Page 36 of Marrying Chrissy

“No, I don’t. I was just realizing how much they’d like it here, though.” She sat cross-legged on the blanket, and Wyatt joined her. “And maybe feeling a little guilty because I haven’t worried about Emma as much as I thought I would.” She pulled her phone out of the front pocket of her bag. “Not that I haven’t checked my messages just in case.”

He chuckled. “There’s nothing wrong with that.” He paused. “Maybe it’s because you know your mom and sister are fine looking after each other.”

“Maybe.” Chrissy sighed. “It’s always been the three of us. Is it weird that this doesn’t feel normal?”

“Weird? No. I think it’s amazing that you are all that close and that you’re there for each other. But I also think it’s okay for you to do something on your own. Something for you.” He looked uncertain, as though he were afraid he might have offended her.

She nodded slowly. “I know you’re right. I guess I’m always waiting. Waiting for Emma to feel better. Waiting for her medications to work. Waiting for her surgery. She was sick a lot, even when we were kids. There were a lot of things she couldn’t do, and I didn’t want her to feel bad or left out.” A fly landed on her leg, and she shooed it away. “Now I’m waiting for her to feel better and see if she’ll adjust to losing her dream job, meanwhile hoping that this change will mean she’ll be healthier in the long run.”

“So what have you put off for yourself that you might have focused on otherwise?”

Wyatt’s question was a normal one, but it made Chrissy pause. It wasn’t necessarily her job. She was never one of those women who felt like she needed a high-paying career. Honestly, she’d always thought she’d work until she got married and had a family, then she’d stay home with the kids.

When she was a teenager, she’d thought she’d have her own family by now. She never imagined she’d be in her early thirties and her only date in ages was as a guy’s fake girlfriend. Wow, how had so much time passed?

~*~

Chrissy seemed to struggle to answer Wyatt’s question. He watched her face as she stared out at the waves. A moment later, a look of sadness flashed in her eyes. She turned her head and focused on him. “I guess there are a lot of things I didn’t realize I’d been putting off until now.” She shrugged, apparently unwilling to divulge more information than that.

He totally understood why she was hesitating. It wasn’t like he’d revealed a whole lot of personal things to her, either. Ashley came to mind. He should probably tell Chrissy about her, although every time he thought to do so, he was able to rationalize the fact that they weren’t really in a relationship, and so it didn’t matter anyway.

But his goals for the future…

“Our situations are completely different, but I know what you mean about putting things off.” Wyatt was thankful that there weren’t a lot of people milling about their area of the beach. The last thing he needed was for any of what he was about to say to go through the mixed-up chain of mouths and wind up being told to his parents.

Even still, he lowered his voice a little as he continued. “I started working for my dad as soon as I graduated college. I never intended to work for him this long.” He paused, trying to figure out where he should begin. “We have a small stable at the country club. Our members can ride the horses at their leisure. It’s always been a popular amenity. More than that, though, I’ve seen what interacting with the horses can do for people. When my grandfather passed some years ago, Gran was depressed and sad. Going out to the stables and riding the horses helped her through that period in her life. I see that with others, too, no matter what their ages.”

Chrissy was watching him intently and nodded for him to continue.

“After understanding what interacting with horses could do for people, I decided I wanted to open my own place. I want to make Joyful Hope Stables something everyone can afford. I want to have riding lessons available, a program to help seniors, and trained therapists to provide hippotherapy for children with disabilities.” He started to tell her about some of his more detailed hopes and plans for the place he could clearly see in his mind’s eye.

“It truly sounds amazing, Wyatt. You could help so many people that way.” Chrissy’s voice sounded wistful. “So what’s stopped you from doing it?”

How did he explain his situation without diving into all the inheritance mess? For someone like Chrissy, who fought for the money she needed for everyday expenses, he doubted she wanted to hear about the poor timing of money being passed down to him. “Two reasons, I guess. First, I was young and dumb. I had some money coming in some years ago that I was counting on. That didn’t work out. Instead of taking initiative and starting to set aside money at that point, I kept assuming the situation would work itself out, and I would have funds the easy way.”

To his surprise, there was no look of pity or disgust on her face, just one of acceptance as she listened intently.

“The second problem is that my parents very much disapprove of the plan. My father sees no way that I can make a good income with a place like that and feels it’s foolhardy to even try. My mother agrees with him. Honestly, I completely get where they’re coming from. But they are completely focused on how I won’t make a fortune from this endeavor, when I just want to keep the business running and help people.”

Wyatt shifted his position on the blanket. “I know I don’t need their blessing, but when I’ve been working in the family business for so long, things get tricky. I want this to succeed. I need it to, so I’ve had to wait until I’ve saved up enough money to do this completely on my own financially. I refuse to set myself up for needing any assistance or for my business failing and my parents having the final laugh.” He groaned. “That probably all sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?”

“No, it doesn’t. Maybe there were things you could’ve done differently years ago, but that’s in the past.” Chrissy looked thoughtful. “It sounds like you’re approaching it all with a lot of common sense and a real plan going forward. Is your dad reacting this way because he feels threatened? I can’t see how your place would take away from the sales your dad gets through the country club.”

“Exactly! No, it won’t affect it at all. The stables are such a small part of the country club anyway. It’s not about that for my parents, though…”

“…it’s all about the bottom line. It’s clear your parents have put a lot of effort into building their finances—and they’re quite good at it…”

“…but life isn’t all about money,” Wyatt finished, thankful she understood where he was coming from. “My entire job is making sure the country club runs smoothly and that we continue to improve our profit margins. I know there will be other stresses with Joyful Hope, but they’ll be worth it.” He shrugged. “So yeah, I guess I wish I hadn’t put off saving money or moving forward with my plans years ago. But it is what it is, and I’d like to think I’ve learned things along the way that’ll set me up for success.”

“Do you have any kind of time frame in mind?”

Wyatt again made sure to lower his voice before responding. “I’m narrowing down a location now and hope to open next summer. If everything goes smoothly.”

“That’s amazing. I don’t know your family all that well, but it seems like your parents ought to be proud of what you’re doing, not criticizing it. Just my opinion.”

Her words caused a warmth to spread through his chest. Bonnie and Lucy had always thought his plan was a good one, but it was different to have Chrissy’s approval. Something about it made him feel like he could accomplish anything, and that bolstered his determination to pull things together.

There was a mix of admiration and something else in her eyes as she watched him. “Isn’t it crazy how much family can influence what we do?” She sighed. “There are so many things that have limited Emma because of her health. She’s always sworn that she’s fine remaining single, but I think she’s afraid no guy will want her after all of her issues.” Her voice broke, and she cleared her throat. “Now she’s lost the job she loves.” Tears filled her eyes, and she blinked them away. “I don’t consciously put things off, but I guess I don’t think it’s fair to move forward in certain areas of my life if she can’t. Is that silly?” She let out a puff of air as though her confession had taken a lot out of her.

---