When they got back to the inn, Jim parked and went around to open the door for Pam. She took his hand, and they walked up the stairs into the lobby.
He turned to her in the sitting room next to the dining room. “Can you wait right here?” he asked.
“Uh… sure.” She had no idea what was going on, but she was definitely going to get to the bottom of it.
Jim made his way to the kitchen, which wasn’t standard for every guest, but he had special permission. The chef had been excited to help him with his proposal, and she was waiting for him when he came through the swinging door.
“It’s ready,” she said cheerfully, handing him the box.
He opened it and grinned widely. “This is perfect,” he said.
The short, plump redhead clapped her hands. “I’m so glad. Good luck!” she said.
“Thanks. And thanks for helping me out with this,” he said.
“You’re welcome. You better go get her.”
“Will do,” he said. He closed the box and carefully placed it in his pocket. When he got back to the den, Pam was perched on the edge of an armchair. She looked up at him curiously.
“Sudden need for a snack?” she asked.
“Not exactly,” he said. “You want to take a walk around the square? It’s still early.
“Okay, sounds good,” she said. She knew he was up to something, and playing along was the only way he was ever going to tell her.
They made their way down the short trail that led from the inn to the small town square. Not much was left open, even though it was only nine.
“It’s so nice here,” Pam sighed.
Jim squeezed her hand. “I’d have to agree. What do ya say? You want to move here? I bet a place like this is just full of houses with terraces.”
She laughed. That was just one of many secrets she had told him, but she was sure he remembered them all. “Sure,” she said. “But how will we finance this terraced house? There seem to be limited employment opportunities here, picturesque though it may be.”
“Ah, well, I could sling hash at the diner, I’m sure,” he said, gesturing to the only building with its interior lights still on.
“That would totally buy a house,” she said, barely keeping a straight face. “And what would I do?”
“You’d teach the joy of art to all the rugrats I saw running around here earlier today.”
“Eh, me and kids? I don’t know…”
“You’d be great,” he assured her. “You can be whatever you want to be, Pam Beesly.”
“Such confidence,” she said with a smile.
“Oh, let me give you some,” he said, stopping and pulling her into his arms. He kissed her and let her go, taking her hand again.
“I hope you don’t just go around giving everyone confidence,” she teased.
He just laughed and shook his head.
The truth was, being with him had done a lot for her self-esteem. He had only built upon what she had established for herself in the months before they had gotten together. He believed in her like no one outside of her own family ever had, and she had only blossomed further.
The road wasn’t always smooth, despite their obvious compatibility, but they were working on their flaws together. She was honest, and he didn’t run away anymore. It was a process, but they were both determined to make it work. Everything in both of their lives hinged on getting it right this time.
They came to a stop in front of a lovely, white gazebo, which was something of the centerpiece of the square. Jim cocked his head and he handed her up the first step.
This seemed like a good place to ask a big question. His heart thudded in his chest, and he hoped she couldn’t hear it about to beat its way out, or see how nervous he suddenly was.
The world was quiet, the streets were empty, and the stars were especially bright this far from the city. She sat on the bench along the back of the gazebo and she looked up at him as he remained standing.
She patted the seat next to her. “Aren’t you going to sit beside me?” She frowned.
He turned to face her, his hands in his pockets. He took in a deep breath, his face contemplative. “Actually… no.”
Pam looked puzzled. She was really at a loss now.
Jim removed his hands from his pants pockets and took another deep breath. He gave her an amused look and knelt down on one knee before her.
Realization swept over her and she swallowed hard, breathless and waiting.
He grabbed the ring box from his coat pocket and held it, but he didn’t open it. He took her hand in his free one.
“I know you must be wondering what’s in this box, but I have a few things to say first.”
She nodded, her eyes shining.
“Pam, I love you. I mean, I know you have some idea, but on the whole, I’m not sure you can fathom how much I love you.”
She smiled and the tears fell. She brushed them away with the back of her free hand, and gestured for him to go on. She sincerely hoped she wasn’t supposed to speak, because she didn’t think she would be able to find the words if she was.
“You are the girl of my dreams, my partner in crime, and I can’t imagine my life without you. I’ve gotten close, and we don’t want to go there.” He pressed his lips together and shook his head. He was afraid he was going to start crying if he wasn’t careful.
“You are the most amazing, beautiful, funny, talented, loving woman I have ever known, and you have had my heart for almost as long as I can remember.” He paused. “So I have a question for you.”
Pam raised an eyebrow inquisitively and said nothing. She already knew the question and the answer in her heart.
He let go of her hand and held up the box. “Pam, will you marry me?” He opened it.
She burst out laughing.
He waited, hoping that was a positive reaction.
Her giggles were irrepressible as she leaned closer to get a better look into the box. “Yes!” she said, and she couldn’t tell how many of her tears were from his proposal or her laughter.
