She laughed through the tears. “Ask me again when I’m trying to match paint colors to your torque wrench collection,” she said. “But yeah. I’m sure.”
He kissed the corner of her mouth, her cheek, the spot just below her ear that made her knees go unreliable.
“Good,” he murmured. “Because I’m not returning that ring.”
She pulled back enough to look at him. “Where did you even get it?” she asked, swiping at her face with the back of her wrist.
He winced. “You’re going to laugh,” he said.
“Try me,” she said.
“Harbor Jewelers,” he said. “I went in for batteries for my watch and walked out having an intense discussion about settings with a woman named Mabel who’s apparently known Liz since kindergarten.”
Bree clapped a hand over her mouth. “You went ring shopping with Mabel,” she said, delighted horror and affection twined together.
“Look, she had opinions and pictures,” he said. “I panicked.”
“You did good,” she said, looking at the ring again. “It’s perfect.”
He relaxed, shoulders dropping. “Mabel will be relieved,” he said. “She threatened to hunt me down if you hated it.”
“I’m terrified of her, and I’ve never met her,” Bree said.
“You should be,” he said.
She laughed, the sound bubbling up, untangled from fear for the first time in what felt like forever.
Her phone chimed again. She sighed, reaching for it.
“Do not be Diaz with an emergency,” she muttered. “I am having a moment.”
It was Diaz.
She opened the text anyway.
State’s filing preliminary charges against the shell company guys. Test day vendor flipped. You two are officially listed as cooperating witnesses, not targets. Keep your heads up and your doors locked. And go live your lives.
Bree’s chest softened. She typed back with one hand, the other still curled unconsciously to feel the ring.
We plan to. Thanks for keeping the monsters out of the corners.
A second message buzzed in almost immediately. This one was from Kara.
Inspection scheduled. Sellers are fixing the roof issue. You’re on track for closing in four weeks, and they've agreed to let you rent from them immediately so you can get out of the hotel. Hope you like signing your names a lot.
Bree set the phone down.
“Well?” Hank asked.
“Diaz says the net’s tightening,” Bree said. “We’re officially in the ‘good guys’ column. Kara says the house is moving forward. We can move in right away and pay rent to the owners for the four weeks we're waiting on closing.”
“Big day,” he said.
“You just proposed,” she said. “Understatement of the year.”
He grinned. “That too.”
She looked around the space; the half-sanded floor, the patched wall where Jason had already started prepping for future hanging rails. Bryn’s painting drying in the corner, Colby’s projection marks still faint on the far bricks, and the new canvas waiting.
