Chapter Thirty-One
Marshall
“So did you finally manage it?” asked Sean. “Or is the old librarian still a virgin?”
“Not anymore, and she was never old unless she’s aging in reverse.”
It was a relief to report that Lori hadn’t gotten up and run out in the middle of our most recent love-making session. This time, despite the interruptions, we had seen it through to the end. Once it was over, we had lain in bed happily nibbling pizza and talking until dawn.
Now it was Friday of the following week. Sean and I were seated in a fishing boat on the middle of Lake Marion, the warm spring sun bearing down on our necks and backs. We had already drunk all the waters in our cooler and moved onto the beers. The fish seemed to be keeping a respectful distance, as if not wanting to interrupt us.
“I can honestly say I’m surprised,” said Sean. “I never expected her to give in and sleep with anybody.”
“Maybe you had the wrong image of her. She’s not all cakes and books.”
Sean shook his head in disbelief. He couldn’t imagine sex would be a pleasurable experience with someone so inexperienced. More than that, I think he had trouble believing that Lori could be wild and sexy. “I wonder if she’d be up for doing it with two guys.”
“Doubtful,” I replied with a stony glare. “She seems pretty committed to me and me only.” During our mid-coital talking session, we had spent a few minutes verbally affirming our love for each other. Lori admitted that she wanted to be more than just a casual dating partner. It was a riskier declaration than anything we had done with our bodies that night. I knew if we weren’t careful we could end up married in a year or two, and somehow the thought did not trouble me.
“For a long time,” she had said, “I didn’t know if I was ever going to be in a relationship. I always pictured myself growing old alone, a reclusive writer in a large house filled with books.”
“Like the woman who marries George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life. Have you ever seen that movie?”
“Oh, of course,” said Lori. “Aunt Trish and I used to watch it every Christmas.”
“I’m thinking of the scene where George is seeing what the world would be like if he had never been born. Mary never got married, but she runs the library.”
“I never liked that scene, because it seemed to be implying that it would be a horrifying fate to be single and a librarian. Like, they create this alternate reality dystopia and the very worst thing they can think of to signify how bad it is is having Mary run the library.” She shook her head in annoyance. “Anyway. I’m not saying I was miserable before, but my life is much happier since I met you.”
“Same.” I leaned over and kissed her on the side of her head. She had finally taken off her bra, but now she was modestly covering her chest with a sheet. “I can honestly say you’re my favorite bookworm.”
“How many bookworms do you know, really?”
I started counting them off on my fingers. “You… I think your sister counts as one… the chick from It’s a Wonderful Life… Harriet the Spy…”
“Okay, okay,” said Lori, laughing, “but how many non-fictional ones?”
“Oh, just two.”
Throughout the next week, I had visited the bakery at least once every day. Pastor Gustman had been thoroughly taken aback when they showed up in his office with the money in hand.
“Were you aware,” Sean asked me, “that SCHOP doesn’t own the property rights to the entire strip mall?”
“How do you mean?”
“I mean they only own half of it. The other half is owned by the family that runs Magnolia Plantations and Gardens, one of the most famous historical sites in South Carolina.”
I had a vague memory of Lori trying to tell me about that place. There were strange legends surrounding it, and the hedge maze was said to be haunted. “I’m afraid I don’t see what you’re getting at.”
There was a hint of impatience in Sean’s voice. “Ever since the pastor guy moved in, he’s been forcing Lori and Sam to pay exorbitant rent. But if someone else were to buy out the entire property, then presumably they wouldn’t have to.”
“So you want me to convince the owners of Magnolia Plantations to buy the entire strip mall and run the guy out of there?”
“Not necessarily,” he said slyly. “If you were to make the purchase yourself…”
“How? How could I possibly do that?”
“I’ve looked into it,” he explained with perfect matter-of-factness, “and to purchase the whole property, you would only need two million dollars…”
“Only!” I nearly spat out my beer. “My friend, I think you may have seriously over-estimated my net worth. Anyway, we’d have to convince him to sell first, and he’s not budging.”
“Okay, but assuming you win the invitational, how much money would that give you? If you can get the money, I’m sure you could convince him.”
“That seems like an awfully big assumption, given that I’ll be playing against the most seasoned players in the world. But for the sake of argument…” I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my phone. “According to their website, first prize is ten million dollars.”
“Well, there’s your answer,” said Sean with perfect assurance.
“And second prize is only one and a half million. I would have to win the entire competition. And while it’s flattering that you think I could actually do that, maybe don’t base your entire plan on this happening?”
But Sean had total faith in me, and there was no talking him out of it. “When you win the ten million, spare a thought for your old friend who said it could be done.”
“In any case,” I said, returning my phone to its pocket, “I need to be heading back soon. Lori and I are having dinner together tonight, and I’ve healed enough that I think we might actually go out. I think we might get Asian food. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had Asian food?”
“Too long, I imagine,” said Sean, and then raised his can in sorry salute.
The rest of the way to Lori’s house, I brooded over my argument with Sean and the unrealistic expectations everyone seemed to have of me. Just because I was the best player they knew personally didn’t mean I was the best. At least Lori hadn’t suggested that she was counting on me to win the ten million dollars. Talking to her, I got the sense that she would continue to love me regardless of whether I won or lost this weekend, and that knowledge was enough to help me relax a little.
“I hope you know,” she had told me the day before, “I still would have loved you even if you hadn’t just saved our business. You’d still be my Marshall.”
“Yes, but it probably helped a little.”
“A little,” she said with a laugh and twined her arms around me.