Her ring was encased in Jello.
“Oh my God, Jim.” She was still laughing.
“As you well know, I usually only prank people who annoy me, so I would like to assure you that is not the case here. I just figured you’re the only girl in the world who would appreciate a good Jello mold.”
“You would be right,” she said, still trying to settle down.
“The ring’s in plastic,” he said, lifting a short edge up and pulling it through the gelatin. He unwrapped it and set the box next to her. “I didn’t want it to be all sticky and completely ruin the moment,” he said.
“You haven’t ruined anything,” she said. “You had the chef do this?” she asked, incredulous. It amazed her just how much he could still surprise her.
He was just relieved she had said yes after that stunt. “She was quite happy to help, actually,” he said. He took her left hand and slipped the ring on her ring finger.
“It fits perfectly,” she said. “How did you manage that?”
“Good guess.”
“Or you measured my finger in my sleep.”
“Or that,” he said with a laugh.
She looked at the ring, sparkling in the street lights. “It’s beautiful.” She took his face in her hands. “I love you, Jim.”
“I love you,” he said, kissing her deeply.
“I can’t believe you went to all this trouble,” she said as he got to his feet and took a seat beside her.
“Yes, you can,” he teased.
“Don’t get cocky on me. You’re doing so well,” she said, grinning at him. She wrapped her arms through his and laid her head on his shoulder. “I’ve been waiting forever for this,” she said.
He chuckled. “I bet not as long as I have,” he said. There was no malice, just gentle teasing and they had hashed it out so many months ago that there were rarely any hurt feelings anymore.
“I know,” she sighed, raising her head to look up at him. “Sometimes I wonder…”
He shook his head and shrugged. “What good does that do, Pam? We did have those years, just in a different way. Everything’s right now, that’s what counts.”
“I know. I just… I love you so much, and I just don’t know how I got this lucky. I guess sometimes it still doesn’t feel completely real.”
“I get that. But it is. And now we need to pick a date.”
Her eyes lit up. “Really?”
“No crazy, long engagements. I asked you to marry me because I want to marry you. I want you to have time to plan whatever you want, but it should be a reasonable amount of time.”
“Not three years,” she murmured.
The corner of his mouth lifted in a wry half-grin. “Not even close. If you try to pull that, you’re in trouble.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She smiled.
“So, what do you think?”
She chewed her lip, thinking. “Well, it’s November now… How about April? It should be warmer, but not too warm, and maybe it won’t snow on our wedding day.”
He thought for a second. “Okay, that’s… five months.” His eyes narrowed. “You think we can plan a whole wedding that fast?”
She frowned, looking down at her hands resting around his forearm. “Well, I’ve kind of had a lot of experience with this, so…”
“Right.”
She looked up at him. “I could go pro at this point,” she said.
He laughed at the adorable grimace on her face. “It’s okay. This is the last wedding you’ll ever have to plan.”
“That’s a relief,” she said. “And also a joy, because I have the perfect groom now.”
“Wow. Really? Where did you find one of those?”
“Eh, the place I work,” she played along. “You should meet him sometime.”
“Sure. I’ve never met the perfect groom before.”
She laughed and laid her cheek against his arm. “How about April fourteenth?”
“Any particular reason?”
“No, it just sounds pretty,” she said, hiding her face in his coat and feeling all of fifteen years old.
“Oh, then it’s April fourteenth, by all means,” he said with a slight laugh. He didn’t care if they got married tomorrow on a street corner right in this lazy little hamlet, he just wanted her to be happy.
She sighed, snuggling in closer to him and he put his arms around her. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been so happy. She would say the moment he had finally asked her out on a date, but she had been so content ever since then, that it was hard to pinpoint a moment. He was everything to her, and she was finally going to have a husband who really, truly loved her, who knew her better than anyone else, who she loved so much it almost hurt to think about it.
“You don’t think we’re moving too fast?” he asked.
Her heart contracted painfully at the sudden uncertainty in his voice. She held him tighter. “Not even remotely,” she said. “Do you?”
“No,” he said. He could tell her a million things and give her a million reasons why he had wanted this ever since the day he met her, but he didn’t want to drag the moment down and make her think it was her fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault; it had simply been the nature of things. It was time to quit looking back on that for good.
“Then stop worrying, Halpert,” she said lightly. “It’s not a good look for you.”
“Then what is?” he asked.
She twisted around until she was facing him and wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to ease all of his unnecessary uncertainties with one breathtaking kiss.
When she finally pulled back, he grinned. “That one, right there. That is definitely a good look for you.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
Chapter title is taken from the title of Augustana's album. Don't own that either. Don't own much of anything, really. I do love feedback, though. It's free, and it's the gift that keeps on giving. ;)
Cassandra Mulder is the author of 23 other stories.
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