"This one's taking longer," Ted said with unhidden enjoyment, "because Dad felt a paternal need to tear a strip off Zack first for kidnapping you and all that."
"Zack has already suffered more than enough for anything he did to me," Julie said feelingly.
Katherine swallowed a giggle and her Coke. "He's going to suffer a whole lot more if he takes the bait and agrees to the usual bargain."
"What bargain?" Julie asked.
"You know, the 'tradition-means-everything, no-sex-before-the-wedding, long-engagements-are-best' bargain Dad tries to extract from every prospective bridegroom."
Julie laughed. "Oh that. Zack will never agree to that. He's older, wiser, and more sophisticated than most of the men Dad deals with."
"He'll agree," Ted said with a laugh. "What choice does he have? Dad is not only clever or merely the minister who'll perform the wedding ceremony, he also happens to be your father. Zack knows he already has three strikes against him in Dad's book. He'll agree for your sake and for the sake of familial harmony."
"You mean you hope he does," Katherine teased, "because you did."
Ted leaned over and playfully nipped her ear. "Stop it, you're embarrassing Julie."
"Julie is laughing. You're the one who's blushing."
"I'm blushing, my talkative wife, because I'm remembering what was the longest, most painful month of my life and at the memory of what our wedding night was like as a result of one month's abstinence."
Katherine looked at him, Julie's presence momentarily forgotten. "It was beautiful," she argued. "Special—like the very first time for both of us. I think that's your father's whole purpose in asking people to agree to wait until the wedding night to make love, even if they've already been doing it."
"Does anyone care that I'm listening to this," Julie joked shakily.
The door to the study opened, and they all turned. Reverend Mathison looked pleased, Zack looked dazed and annoyed, and Ted's shoulders began to shake with laughter. "He went for it!" he choked. "He has that stunned, angry look they all have. My movie hero," he said, shaking his head. "All those posters of him that I used to have in my room, and he turned out to be a mere mortal after all, another piece of unsuspecting putty in Dad's hands. Prison couldn't break him, but Dad did."
Zack threw a speculative glance at the mirthful group in the living room as he walked forward, but Mrs. Mathison delayed him with an invitation to come into the dining room for cookies and he turned. "No, thank you, Mrs. Mathison," he said, glancing at his watch. "It's late. I need to find a hotel and check in."
She tossed a questioning glance at her husband, who smiled and nodded slowly, then she said, "We'd like very much for you to stay with us."
Zack considered the number of phone calls he would receive and make while he stayed in Keaton and the disruption he was likely to cause to their household, and he shook his head. "Thank you, but I think it would be better if I stayed in a hotel. I brought work with me, and I'll have more sent down here and probably some business meetings too," he threw in when she looked genuinely disappointed. "I think a suite in a hotel would be better."
He missed the odd, uneasy look Julie gave him at the mention of a suite, but he was anxious to leave, to order champagne sent up from room service, and then to take her in his arms and ask her to marry him with appropriate ceremony and atmosphere. "Would you mind taking me to the hotel?" he asked her.
Chapter 81
"This is it," Julie said a half hour later when they pulled up before Keaton's only motel. "Keaton's best motel." Ted and Katherine had dropped them off at her house and they'd gotten Zack's suitcase and briefcases and Julie's car.
Zack looked in disbelief at the long ramshackle building with black doors at twelve-foot intervals that somehow reminded him of rotted teeth, and the empty swimming pool that practically sat on the shoulder of the highway, then he raised his gaze to the flashing neon sign above it and read it aloud: "The Rest Your Bones Motel," he repeated in disbelief. "There has to be another motel around here."
"I wish there was," she said on a suffocated laugh.
An old man with a Stetson and a cheek full of chewing tobacco was sitting in front of the office on a metal chair, enjoying the balmy evening when they pulled up to register. He stood up as Zack got out of the car. "Howdy, Julie," he called, identifying her with a brief glance through the windshield.
Zack abandoned all hope of a nice, anonymous trysting place and stalked into the office, his mood going from fair to poor.
"Mind if I keep this for a souvenir?" the manager asked when Zack scribbled his name on the registration form and shoved it across the desk.
"No."
"Zack Benedict," the manager uttered reverently, picking up the form and studying the signature. "Zack Benedict, right here, stayin' at my motel. Who would've guessed it could happen?"
"Not me," Zack said flatly. "I don't suppose you have a suite?"
"We got a bridal suite."
"You're kidding," Zack said, glancing over his shoulder at the uninviting building, and then he saw Julie leaning against the office door, her feet crossed at the ankles, her face aglow with mischievous laughter, and his spirits lifted crazily.
"The bridal suite's got a kitchenette," the manager added.
"How romantic. I'll take it," Zack said, and he heard the magic of Julie's muffled laughter. It made him smile.
"Let's go," he said, escorting her out of the office and toward his room while the manager followed them out and stood beneath the overhang. "Am I imagining it," he asked dryly as he opened the door to the bridal suite and stepped aside for her to proceed him, "or is that guy watching to see if you go in here."
"He's watching to see whether I go in here, whether or not we close the door, and how long I stay. By tomorrow, the whole town will know the answers to all three of these questions."
Zack turned on the wall switch, took one look at the suite, and quickly turned the lights back off. "How much time can we spend at your house without causing a lot of gossip?"
Julie hesitated, wishing he'd tell her he loved her again and what he wanted to do about it. "That depends on your intentions."
