With the guests of honor gone, the reception started to break up. Leah Mae made the rounds, thanking people for coming. Shaking hands, having her cheeks kissed. I drifted back toward the cake table. There was still cake to be had, and although I’d already had a piece, it wasn’t right to let such a fine confection go to waste.
I took the little box I’d been carrying out of the inside pocket of my suit and felt the shape of it in my hand. Wasn’t sure I’d be using it tonight. I’d been carrying Leah Mae’s engagement ring around with me for a solid week, wondering how I was going to ask her. I hadn’t wanted to compete with her daddy’s wedding, so I’d waited. Held onto it, hoping I’d know when the time was right. Now that her dad was off with his new bride, the ring felt like it weighed a million pounds. It was begging me to give it to her.
But I was nervous as all hell about it. I didn’t know the first thing about proposing to a woman. I wanted to do it right—Leah Mae deserved a perfect moment—but I was afraid I’d get tongue-tied and mess it up.
I must have been so lost in thought, I wasn’t watching where I was going. I bumped right into my sister, just before I reached the cake table.
The box tumbled out of my hand and landed on the ground.
Scarlett reached for the box. I bent down and snatched it away, shoving it back in my pocket, but it was too late. She’d seen it. She knew.
Her eyes widened. “Is that a—”
“No.”
“Yes it is, that’s a—”
“Okay, yes.” I stepped closer. “Keep your damn voice down.”
She opened her mouth and by the breath she took, I knew whatever she said next was going to be neither quiet, nor subtle. I clapped my hand over her mouth before she could ruin my life.
“Scarlett Rose, don’t you say a word. If you tell a soul I have this, I swear I’ll tell everyone…” I paused, because that wasn’t the threat it had seemed when I’d first started saying it. Scarlett wasn’t exactly the secretive sort. I slowly released her.
“You’ll tell everyone what?” she asked, an amused sparkle in her eye.
“Well… I reckon I don’t know. Damn you for not having any secrets I can use for blackmail.”
She laughed. “Jameson, I’m insulted. You think you can’t trust me to keep this quiet?”
“You were about to yell something about me having a ring in my pocket.”
“I was not.” She put her hands on her hips.
“You were, too.” I glanced around to make sure no one else was near. “Just please promise me you’ll keep this between us.”
“Of course I will,” she said. “When are you askin’ her? Tonight?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? Don’t you have a plan?”
“Am I supposed to have a plan?”
Scarlett rolled her eyes and groaned. “Yes, you’re supposed to have a plan. How are you going to ask?”
“You know… get down on one knee and all that.”
“Okay, that’s a start,” she said, tapping her finger against her lips. “Have you talked to Clay already?”
“Of course.”
I’d gone to see Clay Larkin to tell him my intentions before I’d bought the ring. That had been a nerve-wracking conversation. In true Bootleg father fashion, he’d put me through the ringer a bit. Stood with his arms crossed and eyed me with suspicion. But I’d faced him like a man, with my head held high. Wasn’t nothing going to keep me from loving his daughter for the rest of my life.
I’d spoken true—said what I needed to say—and he’d smiled. Shook my hand and said it would be an honor to see his daughter marry me. Choked me up a bit, if I was being honest.
“Good, at least you did that much already,” she said. “Do you want me to make an announcement? You could bring her up front and ask her in front of everyone.”
“No.” I almost put my hand over her mouth again. “No, I don’t want to ask her in front of everyone.”
“I’m just sayin’, it looks like that ring is burning a hole in your pocket. We need to get this locked down.”