Seven

Andy

" S o, where is Link?" I asked as my dad drove us to Colusa to pick up the tuxes. "I thought we were both going?"

"He had something he needed to take care of, but he wanted to be sure you picked up both tuxes and that you had time to rest before tomorrow," Dad said like it should have been obvious, but none of it was obvious at all. I stared at his profile a little too long before finally deciding to trust him and Link and hope for the best. "I thought maybe you and I could go for a burger at the old drive-in. We haven't eaten there in a long time."

"Sure, I wouldn't mind at all." I thought about it, and this was the first time I'd spent time with my dad for more than a few minutes in ages. He was busy most of the time, and when I was home, I was focused on Link. "So, it seems Link made plans he didn't tell me about."

He grinned at me before reaching across and patting my knee. "You could say that. Take my advice, Andy, enjoy it while you can. You two are so busy, you need to learn to embrace the times you have together and take advantage of the time you're not working."

Dad had been retired for a few years, and he was always helping someone, either at home or at Stu and Morgan's, or at any of their friends' who didn't have anyone else they could call. "I was thinking maybe I'll cut down to only one day a week in Sacramento. There're a few really good salons around here now. I think I'll go check and see which ones would be a good fit and ask if they have any available space. I hate the idea of starting over, but maybe some of my clients would be willing to drive here. At least for a while."

"Oh, Andy, that would be great. I know you were anxious to leave Occident, but Link loves it here, and you two are so happy together. Your mom and I would love to see more of you both."

"You see Link every day," I said, and he burst out laughing.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Him and your mom like their afternoon coffee break."

Link had always been close to my parents, but especially my mom. He'd confessed his love for me to her long before he got up the nerve to finally tell me. Memories of the past few years flowed through my mind as we drove along the familiar road with country music playing softly in the background. "I never thought I'd end up living in Occident. But Link would never be happy in the city, and there's nothing I wouldn't do for him. I think working here is a good choice. I won't know for sure until I try it, but I know I want more time with him, not less."

"It's a good plan, and if it doesn't work you can keep doing what you're doing. You never know, you might have plenty of people who are willing to drive here. It's really not that far."

After a couple of turns through an older neighborhood, we drove past a few houses and onto the main street. Colusa was bigger than Occident and was the official county seat. This was where we'd gone shopping for clothes when I was a kid and where we went to watch a movie as teenagers. Now it seemed so small. It's funny how when you're young everything around you is so big, but as an adult it looks and feels so small. I never realized how truly small my hometown was until I moved away.

"You're deep in thought over there," Dad said as he pulled into a parking lot.

"Just thinking how I never realized how small Occident was until I moved away."

"Yeah, that happens. When your mother moved here, I never thought she'd get used to it, but she did. Now neither of us would move for anything. I like having my family close enough I can walk to their house if I want, and seeing my granddaughter grow up is not so bad either."

"Not so bad?" I asked, as he turned off the motor.

"Okay, it's my favorite, but you didn't hear that from me." He winked before he slid out of the car and the two of us walked up to a building I hadn't been to since I rented a tux for my senior prom. Shaking my head at the memory, I followed Dad inside.

"Well, hello there," a man about my dad's age greeted us as soon as we walked in. "I bet you don't remember me, do you?" He looked right at me with a grin and waited for my answer.

I looked at Dad for some help, but he crossed his arms and didn't say a word. "I'm not sure. I haven't been here in years."

"Not since you rented a tux for your senior prom," he said and pointed a finger at me.

"That's right." I looked closer and he did look familiar, but I still couldn't place him.

"I'm Dave Butler." His eyes twinkled as he held his hand out to me.

"Oh, yes. You're the owner, right?" I shook his hand while he continued to grin at me.

"That's right, but not much longer. I've decided to sell the place and do some traveling."

"Dave, I didn't know. Congratulations," my dad said.

"Thanks. We love the business, but it's time for a change."

His words resonated with me. It had taken me years to build my clientele, and I loved my job, but it was definitely time for a change. The traffic and the long drive home were starting to wear on me. It felt like fate was showing me a sign or giving me a message. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to come back here to work. Being closer to Link and my family was a bonus. But was I ready to risk my business in Sacramento by moving it here? There was so much to consider.

"Son, did you want to see your tux?" Dad asked, while Dave unzipped a garment bag he'd hung on a hook, right by the large mirror just outside where I remembered the changing rooms were. Dave slipped one of the two black tuxedoes out of the bag and unbuttoned the jacket.

"I hope this fits as perfectly as I think it will," Dave said while he held the jacket out for me to slip on.

I adjusted it on my shoulders and even though I was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, it was easy to see it fit like a glove. He'd chosen a modern cut with a silver and black striped pocket square, and inside the garment bag I could see a silver tie. "What do you think?" I asked and cleared my throat to tap down my emotions.

Dave walked behind me and checked the fit in the shoulders and length of the sleeves. "It fits great, now go put the rest of it on so we can be sure. Link has already been fitted so I know his is perfect."

"When did he do that?" Apparently, Link had been planning our wedding longer than I thought. And the more I thought about it there were several times over the past weeks he'd been meeting with friends or running errands, and he never mentioned it again. Sneaky fucker.

Dave winked at me, and Dad smiled and slapped me on the back. "Go get dressed, you can argue with your husband about him keeping secrets once you're married."

My husband. I realized at that moment, none of my worries really mattered. We'd been through so much to get to where we were, and now that we were together nothing was going to change that. It didn't matter if I worked here in Colusa or in Sacramento, I'd always be going home to Link.