Meddling in Manhattan Read online

  "I'm really not sure." Addie was almost offended that she knew so little about her husband.

  "Oh yeah. His parents are traveling throughout the country in their RV. They have been since Jake finished college. It was always their dream, but they wanted him to have stability as he was finishing college. He graduated, and they were gone the next week." Savannah led the way back to the kitchen. "I made bison steaks, baked potatoes, and salad. I hope that's all right."

  Addie saw the table was already set even as she wrinkled her nose. "Bison steaks? Why would you make bison steaks?" She didn't even realize there were still buffalo. She thought they were extinct.

  "Because bison are the only cattle indigenous to the United States, they have less fat than beef, don't need to be vaccinated, and have a better taste. Why wouldn't you eat bison?" Scott asked from behind her. His arms were crossed over his chest as if he were preparing for a fight. He was obviously passionate about the subject.

  Jake laughed and walked over, putting his arm around Addie's shoulders. "Stop the lecture, Scott. She didn't know you were a bison rancher."

  Scott looked at Jake incredulously. "You didn't tell her? Why wouldn't you say something?"

  "Look, man, I know you think being a bison rancher is your identity, and there's nothing else to you, but I just never mentioned what you did other than ranching. I didn't dwell on that. We've only been married a month. I had your life story planned for sometime in the third month." He winked at Addie who grinned up at him.

  Scott shook his head. "We don't eat beef. Only bison. Even Jake eats only bison meat, right Jake?"

  Addie looked at Jake, wondering how he'd respond to that. For the month she'd known him, he'd eaten a lot of beef. "Right, Jake?" she echoed.

  Jake grinned. "Scott? It's not easy to find bison meat in other parts of the country. I've been eating beef like it's going out of style." He didn't feel bad about it either. If bison had been readily available, then yes, he'd have chosen it over beef if only to support his friend. But it wasn't, so he hadn't.

  Scott looked at Jake as if he'd grown two heads. "Are you kidding me? I feel so betrayed!" He shook his head. "And beef is out of style! It has been for years!"

  Jake laughed. "I'd stay on my no beef fast if I could find bison elsewhere. You can't really expect me to give up red meat, though. I don't know if I could!" He knew his friend had spent very little time outside of the area of Montana where he'd been born and raised. He honestly probably didn't know how hard it was to obtain in other places.

  Scott shook his head. "You could if you wanted to."

  Addie decided to help her husband out. "I'm the one who buys the food, and he eats whatever I cook. I didn't know about the bison meat thing, so really? It's my fault!" She wasn't certain why eating bison meat was so important to Scott, but she'd do it, or at least tell him she'd do it, if he'd be quiet about it.

  "I guess I can forgive you, since you didn't know. You'll make sure you buy Montana bison meat from now on instead of beef, though, right?" Scott asked. He gave her a look that told her she needed to agree or get out of his house.

  Addie shrugged. "I'll do my best. It never occurred to me to even look to see if my supermarket carried bison. The next time I shop, I'll see if that's on the website."

  Savannah sighed. "I miss shopping for my groceries online and having them delivered. It's hard to take the baby to the grocery store. I've started going on Saturdays so Scott can watch the baby. Of course, since I'm nursing and he won't take a bottle, that means that I have to make sure he eats right before I leave."

  Scott shrugged. "Raising our child without the pollution of New York in a close knit community is worth the trade-off though, right?"

  "I think so whenever I'm not grocery shopping," Savannah replied. She opened the oven and removed the baked potatoes, leaving them atop the stove in their foil wraps. "I'm going to get the steaks from the grill, and I'll be right back." She took a platter from the counter and went out to get the steaks, coming back in less than three minutes later. "Are we ready to eat?"

  "I am. Packing is hard work," Addie responded. "I'm starving."

  The table was already set with iced tea at every setting. "I'll help with the dishes," Addie told Savannah once they were all seated.

  "No, you can't. You're my guest." Savannah passed a bowl with the potatoes, still in their foil, to Addie. "I couldn't let you help."

