“You sound disappointed.”
“Not in the least.”
The way he said, “Not in the least,” as his fingers touched hers, passing along two more bags of popcorn, which she lowered into outstretched hands, made her shiver. There’s no other way to say it. When she reached back for more popcorn, their eyes met and if this was a romcom, they’d be at the part of the almost-kiss.
But this wasn’t a romcom, was it?
“Sir, is everything all right?” This from Gunner who’d posted himself directly below John to keep the curious and the royal hunters at bay.
“Of course,” John said with a hitch in his voice. Then he smiled at Gemma in such a way she wanted to tap his arm and ask,”What? What do you want to say?”
“Hey, you two, stop with the oogly eyes, we’re getting backed up.” Haley stood by the popcorn machine with Cole, filling the kettle with kernels while Buck and JoJo loaded up the bags.
“What oogly eyes?” Gemma protested. “Please, just pass the popcorn up and we’ll hand it out.”
Meanwhile, Taylor and Jack worked the crowd and kept the line moving.
“Didn’t I tell you, Gemma?” JoJo said. “We’d be serving popcorn all night.”
“I’m shutting it down when the movie starts,” Buck said. “Let everyone know.”
Finally the lights flickered and the screen flashed with a ’40s-era newsreel, updating them on the war in Europe. Taylor, Jack, and Gunner shooed away the remaining crowd, and Buck and JoJo hopped into the truck bed—which was fitted with two custom leather benches embossed with Buck’s brand logo. The back bench was a touch higher than the front. Just like in a theater.
As the newsreel voice-over assured them of the Allies’ coming victory, everyone found a seat. Since they were all couples but John and Gemma and Gunner, they cuddled close. Jack with Taylor and Haley with Cole.
The back bench had Buck and JoJo in one corner and John in the middle. Gemma took the other corner. Gunner chose to watch the film sitting on the roof of his rental car—which was next to Buck’s truck. He collected four bags of popcorn and climbed aboard.
“Maybe I should sit with Gunner,” Gemma said, thinking he looked a bit lonely, his long legs resting against the windshield, his popcorn lined up beside him.
John leaned to see around her. “I’m sure Gunner would appreciate—”
“I’m fine. Need my space.”
Gemma laughed against her hand. “He heard us.”
“The man has the hearing of a bat.”
“Don’t forget it either, sir.”
“How are the lads and lasses?” John scooted a little closer to her. “Our pups? I almost stopped by after my meeting with Scottie.”
“You should’ve. Of course, you’d have ended up working. How was your time with Scottie?”
“Good, I think. We’re getting the hang of it, being siblings after thirty-plus years.”
“Will she go to meet your mother?”
“Undecided. But we shall see. So our little charges are faring well? I find myself thinking about them when I’m not on shift. Wondering how they’re getting on, laughing at some cute thing that happened while weighing or feeding. They’ve become friends, I suppose.”
The prince looked at her a moment longer than necessary, waiting for her answer, but she was bottled up with a warm, gushy feeling.
“Um, yes, they’re friends. Do…do you miss your friends?”
“A little,” he said. “But not because I’m here. I’ve not seen them much since Holland died. We gathered a few times, but it was awkward. They acted as if she’d not died, treating me like before I was married. They didn’t know if they should talk about her or not, or how to ask. Meanwhile, I was in a fog, not communicating clearly. My mate Lute finally said, ‘We fear if we bring her up, we’ll cause you pain. Yet if we don’t ask, do we come across as if we don’t care?’ I had no answer, so we stopped trying.”
“I wonder about Imani sometimes. Should I talk to her about her parents and grandparents?”
“Parents and grandparents?” He shook his head. “That’s a lot of death for one young woman.”
