Ring of Truth (A Silver Script Novel Book 1) (10 page)

“Of course. Now don’t leave her waiting.” His mom smiled at him.

“We’ll be there soon. Thanks.” Jake climbed out and waved as they pulled back onto the road. He checked his tie one more time and climbed the stairs up to her apartment. He could hear Erin’s mom laughing as he knocked on the door.

Erin answered, and Jake forgot to breathe. She was wearing a black dress with her hair pulled up, and small curls that framed her face.

“Come on in.” Erin moved and let them past her. “Where are your parents?”

“They insisted on going ahead of us. Something about not wanting to separate the two of us.” Jake’s face burned. “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Tyler. It’s good to see you again.”

Erin’s mom pulled him into a hug. “Oh, you don’t need to be so formal. We’ll be family soon enough.”

Bill laughed. “Please excuse my wife. She’s a hugger.”

“I noticed.” Jake laughed.

“We should get going if Jake’s parents are already there.” Erin pulled on a thin wrap to cover her shoulders.

“Oh, right. I have the directions in my phone.” He took Erin’s arm and led her out the door.

The ride to the restaurant was filled with small talk as Erin’s parents told them all about their trip to the Statue of Liberty and Staten Island. Jake put his arm around Erin and smiled to himself when Erin snuggled in just a little. Whether it was to sell their story, or if she really meant to, he didn’t care. He enjoyed having her next to him.

The restaurant they pulled up to had valet parking, so everyone piled out and met Jake’s parents, who were waiting for them.

His dad reached out his hand. “Hello, I’m Sam, and this my wife, Kate.”

Erin’s parents introduced themselves as well, and they headed into the restaurant.

Jake’s dad stepped up to the maître d'. “Table for six. It’s under Wilson.”

It was nicer than any of the restaurants Jake had been to back home, but he wasn’t going to complain. As long as he didn’t have to foot the bill. This would cut into his rent check for sure.

Jake put his arm around Erin as they walked toward their table. They ended up sitting between both sets of parents, and he felt like he was in the hot seat. Of course, he probably was. He took a drink of his water to calm his nerves. Erin rubbed her arms, looking as nervous as Jake felt.

After the waiter left, Suzanne leaned forward. “So have you two decided on a date yet?”

Jake looked over at Erin. That was one thing they hadn’t talked about. “Christmas—”

“Springtime. We’re doing a spring wedding,” Erin said at the same time.

Both sets of parents looked between them.

“Er, I meant spring. Like she said.” Jake could feel his face burning. Next time he was just going to let her talk. They really should have gone over the details, but it was too late now. He’d just have to agree with whatever she said so he didn’t mess anything up.

“Oh, I was hoping you’d choose Christmas. I found the loveliest reception hall for you to get married in, and it would just work perfectly for Christmas. I suppose it would work for spring as well.” Her mom sifted through her purse and pulled out a pamphlet. She handed it to Jake’s mom. “Isn’t it nice?”

Jake’s mom looked through it. “Yes, with the colors and shrubbery throughout, this is definitely better for Christmas.”

“Well, show Jake and Erin, sweetie. It doesn’t matter what we think.” Jake’s dad handed the pamphlet to Jake.

Erin leaned toward Jake so they could see what it was their parents were dying over. Jake had to admit the reception center was breathtaking. Vines around the edges with flower baskets throughout the hall. A winding staircase opened into the room.

Erin handed it back to her mom and took a drink of her water. “Mom, this is in Georgia. I told you we wanted to do it here. How did you get this pamphlet, anyway?”

“Oh, I’ve had that for months. When I found out where Jake was from, I dug through my files to find something that worked. You can never be too prepared. Of course, I was hoping it would be for—never mind.”

Jake knew exactly what she was going to say. She’d wanted him to marry Melody. He glared, but didn’t say anything.

“It’s really beautiful, but I think we should look here.” Erin’s shoulders were tense, and Jake recognized her stubborn look.

He took her hand and rubbed it with his thumb to soothe her. “We’ll think about the date, but I really think we should hold it here. It’s hard to get away right now with our jobs.”

It didn’t matter that he didn’t have any friends here. There wouldn’t actually be a wedding anyway.

Her mom stared at him for a moment before grabbing the pamphlet and shoving it back in her purse. “Great, well, here are some brochures for a few places we visited today.”

Erin shook her head. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

Jake had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. It’s exactly what he’d said about Erin just a few hours before.

Suzanne nodded. “Fair enough. Just look at them, please. We took time out of our tours to see these places. We also found a cute little wedding planner who is thrilled to work with us.”

Jake’s mom pulled out her phone. “I hope you don’t mind, but I called one of my friends from college who owns a shop here. It takes months to get in, and she managed to squeeze us into a cancellation for this Saturday. Can you believe it?” She smiled proudly and patted his hand. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell us about your engagement.”

“Um, right. We wanted to tell you when you got here.” Jake had to laugh. This was getting messy. “And now I know why you sent me with Erin and her parents on the way over here.”

His mom smiled and handed him another card. “Well, I couldn’t ruin the surprise for Erin, now could I?”

Erin clapped her hand to her forehead. “Oh, shoot. I can’t do that. I’m supposed to meet Carissa for her dress fitting. I promised.”

“Well, does she already have an appointment?” Kate asked.

“We were just going to try a few places since she can’t get into the shop she wanted until next month. That way she will know exactly what she wants when she has her appointment.”

“Well, just have her come with you. It will be perfect.” Kate smiled.

“That would be wonderful, actually. Thank you.” Erin smiled as she pulled her phone out and typed a message into it.

“So once we’re done with the dress, we can look at the different reception halls, and look through ideas for decor.”

