Chapter 12
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Tommy hired a few ranch hands and the house was under reconstruction. Annie was surprised at how much needed to be done. She found herself drifting easily into the slow southern rhythm. She found out the owner of the sushi place in town was looking to hire another waitress, so she applied for the job and with her credentials from the previous restaurant she worked at, the owner was happy to have her aboard.
She didn’t need to work, but being home alone while Marti was at her job was getting boring and with the ruckus going on at the ranch, she needed to get away for a few hours a day. Compared to the fancy place she had worked at in L.A., the sushi bar was ridiculously simple, but she found she really liked the slower pace.
Of course, the rest of her life wasn’t so simple. Marti had given up her apartment and moved in with Annie at the ranch. She was supposed to be there helping with the crew, but truth be told, she was there for Annie and her own desires. Annie appreciated the company and she loved playing with Marti until the wee hours of the night, but her feelings for Tommy were getting stronger. She slept at his house nearly half the week, and Marti didn’t like it when she was gone.
Tommy didn’t like the fact that Marti was living there, but he shrugged it off as best he could. He didn’t know anything about what was happening between Annie and Marti, and he sure didn’t want to start a fight with her. She was Annie’s friend and he would just deal with it.
Annie knew the sexcapades with Marti could change her whole life and how Tommy felt about her. She loved Tommy, she loved Marti, but she just couldn’t stop. Sometimes she was afraid to stop. They were just so different. Tommy was serious and sensual. They would make love for hours, with candles and soft music playing in the background. He bought her presents at random moments and he never gave her any reason to doubt his feelings for her.
Marti was all giggles and silliness. They would lie together in the dark like girls at a slumber party, throwing pillows and eating ice cream and then suddenly making passionate, hot love. They explored each other’s bodies like it was a game, and both girls were getting very good at it.
The summer had hit its stride when things began to get out of hand. Annie had been sitting under a fan in the restaurant, trying to stay out of the stifling heat while she waited out the slow afternoon time. The dinner rush would be coming soon, and Annie could only hope it came with a breath of cooler air. The air conditioner simply couldn’t keep up in the humidity.
Her phone rang, and she saw it was Tommy. She smiled. He liked to call and text her during the slower times at the restaurant. It was usually less frantic for him this time of day too, and they would chat until one of them got busy again. She loved knowing he thought about her at random times of the day.
“Hey,” she said, knowing he would hear the grin in her voice. “How are you? How’s work?”
“Really good, darlin’,” he said, also sounding happy, but a little nervous. “Look, it’s actually kind of crazy right now, and this isn’t how I wanted this to go. Can I take you out for dinner tonight, so we can talk?”
“Yeah, is everything okay?” Annie said, surprised. Marti would be upset, and she’d have to make it up to her, but this wasn’t like Tommy. He wasn’t that spontaneous. It had to be something important.
“Everything is great, hon,” Tommy said. She could hear shouting in the background, and his voice was suddenly hurried. “I gotta go, I love you and I’ll see you tonight. I’ll pick you up from work. Okay?”
Then, with a click, he was gone, without even giving Annie a chance to say she loved him back. She smiled at the phone. It was nice of him to call when he was so busy, even if it had been worrisome.
She sent a quick text to Marti, canceling their plans for the night. Marti was sure to be pissed. Annie tucked her phone away as a customer walked in the front door, and hurried to get back to work.
Pretty soon the restaurant was full, and Annie didn’t have time to think about much of anything before Tommy was pulling up at the front of the building, dressed in his best slacks and one of the silk shirts she loved so much. This one was a deep green, making the lighter flecks in his eyes brighter. Annie wasn’t actually done. She still had a little bit of cleanup to do, and she smiled at him before returning to work. Tommy whispered quietly with her boss, and her boss beamed.
“Annie, get yourself on over here. I’ll finish up tonight. This man is taking you out on the town!”
Annie smiled, a little confused, but she dropped the cloth gratefully and hurried over. Tommy blushed a little and held out a long flat box for her. “I’m sorry this was so rushed,” he said. “There was a mix-up with one of my friends, and they can only help me out tonight.”
“Help you out with what?” Annie asked, taking the box and looking at it curiously. It was slightly heavy, and she didn’t have a clue what could be inside.
“You’ll see.” He grinned. “I knew you wouldn’t want to be in your work clothes, so I bought that in the city earlier. I hope you like it. The lady in the store said it was good, but what do I know?”
Annie nervously peeled away the corner of the box to peek inside. There was cloth inside—some sort of dark, silky fabric. She looked back up at Tommy, and he grinned, shrugging a little. “You can take as long as you want. I’ll bet Jenny will help you clean up nice.”
Annie turned to find her boss grinning, and she glanced between the two for a minute. “Okay, y’all,” she said, more than a little baffled. She turned to head into the back, so she could change.
The dress was light and clingy in just the right spots. It was a little off the shoulder, with a medium neckline and fairly high cut at the thigh. It was a dark, shimmery blue that seemed to catch the light no matter how she stood. The sales lady had been right. Annie loved it right from the start.
Jenny slipped into the back to help her clean up, fix her makeup and her hair and then, feeling like a million dollars, Annie slipped out the door with Tommy. He drove quietly toward town, and Annie had absolutely no idea what was going on. He pulled up in front of their old elementary school, and Annie looked at it, confused. The front lights were on, and there was a young man in a tux standing at the door.
Annie looked over at Tommy, but he just grinned, sliding out of the car. Together, they walked into the school, along the halls she remembered from her childhood. The lights were lit in a path to the small gym, which was fairly dark, lit only by a line and circle of candles leading to a table in the middle of the room.
The table had flowers in the center, and fancy wine glasses. Tommy helped Annie sit then took his seat across from her. Another young man stepped up, carrying two plates he slipped before her.
Annie stared at it all, her eyes wide.
“I thought you’d like a fancy dinner,” Tommy said. “Something special, to show you how special you are to me.”
Annie blushed. This whole thing was like a dream. They ate together, chatting about the old gym and their school days. They laughed and the spark of love between them grew. Annie was home, and Tommy was an angel. Annie thought he seemed a bit nervous because he kept glancing around the room. Everything was perfect. It was the most romantic meal she’d ever had.
When they were both done, Tommy leaned across the table, smiling. “Do you know what my favorite memory from this gym is?” he asked her, his hands fumbling under the table.
“No, what?” Annie asked, curiously.
His grin got wider, and he was suddenly sliding out of his chair, kneeling beside her. In his hands he held little black box with a beautiful diamond ring in it. “It’s when I first saw you. You were sitting with Marti, playing hopscotch in the corner, and I knew right then that you were the girl for me.” He glanced down at the box in his hands, clearing his throat.
“Annie, I know that I don’t deserve you. You are the most beautiful, amazing woman I know. But I would be honored if you would be my wife. I would take care of you like you deserve. I would make sure you have everything you need. I would be there for you, through everything. I promise I will love you for the rest of my life.”
Annie gasped. Tears welled up in her eyes. She knew she loved Tommy. She just hadn’t expected this quite yet. The world stopped for a moment, and then Tommy cleared his throat.
“Annabelle Michelle Gibbons, will you marry me?”
Annie pressed her hand to her mouth, and found herself answering without thinking about it. “Yes. Yes.” Her voice grew stronger, and then she fell out of her chair to hug him, laughing. “Yes!”
Tommy pulled her in tight, kissing her hard, and Annie let the rest of the world fade away. She would worry about Marti later.