Jesse’s gaze wandered back to Sarah. Her long curls bounced every time she turned her head, and two tiny dimples complemented her electric smile. Glancing back at the kitchen, she spied Jesse watching and gave a subtle wave before walking deeper into the crowd.
Jesse couldn’t take it anymore. The alcohol-flavored bubblegum and the slurring conversation—he had to get out of here. “Rachael,” he said, interrupting whatever she was saying at that moment, “could you tell me where the bathroom is?”
“Sure, doll, it’s just down that hall,” she said, pointing through the crowd. “It’ll be the second door on your left.” She spoke loud enough that Jesse was pretty sure everyone at the party now knew where the bathroom was. “You want me to show you?” she asked, stringing the gum from her mouth again.
“No thanks,” he replied. “I got this one.”
“Just don’t be gone too long. I might need another drink soon.” She held up her glass and shot him a wink. Again, he was pretty sure the rest of the party had heard her.
Jesse looked for Sarah on his way, but he found only rows and rows of frat boys and the sound of prattle about stocks, bonds, and sports cars. Robbie would have a ball with these yuppies. He had a way with the highfalutin types.
Pictures lined the walls of the hallway. Most of them were of Sarah and a thin older man: her father. Most of them looked like they were no more than a few years old, but one was of her when she was looked to be about twelve. It brought back memories that had been filed away in the deep recesses of Jesse’s mind. Long, curly blond hair, soil-stained gown, and bright yellow rain boots. Even then he had found her intriguing.
“What are you looking at?”
Jesse turned and saw Sarah standing just a few feet away. “I was just looking at your photos. These are really cool. Where was this one taken?” He pointed to one with ocean waves crashing in the background.
“That’s me and my dad in Hawaii,” Sarah said.
“Hawaii? That had to be a fun trip.”
“My cousin was getting married there, and my dad and I attended the ceremony. It was quite beautiful.”
“I bet.”
None of the photos included Sarah’s mother, Jesse realized, and he remembered how difficult things had been between them when she was little. Judging by her complete absence on the hallway walls, things must not have improved after he had left New Haven. Then he noticed a photo that seemed out of place, yet familiar. All of the other photos were portraits, posed by a professional who snapped the photo, except for this one. It appeared to be taken with an everyday camera. Sarah looked a few years younger than when he had known her, and she was playing with an even younger boy. “How about this one? Is he a cousin?”
A sober expression formed on Sarah’s face. “Actually, that was my brother.”
“Your brother? I didn’t know you had a…” Jesse stopped. He remembered the day when she had taken him up to her room. This was the same photo that was sitting next to her bed. She had told him that day, told him that he’d died, but never elaborated. At the age of twelve, Jesse wasn’t sure how to respond. Even now he found it difficult to comment. Losing someone close to you is a horrible thing to have to experience, something that Jesse was all too familiar with.
Sarah removed the photo from the wall. Pain swirled in her eyes. “His name was Henry. He passed away when I was ten.”
“I’m sorry.”
Sarah’s eyes never left Henry’s image. “He was only five years old.” She paused. “It was twelve years ago, but with each passing year I find it more difficult to remember what he was like. It feels like I keep losing pieces of him as time goes by.” Jesse placed a hand on her shoulder. He often thought about his mother as an exercise to keep her fresh in his memory. But she was right. Time was a thief when it came to memories. Not so much the memories as the details that give the memories life, making them more than just a dream. “He smiled a lot. I remember that. He was happy all the time.” A smile formed on her face. “One time I walked into my bedroom and he had gotten into my Barbie makeup kit. He was rubbing lipstick on his cheeks. I think he thought it was blush or something. He looked like a goofy clown, but he still wore that same ridiculously wonderful smile.”
Jesse hated that he had unknowingly opened an old wound. He wanted so badly to wrap his arms around her. Comfort her. Take away her pain. But he knew it wasn’t his place. “He sounds great. I remember one time I walked in on Robbie singing a Color Me Bad song. He was using his comb as a microphone.” He paused. “It must have been hard for you. Losing someone so close.”
