Men of Alaska 2: Sterling Sunshine (12 page)

“Maybe we should send her to drag Matt back here,” Tony said.

“He keeps texting us. I don’t understand him. The money doesn’t matter. We can all provide for ourselves,” Gretchen said.

The photographer posed them and snapped more pictures.

“Actually, his father left him a chunk. And his sisters. His mom got half and the kids split the other half. He died young. Worked himself to death,” Tony said.

“So Matt is following the example he resents. Men,” Mel said.

“Maybe he feels like a failure if he can’t provide for his family the same way,” Tiff said.

“But they don’t have kids. It’s not the same thing.” Bethany pulled Tiff’s braid loose and played with the hair the way only a beautician would.

Tiff laughed but batted Bethany’s hands away. “You don’t know men as well as you think you do. I grew up with nothing but egos and competition. Matt doesn’t want to die young, but he wants to earn enough so he can stop worrying and enjoy life before it’s over. A group relationship is bigger, more expensive. He’s working hard to save up. Why else would he leave you the bank info? And he’s still texting. Men don’t always say things. You have to read their actions. He’s not cutting off contact. You can get a hold of him if you need to.”

“She’s right,” Tony said.

“Duh. He’s trying to earn enough so he can enjoy life without feeling like he’s freeloading in your house. Tony and Ross have defined jobs with clear paychecks and benefits. Matt has less security, so he’s trying harder.”

“You’re a genius,” Gretchen said.

Tiff shrugged. “It won’t change anything. He won’t stop until he’s achieved his goal. Whatever number is in his head. You can’t change him. Trust me, I tried to change my brothers plenty.”

“You should have men kissing your feet,” Bethany said.

“No, because I never changed to please them. They won’t change for me, so what’s the point?” Tiff headed off to find the next guy forced into a tux.

Gretchen felt great about the free promotional item she’d come up with. It brought together the pictures of the dresses, the app code, and her potential wedding package participants through an advertising opportunity. A calendar. She’d found a place in Anchorage that would print them up in bulk and mail them out from there. It wasn’t cheap, but it was much easier to get places in Sterling and Homer to buy small ads in something like that. The models were even easier. The women got a little free fame in the calendar, professional makeup, and photos with their man.

Also Tony got a lot of attention, which is what he needed. She didn’t want to call him on it, but Tony’s ego had been suffering. Ross was the mayor, an important job which got him respect and attention. Matt was the pain who had issues that rippled through the group. That rubbed Tony wrong. At least with Tony, she could fix things with a little attention. She’d told Ross and he agreed. But Tony always had Ross’s attention, so they had to be careful about overdoing it. A little more of their time and Tony wasn’t complaining at all…except about the tux.

“You’re done,” Mel said.

“Thank God. When are they doing the shoot at work?” he asked.

“Don’t worry about that. We’re going for candid shots. No prep or special lighting or anything. There will be one more but that’s a surprise for next week.” The photographer smiled at Gretchen.

“What?” Tony directed his question at Gretchen.

“We need to show off the clothes. But women really decide where to have a wedding. If we show off the hunky men of Sterling, it can’t hurt.” She smiled. “Let’s get changed and go enjoy the fest.”

“Don’t they need you here? This is your brainchild,” Tony said as he pulled off his tie.

“No, we’ve got this,” Tiff said.

“Thanks, see. Tiff is a huge help.” Gretchen had to admit she’d been a little obsessed with her work as well. It was important but couldn’t all be done in one day or one summer. She needed to spend time with all her guys. This was the relationship she wanted. She loved them.

Tony headed off to change and Gretchen went into her changing space with Tiff, Mel, and Bethany helping.

“You’ve got him in better spirits,” Tiff said.

“His issue I can handle. I love them all but this many men…it’s wild.” Gretchen shook her head.

Bethany adjusted Gretchen’s hair to a less formal style. “That’s good.”

“The sex is great, but outside of bed they’re a handful too. Tony at least is straightforward. He’s the rock who needs more appreciation at times. Matt’s the squeaky wheel getting all the attention. Not that he’s complaining, but he comes and goes, which forces everyone else to adjust around his schedule. Ross is reliable, but being mayor, he gets attention elsewhere. It’s fine. Matt and this money thing.” Gretchen shook her head.

