Chapter Four

 

 

A week after Matt and Renee’s joint funeral, Katie stood outside The Ring and took a deep breath then let it out. You are strong and brave. You can do this! She pulled open the door and marched inside. The same woman who’d interrupted her and Ray the last time she was there stood at the counter.

“Good morning. May I help you?”

“Yes. I’m here to see Ray. Is he available?” She hadn’t seen him since the funeral, although she’d called to check on Emily a couple of times. Her heart hurt for the little girl and her uncle, but it was time to move forward. She missed Renee, but if years in foster care taught her one thing, it was that people came and went and to not get too attached. Although she was in serious risk of getting too attached right now.

“He’s in his office. You’re welcome to go up and surprise him.”

“Okay. Thanks.” She wasn’t sure that was a good idea but went along with the suggestion. She rapped on the closed door.

“Come in.”

The sound of Ray’s deep bass sent butterfly wings fluttering in her stomach. She pushed open the door and walked in, head held high.

His eyes widened, and he bolted to his feet. “Katie! I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Surprise. May I sit?” She motioned to the same chair she’d occupied the last time.

“Of course. How are you?” He stepped around his desk, closed the door, then sat in the chair beside her.

“I’m fine.” She had to get this out before she lost her nerve. “Here’s the thing. You need help with Emily and you need a wife. If you’ll have me, I’ll marry you.” The words rushed from her lips so fast she wasn’t sure he’d understood. Plus, the blank look on his face made her wonder. She forced herself to speak slowly and clearly. “I said I’ll marry you.”

He shook his head as if he was coming out of a daze. “I heard you the first time. I’m in shock.”

“I know a lot has happened since that night at the diner, and if you’ve changed your mind about needing a wife, I’ll understand.” Her face burned. She never should have come here. “I’m not trying to throw myself at you. It’s Emily. She needs—”

“You.”

Her gaze shot to his. His soulful eyes told her everything she needed to know for now. He needed her, too. They needed each other.

“Are you sure? Because if you’re not, walk away right now. Emily and I have had more than enough heartbreak, and I don’t think either of us could handle more.”

How could she break his heart? He’d have to love her for that to happen. Could he be insinuating that? Impossible. He’d never indicated he felt anything more than casual friendship.

She nodded. “I have one request. If we’re going to do this, we need to get to know each other better. I feel like I know you, but you don’t know me at all. Well, at least not that well.” She snapped her mouth shut at the intense look in his eyes. Had she said too much?

He nodded. “I suppose you’re right. But I need help with Emily now. I took the last two weeks off, but she’s with my mom today. Renee and my mom didn’t see life through the same lens, and she wouldn’t be happy to know Mom is the only childcare I could arrange.”

“So you want me to be what…your live-in nanny?” She’d offered to be his wife. Not exactly a hardship to her way of thinking, but still—she was giving up a lot. Including her pride.

His face lit. “That’s exactly what I need.”

“But what about your grandfather’s will and the business?”

He frowned. “Good point. My birthday is exactly seventy days away.”

Katie straightened. “You’re counting?” She had a birthday coming up, but she didn’t like to think of those since her past birthdays had been less than memorable.

“Wouldn’t you be if you were in my position?”

He had a point. She might even be counting down the hours.

“What if you move into the apartment above my garage?”

“I don’t understand. How does this help your situation?”

He stood and walked around to the other side of his desk and took the seat beside her. “This is the perfect arrangement. You wanted me to get to know you before we marry, and I need a nanny, housekeeper, and cook, and someone to share this with, if you’re up for all of that. I would pay you, of course, and your room and board would be free. While we’re getting to know one another, we’ll plan our wedding and get married a week or two before my birthday. I’ll have met the requirements of the will, and we’ll have had the opportunity to figure out if we’re making the biggest mistake of our lives or if moving forward with the wedding is the right thing to do.”

So he did want to marry her. Good. For a minute she thought he’d only wanted a nanny. “I cook gluten free.” So many people thought gluten-free food was horrible, but she had no choice and didn’t care to become a short-order cook.

“I remember that about you. It’s fine. I’ll eat what you eat and probably be healthier.”

“Good. Thanks. I like your idea about me living over the garage, but Brandi won’t be here when we get married. A girl’s best friend should be at her wedding. She’ll already be in England.”

