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Swallowing hard, he eyed her and then smiled at the conviction in her voice. “This table was in a dream I had, and when I woke up, I had to make it. Took me days to figure out how to make it come alive.”
“I love it. Have you tried selling them?”
He shrugged. “I did once, at an Abilene art fair. It didn’t go so well, so I loaded them all up, packed them in here, and that’s when I started my career in contracting.”
To say he’d been disappointed was an understatement. After spending so many hours making them, it felt like he’d been doused with water. All the passion he’d had for furniture making died, and for a while he’d quit doing it. It wasn’t until recently that he returned to creating anything—starting with the surprise he wanted to show her.
“But you still build furniture, right?”
“Yeah, I do, but it’s just for me.” He didn’t really want to open himself up to that humiliation again.
She slipped past him and swiped the dust covering the top of the next table. It was intricate, too, one he’d made later in his building days. “Have you tried building a website? Going on social media to talk about your process and gain a following?”
He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “Nah, I’m not much on websites. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love technology, but I like my unplugged life.” He dropped his arms as he studied her. “How about you? Have you thought about building a website and selling your pictures? You already have the following. I’m sure people would snatch up Jo Stewart prints.”
“No, I haven’t had time, and I have a following for my wedding articles. I’m not sure how that would translate to photographs.”
“Can’t hurt to try, though, right?”
“I guess, but for now, there’s no way I can balance that and all the travel I’ll be doing.” She licked her lips and pointed to the tarp. “Is that what you wanted to show me?”
He held her gaze a moment before smiling. She was ready to move on to a different topic. There was part of him that wanted to keep her on the current subject, but he decided to let it go. “Yes.”
The relief that showed on her face was humorous.
Jo followed him across the shop, and he took the tarp in his hands and slowly pulled it off, watching for her reaction.
Her jaw slowly dropped.
It’d taken hours to carve the thing, but it was his gift to his brother and future sister-in-law, and based on the look Jo was giving him, the work had paid off.
“Oh… How long did it take you to do this? And when have you been doing it?”
“I began working on it about six months ago. I could just feel it coming. It wasn’t a shock when he told us he was going to propose. I was banking on her saying yes. If she’d said no, I would have figured out something else to do with it.” He chuckled. “As far as when, it was finished a few days ago. I just had a little touch-up here and there.”
“Serenity is going to melt.” Jo looked at Jack. “This is… unbelievable. What type of wood did you use?”
“Texas ash and pecan.” His gaze roamed over the piece. “I thought the warm tones and distinctive grain pattern would be good for the structure, and the deep-chocolaty pecan with its smooth texture would be a good contrast. I thought the mix of hearty and delicate would be a nice contrast.”
Her gaze moved from him to the arch and back a few times as silence stretched. “You do realize that as soon as the pictures are printed, you’ll be carving arches for the foreseeable future, right?” She slowly approached it, hoovering her fingers a breath away from the wood. “This is… beautiful, Jack. I’m holding back tears.”
What did he say to that? Jack scratched the back of his neck as heat raced to his face, setting it on fire. He searched for words to respond, and when he looked at her, she held a sly grin.
“So, big plans for the bachelor party?”
He dropped his hand to his side. “If by big plans you mean hanging out here, having a few drinks, and maybe taking a swim in the pool, then sure. What about the bachelorette party?”
“Lucy is opening the café, and we’re going to have a light dinner, then we’re going on a scavenger hunt on Main Street.”
His eyebrows rose. “What?”
“I may have helped her maid-of-honor convince a few of the businesses to stay open late so we could do something fun. We didn’t want to chance going to a bigger city where Serenity would be recognized. She just wants something simple and sweet—which seems to be a theme with her.”
“It does. Ethan didn’t want anything too big either, and he’s never been one for wild parties.” Jack gently replaced the cover on the arch. “It’s not my thing either. At least, not after I got hurt.”
He nodded to the shop entrance, and they strolled to it.
“So you were a wild man before that, huh?” She teased.