She hung the picture back on the wall. “It was a long time ago. But I still miss him.” “Wherever he is now,” Jesse said, “I’m sure he’s missing you too.”
Sarah looked at Jesse and smiled. “Thank you. Did you see this one?” she asked, pointing to a picture of a tree.
Jesse moved in for a closer look. The smell of wildflowers and a hint of something sweet filled his nose, igniting something deep inside of him, just as it did when she had hugged him the other day at the pet shop. He looked harder at the photograph she was pointing to. “Is that? It can’t be. The willow tree!”
“That’s it. Just before we moved to Chicago I took a picture of it. You see…” She pointed to a body of water behind the tree. “There’s Crooked Creek, where you taught me to catch crawfish.”
That tree had become the one place where Jesse could go as a child and escape from the pressures of home. His mom had done the best she could, given the circumstances, but things were far from easy. “Wow, I haven’t seen that tree in...” He paused, trying to remember the last time he had laid eyes on it. Then it dawned on him that it was the last time he had seen Sarah. The first and last time they had kissed. Every detail of that kiss came back to him, along with the memory of what he had found at home just minutes later. It was the best and worst day of his life.
Jesse stared into her soft blue eyes as the walls around him started to slip away. He was no longer at a party, no longer at Sarah’s apartment; he was simply with Sarah and nothing else mattered. His chest ached and an overwhelming sensation to kiss her came over him.
“That was a long time ago, Jesse. But I think about that place often,” Sarah said, looking back at the photograph. The sincerity in her voice played on Jesse’s heart strings, making it even more difficult for him to keep from wrapping his arms around her. She stared at the picture the same way an art collector might gaze upon a Rembrandt. In that moment, Jesse wanted nothing more than to kiss her.
She turned back to Jesse and their eyes locked in silent communication. Jesse felt it and he knew she had to feel it too. Her lips pressed tight and then parted, the tip of her tongue wetting them. He leaned in closer, waiting for her to pull back, but she didn’t. Eyes still locked, he turned his head.
“SURPRISE!”
Jesse and Sarah quickly pulled back and looked toward the front door. And just like that, the moment was lost.
Sarah
Sarah pushed her way through the crowd of congratulating people. She had spent weeks planning and putting this thing together and now she was missing it. The surprise, the look on his face, everything was happening while she was reminiscing with Jesse. And as much as she enjoyed seeing him after all these years, it was time to focus on the future, and Kevin.
A bright smile covered Kevin’s face. “Did you put all of this together?” he asked, placing his hands on Sarah’s hips.
“Of course I did. Are you surprised?”
“Totally. I had no idea.”
“Well, I’m glad you like it.”
“Like it?” Kevin pulled her closer to him. “I love it.” He reached down and gave her a slow, gentle kiss. People around them clapped and cheered. “They approve.”
Sarah leaned into Kevin and whispered, “So do I.”
Kevin grabbed Sarah by the hand. “Come on, I want to say hi to everyone.”
Together they made the rounds, Sarah by Kevin’s side. She knew most of the people here. Most were guys Kevin had worked with or had gone to school with. Some of the women looked familiar, too, but most were the guys’ dates, people Sarah had never met until tonight.
Kevin had always been good with people. He had a way about him. A politician’s smile and an actor’s good looks made him easy to talk to. In fact, he was the one who had made first contact over two years ago. She and her father were having lunch at a restaurant, sitting outside on the sidewalk, enjoying the sun and their meals. Kevin had just finished up a work lunch with a client and was saying goodbye.
Sarah had noticed him looking her way. At first she thought that he must have been looking at someone else who happened to be in her direction, but when she realized that all the tables around her were empty, it was evident that he had been checking her out.
On his way out, Kevin walked up to her table and first introduced himself to her father, telling him that his daughter was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. When he introduced himself to Sarah, he kissed her on the hand, like some European gentleman. He left her with his business card and said he hoped to hear from her soon.
It took her four weeks to work up the nerve to call him.
“Sarah did this.” Kevin kissed her on the cheek, bringing her back to the party. “She put this together for me,” he said to Fred, one of his work colleagues.
