Confidante
Chapter 10
I have the chapters after this one written, but I struggled with Chapter 10. Hope you enjoy it. It's not my favorite, but it did grow on me, and it was necessary to the story.
Thanks to Nashville1211 for the feedback and discussion, and thank you again to those of you who have reviewed! We all really appreciate reviews!
As always, I do not own these characters, they belong to Nashville.
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Maddie had explained to Rayna and Deacon the day before that a friend's mom was taking them out for frozen yogurt after soccer on Tuesday and she would get dropped off at Deacon's after to help finish painting her room. In actuality, Juliette had picked Maddie up after camp and they stopped for coffee to work out the details of the date they were planning for Rayna and Deacon. Juliette had suggested a private dinner cruise and Maddie agreed. Juliette booked the cruise while Maddie ordered coffees and said she'd have Emily put together a picnic basket for their dinner to limit staff on board.
The bigger issue had been how to get Rayna and Deacon to the boat and still keep it a surprise. The marina they would leave from was 15 miles outside of town in Hendersonville. Neither of the girls had any business being out there, so they needed good stories. Maddie decided she would tell her parents she was going to hang out Thursday after camp, too, with another friend.
"Would you be able to pick me up in Hendersonville?" Maddie asked Deacon.
"Yeah, that's not too far. What are y'all doing out there?"
"Oh, there's a sporting goods store that has really cool soccer socks and hair bows. Hannah's parents were going to go to dinner at some cousin's house but I'd rather come back here, since it's your last night home. That's not too far is it?"
"No, not at all." He smiles, not daring to mentioning that he would drive to the ends of the earth if she'd asked. He knew Rayna and Teddy were both expecting him to set up some boundaries, but, truth be told, he still enjoyed being the current favorite parent.
Juliette's plan was that Bo would drop Maddie off at the store, Juliette would drag Deacon out to the Marina to show Deacon a boat, and they'd pick Maddie up on the way. Meanwhile, Daphne would tell Rayna there was an invitation for a mother daughter cruise with some classmates that she forgot to respond to.
"Natalie's mom asked if we're still going. Didn't you RSVP? Mom, it's gonna be so fun!" Rayna is reeled in, truly not remembering if there had been an invitation or not. Daphne is careful not to give her the address until they are on their way there.
"Deacon, I wouldn't ask you if I didn't truly need your help. Glenn doesn't know a damn thing about boats and neither does Bo. And I know you do."
"Juliette, I really don't have time for this," Deacon says as he walks around his house, cleaning up newspapers and coffee cups. It's his last night before he goes on tour. "Does it have to be today?"
"It will take an hour, tops, and I'll drop you two off at Rayna's on the way back. Besides, I know you have to pick Maddie up, anyway, andI already promised her we'd stop at Starbucks." Juliette smiles, not so innocently.
"So I'm out voted?"
#
Rayna is grumpy the entire ride out about being stuck on a boat with the other moms. She makes several attempts to take Daphne for ice cream or shopping but Daphne holds her course, directing Rayna to the Port of Hendersonville.
Deacon and Rayna had both been looking forward to spending time together as a family before he went on tour, but they had both agreed they didn't want their relationship to further upset Maddie and Daphne's lives, so they agreed they'd meet back at Rayna's after the cruise.
Deacon was all too aware that Luke's ring still remained on Rayna's finger and knew she wouldn't be wearing his anytime soon, but he wanted to give her something before he left to remind her of their commitment to each other.
He'd stopped at the jewelry store earlier that day and found what he thought was the perfect item. He waved off the gift wrapping, preferring to leave it in his pocket where he knew he wouldn't forget it, and could slip it out later, without the restraint of a bulky box.
Deacon and Rayna are both so preoccupied with everything going on around them that the rest of the girls' plans go off without a hitch. Rayna ends up arriving early and believes they are the first of the mothers and daughters on the boat. She would do anything for her daughters, but she had not been looking forward to quality time with the other moms. She found most of the others to be shallow and pretentious and overall not worth talking to.
Deacon's smile could not have been wider when he followed Juliette onto the river ship Vagabum and saw Rayna.
