“You doing okay tonight?” he asked as he slid onto his usual barstool.
I shook my head and took a glass down to fill with his favorite beer. “I got to see Remy this morning.”
“Shouldn’t that be a good thing? I know you’ve been missing him and wanting to see him more,” Nick said.
“It was a good thing,” I said with a sigh. “But it just makes me sad when I have to leave. Being there with him is wonderful. He is amazing. But then I have to walk away from him. I either have to leave him there at the house, or I have to let Grant take him away. I never get enough time with him, and it kills me to think there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“But isn’t there something you can do about it? Can’t you bring him to court and change the arrangements?” Nick asked. “It doesn’t seem fair that he and his parents should be able to call all the shots.”
“It isn’t fair. It’s beyond not fair. But it’s also the reality of the situation,” I said. “They have a team of lawyers on call. His parents have money. The kind of money that makes what I bring in from the bar look like pocket change. If I tried to fight them, they would come at me with a team that would obliterate me. Then not only would I not have Remy in my life, but I would also be crippled with debt for the foreseeable future. It would be exactly what Grant wants.”
Nick caught the beer as it slid across the bar for him. He took a sip, then stared directly into my eyes. “Let me give you the money to fight back.”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Why not?” Nick asked. “I’m talking about a loan here. You need money to fight for Remy. I have plenty of money and nothing really to do with it. Let me loan you what you need. You can take as long as you need to pay me back.”
I shook my head again. “Thank you. Really. Thank you for the thought. But there’s no way I can do that.”
“And I ask again. Why not?” he asked.
“I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on our friendship,” I said.
“Don’t be ridiculous. There wouldn’t be any pressure on our friendship. I’m offering it. Let me help you.”
“Nick, I have no idea what kind of money it would take, or when I’d be able to pay you back.”
“And Lindsey, I’m telling you, I have the money and I don’t need it. You would pay me back when and how you were able to. It’s really that simple,” he said.
“No. I can’t. Again, thank you for offering. It means the world to me that you would. But I just can’t accept that,” I said.
He kept offering and I kept saying no throughout the evening. I knew this wasn’t the end of it. Nick was going to keep pestering right on, and I knew he hoped one day I would say yes.5Vince“But don’t you think it would be romantic?” Darren asked.
“Of course I do. But it just seems like it doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of the plans,” Mom said.
“Guys, we really need to focus right now,” I piped up.
“Kelly has already gotten a fairly clear vision of what she wants for the ceremony. I really don’t know if it’s possible to fit it all together,” Mom said.
“I think she would love it,” Darren disagreed. “It’s beautiful and traditional.”
“I don’t know if I would go so far as to say it’s traditional, honey. At least not around here.”
“Seriously. It’s Friday. The week is over, and we’re behind,” I said. “I really do need us to get these things taken care of so we can be ready for the next race.”
“It’s definitely traditional,” Darren said. “Look up any fairy-tale wedding, and what’s the first thing that you’re going to see?”
“Cartoons?” I asked.
They deftly ignored me, not even glancing my way. Which was challenging considering I was sitting directly in between them.
“A horse-drawn carriage,” Darren said. “Just pull up a search engine images page and you will see a billion brides in their elaborate wedding gowns being whisked off to their ceremony in a horse-drawn carriage. It’s perfect.”
“I know it sounds lovely. But Kelly wants the ceremony in those gardens. I don’t think there’s enough space around there to fit a horse and carriage. It would probably be dangerous,” Mom said.
“I would really love it if you were a fraction as concerned about the budget for the special block party as you are about a completely abstract idea,” I said.
“Maybe if I suggest the horse and carriage to her, she’ll change her mind,” Darren said. “We haven’t made any final decisions about the venue. She just said she liked those gardens and had seen a really pretty wedding there. That doesn’t mean she absolutely has her heart set on it. Maybe she would prioritize arriving in style over those particular gardens.”