“Wow, five hundred dollars. That’s a lot of money. Nice of you.”
“I had it, and she needed it. It was an easy thing to do.”
Kathleen gave him an appreciative nod. “Well, you know what they say: God gives people money to see what they do with it.”
“Who says that?”
She thought a second and said, “I’m not sure. It just popped into my head.”
“I like it,” he said approvingly. “God gives people money to see what they do with it. Words to live by.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
SPRING 1984
When Joe suggested a rowboat ride out to the island the first warm day of spring might be romantic, Kathleen was more than agreeable. This time around, Joe had rented a rowboat and arranged for her to meet him at the pier. When she arrived, he helped her into the boat and settled in to row, giving her the luxury of being a passenger. The lake rippled with small waves, and the air was warm and fresh, smelling like sunshine. Kathleen took a deep breath and opened her arms.
“What a glorious day,” she said. “There’s something so calming about being on the water.”
Kathleen watched Joe happily rowing and took note of the way the surface of the water shimmered and sparkled, undulating before her eyes. She smoothed out the front of her skirt and lifted her chin to watch birds fly overhead. It had taken a lot for her to shake the guilt of being responsible for Ricky’s death. Now, after so many months, some sadness still lingered, but she was working to put it behind her.
When they reached the island, Joe hopped out and pulled the boat onto shore, then helped her out. The island had a different feeling during the day, she reflected. Peaceful. Joe reached back into the boat and pulled a towel off a picnic basket, then grabbed the handle.
“I was wondering what that was,” she said. “Aren’t you the tricky one?”
“You haven’t seen anything yet.” Joe took her hand and led her down the path. When they reached the clearing, Kathleen stared in wonder, taking it all in. The site had been cleared of trash, and a linen tablecloth covered one of the picnic tables.
The trash barrel had been replaced with a shiny new one, and the metal sign hanging on it said KEEP NATURE THE WAY GOD INTENDED. PICK UP AFTER YOURSELF.
Joe opened the picnic basket and took out an ice bucket and a bottle of champagne, along with two champagne flutes, and set them on the table.
“Champagne. Why the champagne?” she asked.
“To celebrate afterward.”
“Afterward?” She felt a flutter of anticipation.
Joe took a small jeweler’s box out of the picnic basket and said, “Kathleen, you’ve become everything to me. I’ve never felt this way before. I didn’t know I could feel this way. I love you, and every day I fall even more in love with you.”
“I love you too.”
He dropped to one knee and took her hand. “Kathleen, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” He opened the box and revealed the engagement ring that had belonged to his great-grandmother. “If this ring isn’t what you want, we can get something different.”
Speechless, she motioned for him to get up, and he did, still holding the box. She took the offered ring and put it on her left ring finger. “It’s beautiful. I love it.”
“Kathleen, you didn’t actually answer my question. Will you marry me?”
“Yes. Oh yes.”
He lifted her off her feet and swung her around in a circle, making her laugh, then gently set her down, holding her in a firm embrace. Putting his lips next to her ear, he breathed a question. “May I kiss you, Kathleen Dinsmore?”
It was a good thing he was holding her close, because now she felt her knees weaken. “Yes, you may,” she said, and then his mouth was against hers, his lips warm and tender, and it was everything she’d ever dreamed it would be and yet not nearly enough. She marveled at how natural it seemed and felt elated to realize that this was just the beginning. They could kiss like this for the rest of their lives. And then someday, besides having each other to count on, they’d have a family and a home.
When she’d first moved to Pullman, life was something to be gotten through, each day leading to the next, nothing remarkable about any of them. Now she saw the years ahead unfolding in beauty like rose petals come to bloom.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A heartfelt thank-you to the Lake Union Publishing team at Amazon—Danielle Marshall, Gabe Dumpit, Kristin King, Erin Calligan Mooney, Nicole Pomeroy, Mikyla Bruder, Jeff Belle, and many others. You make writing and publishing books one of the greatest joys of my life.