Page 96 of Signed, Sealed, and Smitten
“The reason you weren’t right for the Sutton isn’t because of your skillset.” Catherine smiles at Phoebe. “It’s because of your gifts. And they have found the right home here.”
I loosen my grip on Phoebe’s hand.
She doesn’t let go of mine, but she clears her throat. “I agree. I could fit into the Sutton box, but it was an effort. With the Serendipity, I can bring all of my strengths to the work. I don’t have to be two versions of myself.”
Catherine nods. “As it should be. You’ll write a formal disclosure for the rest of the board, we’ll come up with guidelines for when you need to recuse yourself, and we’ll accelerate the process of filling the board so we can maintain a quorum when Jay has to abstain. That should cover it. Any questions?”
I shake my head. “No, that was thorough.”
“Several,” Phoebe says, and I snort. “Why did you have to choose between your master’s degree and marriage?”
“It wasn’t common for married women to attend college,” she says. “My parents believed, as did Buck and I and his parents and nearly everyone, that it was my father’s duty to provide for me until my husband took over. So my father would have willingly paid for me to continue my education, but if I married, it would fall to Buck. He didn’t pay for his own schooling either. His parents did, and the cost of getting my master’s degree would have started us under a heavy financial burden. Or so it seemed to two very privileged young people who hadn’t yet learned to struggle.”
Catherine picks up the sealed envelope. “I wonder …”
She slides her finger beneath the flap to open it and pulls the letter out, reading for only a few seconds before smiling at us. “I remember this one. I remember all of them, I read them so many times before the next one would come. Would you like to know what the last letter says?”
“More than anything,” Phoebe says.
“What she said,” I answer.
“Go ahead.” Catherine holds it across the table. “Read it.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Phoebe
I takethe letter from her. “I usually read it aloud,” I say, not sure of the rules here.
“That’s fine.”
Out of habit, I check the date and the signature. “May 11, 1966. Yours forever, Dear Heart,” I tell Jay. “It’s a short one.”
He nods, but we both smile when we realize he doesn’t need to write it down because Smitten Kitten is right in front of us.
Dear Smitten Kitten,
I always thought compromise was a dirty word, but it sounds better if you call it problem-solving instead.
I should have known my sweetheart would find a way to get what she wanted. It’s why I love you. And I can’t wait for you to moveback to Boston next month so I can tell you myself every day.
I keep wanting to ask you if you’re sure about skipping a big wedding and honeymoon, but I know you are. And if you’re wondering if I’m all right waiting another entire year to get married, don’t. I’m more than all right.
I know you would have given up the idea of finishing your degree if I’d pushed it, but I couldn’t. Not when it matters to you so much.
So here we are. You’ll be in school again this fall. I’ll be doing my best to prove to Aerospace that I’m the best hire they ever made. And a year from now, we’ll be married, and you’ll be halfway to a degree that will say “Catherine McCormick Crawford, Master of Fine Arts in Art History” when you earn it. And I couldn’t be prouder to see the Crawford name on it if it were my own degree.
My grandmother used to say, “Love always finds a way.” Once again, she was right.
Yours forever,
Dear Heart
I look at Jay, trying to fill in a few gaps. He looks puzzled too.
“You got the degree?” he asks.
Catherine nods. “I did. We talked to our parents, and together, we came up with a plan that some people thought was odd, but it worked for us. My parents would pay for the first year of my master’s while Buck worked and saved. Then instead of giving us a big wedding and honeymoon, our parents agreed to give us the money for me to finish school. Buck and I were married in my parish church with only our parents, our siblings, and the priest present.”
