He turned his head and stared out the window. Evening was falling, the color leeching from the world and washing it in gray and smoky blue.
Neither of them spoke for a long minute. It had been a long time since she talked about Matt, and she found a release in saying those things to someone who also cared about him.
After a long beat, Church tapped a finger on his desk.
“I’m glad to see you here, Zee.”
She didn’t expect to hear him say that, and she really didn’t expect the emotions it brought to the surface. It wasn’t exactly happiness. But there was contentment. And she hadn’t felt anything like that in so long.
A smile spread over her face. “I’m glad to see you here too.”
His lips quirked at the corner, but his eyes looked sad. “Thank you for what you said about Matt.”
“I meant it.”
He gave her a slight nod. “We should probably get used to talking…since we’re going to pretend we’re married starting tomorrow.”
She issued a short laugh and felt some of the tension flow out of her. “And here I only thought I’d be handling paperwork. I never expected to unload a crate of ground spray paint and be pronounced someone’s wife so soon.”
He let out a huff of a laugh, looking more relaxed too. “Where should we begin?”
She settled back in her seat and crossed her legs. “Maybe we should start by asking each other some questions.”
“Good idea. You go first.”
“Okay,” she said slowly. “Where did you grow up?”
His eyes sparked with some of the old life she remembered. “Foothills of East Tennessee. Appalachia.”
She smiled. “You came from tough stock.”
“You know it. Where did you grow up?”
“Southern California.”
His gaze roamed across her face as if he was searching for a trace of the SoCal girl she used to be. That girl had fallen madly in love at eighteen and married Matt at nineteen. She’d been filled with hope and the promise of a wonderful future.
Then it all came crashing down, leaving her feeling much older than her twenty-six years.
She floundered for another question. “Favorite food?”
“Barbecue.”
She laughed. “Of course. Mine’s ice cream.”
He arched a brow. “Flavor?”
“Strawberry.”
“Noted.”
They shared a smile. “Where did we meet?”
“Uh…”
“I think we should stick close to the truth. That way we won’t slip up. We met when I worked on a Naval base.”
He nodded.