“Mom, this wedding isn’t happening for a while. We don’t have to do all the planning right now. Give Jake and I some room to breathe, please.” Erin’s voice wasn’t as steady as usual, so he put his arm around her for comfort.

“She’s right. With our schedules, it could be next Christmas by the time we actually have the date set.” Or no date at all. Which, strangely enough, made Jake feel a little depressed.

Their moms exchanged glances before Suzanne leaned forward. “We understand that, sweetie, but who knows when all of us will be in New York at the same time again. We want to make sure the small details are set you can deal with the rest later.”

By the time dinner showed up, their parents had planned out the whole next day, and Erin looked like she was ready to cry. Jake couldn’t blame her. He was ready to end it right then and there, but the weekend wasn’t over yet.

“We just have to make sure we’re done in time for Emily’s wedding. Your Aunt Diane would never forgive me if we missed it.”

“Wait, wedding?” Kate looked between Jake and Erin. “I thought you were going with us to Andrew’s.”

Jake chuckled. “About that. We’re all going to the same one. We’re going for Andrew, and Emily is Erin’s cousin.”

The parents sat quietly for a second before they all started talking at once about coincidences. Jake couldn’t help enjoying the fact that the focus was no longer on his imaginary engagement.

***

After dinner that night, Erin went with her parents and Jake with his. With all the craziness the next day, he figured he needed to spend more time with them while he had the chance.

Jake squeezed into the backseat. His parents talked about news back home. He half listened as they told stories about their ranch and the neighbors.

When they finally got back to his apartment, he climbed out and stretched.

“Thanks again for the ride,” Jake said.

“It’s no problem. I don’t blame you for not wanting a car here.” Sam clapped Jake on the back as they walked up to Jake’s apartment.

Jake laughed. “It’s not that I don’t want one. It’s that I can’t afford one right now. I’ll come and get my truck later.”

“Yes, you two will need it when you get married. Have you decided which apartment you’ll keep?” his mom asked as they climbed the stairs to his apartment.

“We haven’t really talked about it. Her apartment is much nicer, but I’d really miss the people here.” It was a toss-up. Wait, it wasn’t even a question. Jake pushed away his thoughts and went to the kitchen to get drinks for his parents.

His mom stood up to study the painting on the wall. “This is a nice piece. Where did you pick it up?”

“At a shop here in the city. It reminds me of home.” Jake thought about the ranch and his horse that waited back in Georgia. He’d have to go visit soon. Maybe for Christmas.

“Well, we better get going. Tomorrow’s a long day, and your dad wants to head back to the hotel for whatever ball game he can find.” She kissed his cheek. “See you in the morning.”

“See you tomorrow. Thanks again for dinner.” He kissed his mom and then hugged his dad.

“She’s beautiful, son. I’m happy for the two of you. I just wish you would have told us about her sooner.” Sam pulled out his wallet. “Here’s some cash to get the wedding going.”

Jake’s eyes widened at the hundred dollar bills his dad handed him. “No, I don’t need this much. I got a couple of contracts, so I’ll be fine.”

“Nonsense. Weddings are expensive. We had this saved up for you. I’m just glad it’s finally happening.”

“You guys make it sound like I’m old.” Jake laughed. “Thank you.”

“We just want you to be happy. And I’ve seen how you look at each other. I couldn’t be more thrilled.” His mom walked to the door.

His dad put his arm around his mom. “We’ll see you tomorrow at the dress shop. You still have the address?”

“Yes, Dad.” Jake pulled the card out of his pocket. “I’ll see you there.”

His parents gave him a hug before leaving the apartment. Jake collapsed onto the couch and rubbed his face. He texted Erin to see if her parents had left and told her to call when she had the chance.

Erin called a few minutes later. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Jake turned the lights off in his living room. “So you survived tonight? Sorry it was so crazy.”

“It really was. But I think we did pretty well.” There was a pause. “So, what do we do about the wedding dresses and everything else?”

Jake dropped onto his bed. “Well, your friend is coming too, right? Maybe you can just try to keep the focus on her. That way they’ll forget they’re there for you.”

“Good idea. My parents are pretty stuck on this whole thing. They raved about you the whole ride back to my apartment.”

“That’s good to hear. Although, maybe I should be hard to deal with. Then they wouldn’t want us getting married.”

Erin laughed. “Not a chance. I think they’d still love you. Anyway, I better get to bed. Long day tomorrow.”

“See you in the morning. Thanks again for all your help today. My apartment looks great, and I had a great time.”

“I did too. Bye, Jake.” The phone disconnected, and Jake suddenly felt lonely. He’d spent months here already, and had been fine being by himself. Until now.

Erin yawned as she pulled her coat on. She’d talked to Carissa until late the night before.  Carissa wanted every single detail, and squealed when she got to the ring part.  Erin glanced down at the ring on her finger and smiled. It wasn’t the huge diamond from before, but she liked this one more anyway.

After checking to make sure she had the address in her purse, she ran down to catch a cab. Her parents had offered a ride, but it would’ve been out of the way for them. She took the time in the cab to reply to some business emails and accept another account. The jeweler contract would be done by the end of the week and she needed to start another one.

Erin climbed out of the cab and walked into the dress store. The carpets were white, and there were several benches throughout the store. A few were already occupied as other customers shopped.

Kate spotted Erin and waved her over.  Jake was nowhere in sight, which made sense. There’s no way her mom would have let the groom near her. It was bad luck, even if the wedding wasn’t actually going to happen.

“Erin, this is my dear friend, Karlene. She owns this shop and will personally help you find the perfect dress.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Erin looked around. “Is Carissa here yet?”

Kate pointed behind Erin. “She got here a while ago, so we’ve been helping her out. It’s a shame her mom can’t be here.”

“Thanks for taking care of her.”