Passion in James County XII: The Widow
Chapter twenty-six
Larry was nervous when he drove up in front of Fran's house a few days later. He had been thinking about asking her to marry him for some time, and decided that tonight, when she was coming to his place for the first time, was the correct time to do it. He had no sense of how Joanne would respond to his proposal and was extremely nervous about how the evening would come out.
Joanne greeted Larry at the door. He looked at her and his breath caught in his throat. She was wearing a peach colored cotton tank dress with a long skirt that had buttons all the way down the front. A belt the made from the same material as the dress cinched it around her waist. Larry kissed her. "You look fantastic, honey," he whispered when the kiss ended. "I love you."
"I love you, too, Larry," Joanne replied, blushing.
"Come on," Larry said. "I can't wait until you see my place." He helped Joanne put her coat on, they got in his car, and they left.
"I made a very special meal for us tonight," Larry said as he drove away from Fran's house. "It's an old family recipe that's guaranteed to please even the most finicky of appetites."
"You know, Larry, this is a bit odd," Joanne commented, sounding nervous. "Here we are, going to your house for a meal you cooked for me, and I've never cooked for you."
"So?" Larry said, "Isn't it just as important that I can cook? By the way, I think you look gorgeous!"
Joanne felt her face get even hotter. "I guess so, but don't you wonder if I can cook?" she asked. She wasn't quite sure why they were talking about cooking. There was more, much more, she and the young man who had become such an important part of her life in the past few weeks, should be discussing.
"I'm sure you can cook," Larry said. He turned off the main highway, onto a smaller road. "I was going to take you out to dinner, but I decided it would be nicer to eat at home instead of going out. Dinner's all ready so we can eat as soon as we get to my place."
"Larry do...do your parents know about us?" she asked, finally broaching one of the questions that had been bothering her.
Larry looked over at her, smiled, and nodded. "I have told them about you," he said. "Mom and Dad both say they can't wait to meet you."
"Do...do they know how...how much older...than you I...I am?" Joanne asked.
Larry looked over at her, smiled, and nodded. "Yeah, they do. Mom seemed more upset about our age difference than Dad did," he said. "But we talked about it a lot and she finally said all that mattered to her was that I was happy. They're coming up in a couple of weeks, they want us to go out to dinner with them."
Larry pulled up in front of a huge house, drove around to the rear of it, and stopped in front of what looked like a small apartment attached to a four-car garage. "This used to be the estate of a big banker," he explained. "My place used to be the chauffeur's house. At least that's what the real estate agent who sold Dad the place told us. The estate consisted of over five hundred acres, but most of the property was sold off for development. We only own about a hundred acres, most of it wetland that couldn't be developed."
"Oh," Joanne replied, taken a little aback. She knew from what Larry said that his parents had money, but this summer home was far more ornate than she thought it would be.
"Come on, let's go in," Larry said. "I'm starved."
He got out of his car, opened the door for Joanne, then led her into what was a very rustic, but cozy apartment attached to the garage. The walls were paneled in what looked like expensive wood and the ceiling featured highly polished exposed beams.
"Larry, this is gorgeous!" Joanne exclaimed.
Larry led her into a small, but nice dining room, seated her, then he got the food out. They chatted while they ate, and Joanne found herself getting more and more comfortable. But she also found herself wondering about Larry's parents. Had he really discussed their relationship with his folks, and had they really voiced their approval?
After they finished eating the meal, which was quite good, just as Larry promised, he and Joanne cleared the dishes off the table and put them in the dishwasher, then they walked into the living room. Larry stopped just inside the archway between the dining room and living room.
Joanne walked across the living room and sat down on the sofa, her legs folded under her. She looked at Larry, who was still standing in the doorway, staring at her, and realized that he seemed to be nervous.
Larry gazed at Joanne and sighed. She was so lovely! His heart began to pound as he walked to the sofa.
"I...I decided I needed to ask you something tonight," he stammered as he sat down next to her.
"What, darling?" Joanne asked.
Larry kept looking at Joanne as he tried to phrase what he wanted to say the best way. She gazed back at him, her eyes soft, wide, and trusting.
"Joanne, I...I know we haven't even known each other a month," he started, "but I...I want to marry you." He knew it wasn't exactly the most romantic way he could have put it, but it was what he wanted to say.
Joanne was stunned, but delighted. "Larry, do...do you really mean that?" she whispered. She felt tears welling up in her lovely. "I mean you...you don't have to..."
"I know I don't have to," Larry said. "I'm asking you because I want to marry you. I want you to be my wife."
