was not one of my options.”
Four
The sun came out on Saturday morning and Charlene took it as an omen. She was preparing the brunch for her mother and daughter over which she would give them the good news.
“Let’s not overcook that quiche,” Dennis said.
They were making brunch. They would convey the news. She mentally lectured herself to start thinking and acting as a couple. This should not be a challenge; they’d been together for years.
Dennis put a sprig of mint in the festive-looking bowl of multicolored melon balls and poured four mimosas. He snapped open and refolded the linen napkins, peeked in the chafing dish at the ham and bacon and turned on the coffeepot. Charlene brought the warm croissants to the table, unfolded the napkins and put them in decorative rings, checked the meat in the chafing dish and turned down the temperature, then drank one mimosa. Rather quickly.
Dennis noticed. “There isn’t any reason to be tense,” he said. “I’m sure they approve of me.”
“It’s silly, isn’t it? But I am tense. Why is that?”
“Are you afraid to get married?”
“No. In fact, since we made the decision, I’ve never felt more relaxed. Secure. Pam says I glow.”
“You didn’t like the way I folded the napkins?” he asked. And if she wasn’t mistaken, asked rather testily.
“I wanted to use the napkin rings—I just bought them. If you don’t like them, take them off.” She took a breath. “Dennis, there are a couple of things we haven’t talked about yet.”
“Like?” He left the napkin rings alone.
“Insurance? Joint accounts? Prenup?”
“Those things don’t matter to me,” he said. He’d already told her that he had set aside some money for his niece and nephew, for college, and he naturally assumed Stephanie would remain her beneficiary. “Anything you want is fine with me.”
“Well, here’s something we haven’t discussed. Where are we going to live? I assumed we’d be living here.”
He stared at her for a moment as she fussed with the napkins, then he picked up a mimosa and drained the glass. “You did?”
“It seems like we spend more time here,” she said.
“That’s because of your schedule. You don’t exactly keep regular hours.”
“I don’t punch a clock, no.”
“Exactly! And when we have plans and you can’t get away until the last possible minute, I come for you here. Then I bring you back here.”
“I thought you liked it here,” she said.
“I like being with you,” he countered. “And coming here rather than asking you to drive back into the city is the gentlemanly thing to do.”
“Oh. You’re being a gentleman? You don’t like it here?”
“I like if fine,” he said snappishly. “But it’s for your convenience that we spend more time here. My house is actually closer to your office and the courthouse. If your clothes were in my closet, it would work out even better for us to meet there.”
“Your place would make a nice rental,” she said.
“You don’t like my house?”
“I love your house, but this house has a larger master bedroom and bath. Plus, I just bought it.”
“It would make a nice rental,” he said, a little edge in his voice.
“I don’t want it to be a rental!”
“Really?” he asked. “Why not?”
“It’s my house! I don’t want to rent it out!”
“And you think I’d like to rent mine out because…?”
“It’s older, larger and there are more rentals in your neighborhood.”
“It’s an historic district!”
“You don’t seem as attached to your house as I am to mine.”
“It’s a restored home! I restored it!”
The doorbell rang. They stared each other down.
“We’re going to have to put this discussion on the back burner,” she said.
“Where it will stay good and hot,” he added testily.
They went to the door together, plastered smiles on their faces and swung the portal open to greet Stephanie and Lois. They welcomed with hugs and cheek presses, pulling the guests inside. Dennis quickly replenished the mimosas that had been guzzled while the brunch guests shed their wraps. He presented full, fresh glasses to Lois, Stephanie and Charlene, then he put an arm around his fiancée’s shoulders and said, completely sweet-natured, “Let’s not make them wait. Let’s have a toast.”
Dennis and Charlene were both professionally trained in the ability to act contrary to emotions when necessary. Dennis couldn’t let his stress or fear or even anger show in the emergency room, especially around the patients and their families. As for Charlene, she was a gifted litigator; no one knew by her expression what she was thinking…and at that moment she was thinking she had just met a side of Dennis she had never before known.
“What are we toasting? New car? Vacation? Raise? Bonus?” Stephanie asked, taking a preliminary sip.
“At long last, Dennis and I have decided to make it official. We’re getting married.”
Stephanie stopped in mid gulp. She and Lois exchanged shocked looks and then said in unison, “Why?”
As toasts go, it wasn’t all Charlene had dreamed of. She much preferred the reaction she had gotten from Pam. Happy tears seemed more apropos.
“We felt it was time,” she said somewhat wearily.
They relented. “Oh. Well then, congratulations!”
“Yes, of course. How wonderful.”
Dennis raised a glass. “To new family ties,” he proposed.
“Hear, hear,” they intoned.
“Now, what have you made for brunch?” Lois wanted to know.
“Well, don’t fall over in excitement,” Charlene said.
Stephanie whispered to her grandmother, “I think she’s in need of a little more bride-to-be attention, Peaches.”
“But they always serve such lovely meals,” Lois protested.
“Come ahead,
