Her Perfect Proposal Read online

  Kent entered the room and Gunnar’s spirits immediately lifted. “Hey, man.”

  “How’re you doing?”

  “I could be better. Doc, this is my best friend, Dr. Kent Larson.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “Can you tell him what you just told me?”

  He repeated the information for Kent then, all business and no doubt with a long list of patients yet to see, the junior-aged doctor prepared to leave. “I’ll need to see you back in a week for a wound check and follow-up X-rays.”

  “Can I follow up with my friend here? His office is in Heartlandia.”

  “I run the Urgent Care there.”

  The kid curled his lower lip, looking at Kent and thinking. “I don’t see why not,” Dr. Too-young said. “You’ll need to do another X-ray to see how the bone is healing, though.”

  “I can do that, we have radiology equipment at my Urgent Care, too,” Kent said with maybe a hint of insult. It wasn’t as if he ran a little country clinic in the middle of nowhere. Gunnar knew Kent worked hard at having the best and newest of everything, nearly going into debt to do it on more than one occasion.

  “I’ll be glad to consult with you over the phone when you’re ready,” Dr. Kid said.

  “Great. Nice to meet you, Doctor.” Kent shook the fresh-faced doctor’s hand and went immediately to Gunnar’s bedside. “So you made it.”

  “I did. Damn, I don’t ever want to be shot again.”

  Kent smiled. “I don’t blame you.” Since he’d been dating Desdemona he’d grown a stylish beard, and Gunnar still needed to get used to it.

  “What about the turd who shot me?”

  “He’s in custody. From what I hear, he’s a whack-job.”

  “Attempting to kill an officer of the law, and arson, he’ll be put away for the rest of his life.”

  Kent nodded solemnly.

  After a few moments of silence, Gunnar realized how worried his friend had been about him—why else would he show up here on a Friday morning when he probably had a full clinic back home? Gunnar decided to change the topic from near-death experiences. “So, how are the wedding plans coming along?”

  Kent’s face brightened. “I wanted to talk to you about that. You’ll be my best man, right?”

  “Damn straight, I will.” Gunnar tried to sit up more and tugged on his shoulder wound. “Ouch.”

  Kent rushed to help him adjust his position. “Hey, take it easy. You’re going to need a lot of help when you get home. Maybe you should go to Elke’s.”

  “Yeah, maybe for a few days.” Gunnar’s mind quickly drifted to Lilly, wondering if it was okay to ask an ex-girlfriend to help out.

  “I’m going to need you in tip-top shape to be my best man.”

  “You name the day and place and I’ll be there.”

  The happiness he read in his friend’s eyes sent a sudden pang to his chest. Lately he’d been walking around looking that happy, too, all because of Lilly.

  “How come you and Lilly never doubled with Desi and me?”

  “Busy schedules. My job. Never had time.” Gunnar had to stop for a second and think why Kent would bring up Lilly this morning. Oh, right, she’d shown up at the Urgent Care last night wanting to see him. Truth was he had been keeping Lilly all to himself instead of sharing her with his friends. The timing just never seemed right to make plans, but he really just wanted what little time they had together to be all his. Right now he didn’t have the heart or inclination to explain they’d broken up.

  “When you get better, we’ll all have to go to husmanskost for a midnight supper.”

  “Deal.” Gunnar nodded, even though his whirlwind love affair with Lilly might already be over before it had hardly gotten started.

  Thinking about Lilly sent him off in all kinds of directions.

  Yeah, she was aggravating and contrary and really nosy, but she was also someone he could respect on a professional level. She’d achieved a lot on her own and wasn’t waiting around for some man to make her life complete. She was reaching for her dreams. The only problem was sometimes she needed someone to reel her in when she went overboard. He’d be perfect for the job, too.

  Except he couldn’t completely trust her. How could he love her if he didn’t trust her? Round and round his thoughts went.

  “Hey, where’d you go?” Kent said.

  “Aw, sorry. I’m still groggy.”