“Ian won’t be here either. We don’t need our best friends to get married.”

“True.” But she wanted Brandi to be there. Her friend was her rock. The only person she’d been able to count on no matter what. All that was about to change once her friend married Ian and he whisked her off the continent. She had to get used to doing things without Brandi. “Okay. You make a solid argument. I accept your terms.” Rushing into marriage simply so her best friend could be there was foolhardy. They needed to take time to get to know one another on a more personal level.

Ray grinned. “Thank you. Now let’s agree that if one of us has reservations about getting married we’ll tell the other. I absolutely want to keep the athletic club in the family, but it’s not worth ruining either of our lives over.”

She thrust out her hand. “Agreed.”

He shook it. “When can you move in?”

“Tonight, I guess. What about my job at the community center? I don’t want to quit.”

“Hmm.” He rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Why not bring Emily with you? She’d love it.”

How could she do her job and watch a four-year-old? “There’s a ballet and tap class that meets there three days a week while I’m working. We should enroll Emily. She’d love it, and it would give her something fun to do while I’m working.”

“Good thinking. I’ll take care of that today.” He leaned forward, grabbed a pen, and scribbled onto a piece of scratch paper. “Do you realize this is the most we’ve talked in one sitting? In fact, this is the best conversation we’ve ever had.”

She raised a brow with a half-smile. “I take a while to warm up to people. But once I do, watch out. I’ve been told I talk too much.”

A lopsided grin covered his face. “Impossible.”

“What?” Her heart felt like a herd of racing mustangs.

“There is no way you could ever talk too much. You don’t talk simply to hear yourself. When you speak, you have something to say.” He shrugged. “So it’s impossible that you’d ever talk too much to me.”

Getting to know Ray would be interesting. More than likely, he’d change his mind about her being quiet after a week. Brandi said she had a motor mouth sometimes. She stood. “I’ll let you get back to work.”

 

 

Ray’s pulse thrummed in his ears. Katie stood and walked toward his office door. A tingle zipped through him. He was getting married! She’d surprised him, and now everything was going to be okay. Well, almost okay. Life would never be the same after losing his sister and brother-in-law, but they were at least on the track to a new normal.

He stood and strode to her side, reaching for her hand. “Don’t leave, Katie. Let’s go ring shopping. We need to announce our engagement, and people will expect to see a ring on your finger.”

“Oh. I didn’t think of that.” Her sweet and innocent blue eyes met his gaze. She blinked long lashes. “Are you sure?”

He caught his breath. He’d always thought she was cute, but up close like this, she was truly beautiful. How had he not noticed before? He cleared his throat. “Yes. If you’re free, we could go now.”

“Really?” Her voice hitched. “Okay. But I don’t get paid until next Friday, so I can’t buy your ring right now.”

“Men don’t wear engagement rings, so don’t sweat it.”

“Cute, but I was talking about getting your wedding ring.”

“Okay.” He knew how much she made, and there was no way he was going to let her pay for his wedding ring. Not after everything she was giving up for him and Emily. “How about you let me pay for my wedding band if we come across one? After all, you’re doing this for me.”

She narrowed her eyes. “No. I want to pay for your ring. But I’ll need a loan until payday.”

He let out the breath he’d been holding. “If you insist on paying, I’ll deduct it from your wages for being Emily’s nanny.” He’d adjust her wages to cover the ring, and she’d be none the wiser. He’d never realized how stubborn she was.

“That works. Thank you.”

He motioned for her to precede him. “After you.” He followed her down the stairs, told Tasha he’d be back after lunch, and they left. He needed to get to know his future wife because he clearly didn’t know her as well as he’d thought. He never imagined she’d fight him on paying for his ring.

Based on what he could dig up on her, she grew up in foster care and had little money and no family listed in her emergency contact information—although how she afforded that couture jacket she always wore, he had no idea. Tasha commented about her coat the last time she’d been in. Otherwise he’d have had no idea. He hadn’t been able to glean much of anything else about Katie, though he’d only perused her employee file and spoken briefly with Ian last night. But Ian said that Brandi had been taking care of Katie since they graduated high school. What did he mean by taking care of?

