12. Participation Award

12

PARTICIPATION AWARD

DARREN

“ L ottie’s not having breakfast with us?” Evangeline asks, taking a seat on the deck and admiring the bowl full of fruit and assorted pastries she left for us.

“Noah’s up at the crack of dawn, so they ate earlier,” I explain.

“You should have woken me,” she sounds offended.

I laugh. “I didn’t want to get my head cut off.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’m not that bad, am I?”

“I think it’s absolutely adorable that you’re not a morning person.”

She brings the cup to her lips, peering over it with a smile.

“I hope you don’t mind that Noah’s here. Lottie’s been bringing him for a couple weeks in the summer ever since he was little,” I explain.

“Of course not. He’s sweet, and it’s been nice to have the company,” she implies, scooping fruit onto her plate.

“I know I’ve been busy, but it won’t always be like this,” I offer.

“Yes, it will. Especially if you win.”

“We’ll figure it out.” I offer a small smile while pouring cream into my coffee.

“Did you find an interior designer?” I change the subject.

“Rustic Charm Designs,” she answers. “They’re coming by today.”

I lift an eyebrow and laugh. “That sounds interesting.”

“They’re local. I thought it would be nice.”

“Whatever you want,” I say, flipping through The Post .

“It’s not what I want, Darren. This is,” she pauses. “I don’t know why you want to change everything.”

“I want this to be our home. If I win, we’ll be staying here a lot and—” I sigh, wanting to find the right words but failing. “I just want it to be ours.”

She opens her mouth to counter, but the patio door slides open.

“Explain to me why your wife is shopping at a thrift store?” Rausch asks, tossing down a copy of a newspaper.

“Sitting right here.” Evangeline raises a hand, but Rausch ignores her.

“I’m trying to have breakfast with my wife,” I protest.

“This isn’t a nine-to-five job. Not that you know what that is, either,” Rausch gripes.

Sighing, I pick up the paper. “I think the better question is why you’re reading the Clarksville Caterwaul?” I toss it back down.

“And you gave them a quote?” Rausch turns his attention to her.

I raise an eyebrow and stifle a laugh.

“Do you think this is funny?”

“No, but come on.” I pick up the paper again to skim the article and then look across the table in amusement. “Did you really say there are lots of treasures that you can’t find at a department store?” I ask, trying and failing to hold in my amusement.

“You can’t just go talking to the press,” Rausch accuses. “Not before we’ve had time to prep you.”

Evangeline throws her napkin onto the table. “Barb ambushed me. What was I going to do, be rude?”

“Barb?” Rausch throws up an eyebrow. “We’re on a first name basis with the press?”

“She and Kathy are cousins,” she says absently.

“Excuse me, but who is Kathy?” Rausch probes.

“She owns The Vintage Vault. I don’t know how she knows who I am, but she’s the one who called Barb,” Evangeline says, looking contemplative.

“I know exactly how she knows who you are.” Rausch picks a piece of fruit from the dish. “That little stunt the other day.” He pulls out his phone from inside his suit jacket.

This time it’s from a reputable paper, and on the screen is a picture of Evangeline and I kissing.

“Did I not tell you that this would happen?” Rausch finally takes a seat.

Noah comes running out onto the patio. “Uncle Darren, how does a yeti feel when he gets the flu?”

I place a finger to my lips, pretending to think hard. He bounces on his feet excitedly as if he can’t wait to spill the answer.

“I don’t know. How does he feel?” I ask.

Noah laughs. “Abominable.”

“That was a good one.”

“There you are. I hope he wasn’t interrupting.” Lottie steps onto the patio a bit breathless and gathers Noah into her arms while he struggles to get away.

“Not at all, in fact he was providing us with some entertainment.”

“Was he now?” Lottie leans down and pinches his cheek.

“Uncle Darren, are you going to take me in the boat?”

“Not today.” Noah’s face falls, and Rausch looks annoyed. “But this weekend, if Uncle Rausch lets me out of work early.”

Rausch grumbles while adjusting his suit jacket.

“Yay!” Noah manages to move his hands out of Lottie’s grasp.

“Okay, come on now, we still have some work to do,” Lottie smiles and scoots Noah back into the house.

