Bianca laughed while waving them off dismissively. “Go to lunch before I start charging y’all for public romance.”
She snatched the folders from Johanna’s hand before turning away and immediately barking new instructions into her headset.
Blaze’s hand settled low against Johanna’s back, the touch spread awareness through her instantly.
“Come on.”
God help her, she was getting used to him again.
That realization followed Johanna all the way to the waterfront restaurant a few blocks from the hotel.
That was becoming a problem.
Lunch started easily. Comfortably. The way things always seemed to when she was with him.
One minute they were ordering drinks. The next, they were arguing over wedding logistics like they'd been doing it for years.
Blaze teased her relentlessly about color-coded wedding spreadsheets while Johanna laughed at his complete inability to understand why centerpiece placement mattered.
“It matters because aesthetics matter,” she argued.
Blaze looked deeply unconvinced. “Baby, people are gonna eat chicken and dance regardless.”
"No. People are going to remember whether the ballroom looked elegant."
"They absolutely are not."
"They are," she countered.
"They are not."
"They are."
Blaze leaned back in his chair and shook his head. "This is exactly why men stay out of wedding planning."
Johanna laughed. "No, this is exactly why women don't let men plan weddings."
"And men everywhere thank y'all for your service."
They laughed together while sunlight danced across the water beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows where sailboats drifted lazily against the docks. The restaurant buzzed with quiet conversations and the clink of silverware against plates, but somehow Blaze still felt like the center of everything.
Their food arrived moments later.
Johanna barely glanced at the grilled chicken salad sitting in front of her before reaching for the slice of key lime pie.
Blaze noticed instantly. "You really are out here eating dessert before actual food."
Johanna took a bite anyway.
The tart citrus melted across her tongue. "Pie makes me happy."
"That sounds unhealthy."
She lifted one shoulder. "It sounds emotionally intelligent." The laugh escaped before she could stop it.
The corner of Blaze's mouth twitched.
"What?"
