“Okay. Thank you, Russell. I love you.”
“Not as much as I love you.”
Ten minutes later, I pulled up toKustomize Your Kicksand found a parking spot in front of the entrance. They opened at eleven, and it was only ten thirty, but I saw who I assumed was the person I was meeting moving around inside.
The door was locked, so I knocked on the window to get her attention. She smiled as she came to unlock the door.
“Are you Mr. Rush?” she asked.
“I am. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me before you opened for the day.”
“It’s not a problem. When you shared what you wanted to do, I couldn’t say no.”
“I appreciate that.”
“You won’t be the first man to propose here, but you are the first man to ask us to shut the place down. Saturday nights are usually very busy, but there’s a concert at the forum, so we only had a few people on the calendar for tonight. I reached out to them, offered them the free session that you agreed to pay for, and they were more than happy to reschedule.”
“It was a small price to pay. Thank you for going through the trouble.”
“This is exciting. I’m looking forward to helping you create a memorable night for the woman you love. We’ll have everything ready to go by the time you return at six o’clock.”
“Thank you again.”
My next stop was Luxor, an upscale restaurant downtown. I’d spoken to the manager a few days ago, and we scheduled ameeting for this morning to solidify the details. The restaurant didn’t open until noon, but the kitchen staff was already hard at work, preparing to open in an hour.
Mr. Gordon led me to his office, where we sat at his desk to iron out the plans for tonight. After I chose what I wanted for our four-course meal, he brought in two members of his waitstaff, and I shared with them what I wanted and how I wanted the evening to go.
“Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your special evening. I assure you, everything will be perfect,” Mr. Gordon said as he walked me out.
“I appreciate you and your staff’s efforts.”
My plans for tonight were in motion, and I had one more stop to make before heading home. This one had nothing to do with this evening, but it was something I’d been meaning to do for a few weeks.
After a fifteen-minute drive, I pulled up at the address I’d found in the system at the center. It was in a modest neighborhood with older homes, but it looked to be safe at first glance. No one was expecting me, so I hoped my visit didn’t cause any problems.
I approached the door and rang the doorbell. A minute later, Mrs. Porter answered the door. She looked concerned and surprised to see me, which was expected.
“Mr. Rush, is everything okay?”
“Good morning, Mrs. Porter. Everything is fine. I was wondering if I could have a few minutes of you and your husband’s time.”
“Yes, of course. Come in.”
She stepped aside to give me room to enter their home. Once I was inside, she secured the door and guided me to the living room. Mr. Porter sat in a recliner, watching a baseball game, while Oaklyn was on the floor playing with toys.
“Mr. Rush, is everything okay?” Mr. Porter asked as he stood.
“I asked the same thing,” his wife said with a smile.
“I’m sorry I alarmed either of you. Nothing is wrong, but I’d like to talk to you two about Oaklyn.”
“Oh, okay. Have a seat,” Mr. Rush offered.
He returned to the recliner while I followed Mrs. Rush to the couch. She sat on one end, and I sat on the other. My eyes landed on Oaklyn, and she stared at me with a curious expression. I smiled at her, and she returned the smile bashfully before turning back to her toys.
“Again, my intent was not to alarm you. I suppose I could’ve called first, and I apologize for just popping up. I was wondering if you could give me a bit more insight into her situation.”
I nodded my head toward Oaklyn. Mr. Porter picked up the remote and changed the channel to something kid friendly. It immediately caught Oaklyn’s attention.