  Addie laughed. "In the house I grew up in, you help with dishes, or you go hungry. Well, the girls had to help at least. The boys were above that." She rolled her eyes, letting her friend know what she thought of the gender inequality in her parents' home.

  Savannah shook her head. "Kaeden is going to know how to do dishes!"

  "All men should know how." Addie added butter and cheese to her baked potato.

  "I agree." Savannah glared at Scott as if she wanted him to argue with her about it.

  Scott wisely stayed silent.

  Chapter Eight

  Sorting through everything in someone else's house was strange for Addie. She found photo albums full of pictures of Jake as a child. She couldn't help but sit down to look through them. When Jake came into the room from packing the garage, he found her curled up on his sofa, flipping through the pages, a smile lighting up her face.

  "What did you find?" he asked, moving to sit beside her on the couch. When he saw the pictures in the album, he became entranced. So many memories were packed away in the big book.

  She moved the album so it was half on his lap and half on hers. "Do you know who that baby girl you're playing with in all these pictures is?" It seemed as if three fourths of the pictures had another baby in them, and the two were side by side in carriers or standing in just diapers playing with toys. So far she'd seen about two years worth of pictures of the two of them.

  Jake squinted at the album. "Baby girl? That's Scott. Our mothers were best friends, so he was my first playmate. He's two months older than me." He started chuckling.

  "He looks like a girl, but don't tell him I said that! Look at those blond curls! He looked just like Kaeden does. Or I guess Kaeden looks just like he did. Either way." The resemblance between father and son was strong. Of course, Savannah and Scott had very similar coloring, so she was certain that added to it.

  Jake laughed. "Yeah, he looked like a girl until his dad forced his mom to cut his hair for the first time. It was so curly and pretty. His mother didn't want to cut it." He shrugged. "I still tease him about the pictures of me playing with my first little girlfriend."

  "Those were taken right here, weren't they?" She looked around the room. The carpet had changed, and the furniture was different, but it looked to her like the same place.

  "Yeah, other than my years in the dorm, this is the only house I've ever lived in. Well, until I married you, of course." He sighed. "I guess I need to send these to my mom somehow." Of course, he'd have to find them first, and get them to give him an address to send things to.

  "Do you know where your parents are now? Savannah said something about them traveling around the US in an RV."

  Jake grinned. "They are. I haven't talked to them in a while. I don't think they even know we're married yet." He shrugged. "I should probably call them and find out what they want me to do with stuff before I sell the house."

  "You're selling it?" The last she'd heard he hadn't been certain. She hoped he wasn't doing it just because he thought she wanted him to. She didn't care either way, but neither of them really had time to do any upkeep on it, and it would be tough from Manhattan.

  "Yeah. I mean, there are a lot of memories here, but unless my parents want to move back in, there's no point in keeping it." He didn't really want to let it go, but he had no desire to keep it either.

  "Yeah, you need to call them then. They might want to know you're married too. Unless you're keeping me your dirty little secret that is."

  He laughed. "I could keep you hidden forever! Really though? The reason I haven't told them is
Mom will want to meet you right away. I wanted you all to myself for a while first." No one needed their parents interfering during the first few weeks of their marriage.

  "You wanted to finish your book first!" she protested. She knew him better than he thought she did.

  "Well, that too," he said sheepishly. "I'll call." He leaned back on the couch, sticking one leg out, so he could dig his phone from his pocket. "I'm almost afraid."

  Addie laughed, shaking her head. "I'll protect you." She looked back at the album while she unashamedly listened to his conversation.

  "Hi, Mom. Where are you guys? Really? I had no idea. I'm at the house, packing things up. I got married last month and moved to Manhattan. Didn't see a reason to have two houses, so I was going to sell this one. No way! That sounds great. Yeah, her name is Addie. What does she look like? She has dark hair and brown eyes. To me she looks like an angel who fell from heaven. How did you know she's sitting here? Yeah. Okay, we'll see you then. Bye, Mom."

  "What did she say?" Addie asked. It sounded like he'd made plans with them, but what were the chances they were in Montana?

