My Lucky Groom

clambered up on the other side of the boat and positioned themselves on the bench seat as Richard maneuvered the sheets. “We’ll pull into that cove over there and anchor awhile,” he told her, shifting the rudder ever so slightly to steer their craft in that direction.
    Ventura was glad to be with someone who was knew what he was doing on the water, for she was lost completely. She’d never understood how much skill and finesse it took to captain a boat until she’d come here with Richard. She stared at him, handsomely in command of his craft, and her heart welled with emotion. She adored so many things about him. How well he did in business, the love he had for his children… The admiration he’d shown for her. Winds rippled and he met her gaze. “I hope you’re having a good time.”
    “I’m having the best time.”
    “That’s good.” He steered the boat into a cove with a mysterious grin. “Let’s hope it gets even better.”

    Sweat dribbled down Ventura’s chest and pooled in her cleavage beneath her snug cotton shirt. They were anchored in the cove, and their main sail was down. “You should have told me to bring a swimsuit.”
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t think of it.” Richard cracked open a cooler and handed her an ice-cold beer. “I had a lot of other things on my mind.”
    “Gosh,” Ventura said, looking around. “I can still smell it.”
    “Must be the algae,” Richard offered helpfully. “Smells just like friend wontons.”
    “Really?” she asked with incredulity.
    Richard fidgeted with his beer bottle, then met her eyes. “I’d like to propose a toast. To you and your literary success!”
    “Why, thanks,” she said, clinking his bottle. “Here’s to you having a part in it.”
    “A very small part.”
    “You’re just being modest.”
    They both drank then an awkward silence settled in, as gulls called noisily overhead. Richard took their beers and set them in holders. “I’m really happy about your book deal,” he said as sunshine warmed her hair. “Really happy about everything.”
    “Yeah. Me too.”
    “I don’t want you to think that I haven’t thought about this, because I have—in excruciating detail.”
    “It was painful?” she asked, perplexed.
    He stunned Ventura by reaching into a net storage compartment and extracting a small gift. “It’s only going to hurt if you say no.” He handed her the present and her heart pounded faster. Could she really hope he’d picked out something special just for her? And, if that something was tied to a question, it might mean… Ventura stopped herself, not even daring to wish for it. She’d wanted Richard for so long, it seemed impossible to believe that he might want her too. In a lasting way. A way that meant forever. Ventura’s lips quaked as she spoke.
    “Should I open it?”
    “I wish you would.”
    Ventura slipped off the silky red ribbon then unwrapped the pretty white package. She lifted the lid off the box, finding a cellophane-wrapped fortune cookie nestled inside.
    “What’s this?”
    “Ventura Hart,” he said, meeting her eyes, “from the moment I met you, I knew you were different. You made an impression on me the first night we met and then again on the Metro. The funny thing is, I bet you didn’t believe me when I said I had this.”
    He pulled a small icon from his pocket and displayed it in his palm. It was a real four-leaf clover, wrapped securely in clear scotch tape.
    “You weren’t kidding?” she asked, delighted.
    “I found this when I was eight years old. It was the year that Jenny was born. My parents were so happy then. Our whole world was golden. That was before my mom got sick, and Dad lost his way.”
    “I’m sorry,” she said, her heart aching for him.
    “But that’s not why I’m telling you this. It’s not to bring you down. It’s to assure you that my hanging on to this meant I understood this sign was hopeful. I remember, Ventura, what a happy home life was like. I always wanted that for myself, and now…” He paused a beat. “I want it with you. We’re right for each other, you and I. Two crazy, superstitious people who, on the outside, appear so levelheaded and together. But on the inside, we both want to believe in the same thing. That there’s someone special out there for us, our missing other half.”
    She looked down at the fortune cookie, a lump welling in her throat. Richard nodded in encouragement and she ripped open the cellophane,