Though seeing the petite woman at his side now, he wondered how accurate Ian’s assessment had been. It could be Ian was being overly protective of his future wife. They walked a few blocks until they came to a pawnshop, and Katie dragged him inside. This wasn’t the kind of place he planned to buy her ring. What were they doing here?

Katie seemed to know her way around the store and went directly to a window display of rings.

A burly dude approached them. “Hey there, Kaitlyn. What brings you by today? You have something to sell?”

“Not today, Tom. We’re ring shopping. I’m looking to buy a man’s wedding band.”

Tom’s gaze shot to Ray. “For you?”

Ray nodded and placed a hand across Katie’s back. He didn’t like the look of this guy. And what was with him calling her Kaitlyn? Sure, it was her legal name, but no one called her that.

Katie looked up at him. Uncertainty covered her face. “Do you mind a used ring?”

“Not used,” Tom corrected. “Vintage.” The dude grinned like he’d said something genius.

“A vintage ring is fine.”

She beamed a breath-stealing smile at him. “Good. In that case, we’d like to see that one, Tom.” She pointed to a classic man’s wedding band that looked to be platinum.

“Excellent choice.” Tom handed him the ring. “How about you, mister. We have some nice ladies rings.”

“Uh. No, thank you.” He much preferred to buy Katie’s from a jewelry store. Ray slid it on his ring finger. “It’s a perfect fit.” He held out his hand and studied the ring.

“I knew it!” Katie beamed. “We’ll take it.”

“Don’t you want to know the price first? This is platinum, and it’s four-hundred dollars.”

“Will you take three hundred?”

He shook his head. “Not even for you.”

Katie frowned. “Okay. Let’s go, Ray.”

“Wait. That’s it? No counter offer?” Tom asked.

She shook her head. “I can only do three.”

He rubbed his bearded chin. “I shouldn’t do this, but you’re a good customer. You bought yourself a ring.”

She grinned wide. “Thanks.” Then she shot a panicked look at Ray and motioned him close. She whispered in his ear. “I don’t have three-hundred dollars, and I don’t want him to see you pay for it.”

Ray stood to his full height of five-feet-ten inches. “Katie needs to go to the ATM. Will you hold onto that for a few minutes?”

“No problem. I’ll get the paperwork ready.”

“Thanks.” He grasped her hand and gently pulled her toward the door.

“You’re a lifesaver. Thanks for not embarrassing me in there. You don’t happen to have three hundred on you?”

“Nope.” He drew her toward the crosswalk. “My bank is around the corner.” Ten minutes later they were back at the pawnshop.

Katie paid Tom and tucked the ring into her purse. “Thanks, Tom.” She waved as they left the store.

“What’s the story with that guy? I got the impression you’re a regular.”

She nodded. “I am. Aside from picking up little things from time to time, I go to garage sales on the weekends, find bargains, fix them up, then pawn them at Tom’s shop.”

He couldn’t help being impressed. “That’s smart.”

Her cheeks pinked. “One of my foster moms did that and made a nice business out of it. I watched and learned.”

He nodded and made a decision. He pulled her toward the next corner cafe. “We need coffee and food for you if we’re going to keep going. I had an early lunch.”

“I didn’t know you were a coffee person.”

“I like the sweet stuff.” He shrugged and pulled open the door to the café.

“But you’re kind of a health nut, aren’t you?”

He chuckled as they walked to the short line. “Not all the time. Come on. This is a big day for me. It’s not everyday a man gets engaged.” He winked and wiggled his ring hand in the air. “We’ll go find yours after coffee. What would you like? My treat.”

“Water and this salad.” She handed him a very basic looking salad from the cooler.

“That’s it?”

She nodded. “I hate tea and coffee, and I try to stay away from sweet drinks. That’s the only gluten free salad here.”

“Okay.” He pushed away disappointment. How could he marry someone who hated coffee? He placed the order, and a few minutes later they were seated beside the window.

Katie guzzled down the water like a camel.

“You were thirsty.”

She nodded. “There’s something I need to ask you.”

“Okay.” The serious look on her face made him put down his mocha.

“You mentioned planning our wedding. I thought a simple ceremony down at the courthouse would be fine.”

“I’m sure we can do better than that.” His mother would take it as a personal offense if they married at the county courthouse. “My church is out, since we meet in a school. What about yours?”

