Quinn nodded. He’d only ever told Ben about his agreement, but apparently there were no secrets between Ben and Avery.
“You’re seriously going to marry someone you haven’t seen in ten years?”
“Soon.” He snatched a slice of green pepper from Savannah’s cutting board.
Avery leaned her hip against the counter. “Aw. So all this time she’s carried a torch for you as well?”
“Not exactly. But we’re doing this.”
Avery turned to Ben, rubbing her lips together in worry. Her eyes asked him to address the situation.
Before Ben could go into older-brother mode, Quinn said, “Don’t judge. We’re as good of friends as we ever were. And I want to do this.”
A full half minute of silence followed his declaration, in which Landon chewed a carrot so loud that the neighbors could hear it.
“Well.” Avery cleared her throat. “Is there someplace that’s special to you two?”
He lifted a shoulder. The spot he should take her would reveal too much about his feelings. “Yes, but a library is a lame place to propose. Come on, this needs to be big. I only want to propose once in my life.”
“Umm.” Avery used the back of her wrist to move her hair off her face. “A gondola in Venice?”
Quinton considered it and then said, “Too much flight time. She just got back to the US. Besides, she’s trying to take over the family business. I’m not sure the timing would be right to whisk her away.”
“How about the pier?” offered Savannah. “It’s fun at night with the Ferris wheel and the ice cream shop.”
Bless her! A pier proposal didn’t seem big enough for all the feelings in his heart. “That’s a good idea. Keep them coming.”
Ben snapped his fingers. “A flash mob at Pike Place. By the love tags.”
Avery’s face lit up. “You mean those metal discs people attach that say K+D and stuff like that?”
“Yeah.”
A flash mob would be awesome. He could hire a camera crew and get the whole thing on tape. “Do I need a permit?”
Ben lifted his shoulders. “Maybe.”
“I don’t have time to wait. We want to seal the deal quickly.”
“The top deck of the ferry,” offered Landon.
“A private dinner cruise,” said Avery.
“The golf course,” Savannah blurted.
“No!” Ben threw up his hands calling a halt to all brainstorming. “Hike to a waterfall. It’s perfect because … wait for it …”
They all cringed in anticipation of what was sure to be a horrible dad joke. Ben was famous for them.
“You’re taking theplunge.”
The whole room groaned. Seriously, the couch and dinner table seemed to join in.
Avery smacked Ben’s chest. “That was so bad.”
Conversation drifted while they finished meal prep and set the table. When they were settled in, ready to eat, Avery asked, “What would she like?”
He’d relaxed in all the talking and being with his family. The stress had gone out of his evening. “I have no idea,” he replied.
