Page 9 of The Bride
Three
Jake
This wasn’t goingto be fun. I knew it going in, but as soon as I opened the door to the diner I felt dread settle in my stomach. Janet and I had lunch here every Sunday. It was our standing “date.”
Not that it was much of a date, but the diner was the only place in town to get food unless you counted the hot dogs at the gas station.
She never complained, though.
Sometimes I would think about taking Janet somewhere nice. A place with cloth napkins and candles, but between her schedule and mine there never seemed to be the time.
She hinted at getting away and taking a real vacation, but that would cut into my savings, and my savings was everything. Except when I said the wordsavingsshe would get this shy smile and I could guess what she was thinking. That part of what I was saving for was a ring.
I had thought about it. Taking a chunk of money and buying a nice diamond ring. But every time I did the math in my head, a ring cost me at least a year in getting my land back.
That was unacceptable.
My land was everything, and now because of Sam Mason I was closer than ever.
Which meant no matter how bad this was going to suck with Janet, I wasn’t not going to do it.
Janet was already in our booth. Third one on the right. She heard the bell ring overhead when I opened the door and lifted her head in anticipation. She smiled like she always did when she saw me.
She had a menu in front of her, but I never understood the point. It wasn’t as if we both didn’t know every item on the menu and everything Frank would make for us that wasn’t.
Still, every time she needed to see the menu, and she would change her mind at least three times before Kathy came over to take our order.
I took off my coat, hung it on the hook on the side of the booth, and sat down across from her.
“What?” she asked me straight out.
This was why I was not a very good poker player. I was going to start with some small talk and work my way up to the news, but she saw it on my face.
“We need to talk about something.”
“I can see that.”
“You know about Ellie’s situation…”
“How is she?”
She was strong. More settled now that she knew her future. But it still hadn’t hit her. The reality of what had happened. That her dad was gone. Forever. She was still in that numb period where your brain understands what has happened but the rest of you still wasn’t buying.
I knew because it was how I felt when Ernie had died.
“She’s okay.”
“What’s going to happen to her? You told me her father hadn’t updated the guardianship from Ernie. That’s really irresponsible of him. Especially as a single parent.”
I didn’t have anything to say in Sam’s defense other than taking the time to update your will when you’re dealing with your friend’s death, helping his son, raising your daughter, and running a ranch… stuff like that falls through the cracks. Besides, no one thinks they are going to die.
“That’s what we need to talk about. In Montana a sixteen-year-old can actually apply for a marriage certificate. With parental approval, but Howard thinks he can get that waived.”
“A marriage certificate? What does that get her?”
I gave her a moment to figure it out. Easier than having to say I was going to marry Ellie Mason.
Her mouth opened as it dawned her. “You. You’re going to marry Ellie so she can stay on the ranch.”