She shook her head. “Not a chance. That place has stuff going on every night of the week. It books out a year in advance. I don’t see how we could find anyplace at this late date. I’ve been helping Brandi plan their wedding, and there is no way we will be able to find a site for the ceremony, much less a florist, musicians, cake, and a caterer with our wedding so close. And who knows what else I’m forgetting.”

“Hmm.” He brought his cup to his mouth and took several sips of the drink. “I have an idea. It’s a bit farfetched, but hear me out.”

“Okay.”

“How do you feel about boxing?”

“Like the sport?”

He chuckled. “Yes.”

“I haven’t given it any thought. Why?” Her brow puckered.

“We could get married in the boxing ring in the basement of The Ring and hold the reception at the community center.”

A blank look met his gaze.

“Bad idea?” Disappointment struck him. Which was nuts since he’d never considered the idea before now.

“I guess I need to see it. I’m not a fan of basements in general. They tend to be so dark. On the other hand, it is kind of a fun idea. Would we wear normal wedding clothes?”

“Whatever you want.”

She tilted her head to the side. Sunshine glinted off her golden hair. An inner light shone in her eyes.

Ray could see she was warming to the idea. “I’m sure I could get my pastor to officiate.” He finished off his mocha. “You ready? I have to be back at the athletic club by one, so we should get a move on.”

“Sure.” She stood and followed after him. “Where are we going?”

“There’s a jewelry store a couple blocks over.” He adjusted his stride so she didn’t have to jog to keep up with him. “How tall are you?”

“Five-foot-four inches. Why?”

“Just curious.”

The next hour flew by in a blur. They hadn’t found anything Katie would agree to. She declared everything too fancy or the stones too big. To which he replied engagement rings were supposed to be extra fancy—she wanted nothing to do with those rings. The only thing he managed to accomplish was learning her ring size—a six. He pulled the door open to The Ring Athletic Club. “Come with me downstairs. I want to show you the boxing ring.” He waved to Tasha as they passed by the front desk then trotted down the stairs and stood with his hand in his pocket. “What do you think?”

Shell-shock covered her face. She glanced at him then at the ring. “Well, I guess I see potential. We could put flower arrangements at the four corners and an arbor in the center.” She looked up at him. “But how would I get in there wearing a wedding gown?”

“Maybe you could pick out a dress without a long train.”

She nodded as if contemplating the idea. Then she walked around the ring.

He realized for the first time all the men had stopped working out and were watching Katie’s every move. A few flung curious looks at him. “Katie.” He held his hand out to her.

She looked at it as if she had no idea what to do with it but moved toward him. He draped an arm across her shoulders. “As long we have everyone’s attention. I’d like to introduce my fiancée. This is Katie.”

Katie shot him a look that would silence most people then offered a smile and a wave to the guys. “I need to go,” she said through the side of her mouth.

“Sorry for the interruption.”

“When’s the big day?” Rusty, the trainer who’d been on staff here forever, stood beside the ring holding a pair of boxing gloves.

“We haven’t set the date yet. I’ll let you know.”

Katie rushed ahead of him and up the stairs. Then without even asking, she hustled to the staircase that led to his office and ran up that one, too.

He followed and closed the door after her. “You okay?”

“I don’t know. That was weird.” Her hands clutched the armrests of the same chair she sat in the last two times she’d been in his office.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He eased down onto the chair beside hers. “Do you feel like talking?”

She nodded. “You didn’t upset me. I got overwhelmed. I do that sometimes. You’ll get used to it.”

He chuckled. “Okay.” He sure hoped she didn’t make a habit of rushing from rooms every time she got overwhelmed. “What do you think of my idea now that you’ve seen the ring?”

“It has promise.” Her gaze shot to his. “Are we crazy?” Her eyes searched his.

He pressed his thumb and pointer finger together then pulled them slightly apart. “Maybe a little. Do you want to change your mind?”

“No. Not yet at least. Do you?”

He shook his head. This wedding may be an arrangement between them, but the more time he spent with this Katie, the more he was intrigued. He also knew the Lord had directed the agreement they had made. Even if he’d been uncertain he’d understood Him right and hadn’t proposed to her in the first place, God didn’t need him as it turned out since He nudged Katie too. Now to keep his wits about him and not mess anything up.