Burt gave him a salute and tapped the car on its ass.
A minute down the road, Gabby was still shell-shocked. “Sorry about Burt,” she said. “I’m not actually related to him.” Every time she started to give him a pass, he opened his big mouth and said something absolutely appalling. “At least everyone is suffering through Burt together. Maybe it’ll be a bonding thing.” She took another deep breath and focused on the hula girl dancing atop Markus’s dashboard.
“Let’s get you a Starbucks,” Markus said. “I could use a coffee too.”
Gabby started to chill. She might as well enjoy it. And they were on a mission. This was a serious job with high stakes. All shehad to do was shove her feelings into a box. They’d probably pop out, jack-in-the-box style, when she was watching a commercial for life insurance later, but for now, she needed them out of the way.
“Gia Glanville, born in 1990, birthday of June 5, sign is Gemini, and my favorite hobbies are yoga, meditation, and healing.” She shook her head. “What does that mean?”
“Just be vague and you’ll stay out of trouble.”
“Glanville…” Gabby said. “It sounds like a glandular problem. Or like a Midwestern casserole mom.”
“Speaking of that, are you going to take my name?” He side-eyed her with a smile. “We should probably figure that out before we get there.”
“I just went back to my maiden name,” Gabby said. She could take another man’s name, but maybe it was too soon. Even if she got married, she needed to be Gabby this time.
“What? Is Gia divorced?” Markus asked, sounding confused, which made Gabby realize they were no longer talking about the same scenario. He wasn’t asking if she wanted to stay Gabby Greene.
In a soft voice, she said, “Markus, you know what a mess my life is, right?”
“Gabby—” He took a steadying breath. “Sure, you have chaos, but I don’t see a mess. You’re always stretched a little thin, I get that, but I see a competent, caring, beautiful woman.”
Before she could haul her jaw off the floor, Markus pulled into the drive-thru. “What kind of coffee do you want?”
“The usual,” she choked out.
Markus shouted their orders to the speaker: “One tall pumpkin spice latte and one grande iced oatmilk latte.” He pulledforward toward the window. “I see how you are showing up for everyone else all the time. I respect that. You show up for me. I think you would be better off if you gave someone the chance to show up for you.”
Gabby was legitimately tongue-tied. Sure, she liked a compliment, but once someone said something nice, could she respond like a normal person? No.
She’d promised to have his back and, minutes later, agreed to spy on him. Gabby was a dirty, dirty double agent.
“Let me get the coffee,” she said. It was the least she could do given her double-crossing.
“No, I got it,” he said.
“That’ll be fourteen dollars,” the woman at the window said.
While they were waiting for the coffees, Markus reached into his pocket and pulled out a small package. “I almost forgot the ring.”
Gabby’s brain screeched to a halt, and her soul was almost ejected from her body.
“You okay?”
She collected herself. “Just surprised.”
“Let’s see if it fits.”
She held out her left hand, and he slipped a diamond ring on. It was simple, beautiful, sparkling in the bright California sun.
“This isn’t your grandma’s, is it?” she said. It looked like an heirloom.
With a laugh, he said, “No. I picked it out yesterday. Don’t worry, on the EOD’s dime.”
She stared at her hand like any newly engaged woman.
“You couldn’t show up without a ring,” he said. “It looks nice on you.”