  The nurse entered the room with a syringe and asked Kent to step aside. Gunnar wanted him to do a favor, and called out from behind the closed bedside curtain. “Will you let Elke know I’ll be going home this afternoon?”

  “Sure. In fact, I was planning to stick around and drive you to her house.”

  So, he’d left his own clinic to be by Gunnar’s side, but that was the kind of friendship they had. Solid. Always there for each other.

  The nurse positioned Gunnar on his right side, opened the back of his hospital gown and rubbed his hip with something cold.

  Gunnar stayed deep in his thoughts to avoid what he knew was coming. Why had he kept this love affair mostly to himself?

  Was it because he didn’t want her thrown in with the list of names, faces and figures he’d serially dated over the past several years? Was it because she was special and he wanted to make sure the feeling was mutual before they spent more time with his best friend?

  Was it because he loved her?

  “Ouch!” Medicine delivered.

  Gunnar clinched his jaw, absorbing the blast of pain, thinking he’d just gotten a kick in the butt.

  So if she was so damn special, why had he broken up with the best thing to ever happen to him?

  Because someone needed to teach her there was a line, even in journalism, that a person instinctively knew not to cross.

  The lady needed some fine-tuning, and now with his gunshot wound, he wouldn’t have the time or opportunity to help her out.

  But the thought of losing her completely felt as lousy as his aching bum shoulder.

  *

  Lilly tapped on Elke’s front door after work Friday evening. Elke smiled when she saw her, but the expression changed to disappointment. “Oh, too bad, Gunnar just went to sleep.”

  Like osmosis, Elke’s disappointment shifted to Lilly. “I should have called first, but I was afraid he’d refuse to see me if he knew I was coming.”

  Elke invited Lilly inside her small but comfortable home. “It’s been a rough day for him. I think just about everyone from Heartlandia Police Department stopped by at one point or another. But I think we finally caught up on the pain, so that’s a start.”

  Gunnar had once told Lilly that his sister had lived with his mother in their family home until she’d died a few years back. Being in his childhood home gave Lilly the oddest sensation, as if she could feel his entire history here. Humble beginnings begetting big dreams of being a police officer, of becoming a guardian for his city—and she knew without a doubt that was how he felt about the job.

  Married to it. That’s what Elke had said.

  Wondering if there was any room left for her in his heart, or if she’d never be anything but second place, Lilly followed Elke into the kitchen.

  “Let me make some tea.”

  “You’ve had a long day, too, so no need. I just basically wanted to know how he was doing.”

  A mischievous glint flickered in Elke’s eyes. “Well, we’ve had some time to talk, and since he is basically under the influence with the pain meds, he’s more talkative than usual.”

  That got Lilly’s attention. She sat on the edge of a kitchen chair, waiting to hear more. “And?”

  “My brother isn’t simply suffering from a shoulder wound. Apparently he’s also got a broken heart.”

  “What?”

  “He’d kill me if he knew I was blabbing my mouth, but the poor guy went on and on about how you were the best thing he’d ever met, how well matched you were for each other. He sounded just like a drunk at a bar moaning over his
ex. Then he said the strangest thing, he said he had to break up with you for your own good.”

  “What?” Wow, even in sickness and on drugs the guy was full of himself. Her usual impulse to play tit for tat stayed at bay. Truth was, he had a point. In his world she’d betrayed him. In hers, she’d done her reporter’s duty. Somewhere in between there was the bigger pill to swallow—trust. She’d betrayed his trust.

  “Elke!” a raspy and obviously weak voice came from the back room.

  “Yes, Gunnar?”

  “I need some water.”

  “May I bring it?” Lilly asked.

  “Sure.” Elke took a plastic glass from the cupboard and filled it with water from the refrigerator then handed her the chilled glass. The look of assurance in Gunnar’s younger sister’s eyes gave Lilly the courage she needed to take that glass and walk through that bedroom door.

  The room was dark, but a window in the corner was opened wide enough to keep the air fresh and circulating. Even ill in bed, Gunnar struck an imposing figure.

  “Here you go,” she said in a hushed voice, handing him the glass.