  Jake shook his head. "Would you believe they're driving through Billings right now? They were on their way home to surprise me."

  She laughed. "My mom wants to know where I am all the time. She certainly knows what state I'm in and when I'm there. I can't believe how blasé your family is." Didn't they worry about each other?

  "We're meeting them at the diner for lunch in thirty minutes," he told her, his eyes twinkling.

  She jumped to her feet. "Thirty minutes? I've been packing boxes all morning. I'm covered in dust!" She put a hand to her heart to calm it. She couldn't meet her in-laws looking the way she did. "I'm going to shower. Be right back."

  "Do you need someone to wash your back for you? 'Cuz, I would willingly sacrifice myself to do that for you."

  She put her hand on his chest. "Down, big boy. I think I've got it!" She didn't mind the idea of showering with him, of course, but they didn't have time for what would inevitably follow.

  "Are you sure? I don't want you to be embarrassed in front of Mom and Dad."

  "I'm sure." She hurried into the bathroom and showered. Why hadn't she thought to bring a blow dryer? Oh yeah, because she hadn't thought she'd do anything but pack boxes.

  Fifteen minutes later, she was back in the living room dressed in linen shorts and a tank top. She hated knowing she didn't look her best, but she hadn't even brought make-up with her. She was packing all weekend for goodness sake!

  "You look beautiful," Jake told her, kissing her cheek. "Don't be nervous." He truly thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, whether she had make-up or not. She was a natural beauty.

  "I'll do my best," she smoothed her shorts down. Why hadn't she brought longer shorts with her? She felt so conspicuous.

  She could barely speak during the short drive to the diner. As they got out of the truck, Jake looked around. "I think we beat them. Let's go get a table."

  As soon as they walked in, a woman about Jake's age in a waitress uniform hurried over. "I heard you got married, Jake! Introduce me to your bride."

  Jake gave a half-smile. "Jennifer, this is my wife, Addie. Addie, this is Jennifer. She went to school with Scott and I." He said a quick prayer that Jennifer would keep her lips zipped for a bit. He knew it would take a lightning bolt through her forehead or spontaneous laryngitis for it to happen, but God could do anything.

  Jennifer took Addie's hand. "It's so nice to finally meet you! You picked a winner. Let me tell you, if I'd known scrawny Jake was going to end up being a famous writer, I'd have gone to at least one of the dances he invited me to. He told us all he'd be a famous writer one day, but who believes the class nerd?"

  "Table for four please, Jennifer." Jake refused to let her speak for another moment.

  "Oh, did I say something wrong? I guess your wife didn't need to know all of that about you, huh? Sorry, Jake. I didn't mean to give away all your secrets." Jennifer led them to a booth in the corner. Addie slid in and Jake sat down beside her. "Coke and?" she looked at Addie.

  "I'll just have water." Addie's hand went to Jake's under the table. As Jennifer walked away, she whispered. "Was she really pretty in high school? She must have been for you to overlook that personality." In her mind she called her a choice name.

  Jake shrugged, embarrassed by what Jennifer had said.

  Addie's eyes grew wide. "She was your Boring Bob the Boob, wasn't she?" She knew he was embarrassed, and she wanted to get his mind off the other woman. Jennifer wasn't worth him feeling bad over.

  He laughed at the imagery. "Well, kind of. Except I thought she was the most beautiful girl ever, and she didn't know I existed. Until she decided she was in love with Scott, and then she was nice to me so I could help her get him to ask her to a dance. He took her out once and told her she was too stuck up."

  Addie grinned. "What did you think of that?"

  "Honestly? It was the only fight Scott and I had all through high school, and we didn't speak for weeks. I didn't think he should treat her that way, because in my mind she was a princess. When I told her that, she laughed. Said she couldn't be seen with me without Scott." He shrugged. "I learned a lot from her." He learned a lot about not trusting women. He learned not to believe anything anyone said to him once he made serious money as well.

  "Sounds like it wasn't a fun lesson."

