CHAPTER ONE-5
947 Words
TRISH AND JOE’S WAITER cleared away their empty dinner plates and returned with the dessert menu.
“I’m thinking tiramisu and coffee,” she mused as she reviewed the offerings.
“Sounds good to me,” Joe said, trying his best to stay calm.
But both his heart and his brain were racing.
Should I do it now, in the restaurant? Or wait until we get back to her house?
“I’ll be right back,” Trish announced, bringing Joe out of his reverie. “Order me the tiramisu, please.”
“You got it,” he said, and smiled as she stood and walked toward the ladies’ room.
Okay, you can do this, Joe told himself. You just need to be brave and ask her.
What if she says no? the logical part of his brain chimed in. What then?
She won’t, his heart shot back. I know she won’t.
How sentimental. You’ve both been alone a long time, you know. And you’re both fiercely independent, his brain countered. What about that?
“I have to know,” he whispered to himself. “And I won’t, unless I ask.”
The waiter approaching the table gave Joe something else to focus on for a moment.
“We’d like a tiramisu, a cannoli, and two coffees, please.”
“Yes, sir, I’ll be right back with those.”
Trish returned to the table and noticed Joe’s flushed face.
“Honey, are you all right?’
“I’m fine, it’s... just a bit stuffy in here,” he managed, and loosened his tie as he willed his heart rate back to normal.
“Are you sure? You seem agitated,” Trish noted, concern creeping into her voice.
“It’s just that I...” Joe started to say, but the waiter returned at that moment with their desserts and coffee, setting each small plate down with a flourish.
“May I get you anything else?” the young man asked politely.
“I think we’re good for now, thanks.”
“Well then, enjoy. I’ll be back by in a bit to check on you.”
They watched him walk away, and Trish turned her attention back to Joe.
“Now, you were saying?” Trish asked as she stirred cream into her coffee.
“Yes.... well...” Joe stumbled over his thoughts, lapsing into silence.
“Joe, what’s gotten into you?” she asked gently as she reached across the table and took his hand.
One look into her beautiful green eyes was all it took to calm him, and when he spoke, Joe led with his heart.
“You have, Trish,” he began, his voice soft but clear. “Every morning when I wake up, you’re the first thought in my head. And every night I fall asleep thinking how lucky I am that you’re in my life. You make every day brighter, more hopeful. I feel more alive with you, and damn sure more complete. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m in love with you, Trish Sevins. And it would make me the happiest man on earth to spend the rest of my tomorrows with you. Will you marry me?”
The green eyes he loved so much began to shimmer with emotion, and her lips curved into a trembling smile as she whispered, “Yes.”
Joe immediately stood and moved around the table, bent down on one knee, and brought her engagement ring out of his pocket to slip it onto her dainty hand.
“I love you,” Trish managed through happy tears, and kissed him as other patrons in the vicinity began to clap and cheer.
***
* * * *
UP IN BOISE, LIZZIE and Donny had just gotten settled into their hotel room after dinner when her cell phone chimed with a new text message.
She glanced at her phone, then beamed.
“Check this out,” she said as she showed it to Donny.
The all-caps message from Joe read SHE SAID YES!!! and was accompanied by a picture of the newly engaged and extremely happy couple.
“Good for them,” Donny responded.
“I know, right? He was so nervous about it. He’s been planning this for a week!” Lizzie revealed.
“That’s sweet.”
“I thought so. The big softie,” she agreed as she smiled.
May have to ask the man for help when the time comes, Donny mused to himself while Lizzie went into the bathroom to change into her pajamas. After all, he’s known Lizzie most of her life. And I want to make sure the moment is perfect.
He watched her cross the room, climb up on the bed and rearrange the pillows so she could sit up comfortably, then scoop up the remote.
“What are you in the mood to watch?” she asked as she flipped through channels.
“You really wanna know?”
“Of course,” she confirmed.
“I’d love to watch your face by candlelight again,” he murmured in a low growl, and slowly moved her direction.
Lizzie grinned even as a slow blush spread across her cheeks.
“Well, get over here, then.”
***
* * * *
THREE A.M., AND ALL was quiet in Pantego, Texas.
He made his way through the stillness to a large display case in the front parlor of the lovingly restored Dutch colonial. He moved carefully and quietly, then eased open the glass panel inch by excruciating inch to minimize noise.
He considered the options before him, mentally weighing the pros and cons of each one; as an extreme enthusiast, he knew several in the collection could serve his purposes admirably.
Then he saw it. The ideal tool to carry out his plans. Excited, he reached out and placed his hands gently around his prize.
It’s perfect, he thought as he slowly removed it from its resting place, savoring the weight, the feel of it in his grip. A beautiful specimen. And so very appropriate... what better than a historical piece for historical places?
Smiling ghoulishly, he set the useless but realistic-looking wooden replica he’d made into the empty spot. He cradled the fully functional Winchester 1873 .44/40 WCF he’d liberated tightly against his chest with one arm as he closed the display case, then slipped back into the darkness.
Let the games begin.
- Writer