Rausch stands up. “Don’t mislead the boy by having him think I’m his uncle,” he grumbles.

I laugh. “It’s a term of endearment.”

“I don’t want to be endearing,” he gripes.

I look across the table at Evangeline. My wife. She’s still in her pajamas. The collar of her white fluffy robe is pulled tight around her neck and the belt secured around her waist. If we didn’t have a houseful, I would enjoy unraveling her and tasting more than the breakfast on the table between us.

I clear my throat. “This is more coverage than I’ve had in weeks.” I set my coffee mug down triumphantly.

“The point is that we need to be a united front when dealing with the press because it can quickly get out of hand,” Rausch continues.

“I don’t disagree.”

“From what I saw the other day the economy isn’t doing these small towns any favors, and isn’t that Darren’s platform, revitalizing tourism amongst other things?”

Rausch turns his head. “Well, someone’s been paying attention.”

“I can do better things with my time than redecorate ,” she says pointedly.

“Well, that may be my cue to leave.” Rausch stands and checks his watch. “I have a meeting with the director.”

“Are you producing a movie I don’t know about?”

“We spoke about this,” he pronounces. “The TV ad.”

I look at him blankly.

“Seriously, Darren, sometimes I wonder if you hear anything I say.” Rausch gathers his things and adjusts his tie.

“I’ll ride in with you, just give me a few minutes.” I stand, finishing off my coffee.

He nods but before he shows himself out, Noah catches him by the front door. “Uncle Rausch, what is black and white and red all over?” he asks with a huge smile on his face.

Rausch gives him an indignant look. “That’s easy, a newspaper.”

Noah laughs. “No, it’s a zebra with a sunburn.”

Rausch is about to protest when Lottie catches up to him. “He got a joke book from the library for his summer reading,” she explains.

“If I read five books this summer I get a coupon for a free ice cream cone at Sally’s Sweets,” Noah says proudly.

“And joke books count?” Rausch inquires.

Noah nods his head vigorously.

“I’ll never understand this participation award generation.”

Lottie hits the door shut with her hip after Rausch steps through it, and takes Noah upstairs.

“I thought I’d leave you the car so you can run errands,” I offer to Evangeline and then lean over the table to grab the last strawberry. “You know you don’t have to shop at thrift stores,” I add with amusement.

“I didn’t want to spend a lot of money.”

“I doubt you could put a dent in the bank account, but you could certainly try,” I smile ruefully.

“I’m not talking about your money; I’m talking about mine.”

“You’re my wife. What’s mine is yours.” I gather my empty dishes and head inside.

“You don’t need to get a ride from Rausch,” she says, following behind me with the rest of the plates.

“You need a car. Pick out whatever you want.” I set my dishes in the sink and Evangeline grabs them. She rinses each one before putting them in the dishwasher.

“Lottie has enough to do,” she explains and then turns back around, leaning against the sink.

“Here’s my credit card. Pick out a car,” she mocks. “As if it’s that easy.”

I cage her against the sink. “It is that easy. I have money. Lots of it.”

She looks up at me through her bangs.

“You have no idea how much I want to play hooky today,” I tell her, and pull at the ties of her robe, letting it fall open to reveal her tank top and sleep shorts.

She wraps her arms around my shoulders as I lean down to kiss her, tasting coffee on her tongue, but she feels different, not committed, not as eager as she usually is.

“Surely two people kissing isn’t too scandalous for Noah?” I suspect that’s the reason for her hesitation.

She holds onto me, searching my eyes, and I feel a worrisome pull in my stomach.

“It’s not that.” She fidgets with the collar of my shirt and the sound of a loud, aggressive horn cuts through the air.

I groan and then jump again when the horn sounds a second time. I curse, letting her go.

“You better get going before he leaves without you,” she smiles, patting my chest.

“Would that be a bad thing?” I tease, kissing her again, and this time she yields. I lean my forehead against hers as I hear Noah bounding down the stairs.

“Come pick me up later.” I smile against her mouth.

“Ewwwwww,” Noah exaggerates as he enters the kitchen and I laugh, looking over at him. “Just a couple years buddy, and you might feel different about kissing someone.”

“I doubt that,” he says, rolling his eyes.

I feel my phone vibrate and pull it out to see a text from Rausch to get my ass moving.