“I love a challenge,” she said.
At the end of their two-hour drive from Cedar Falls, he had already cleared the bar. The Sunny Side Inn was like autumn bottled into a jar—gold and red leaves framed sailboats drifting on blue water, and the sun warmed gently while the air cooled, scents of pine, pumpkin, and cinnamon in the mix. Charming red barns dotted the landscape on their drive up, and glimpses of the shimmering Lake Michigan caught her attention for the entire ride.
After checking into the Inn, they’d dined early at Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik. They shared the pickled herring, cheese curds, Lake Michigan perch, and the Schaum Torte with lingonberries. After their meal, they fed the goats that roamed the property. They tried to coax the ones that had gone up onto the roof to come down and get some treats, but they didn’t have any takers.
“They must be stuffed,” Jake said.
“So am I.” Mary rubbed her stomach.
“Well, then. Mission finally accomplished!” he said, reaching to tickle her. She jumped back and playfully jogged to his car.
When they’d returned to the bed-and-breakfast, the owners had left them two bottles of wine from a local winery, Door 44, and a big bar of locally made dark chocolate.
“It’s like they read my mind,” Mary said, charmed at the touches.
They took a bottle and two glasses and headed out to the backyard, where a large fire was going in a stone firepit.
They settled into an Adirondack-style loveseat, covered up with the big heavy blankets provided by the Inn, and sat watching the fire, talking about everything and nothing, and occasionally making out. When another couple came to sit by the fire, that was their cue to take their party of two upstairs.
And had they ever.
As Mary stretched off her long sleep, she felt completely happy. This was just what she needed after a long week of billing hours for the firm.
She took her long black hair and tied it in a knot on top of her head. Jake came in with two cups of coffee and set them on the nightstand. He had on jeans, a black long-sleeve T-shirt, and a red and black checkered flannel shirt.
“There’s my lumberjack. You were gone too long.”
“I love it when you put your hair up like that.”
“But you love taking it down more.”
“Exactly,” he said, kicking his shoes off and reaching for her.
“First, coffee!” She playfully pushed him away. “And then we’ll see.”
“You’re killing me,” he said. “Here’s yours.” He handed her the cup and said, “Hey, my dad sent me a note early this morning. He said they got a notice that the final offer is coming this week, and that if he doesn’t take it, the government will exercise its right to take the farm.”
Mary reached for his phone. “Can I see?” He opened the message and gave it to her. She scanned it quickly and emailed it to herself and Patricia Parker in New York with the message, “Mind taking a quick look?”
“Tell him I’m going to do another pass on it. Maybe we’ve missed something. And tell him not to worry.”
“That’s exactly what I said.” Jake let her have one more sip of coffee, then took her cup and placed it on the table.
Then he gently rolled her back onto the bed and started to undo her bun.
“What about breakfast?” she asked. “That bacon has been calling my name since seven this morning.”
“They serve breakfast for another two hours.”
“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”
“I have.”
“Show me.” She lifted her lips to his.
Challenge accepted, Jake proved to his Staten Island girlfriend that he had indeed thought of everything.
Chapter 66