“That doesn’t make us lovers,” McKenna said in a rush of words.
“So you running off to Tennessee has nothing to do with him?”
McKenna closed her eyes, tired of keeping secrets from her sister. But not quite ready to spill the beans either. “I did fly here to see that guy you met on the bridge.”
McKenna waited for the victoriousI knew it!What she got was a low-key “Oh.”
“Why do you sound disappointed?”
“I guess part of me was sort of hoping Oliver was lying about you going to Tennessee, and that you were really sneaking around back home to help Oliver orchestrate a perfect proposal that I wouldn’t see coming because I was supposed to believe this outlandish story about you running off to Tennessee to meet your secret lover. Stupid, I know.”
“Not stupid. Not stupid at all.” Almost spot-on in an absurd roundabout way. Except for the secret lover part.
“So you and this guy, huh. What was his name again?”
“Nate.”
“Nate. Wow. Things must be getting serious then if you flew to Tennessee for him.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“What would you say?”
Nothing at this point. Not until she had at least found the ring. “Let’s just say we’re still in the figuring-it-out stage. But I—” Her phone buzzed with another incoming call. Oliver. “Have another call to take. Call you back? Actually, no. Go to sleep. Enjoy Italy. We’ll talk later.” Hopefully after everything got straightened out.
McKenna tapped her screen and switched to the other call. “Oliver?”
“I think we’re in the clear with Bobbi,” he said with a slight cough. “You flying off to Tennessee to visit your secret lover turned out to be brilliant.”
“He’s not my secret lover.”
“Proud and public lover?”
“What do you want?”
“To saywell done. You’ve completely thrown Bobbi off the proposaltrail. She’d never think anything you’re doing there would have something to do with me wanting to propose to her here.”
McKenna made that strangled bird-monkey sound again that was supposed to be a laugh. “Right. Well done, me.”
“So after thinking it over, I’m wondering if I should go ahead and propose to her as soon as she gets back. Maybe at the airport?” He coughed into the phone. “Sorry. Still fighting a bit of a cough. Anyway, I could hold one of those signs like I’m a driver picking her up. Only the sign will have Mrs. Oliver Campbell on it. Good idea, don’t you think?”
Now McKenna was coughing. “I like it.”
“One thing, though. Where did you put the ring? I know she’s not coming back for a few weeks, but I still want to have everything ready.”
“The ring?” McKenna coughed again. “It’s in my...” She coughed a few more times, unable to lie, but unable to work the truth past her throat either. “Sorry. Allergies must be really getting me. Are you sure you’ll need the ring?”
“For my proposal?”
“Right. Thing is, well, I sort of have it here.” In theory, at least.
“You took the ring with you to Tennessee?”
“I didn’t want to risk a chance of Bobbi finding it.”
“Bobbi, who’s in Italy for three weeks?”
“You can never be too careful when it comes to hiding a priceless ring.” Which is why she’d chosen a pocket with a zipper.
