Again, there is laughter. He’s so intuitive at this.
“Like I said, this one is for someone special.” Luke comes to the lip of the stage and offers a hand. “Hey, Daph,” he says softly. “I’ll sing to you whether you prefer to stay there or come up here. Either way, this one’s for you.”
And sure enough, it’s Daphne Bradshaw who is lifted over the barrier and helped onto the stage, Daphne Bradshaw whose hand is clasped by Luke, Daphne Bradshaw he escorts to the stool on stage. He drops to one knee before her and every woman in the place gasps with delight.
Then he sings to her. The chorus line isalways and forever, which sounds exactly right to me.
It is incredibly romantic.
And bold. He must be sure of what’s between him and Daphne to declare his affection before an audience like this. At the end of the song, he turns off hismicrophone and says something to Daphne. Whatever he says, it’s all good because she casts herself into his arms and kisses him like she’s never going to stop.
The audience goes wild.
Always and forever, indeed.
Maybe proposals are partly about presentation.
Maybe I need to lift my game to get the answer I want.
“You should be taking notes,” Sierra says to me.
“I think every guy in the place is taking notes.”
“I mean it,” she says with heat. “Proposals have to be doneright.”
“And who told you I was going to propose?” I leave out the detail that I already have.
“It’s the plan,” she says fiercely and for a heartbeat, my dad’s toxic accusations almost find somewhere to take root.
“Whose plan?” I ask lightly.
“Myplan,” Sierra replies. “And you said it would have beenyourplan if you’d known.” She meets my gaze in silent challenge and I can only smile.
Sylvia has no scheme to trap me in marriage, no matter what my father accusations my father makes. It’s all bluster on his part.
Sierra wants a traditional family and so do I. That’s not a crime.
“I did,” I agree. “It was. It is.” I nod toward the stage. “But like this, everything has to be just right for it to work out.”
She beams at me. “You’ll fix it, Mike,” she says with reassuring confidence.
I’ll sure try. I just have to make a betterplan.
I’mready to celebrate incremental progress by the time I head across the parking lot to the office on Monday morning. I went to see Rupert on Sunday and firmed up our arrangement. The plan is for him to finish the season on the farm, which gives plenty of time for us to work out the financial details, then move to Sarnia in time for Christmas. I’m thinking I can work out a way to work part-time on the farm in the new year. I like the idea of making that farmhouse our own and laying the groundwork for a possible future together. I have to do my weekly greenhouse review today, which will be a long day, but then I’m going to see Sylvia.
I want to take her to dinner in Havelock at the second-best place in the area – taking her to the bistro would be weird – then get down on one knee right in the restaurant.
The obstacle to my plan for Rupert’s place will be my dad, as always, and I’m composing my very rational argument when I’m almost run over by a familiar yellow Mustang. It squeals to a halt in the best parking spot and even though I can’t see through the tinted glass, I know who’s driving it.
Ethan must be short of cash to show up here twice in such rapid succession. Usually, it’s once a year.
My half-brother gets out of the car and stands there for a minute, surveying what’s visible of Cavendish Enterprises with something like pride of ownership. Suddenly, I have a bad feeling. He spots me and strides toward me, hand extended.
“I guess you’re supposed to welcome me to the family biz, but I’ll just congratulate you on your good luck to be working with yours truly instead.” He laughs and seizes my hand.
Ethan is a good-looking guy – we all got the package of dark hair and blue eyes, but he got a bigger measure of persuasive charm, thanks to Candace. He could sell ice to the Innu.
Sadly, I’m not buying. “Excuse me?”
