelet ever made and the rocks are real little, but for your first one, it’s okay. Later, I’ll get you better diamonds, I promise. Brenda, I love you, honey. And I need you to stop crying. Leaving is hard enough. I’ll be back in August for a little while, before I start West Point. You can make it till then, can’t you?”

“I can make it as long as you need me to,” she said.

“It’s not going to be easy, you know. Even if you go to school in New York. We’re going to be mostly separated for four years, maybe five while you finish—”

“No,” she said. “Four. I’m going to finish college in three.” She stared at her bracelet, then when she lifted her eyes to his, she raised one light brown brow and smiled. “Do you have any doubt I can do that?”