LaVyrle Spencer - Small Town Girl

She did think about it. It sounded too good to be true.

"Boy, wouldn't it be wonderful if I could just hand over all the business management to you and I could just concentrate on the creative end?"

"I could take care of your taxes, your payroll, your accounts payable, your incoming royalties. I could handle your employees' retirement funds and their insurance, and all the financial arrangements involved in running a production the size of your show. Who does all that for you now?"

"A bookkeeper named Sue."

"Sue, huh?" They both thought about firing Sue; then he said, "She could show me your computer system, get me started. Would there be enough work to keep two of us busy?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

It was a minor hitch and they knew it. He rubbed her arm and assured her quietly, "You could trust me, Tess."

"Oh, heavens, I've known that since you counted out Momma's change the night you brought her softener salt in. You gave her every last penny." The mention of her mother brought another thought. "Boy, Momma would sure miss you if you moved away from Wintergreen."

"We'd go back to see her often though. More often than you have without me. I'd make you."

She chuckled, and said, "I know you would. And it'd be good for me, too. I need to see Momma more often."

They imagined it for a while and it began to seem entirely feasible.

"What about Casey?" she asked. "Would you want her to keep living with us?"

"I don't know. What would you want?"

She gave it some thought, and remarked, "I sure love that girl."

He kissed the top of her head, and his tired eyes closed. "I know. That's what started this whole thing, isn't it? And that's one of the reasons I love you so much."

"But I'll confess to you that I don't want to have any kids of my own. My career is too important to me."

"Then Casey can be your kid. It's perfect." He yawned.

She imagined Casey as her kid and loved the idea. "I think I would want her to live with us for a while. I'm not tired of her yet."

He chuckled and rubbed his cheek against her hair. It was dry now and curled up like Little Orphan Annie's. He yawned again and her voice began fading away as she went on talking.

"I want you to see my house, Kenny. It's really beautiful. It's two stories with this fantastic overhanging balcony and a grand piano in this immense front window."

"Mmm…" he mumbled.

"I have an office there, and Casey has her own bedroom, and our bedroom overlooks the pool."

Our bedroom , he repeated to himself, while from the wispy world of semiconsciousness, he smiled.

"When can you come and see it, Kenny?" Tess said, and getting no answer, "Hey, Kenny?" Drawing back, she discovered he'd drifted off to sleep. She smiled and studied his face in repose, loving what she saw, imagining that face on the other pillow for the rest of her life, knowing it was exactly what she wanted.

"Kenny," she said again, simply to speak his name one more time before spending the night beside him. "I love you."

She reached across him and turned out the light, then dragged the extra pillows from behind him and threw one on the floor. He roused slightly as she wriggled down into a comfortable curl at his side and turned her backside against him. Mumbling something unintelligible, he hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her back into his warm curve.

She smiled, closed her eyes and thought, Now I have everything.

At daybreak she awakened right where she'd fallen asleep, snuggled in the Z of his body. It was an exquisite place to be, and she closed her eyes and waited for a sign that he was waking up.

When he wiggled, she rolled over to face him and snuggled her kneecaps smack up against his stomach with her feet hooked over his knees.

"Hi," she whispered, and he opened one eye.

"Hi," he said in a voice like a galvanized bucket dragging on concrete.

"Still respect me?"

He closed the eye. "Uh-huh."

"Still wanna marry me?"

"Uh-huh."

"Still wanna keep my books?"

"Not right at this moment."

She giggled and kissed his chin. His eyes remained closed. She poked a finger into his mouth, and said, "Let's call room service and order breakfast for four, then tell Momma and Casey to get up here and tell them what we're going to do."

Biting her nail, still with his eyes closed, he said, "Mm-kay. But do I have to put up with this intrusive behavior every morning?" The words came out muffled before he spit out her finger.

"Nope," she said. "Some mornings I'll be gone, singing in some faraway city-who knows? Could be as far away as China maybe-then you'll be so lonesome you'll wish I was there to pester you."

He smiled and pushed her knees down and rolled over on top of her. "Darlin'," he said, stretching out full-length, fitting his fingers between hers and burying her hands in the pillow, "you can pester me anywhere, anyway, anytime."

She took him at his word, then and there.

Afterward, they did exactly what she'd suggested, calling the two people they loved most and inviting them up to breakfast in Tess's suite, then they showered and dressed and tried to contain their excitement about telling Casey and Mary.

At precisely ten, the doorbell rang and Kenny answered.

"Room service, sir." A white-coated waiter rolled the table up to the sofa, lifted its drop leaves, and pulled four side chairs up to it.

"Would you like me to open the champagne, sir?"

"Yes, please."

The young Asian man wrapped a white napkin around the bottle of A. Charbaut et Fils and popped the cork. "Shall I pour, sir?"

"No, thank you. We'll wait till our guests arrive." The waiter put the bottle back into the footed silver wine cooler and Kenny saw him out. When he opened the door he found Mary and Casey just ready to ring the bell.

"Heyyyy… good morning!" he greeted them jovially, kissing their cheeks as they came inside. "How did everybody sleep?"

Casey gave him a curious glance. "Gee, you're in a good mood this morning."

"You bet," he said, clapping his hands once and shutting the door.

More greetings and kisses were exchanged with Tess while they got Mary seated on the sofa.

Casey eyed the ice bucket. "Champagne? At ten o'clock in the morning? What's the occasion?"

"Sit down, honey," Kenny said. "Tess?" He pulled out a chair for her, then seated himself.

Casey eyed them both suspiciously while Mary lifted silver lids and sniffed the food.

"What's this? It looks good."

"A ham-and-cheese omelette," Tess answered, hoping she'd guessed right, for Kenny had placed the order.

"Who's for champagne?" he said, pulling the green bottle out of the ice.

"Not me," Casey said. "I can't stand the stuff."

"None for me, either. Gets me goofy," Mary said. "I'll have some coffee, though."

Kenny began filling everyone's cups and Casey watched him curiously as he came to hers. "Dad, what's the matter with you? You know I don't drink coffee."

"Oh!" He stopped pouring and set the silver pot down. "Well… then drink your orange juice, because Tess and I want to make a toast." He sat down and caught Tess's eye, giving her the go-ahead.

She lifted her flute. "Momma… Casey…" Another flute, a stem glass and a coffee cup joined it. "The toast is to all of us, and to our future happiness. We called you down here to tell you that Kenny and I are going to get married."

Mary looked stunned, as if she'd drop her cup.

Casey exclaimed, "I knew it!"

"How did you know it?" Kenny said.

"Well, you've still got your tuxedo pants on, Dad," she said, leaping to her feet to hug him.

"Oh…so I do."

"It's obvious you didn't spend much time in your room last night. Oh… sorry, Mary."

"Married?" Mary interjected belatedly. "But… but when did all this happen? I thought you two… oh, my… oh, gracious…" She started crying.