Roses and Sonatas [Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns]

Chapter 40

Saturday was Beth's twenty-first birthday—officially her first day of financial independence. Accordingly, she decided not to go to her own birthday party, the party her mother had planned for her against her wishes. It was to be an elegant and formal affair: dinner and dancing, music, champagne... the works. The sort of thing she hated, in fact. So while her mother was no doubt fuming at the hotel where the event would take place without the guest of honor, she and Mikhail and I, along with a few other friends of hers, instead spent the day sailing lazily along the coastline in her sailboat—one of the many inheritances now in her possession.

For her gift, I'd written to my mother and had her send me a copy of an old photograph I knew she had of me and Ruby, then cut out Ruby's face and slipped it into a pretty antique locket. The locket itself was gold, with a tiny ruby set in the front. Beth was delighted with it, and even teared up a little as she stared at the small photo before throwing her arms around me and hugging me hard in gratitude.

The next day, Mikhail and I took a picnic lunch to the beach, then spent the rest of the day relaxing there, sometimes in the sun and sometimes in the shade—reading Tennyson together, chatting, or just lying quietly side by side, holding hands. We dined at a raw bar there on the beach, and afterwards we returned to my sitting room, where I listened as he rehearsed the pieces he planned to perform the following morning, which were intended to highlight the versatility of his favored instrument.

Monday, I'd arranged to meet Beth for shopping and lunch. I had a few more people to buy souvenirs for, and I wanted to look for another present for Cam, too, as I'd be returning home on his birthday. Beth was curious when I explained for whom I was buying a gift, so as we shopped, I gave her an abbreviated history of my double romance. She was intrigued by the whole situation, and begged me to let her know who I picked in the end and to be sure to invite her to the wedding. I laughed and agreed—as long as her mother stayed at home. "No fear!" she said emphatically, and we laughed again as we walked along the sidewalk.

By lunchtime, I still hadn't found anything, and I was supposed to meet Mikhail at my room in just over an hour. "Well... what does he like?" Beth asked after we'd ordered.

"His favorite things are flowers... cats... going for walks on the mountain... spicy food... and not a whole lot else! I mean, he's pretty laid back and there's lots that he likes, but I don't want to get him a present that's just okay."

"Well... take him out to dinner? Or make him a romantic dinner for two?"

"There are only two restaurants between the two towns on the mountain. One of them he doesn't care for, and the other one is the one run by the people he lives with. I'd love to make him dinner, but my brother will still be there." Then suddenly something clicked, and I sat bolt upright. "Or wait! Maybe he could stay with one of the other guys in town for the night so I can have the house to myself! He seemed like he hit it off with Dirk pretty well, and Kana's always dependable. I'll write to him today and see if he would do that for me. Then I can have Cam come over for dinner, and we can have some quiet time alone to catch up. Oh, that's perfect—I hope Rob is willing!"

After lunch, I hurried back to my room and wrote a letter to Rob, asking him if he could arrange that—secretly, of course—and to let me know as soon as possible so I could make my plans. I sealed and stamped the envelope just as Mikhail knocked on my door, so I dropped the letter in the outgoing mail basket as we left. Mikhail smiled at me as we stepped outside, saying he'd arranged a little surprise for me, and he led me down to the beach.

Standing before me was a pair of beautiful snow-white horses, held by a teenaged boy. I stopped and looked up at Mikhail in astonishment, and he smiled and squeezed my hand. "I arranged to lease them for the afternoon. I thought you must be missing your horse, given that you spend nearly as much time in the saddle as out of it."