Such a good man, always looking for ways to reassure her.

“Are you going to say yes?” he asked. “I love you. I want to be with you forever.”

“Yes, of course I’m going to say yes.”

“Where do you want to live?”

“Do you think that house on the farm will have room for me?”

That made him smile. “You’d do that?”

She nodded. “This can’t happen too fast, Matt. I’m not going to abandon Grace. Her mother is sick and she’s pregnant. It’s going to take planning.”

“I want to sweep you away,” he said.

“That would be fun but I won’t run out on her. Until I’m sure she’s taken care of we’ll have to make do like this.” She smiled. “The anticipation has been great. When you speed into town on the weekend... Tell me, Mr. Lacoumette, when I’m just a farm wife, will you speed home from the orchard to be with me?”

He laughed. “Have you seen my parents? Married almost forty years and still hot for each other. You and Grace have to talk about it, okay? Think about a plan. I need you. I love you.”

“First we have to take care of something important. My family. If I understand you, we have one more weekend before the harvest is in full swing. I know you know some of my family through the business, but I want to bring you home. I’ll see if I can gather the troops for next weekend. A barbecue or something with my brothers and their families, with my mom and dad. But if it’s okay with you, I’ll stay with you at night.”

“They know about me, right?” he asked.

“I’ve talked to my mom the most but she’s told the family I have a man in my life. And of course, they know your family.”

“Paco will be pleased,” he said, scratching his chest. “I’m marrying a trucking company.”

“I don’t know who to tell first. My mother? Ray Anne? Grace? Peyton?”

“Tell everyone. We need a ring, Ginger. A nice one.”

“If I can get my family together for next weekend, will we stay in your apartment?”

“If I can’t think of a good alternative. My mother was right, I only stayed there so I could have privacy. I can’t wait to live on the farm. You’ll help me build the house. It has to be your house.”

“You’re committing to an awful lot, Matt.”

“I’d do anything for you. Don’t you know that?”

* * *

Peyton was first, as it turned out. They walked down to her house and found the whole family home. Ginger thought she knew Matt very well yet she’d never seen him quite so puffed up and proud as he was when he said, “We’re getting married, Peyton.”

“Oh, my God! When?”

“We don’t exactly know,” Ginger said. “We have a couple of things to work out—first the harvest and then I want to make sure Grace is covered. I mean covered very well. Her life is complicated right now. And need I even say it? She’s been so good to me. I think between Ray Anne, Grace and some of my new friends I have a whole new life.” She grabbed Matt’s hand. “And it led me to another new life.”

Next they found Ray Anne at Al’s house with Al’s family of boys, where Ray Anne was helping Al construct a Sunday dinner for the whole crew. There was a loud celebration of congratulations with all the same questions so far impossible to answer.

“I don’t know why anyone wants to get married,” said thirteen-year-old Kevin.

“And that’s how we like it—you not understanding that urge,” Al said. “I have enough worry that Justin’s starting to get it.”

“What? Me?” he asked.

“We know there’s a girl,” Ray Anne said.

“Yeah, but that’s all there is. A girl. Not marriage. How would I ever manage that?”

“Good. We’re on the same page,” Al said.

Then they walked down the beach. They had already decided not to impose on Grace. It was good enough for Ginger to tell her on Monday when they worked together. But Troy was on the beach throwing a Frisbee with Charlie, the nurse’s son, and Austin, the kid next door.

“You’re not imposing,” Troy said. “She’s on the deck with her mother, I think. Everything okay at the shop?”

“As far as I know,” Ginger said. “I’m planning to open tomorrow morning. I just wanted to talk to her for a minute.”

“Go on up,” he said.

“Knock, knock,” Ginger said as they neared the top of the stairs.

“Come up!” Grace said. “Out for a little walk?”

“We have news,” Ginger said. “We wanted to tell you together. Now, don’t worry about anything...”

“We’re getting married,” Matt said, pulling the trigger on it.

Grace flew to her feet and hugged Ginger in a ferocious, excited embrace, shrieking happily. It took a while for her to calm down. Troy, Charlie and Austin came flying up the stairs from the beach to see what was happening. Grace threw herself at Matt, hugging him fiercely. And then, inevitably, there was crying.

“Oh, that makes me so happy!” Grace cried. “This is perfect! It couldn’t be more perfect!”

Ginger was a little stunned. “We were going to be careful to reassure you—I won’t leave you without making sure you have the help you need in the shop.”

Grace burst into laughter. “You mean Matt’s not giving up that huge farm to live off you and your florist’s salary in Thunder Point? I couldn’t be any more thrilled about this. Ginger, all I want in this world is to see you happy!”

“But we do have to find someone to take my place,” Ginger said. “Someone good. Someone you can trust. But don’t worry—we’re certainly not getting married while there’s a harvest going on.”

“We’ll get to work on help in the shop, but first let’s enjoy the excitement of this. This is wonderful! I knew this would happen! I knew last April when you knocked him out!”

“See?” Matt said, his arm around Ginger’s shoulders. “Good story.”

* * *

It took a while for the excitement to die down among Grace, her family and her friends. There was so much hugging and well-wishing it almost wore Grace out. But finally Troy and his playmates went back to the beach with their Frisbee, and Ginger and Matt walked back to town where they would have a couple of hours together before he had to head back to his farm in the north.

That left Winnie, Grace and Lin Su on the warm deck. Lin Su asked Winnie if she’d like a manicure. Winnie loved manicures and pedicures and Lin Su was more than happy to oblige. Lin Su knew that even if Winnie’s hands didn’t work as well as they once had, she wanted them to look good. “You should get a raise,” Winnie said.

“You should,” Grace agreed.

Lin Su laughed. “If you’re comfortable, I’m happy.” She brought a tray to the deck. Placing it between herself and Winnie, she began working on her nails.

“You’re worth a king’s ransom,” Winnie said. “I’d never have requested a nurse who could double as a manicurist. I don’t suppose you do hair and facials?”