"I have very honorable intentions but they'll have to wait until tomorrow. I refuse to discuss them in a room with a red velvet heart-shaped bed and purple chairs."
"Zack has already suffered more than enough for anything he did to me," Julie said feelingly.
Katherine swallowed a giggle and her Coke. "He's going to suffer a whole lot more if he takes the bait and agrees to the usual bargain."
"What bargain?" Julie asked.
"You know, the 'tradition-means-everything, no-sex-before-the-wedding, long-engagements-are-best' bargain Dad tries to extract from every prospective bridegroom."
Julie laughed. "Oh that. Zack will never agree to that. He's older, wiser, and more sophisticated than most of the men Dad deals with."
"He'll agree," Ted said with a laugh. "What choice does he have? Dad is not only clever or merely the minister who'll perform the wedding ceremony, he also happens to be your father. Zack knows he already has three strikes against him in Dad's book. He'll agree for your sake and for the sake of familial harmony."
"You mean you hope he does," Katherine teased, "because you did."
Ted leaned over and playfully nipped her ear. "Stop it, you're embarrassing Julie."
"Julie is laughing. You're the one who's blushing."
"I'm blushing, my talkative wife, because I'm remembering what was the longest, most painful month of my life and at the memory of what our wedding night was like as a result of one month's abstinence."
Katherine looked at him, Julie's presence momentarily forgotten. "It was beautiful," she argued. "Special—like the very first time for both of us. I think that's your father's whole purpose in asking people to agree to wait until the wedding night to make love, even if they've already been doing it."
"Does anyone care that I'm listening to this," Julie joked shakily.
The door to the study opened, and they all turned. Reverend Mathison looked pleased, Zack looked dazed and annoyed, and Ted's shoulders began to shake with laughter. "He went for it!" he choked. "He has that stunned, angry look they all have. My movie hero," he said, shaking his head. "All those posters of him that I used to have in my room, and he turned out to be a mere mortal after all, another piece of unsuspecting putty in Dad's hands. Prison couldn't break him, but Dad did."
Zack threw a speculative glance at the mirthful group in the living room as he walked forward, but Mrs. Mathison delayed him with an invitation to come into the dining room for cookies and he turned. "No, thank you, Mrs. Mathison," he said, glancing at his watch. "It's late. I need to find a hotel and check in."
She tossed a questioning glance at her husband, who smiled and nodded slowly, then she said, "We'd like very much for you to stay with us."
Zack considered the number of phone calls he would receive and make while he stayed in Keaton and the disruption he was likely to cause to their household, and he shook his head. "Thank you, but I think it would be better if I stayed in a hotel. I brought work with me, and I'll have more sent down here and probably some business meetings too," he threw in when she looked genuinely disappointed. "I think a suite in a hotel would be better."
He missed the odd, uneasy look Julie gave him at the mention of a suite, but he was anxious to leave, to order champagne sent up from room service, and then to take her in his arms and ask her to marry him with appropriate ceremony and atmosphere. "Would you mind taking me to the hotel?" he asked her.
Chapter 81
"This is it," Julie said a half hour later when they pulled up before Keaton's only motel. "Keaton's best motel." Ted and Katherine had dropped them off at her house and they'd gotten Zack's suitcase and briefcases and Julie's car.
Zack looked in disbelief at the long ramshackle building with black doors at twelve-foot intervals that somehow reminded him of rotted teeth, and the empty swimming pool that practically sat on the shoulder of the highway, then he raised his gaze to the flashing neon sign above it and read it aloud: "The Rest Your Bones Motel," he repeated in disbelief. "There has to be another motel around here."
"I wish there was," she said on a suffocated laugh.
An old man with a Stetson and a cheek full of chewing tobacco was sitting in front of the office on a metal chair, enjoying the balmy evening when they pulled up to register. He stood up as Zack got out of the car. "Howdy, Julie," he called, identifying her with a brief glance through the windshield.
Zack abandoned all hope of a nice, anonymous trysting place and stalked into the office, his mood going from fair to poor.
"Mind if I keep this for a souvenir?" the manager asked when Zack scribbled his name on the registration form and shoved it across the desk.
"No."
"Zack Benedict," the manager uttered reverently, picking up the form and studying the signature. "Zack Benedict, right here, stayin' at my motel. Who would've guessed it could happen?"
"Not me," Zack said flatly. "I don't suppose you have a suite?"
"We got a bridal suite."
"You're kidding," Zack said, glancing over his shoulder at the uninviting building, and then he saw Julie leaning against the office door, her feet crossed at the ankles, her face aglow with mischievous laughter, and his spirits lifted crazily.
"The bridal suite's got a kitchenette," the manager added.
"How romantic. I'll take it," Zack said, and he heard the magic of Julie's muffled laughter. It made him smile.
"Let's go," he said, escorting her out of the office and toward his room while the manager followed them out and stood beneath the overhang. "Am I imagining it," he asked dryly as he opened the door to the bridal suite and stepped aside for her to proceed him, "or is that guy watching to see if you go in here."
"He's watching to see whether I go in here, whether or not we close the door, and how long I stay. By tomorrow, the whole town will know the answers to all three of these questions."
Zack turned on the wall switch, took one look at the suite, and quickly turned the lights back off. "How much time can we spend at your house without causing a lot of gossip?"
Julie hesitated, wishing he'd tell her he loved her again and what he wanted to do about it. "That depends on your intentions."
"I have very honorable intentions but they'll have to wait until tomorrow. I refuse to discuss them in a room with a red velvet heart-shaped bed and purple chairs."