"What's going on?" Rayna asks Juliette and Maddie, who are standing on either side of Deacon. Daphne was already running out of the front cabin with a large picnic basket.
Deacon rubbed his face, still smiling. "My guess would be they pulled one over on us, Ray."
The girls smiled. Daphne, still holding the handle of the basket in front of her, informed them, "your dinner is in the basket, and it's all your favorites!"
Rayna still looked perplexed. "Since you can't go out on a real first date, we planned this for you!" Maddie clarifies.
Juliette jumped in to share, "it's a three and a half hour cruise. I'll drive the girls home and stay with them until you get back."
"We're having pizza!" Daphne adds excitedly.
"I don't know what to say!" Rayna quickly hugs the three of them.
"You don't have to say anything because we are leaving. Just have fun!"
The 3 girls disappeared before Rayna and Deacon know what hit them, but not before Rayna grasps Juliette's arm and whispers a sincere thank you.
A moment later Captain Nelson steps out to tell them he will be providing an extremely unique and exciting boating experience on the beautiful Cumberland River & Old Hickory Lake. "Just come find me if you need anything, otherwise I'll leave you to your own devices. Miss Daphne was very specific about that. And Ms. Barnes made sure I signed a confidentiality agreement. Your business is your business." With that, he returns to the bridge of the ship. Soon quiet country music fills the air and they feel the boat pulling out of the dock.
#
"Looks like they've spared no expense here," Rayna says, rifling through the picnic basket. At the top of the picnic basket, written in colorful markers and tied together with a blue ribbon are a stack of notecards labeled "First Date Questions."
"This looks like the work of Miss Daphne," Deacon says. "That's adorable! All of this…it's just…pretty special."
"They're pretty special girls. All three of them. And I never thought I'd say that about Juliette! She's come a long way."
"We all have."
"Do you think we can answer all of these?" Rayna asks, looking at the notecards as Deacon begins pouring iced tea and unwrapping salads and sandwiches.
"Shoot!"
"Okay, first question: what's your go to meal when you're home alone? I know this one! Cold SpaghettiOs!"
Deacon stares at her, poker faced, slowly shaking his head. "It's not SpaghettiOs."
"What? You're kiddin' me!"
"Nope. Scarlett got me hooked on cereal. That tree- hugging ,organic kind with the endangered animals on the front. It ain't cheap, neither. You still eating yogurt?"
Rayna nods and smiles.
"Next question: What's your favorite thing about your hometown?"
"That I'm not in it!"
"Okay, Nashville then."
He thinks about it. "The soul. The diversity, creativity, history. This city is alive, whether you're on Broadway or out on the Cumberland, it's just something you feel. There's no other place like it."
Rayna smiles and nods. Deacon takes the cards from her. "Your turn. Which books have you read multiple times?"
"Hmmm…To Kill a Mockinbird…House of Mirth…Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood…"
"Divine Secrets of the What?"
"The Ya-Ya Sisterhood. It's a close group of girlfriends that grow up together. And they're always there for each other, no matter what. Their kids grow up together. Life isn't always easy but they've always had each other. They're all, really, about being true to yourself."
They move over to the sofa with their tea and sandwiches and Rayna swipes the next card. "What's on your bucket list? "
"To marry you."
Rayna is taken aback by Deacon's sincerity and is flooded with emotions. Before she can turn away he wraps his arms around her, kissing her tenderly. She lets out a gentle sigh, unable to take her eyes off of him. At that point he reaches into his pocket, taking out the bracelet and wrapping it around her wrist.
"I know it will be a while before you can wear our ring, and we won't be seeing each other every day for a while, but I picked this up as a reminder of my commitment to you. You're my eternity, Ray. "
A tear drops onto her wrist but when he she looks up at him she is smiling, happy. She looks down again, briefly, tracing the infinity symbol with her finger. "This reminds me of us in many ways. The center being the hard times, the crossroads, but if you follow the path, things get better."
"I hope there won't be too many more hard times ahead. I 'd like to think we've already come through on the other side, but if there are, you need to know, I'm stronger now, I'm not going to run off and hide."
Rayna lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Thank you, Deacon, fFor not giving up on us. I love you so much. And I believe in us.