I pull out my own ring to slide onto my finger for appearances with this old lady. “It’s fine. I’ve cleared my schedule.”
She throws me an appreciative look. “Thank you. Not just for schedule adjustments but also everything that you are doing.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Neither one of us believe that, but we’ll have to assess that at another point. Now come on, Husband.” She nudges my shoulder as we walk side by side.
On some levels we think the same, which is why I know she’s right.
21
HAILEY
This is it.
An old lady sipping her tea and eating cucumber sandwiches will decide my fate. I should be nervous, and I am. It’s just…
Oliver walking next to me with his fingers grazing my arms scares me more.
For the past few days my mind has drifted away from real estate, and in place, it’s about my husband. The one that has me feeling as though we are on a shaky boat.
Which is perhaps fitting as we now walk down the hall on a river boat, albeit no longer functional. Still, my feelings shake. They bounce back and forth between my belly that does somersaults before rocketing right back to that place between my breasts that stores a message in my heart.
“It’s fine,” Oliver whispers to me with that gentle smile that sometimes doesn’t appear as just affection; it’s something more powerful. A determination to ensure me that he won’t fail me. And no longer on the side of best friend’s little sister, we crossed that line a few weeks ago.
His commitment to this meeting has him wearing a mint-green polo shirt that is fit for a golf club, but that is beside the point.
I smile weakly at him as we enter the private corner room overlooking the river.
The older lady immediately smiles at us. She has gray hair that stops at her shoulders, and she’s sporting a sequined sweater even though it’s the middle of summer. “Hello. You must be Mr. and Mrs. Oaks. Please, have a seat.”
Nobody has called us that yet. It’s an odd sound to my ears but not in a bad way.
“Hello, it’s nice to meet you.”
“We’re happy to be here.” Oliver pulls out my chair, and I get comfortable while he sits in the chair next to me.
I have to blink a few times as I take in the items on the table. A pyramid tray with an array of little triangle sandwiches, fudge in cupcake paper, lemon bars, little muffins, a pot of tea, and the list could go on. My lips roll in to stop my laugh, purely because this must be Oliver’s idea of hell.
The waiter arrives as fast as light to pour some tea into the cups on our saucers. Truthfully, I never knew the River Bell did high tea. I guess they will cater to any requests.
“This must be a little traditional, but my father always told me to become acquainted with whomever you conduct business with, even if it’s for a sale of property. And my grandmother insisted that it should be over afternoon tea.”
“It’s a wonderful idea,” I say, and in principle, it is. But right now? This is a pain-in-the-ass request that has uprooted my life.
But then Oliver throws on the charm and offers Ingrid the pot of sugar with that suave smile that has my mother wrapped around his finger, and quite frankly, many women. He has no problem going overboard, hence why there is a ring on my finger.
“We understand that you live down near Decatur. It must be a bit of a drive,” Oliver says.
“I went to an antique market in the area so the drive would be worth it.” She scoops a spoon of sugar into her tea, stirring it, then sets her spoon down and glides her sight between Oliver and me. “I must say that this is a pleasant surprise. When Molly phoned to tell me that you’re married, it made me excited that we could perhaps proceed with the sale. I’m just surprised. I was under the impression that you were not which is why I needed to seriously consider the orthodontist who would like to set up his private office.”
“Well…” I smile tightly.
The sudden feeling of a warm hand on mine that is resting on the table near my fork relieves me.
“We’re private people and have been dating for a while. We’ve always wanted a low-key wedding, and we’ve kept it to ourselves. Romance, right?” Oliver explains.
“Well, that is true. Tell me about yourselves.”
