“It does matter,” she said, stepping closer again. “Even if you’re a couple of hours away by flight, they’re here. All my friends are here, and the doctor in town, who is my best friend, is here.” She emphasized each word slowly. “Do you need me to call her for you? To make sure your brain is still working?”
He reached around and smacked her lightly on the butt. Ah. There he was.
“Don’t be a smart ass,” he said, but he was smiling now.
“This is a good thing,” she said.
He looked up at her, and his expression was still unguarded. All she could see was love. Big, unfiltered, almost overwhelming love. “This is a great thing,” he said. “I’m very happy about this.”
“So am I.” She kissed him.
“But I want to get married before I go to training.”
Wait. What? “You leave in just over a week,” she stuttered.
“Yeah. I know.” His fingers flexed at her waist. “I want to get married before I go.”
She swallowed and glanced down at the solitaire on her left hand. The stone caught the light from the lamp and flashed clean and bright. He had picked it himself. “Okay,” she said slowly. “I mean, we can definitely do that. I think.” She had never wanted some elaborate wedding with a hundred guests and matching napkins.
“All right,” he said. “How about Saturday?”
She blinked. “Okay. Saturday.” Her brain immediately started making lists. She would need to call May. Of course May would help. She would probably take over. That’s what best friends were for.
“You know,” Christian said, looking away toward the small window like he could see all the way across town, “we really need to get Ace up in a plane.”
She tried to follow his logic. “Why? We’re not going on a honeymoon right away. Especially now.”
“Yeah, but if I need to fly back and forth, I want it to be with my brother,” he said. His jaw hardened with that familiar stubborn line. “And if I need to fly you up to Sitka for a few days, I don’t trust anybody but him.”
She kissed the tip of his nose. “Christian, it’s going to be okay.”
“I know.” He looked up at her, and the determination in his face was back. Hard. Solid. Unshakable. “I’ll make sure of it.”
Chapter Twenty
May ran into Ophelia just as she reached for the door of the Green Plate. “Hey,” May said. “How are you?”
“Great.” Ophelia bent to hug her, smelling faintly of strawberries and expensive shampoo. “How about you?”
May thought about it for two seconds. “Pretty good. I’m meeting Amka for lunch. Are you free?”
Ophelia straightened, pushing her sunglasses up into her dark hair. Even in jeans and black boots, she looked camera-ready. At almost six feet tall, she was something to look at, like a young Angie Harmon. “I’m free. What’s going on?”
“I need girl talk.”
That was all it took.
“Excellent,” Ophelia said. “Count me in.”
May pulled the door open, and the familiar warmth of the diner wrapped around them. The Green Plate always smelled like fried chicken, brewed coffee, and whatever Gus had decided was mandatory for the day. He and his wife, Janet, owned the place. The floor held the faint scent of lemon cleaner, and a chalkboard near the register listed daily specials in looping handwriting that never quite stayed straight.
Ophelia looked around. “Amka’s in the back.”
“That’s what I was hoping,” May replied.
They started down the narrow aisle between booths.
“Hey, Doc.”