Mel carefully slid the dress into the bag. “Tiff is right, you can’t change men. Take them as is.”

“I would if he’d stick around.” Gretchen shrugged.

“You need to sit on him,” Tiff said.

The other three women stopped and looked at Tiff.

“Excuse me?” Gretchen said.

“Seriously. Sit him down, make him stay, and lay down the law. Give him parameters. Clearly state what you want. What you can all live with. Then no one can bitch about it if he’s gone one week out of the month for work. He might counter he needs to see family; you said he’s up seeing his mother—right?”

Gretchen nodded.

“So maybe he does that long weekend to see mom every other month. Fair? You can’t change men, but you can negotiate with them. But you have to be firm about what is a deal breaker. Then not whine if they’re sticking to the deal.” Tiff handed Gretchen her summer dress. “They aren’t mind readers. You need to make it very simple and clear for them.”

“She needs to teach a class,” Bethany said.

“Please, I got a pity date to the prom. Just because I understand them doesn’t mean they want me,” Tiff said.

“You need to show them what they’re missing. You’re a challenge, but you have to tempt them. That’s my department,” Bethany said.

Gretchen stepped into her sandals and quickly checked herself in the mirror. “I don’t want to keep my guys waiting too long. Thanks! And, Tiff, listen to Bethany. She’s had more men chasing her at once than I’ve dated ever.”

“I’m a real challenge.” Bethany nodded and grinned.

* * * *

Matt looked down at the crowd mingling along Main Street. The Taste of Sterling was on and he had a surprise for Gretchen.

“Sure you don’t want to call them. Tell them we’re flying over?” asked the other Matt.

“They’ll see it. Not much else is going on in Sterling and Ross is the mayor.” Matt still couldn’t believe his luck. The other Matt was eager to move south and settle down with a business.

“That banner wasn’t cheap,” said the other Matt.

“One side is for the dress shop, the other for our air tours. If both sides said the same thing, it’d be a waste. Fly low enough and buzz up one side and down the other so they see it all.” Matt wanted to land and go talk to them right away.

Visiting his mother had been a wake-up call.

“Never thought you’d settle down. Not
really
,” the other Matt said.

“When you tell your mother you’re considering a ménage with two men and a woman, all sorts of conversations start happening.” Matt smiled.

“I’ll bet. Sterling is unique. Your mom is okay with it?” he asked.

“Sure. She’s worried I’ll die young like my dad. I learned a lot about what she didn’t know, but I don’t want to repeat his mistakes. All Mom wanted was more time with my father. Which is all I wanted.” Matt shrugged.

“And you were going down the same road. Life is tougher up here.” The pilot shrugged.

“True, but living for money instead of being happy made him drink and smoke heavily—all of that probably helped him die younger. I’d like to avoid that.” Matt glanced at the crowd. “I think we should go ahead and land.”

“You’re the boss.” The pilot adjusted his instruments.

“No, we’re partners. 2 Matts Aerial Tours.” He nodded. Not a fancy name, but they weren’t fancy guys. His mom was okay with a group relationship if it meant more visits and grandkids. Deep down, he knew she didn’t want to bury her son. He didn’t want to let anyone down by following too closely in his dad’s footsteps.

* * * *

Tony couldn’t believe his eyes. The plane wasn’t Matt’s but the banner clearly had to be his idea. Gretchen’s smile said things were good.

“I hope he doesn’t go away again,” Tony said.

“You sound hopeful this time.” She smiled. “Let’s go see.”

They walked toward the landing strip when the plane began to descend.

“What’s this other shoot for the calendar?” he asked.

She shrugged. “You in nothing but a pair of tuxedo boxers.”

“What?” He stopped walking.

“Come on.” She grabbed his hand and pulled.

He shook his head. “You want me to be nearly naked on a calendar you’re shipping all over the state?”

“Don’t be shy. Firefighters in other cities do it all the time to raise money. And it’s only one of the three pictures. The big one will be of the couple dressed formally. Then the beefcake and then the real life picture. You’ve got the body for it.” She smiled.

“That’s not the point.” He didn’t know what the point was, but his body wasn’t it.

“Enjoy it. Women will be fawning over you all year. But you’re all mine,” she said.

“Absolutely,” he replied with a slight grin.

Ross met them on the walk. “What is Matt doing? Two Matts?”