  He shifted his head on the pillow to get a better look. “It’s you.” He took the water and drank a big gulp.

  “Mind if I sit with you for a while?”

  “I won’t be much company. I’m pretty much doped up.”

  “We don’t need to talk.”

  After a couple of moments’ hesitation he set the cup on the bedside table, almost missing. Lilly rushed to prevent the glass from falling off.

  “Oh, yes, we do need to talk,” he said. “But not now. My head is spinning.”

  She took his hand and sat in the cushioned chair beside the bed, a chair that seemed like something his mother may have sat on once upon a time. He let her hold his hand, even ran his thumb over her fingers a few times. They sat like that for several minutes, not uttering a word, just being there, together. Then she felt him relax and his breathing went even. He was asleep.

  A most precious feeling curled up inside her. Love. Not just infatuation or sexual chemistry, but real love, the kind she had for her grandmother, deep and abiding. The kind that could grow and weather the rough patches in life. Like the one they were in right now.

  Lilly wanted to share everything she had with a man who couldn’t trust her. There had to be a way to earn that back.

  Thinking of Gunnar and love and how she cared for him in the same way she held a special place for her grandmother, a bright idea popped into her head. Sobo would know how to make things right again, she always did.

  Lilly placed Gunnar’s limp hand softly on his stomach and bent to kiss his brow. His nose twitched in response. She took an extra moment to study him while he slept now that her eyes had adjusted to the dark. Strong features, proud jaw, short out-of-control hair that promised to be thick and wavy if he ever let it grow out. Eyelashes thick like a child’s. Warmth drizzled through her chest. She loved this guy, and maybe he didn’t know it yet, but they were going to be together.

  All Lilly needed was some advice from her sobo so everything could get sorted out.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “You must do good, Lilly-chan. Show him,” Sobo said

  “But I’m afraid I’ve already ruined his trust in me.” Lilly sat curled up on her overstuffed lounger in the small guesthouse living room talking to her grandmother on the phone, gazing out the window onto the night-lighted swimming pool. It had been a week since she’d last seen him, choosing to let him heal in peace at his sister’s house, all the while feeding Wolverine for him.

  “If you respect yourself, you’ll find a way.”

  Lilly wanted Gunnar’s respect, yet all her life her sobo had taught her that self-respect was the most important respect of all. She had a point.

  “Remember the way of chanoyu—wa, kei, sei, jaku.”

  Having been schooled in the traditional tea ceremony, Lilly understood when her grandmother suggested the way of tea. Wa—harmony, kei—respect, sei—purity, jaku—tranquility. But what was Sobo getting at?

  “Show him humility and your imperfection with a tea ceremony. Show him your desire for respect and to be honorable. If he loves you, he will forgive you.”

  How could her grandmother know this, and how could a traditional Japanese tea ceremony mend her broken relationship with Gunnar?

  “I’ll think about it,” Lilly said.

  “Thinking is waste of time. Do.”

  With that, they said their goodbyes and Lilly made herself some herbal tea, nothing like the tea she’d need for a real tea ceremony. And speaking of tea, where in the world could she find an authentic Japanese tea set or matcha, the ground green tea powder, in a Scandinavian town like Heartlandia anyway?

  Maybe in Portland? She picked up her cell phone again and used her voice to request information. Within seconds the phone brought up the Portland Japanese Garden, including directions on how to get there. Surely, she’d find what she needed at the gift shop there.

  It was a crazy idea, and her heart fluttered even considering it. Could her grandmother be right or would this wind up being the most humiliating moment of her life? She went to bed, unable to sleep realizing she could have lost Gunnar if that gunshot had been just a little lower. The thought sent fear quaking through her. Her eyes stung and soon moisture brimmed, slipping out the corners and coursing toward her ears. He was alive and she still had a chance of getting him back.

  They needed to wipe the slate clean, then start over. He’d argued that she should use discretion when publishing her stories. She felt it was her duty to report everything of interest for her paper. He made a good point, not everything belonged in the news, and she didn’t know the half of the secret meetings story. There was probably a very good reason why a whole committee of people who loved and lived in Heartlandia wouldn’t want their news pasted across the headlines. Maybe it was for the best for now.