Fred was like Kevin: charming, wealthy, and very confident. “She’s quite the catch.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
“You guys are too kind,” Sarah said, looking away, trying to hide the embarrassment she felt heating her cheeks.
She caught Jesse staring at her. Something in his eyes said that he was unhappy—lonely. Although he was just as handsome as anyone else in this room, he didn’t fit this crowd. She wondered if he would fit into
any
crowd. He had a loner quality to him, the type that came from a rough upbringing.
But there was something else about him too. Something pure.
“I have a surprise for you,” Kevin said.
“And what might that be?”
Kevin pulled her to the bay window and away from the crowd. “I have some good news.”
Sarah had no idea what kind of news he was talking about. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be as shocking as the day he proposed to her. They had gone out for dinner when he had become ill. She took him back to his place and stayed up with him. The next day she had run out for some chicken noodle soup and when she returned she found him sitting on the edge of his bed, weathered from the illness, tears in his eyes.
What’s the matter?
she asked.
He didn’t respond. He grabbed her and drew her tightly into him.
No one has ever taken care of me.
He looked into her eyes.
I heard you talking to Rachael the other day. You were crying and you said that your father would never be able to walk you down the aisle.
Kevin, it’s okay.
No, it’s not.
He grabbed her left hand and held it against his chest.
Sarah, would you do me the honor of being my wife?
She looked into his eyes, impatient to hear his news.
“Well, am I going to have to torture it out of you?”
Kevin placed a finger to his chin. “Hmm. I kind of like the sound of that.”
She flashed him a come-on-already look and he said, “All right. All right.” Then he grabbed her hands and looked her in the eye. “I have the money for the greenhouse.”
Stunned, Sarah stared in disbelief.
“Did you hear me?” he asked.
She blinked and then swallowed. “I’m not sure. It sounded as though you said that you had the money for the greenhouse.”
The corners of his lips curved into a smile and he nodded.
Sarah didn’t know what to say. The plant nursery and the greenhouse had always been the dream that she shared with her father. She placed a hand on her stomach. “You can’t do that.”
“What do you mean? It’s done.”
His gesture of kindness felt more like trespassing. “But the banks haven’t gotten back with me yet. I know one of them will see the dream my father and I have and invest in us.”
Kevin closed the distance between them and grabbed her hands. “Don’t you see? You don’t have to wait for the banks. You can break ground on Monday if you want.”
Still dumbfounded, Sarah tried to figure out what had just happened. The dream she had shared with her father had now become part of Kevin’s, her fiancé and future husband.
It makes sense. This is what happens when you get married
, she rationalized. But a piece of her wanted to accomplish this on her own. To do something that everyone else told her couldn’t be done. And here stood Kevin, proving that they were right. It couldn’t be done, at least not without the help of a wealthy boyfriend.
“Did you hear me? You can break ground on Monday.”
Sarah forced a smile. “It’s great.”
“Really? Because it sure doesn’t look great.” He pulled back.
“No,” she said, grabbing his hands. “It’s so sweet of you to do this. And I can’t wait to get started on the greenhouse. It’s just that I—” She looked into his eyes and watched as the glee started to fade. He meant well. “It’s just that I have to make so many phone calls tomorrow to get everything moving along.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with it?”
“Of course I am. Are you kidding me? I’ll be weeks ahead this way.”
He pulled her into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re happy.”
“How did you come up with that kind of money?”
“My father.”
She pulled back, leaving her hands on his shoulder. “Your father?” Mr. Eugene Dawson wasn’t known for being charitable. In fact, he hadn’t exactly been all that excited about their relationship. Sarah didn’t exactly have the right—what was the word he had used?—“pedigree” for his son. If he had agreed to finance the greenhouse, then there had to be a catch.
“Don’t worry,” Kevin said. “I talked to him about it last night and he agreed. Everything’s going to work out.”
Sarah hugged Kevin one more time. “Thank you,” she said. “But this is supposed to be your birthday. You weren’t supposed to be the one surprising me with gifts. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you.”