“I think he’s taking my advice. Moving here and going into a real business.” She grinned.

Tony wrapped an arm around Gretchen. “Boy did we need you.”

“Damn right,” Ross said.

“No matter what happens with Matt, it’s not going to stop this. Us being a family,” Tony said.

She nodded. “I agree. I want kids, a career, and to enjoy life. We just need to sort out the details. Make some compromises. I think Matt will negotiate.”

“Negotiate?” Ross asked.

“I don’t have a better word for it. Come on.” She walked faster.

“We like strong women,” Ross said to Tony.

“She’s on a mission. I hope Matt’s ready for her,” Tony said.

“We better stick with her so she doesn’t scare him back into the plane,” Ross said.

The men jogged to catch up with her.

Matt met them and hugged Gretchen.

“Didn’t expect you back so soon,” Tony said. He hadn’t been totally sure Matt would come back but kept that to himself.

He got a kiss. “Sorry. I had to fix a few things.”

“You’ve got some explaining to do.” Ross hugged Matt.

“I will. This is Matt Bradford. Another pilot who wants to move south. We’re going to focus on the tourism circuit. Did you like the banner?” he asked.

“I loved it. Mel will love it even more. That is a bit of advertising you could sell.” Gretchen grinned.

“You didn’t get a banner for the town?” Ross asked.

“We’re going to be flying over Sterling and we should advertise Sterling?” Bradford asked.

“Fine. Hi, I’m Ross,” he said.

“Tony.” He shook Bradford’s hand.

“Hello, I’m Gretchen.” She nodded to the new guy. “I think we need to go home and sort this all out.”

Bradford nodded. “I’m going to grab some food from the stalls and get a room at the inn. Call me when you want to sort out schedules or go get your motorcycle.”

“Thanks.” Matt shook his hand. “We’ll ask around for a room to rent with friends. It’ll be cheaper than long-term at the inn.”

“You might be able to have my room,” Gretchen said with a smile. “At Mel’s. If they want to keep renting it out.”

“Don’t worry, I always find a place to sleep,” Bradford said with a wink.

“This group is closed.” Matt playfully shoved the other pilot but there was a hint of seriousness in his tone.

“Let’s go home. We need to talk,” she said.

Chapter Ten

Matt wasn’t sure what to do when he was back home. “I’m sorry I bolted. I wasn’t sure. I wanted to take care of you guys, but I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Tony caught Matt from behind him a bear hug. “You think this was about money?”

“Not for you. For me the problem was about money.” Matt wrestled Tony until they fell back on the big leather couch and kissed. “My dad was the only male role model I really had growing up. He worked himself to death and left us with a nest egg.”

“Wouldn’t you rather have had time with him?” Gretchen sat between them on the sofa.

“Of course, especially when I was a kid. When I got married, I was bringing home good money, but she didn’t like the traveling. Accused me of cheating. Luckily my dad hung in there until after I divorced her, or she’d have taken half of what I inherited. I learned that my dad had saved as much as he could for someday. For retirement.” Matt patted the couch and Ross sat down next to him.

“But he died too soon. We get why you work like crazy, but you need to enjoy life too,” Ross said.

“Yep, but I met you guys. Saving for retirement for one person is rough. But for three and now four. That’s different,” Matt said.

“Just so you know, none of you are allowed to die until you’re at least eighty-five,” Gretchen said.

“Then you have to make it to ninety,” Matt said.

“Does this mean you’re sticking around?” Ross asked.

Matt looked at Ross, Gretchen, then at Tony. “I don’t want to wear out my welcome. Growing up I couldn’t wait to see my dad. I wanted someone who longed to see me like that.”

“You’ve got three,” Tony said.

“Damn right. We need to have some ground rules. We’re all adults. We can make this work. We just need to negotiate, but we have to stick to our agreements. Emergencies excluded, of course,” she said.

“When did she become the boss?” Matt asked.

Ross laughed. “Since the first date. Without her, I don’t know if we’d make it long-term.”

“Not without fighting and sniping.” Tony nodded. “Sorry, Matt. We should’ve talked about it.”

“Men don’t like to talk enough. Some things need to be negotiated and worked out. If it doesn’t work, we renegotiate. We don’t give up.” She got up and grabbed her tablet. “Now. Are you staying?”