  Being tenacious wasn’t always the answer, and trusting Gunnar about keeping the story quiet didn’t diminish her power as a reporter. It just made her levelheaded, willing to compromise, a wiser person, not a news-at-all-cost hothead. Gunnar was right, it was time to mature in both her professional and personal lives. If she didn’t she’d lose him. She couldn’t lose him.

  She rolled onto her side and practiced the movements for the tea ceremony in her mind, remembering every step her grandmother had once taught her, striving to be precise yet simple in every detail. She’d need a scroll to hang with the right thoughts written on it, and she remembered the proper placement and cleaning of the utensils she’d use. Soon, big thoughts of how to prove her love to Gunnar formed in her brain. In fact, this guest cottage was the perfect setting for working the miracles she needed in order to win him back.

  The way of tea or chanoyu had never been more significant in her life. Now, if she could only shut off her mind so she could get some sleep because she had a big day tomorrow.

  *

  The next morning, being Saturday, she was tired but planned her trip to Portland, anyway. First she had another idea up her sleeve.

  Lilly drove to Gunnar’s house, and Wolverine, being a smart cat, had already figured out what her showing up meant. Food! But she had bigger plans for him today, plans that would hopefully also put a smile on Gunnar’s face.

  “Here kitty, kitty, kitty…” she cooed, food in one hand, a borrowed dog leash from Leif’s collection in the other. All she had to do was click it to the cat’s collar and drag him to her car for a field trip to see his owner.

  Wrong! That nearly thirty-pound cat wanted nothing to do with her or the leash, and he was a lot quicker than she’d expected. She lunged and he ran farther away, ignoring the food and distrusting her.

  Good thing she had plan B.

  Lilly trudged back to the car and found the can of tuna, then depending on his hunger, popped the top open and set it on the passenger seat of her two-door car. No matter how long it took, she’d get Wolverine inside and bring h
im to Gunnar for a visit. She knew how attached they were to each other, whether the big guy would admit it or not.

  Lilly moved to the front bumper and leaned against the hood of the car, the passenger door left open, folded her arms and prepared to wait things out. Wolverine evidently had a weakness for smelly tuna. He ventured closer to her car, and she acted like she didn’t notice or care. A couple minutes later, with Lilly pretending to be a statue, the cat got up on his back legs and put one paw on the seat where the opened can rested. She held her breath and slowly slid to a squat, then peeked around the front bumper. He must have jumped inside the car. Yes! She crawled as quietly as she could, praying the cat would remain distracted with the tuna, which he did, then she slammed the door closed. Rushing around to the driver’s side she saw her fatal flaw.

  Her window was down!

  She sprinted to get there before Wolverine could jump out.

  His big old face and front paws were halfway out, and though she feared being scratched, she used her best basketball defense pose to stop him. He meowed his thoughts about being trapped in her car, and growled his discontent as she pushed him back toward the passenger seat. His ears were back and he swatted her hand but his claws, in contrast to his given name, weren’t out.

  He was one scary mass of gray fur with furious eyes, but she held firm.

  Lilly sucked in her gut and managed to slide inside a six-inch door opening, figuring he was too fat to make it through. Wolverine looked as if he wanted to eat her face off, but she stared straight ahead, started the engine and closed the window, then drove off with the cat meowing and walking over her as if she was a pile of laundry. Other than a couple times when he perched on the dashboard and completely blocked her view out the windshield, she managed to make it to Elke’s house in ten minutes without further incident.

  “Nice boy. Good kitty,” she repeated over and over as she tried once again to put Wolverine on the dog leash. Since he had nowhere to run, she wrestled with him inside the car for a few minutes, but he was a slippery guy. Then she offered him a tasty morsel of the leftover tuna to distract him. Success!

  She opened her door and just before dragging Wolverine out of the car, he backed up and with a quivering tail sprayed her driver’s seat, leaving his mark. That would show her for messing with a Maine Coon cat.