  "Nope. But after I'd published my third book, and it hit the New York Times Best Sellers List? Well that's when she decided that we needed to give our relationship a chance." He made a face. "She'd already been married and divorced by then."

  "Oh lovely. Yeah, I don't think I want to get to know her at all." She looked up and saw a couple standing over the table. "Are those your parents?"

  Jake stood up and was swallowed up in a bear hug by a man who must have been close to six and a half feet tall. When he pulled away he was embraced by a woman who was barely five feet and almost as wide as she was tall. Addie couldn't help but be struck by the couple, and how genuinely odd they looked together.

  Addie didn't know if she should stand or remain seated, so she stayed where she was until invited to do otherwise. She was pleased to see that his parents looked like down to earth people. She wanted nothing more than to get along with them, because she knew they were important to Jake. And anyone who was important to Jake automatically became important to her.

  His mother slid into the booth across from her and offered her hand across the table. "I'm Beverly."

  Addie smiled. "I'm Addie. It's really nice to meet you." She'd have added she'd heard a lot about her if it had been true. The truth was, Jake hadn't told her much about his parents at all. She hoped they would be easy to get to know.

  "It's nice to meet you too! How did you and Jake meet? Were you at Scott's wedding when he married that stranger last summer?" Beverly didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with Scott marrying a stranger, but still, Addie was unsure how to respond to the pointed question.

  "No, we...um," Addie couldn't finish her sentence. How did you tell a woman that you met her son at the altar when you married him?

  Thankfully Jake took the seat beside her and answered for her. "We were set up by the same matchmaker who set up Scott and Savannah. We met at the altar, just like they did." He knew his mother would be surprised, but she knew his issues with trusting women, so maybe she'd understand.

  Beverly's eyes grew wide. "Really? I'll bet that was strange. Probably took you a few days to work up to sex, right?" She looked back and forth between Jake and Addie like she expected one of them to give her information about their wedding night.

  Addie blushed, looking at Jake for help. She couldn't talk to his mother about having sex with him! "I..." What was she supposed to say to that? She was almost ready to lie to the woman and tell her they hadn't worked up to it yet, but they were getting there!

  Jake's father sat down. "Don't mind her. She has abs
olutely no filter. If a thought pops into her head, it comes out her mouth." He reached across the table, his hand as big as a dinner plate. "I'm Tom."

  She shook his hand, working hard not to look at Beverly. She couldn't believe the woman was even asking about her sex life. She truly had no boundaries. "It's nice to meet you."

  "And you." Tom picked up the menu from the table in front of him. "Are the bison burgers still good?"

  Jake nodded, and Addie noticed that his face was red too. He must feel the same way she did about talking about their sex lives with his mother. And who could blame him? "Yeah, still awesome. That's what I would get," Jake answered.

  Beverly studied the menu and finally closed it. "I'm getting the meat loaf. It's always been my favorite thing on their menu."

  Addie decided to try again with his mother, so she leaned forward and whispered, "I promise not to tell Scott you ate beef."

  Beverly let out a loud laugh. "Thank you for that. I don't need to have that boy mad at me." She looked at Jake. "Do you think Scott would mind if we dry docked the RV at his place for the next few days? We were planning on staying at the house, but that's probably not a good idea with the two of you staying there. You're still newlyweds, and we wouldn't want to disturb—"

  Tom shook his head, putting his hand over his wife's mouth. "I swear she's more outspoken every year."

  Addie felt a bubble of laughter coming up. Both of the men at the table were as embarrassed as she was over the older woman's conversation. Had she been about to say that she wouldn't want to disturb their sex lives? Really?

  Jennifer came back then, dropping off her drink and Jake's. "Oh, it's good to see you, Mr. and Mrs. Roberts! I didn't realize you were back in town!"

  Beverly looked at Jennifer with a gleam in her eye. "Well, look at that. My little boy's high school crush serving us in a restaurant. He's a best-selling author who pulls in millions, and you're working for waitress minimum. Isn't life strange that way? The way it just turns things around and pokes you right in the eye?"