Second Chance, Book 05

"Same as always. My neighbors are very good about it. They've suggested if I ever wanted a vacation, they'd be happy to have Tim stay with them. He and Nick are very good friends and are with each other every day. I don't know what I'd do if weren't for them," she admitted.

"That's terrific, but here's something I want you to think about. We should try and come up with something special for them as a thank-you. We have a few weeks to decide, so give it some thought," he insisted.

"That's very generous of you, Brent. I agree. That would be something we could do as a big thank you for all the times they have helped me."

"Good ... it's settled then. In the meantime, I'll start looking for some love-nests for us," he said on a sly note.

"Why you naughty man. Are you suggesting that I'm a woman of loose morals?"

"Of course not! You're just a gorgeous babe in the company of an unprincipled cad."

"Oh ... well ... that's different." she laughed. "Brent?"

"Yes?"

"I can't wait. I'll be counting the days."

"Me too."

Chapter 24:

Brent had made contact with Tom Blanton, and they had arranged to meet when he was next on the coast. It would be two weeks before Stampede. He hoped that Blanton Construction would be interested in his product line and recommend it to their customers. A little research by phone had confirmed that Blanton was the right choice for a leading builder endorsement. By all accounts, they were the front-runners in the renovation and luxury construction market in the very exclusive North Shore market. Exactly what he was looking for, he thought.

Brent met Tom Blanton on one of their jobsites, and they sat in the cab of his truck with a coffee from the mobile unit that serviced the various sites.

"Thanks for taking the time to see me," Brent began.

"Yah, well, sorry it couldn't be in a more comfortable location, but I've got a lot on the go right now and this is our busiest time of the year. I can tell you, though, that my experience with your door and window products has been good. I've used them a couple of times and I like the quality and the finish. The fact that you can custom fit to almost any opening is a big feature in the renovation part of our business," Blanton said positively.

"I'm pleased to hear that. My intention today was to invite you and your lead supervisor to our plant for a tour, and to meet our key people. My ambition is to have Blanton Construction recommend and feature our products on their jobs as your first choice. I think we have the product that best meets your needs, and a look at our operation should give you some confidence that I'm not just blowing smoke."

"How much time would it take?" Tom asked.

"Just one day. We'd fly you up to Castlegar on the first flight and bring you back on the early evening flight. That would give you a full day to see the operation, meet the people, have lunch and dinner ... and we'll cover the costs."

"OK, I think we can find a day somewhere along the line. It would be in the mid-week, if that's OK."

"Definitely. Just let me know who you would like to have attend and we'll arrange the tickets."

"Great. Well, my lead guy is Robbie Delgado, but if it's OK, I'd like my brother Vinnie to come along as well. He does all our framing, and I want him to know what your structural requirements are on the larger window-wall units."

"Absolutely. Great idea, and one I should have thought of," Brent admitted.

"OK, well, I'll talk to Vinnie and Robbie and we'll let you know which days look best for us."

"You have my card, so just call my cell and you'll find me no matter where I am," Brent concluded.

The two men shook hands and Brent climbed out of the cab of the big truck and headed for his rental car. Mission accomplished! He had every confidence that the visit to Castlegar would convince Tom Blanton and his people that they had the best product for their application. He waved to Tom as he pulled out of the yard and turned toward the road to the village below. He had a good feeling about Blanton Construction, and their future with Verano Custom Millwork.

He also had a good feeling about his future two weeks with Bonnie along the Oregon coast. If he could arrange the Blanton visit for mid-July, his decks would be clear for an uninterrupted vacation for the first time in four years. In the meantime, he had a couple of other issues to deal with. One was to come to a decision about Will Franzen. He had an idea that had been rolling around in his head over the past couple of weeks and he needed to talk to Henry. His second objective was to have Bonnie meet both Andrea and Scott. He wanted them to know that she was an important person to him. He was worried that they might have trouble accepting her in place of their late mother. He was unsure just how they would react. He needed to know.

"Hey, babe, how are you?" he crooned.

"I'm good ... even better when I hear your voice," Bonnie replied, softly.

"That's my girl. You sure know how to make me feel good," he smiled.

"Are you still coming here next week?" she asked, suddenly concerned.

"Absolutely! I wouldn't miss a date with the finest looking woman in Calgary."

"I can't wait. I miss you so much. Every day seems like a hundred days when you're not here."

"I know. I feel the same. I'm just lucky to have enough work to distract me now and then," he admitted. "Listen, Bonnie, there's something I want to do that's important. I want you to meet my kids. I want them to know we are ... involved. I mean ... that it's serious for us. You aren't just a girlfriend," he said tentatively.

"Are you sure, Brent? I mean, I'd love to. I think it's important too. How do you think they'll react?" she asked,

"I'm not sure. I'm worried they might resent you trying to replace their mother. I hope not. It won't change how I feel about you, Bonnie. I promise you that. We're adults and they will be too, soon. I think we can be a bit selfish and find happiness for ourselves. I don't want anything to come between us, but I owe it to Andrea and Scott to tell them the truth and not hide how important you are to me. Does that sound sensible to you?" he asked, again a bit tentatively.

"Yes, of course it does. I've waited so long for someone and now you're here, I'm not giving you up for anything," she stated unequivocally.

"OK, then. There's only one flight per day from Calgary to Castlegar and it's at one in the afternoon. I'll get you a ticket for Friday and then back to Calgary on Sunday afternoon or Monday, if you can stay an extra day."

"I'd love to stay until Monday, but I'm afraid that would be taking advantage of the Verriers'. They have been so good about letting Tim stay over so many times. I feel guilty each time I ask," she said, apologetically.

"Well, we'll find a way to thank them, Bonnie. In the meantime, I'll take every minute with you that I can get," he admitted, happily. "You'll be sleeping in my bed this time."

"Oh ... are you sure about that?" she asked, worried.

"Very sure. They're mature young adults and they have to know that you are someone very special to me. I don't want either them or you to have any doubt about that," he said forcefully.

"I ... I have no doubts, Brent. If I haven't told you yet ... I love you."

There was a silence on the other end of the line for what seemed to be an interminable length of time.

"Brent? Are you there?"

"Yes ... yes ... I'm here. I'm just trying to absorb what you just told me. I was hoping, but I wasn't sure. You just hit me with something I had been unsure of. I guess I just wasn't ready for it," he confessed.

"Does it frighten you? I mean ... have I rushed you?" she asked in a worried voice.

"No ... no. I just ... I wasn't ready. Bonnie ... I love you too. I'm just so surprised ... I mean, that you're sure. I didn't expect that. After all the years that you've waited ... I thought you would be very ... cautious. To hear you tell me that you love me was a big surprise. A big, happy surprise," he finished more confidently.

"I think I'm just as surprised as you are. I've been thinking about us so much lately and I can't remember when I've been so certain of anything. I can't remember when I've been this happy. I just wish I could be with you more. I want that more than anything, Brent."

"I know. I feel the same way. I think about you every day and especially at night. I dream you are in my arms and we are together and I'm inside you. I dream that when I wake, you'll be there beside me." There was a silence on the other end of the line and he thought he might have heard her sob.

"I've got to go," he said quietly. "I'll call you tonight after I've got the plane ticket arranged, OK?"

"Make sure you do. I need a regular fix of your voice when I can't have your body."

"Hmmmm ... cut it out ... you're makin' me hard."

"What a waste," she laughed.

"You'd better beware this weekend, young lady. I'll be loaded for bear."

"Ohhhh ... that sounds promising," she teased.

As they hung up, Brent smiled at the thought of having Bonnie near again. He wasn't insincere when he told her he loved her, and that he thought of her every day and night. She had consumed his thoughts almost from the moment they had met, and especially after their interlude at the Palliser. It was an almost instantaneous attraction. She was so terrifically different and refreshing.

He tried hard not to compare her to Jeanette. It was so unfair. She was nothing like Jeanette, and yet he felt that same magnetic pull that his late wife had exerted on him. He wondered again how his children would react to Bonnie. He could only hope they would accept her. He wasn't prepared to let her go. That wasn't going to happen.