“Frank?” she asked, lifting a brow.

“Another gift—I never really knew him before even though I’ve known him my whole life. We’re good friends now. And that’s where it’s going to stay. Good friends. And it’s very nice.”

“Well, I’ll be darned. Frank. Huh. And you wouldn’t be hurt and deprived if I didn’t have a wedding and party you could be a part of?”

“Mom, the whole town has expected you and Mac to get married for years. The two of you are so lame, thinking no one could see the way you look at each other. Put your lives together and move on so we don’t have to all watch you sneaking kisses. No one cares. Well, except Dee Dee. But we can have a pretend wedding for her and she’d be just as happy—she’s ten. We could let her be the bride!” And then she grinned. “Did you know Frank plans to go to college on the east coast? One of the big ones—MIT or Harvard or Boston University. He knows everything out there to see and do! He says if I ever go visit him he’ll take me everywhere. To New York City, the D.C. Mall to see all the museums and monuments, to all the planetariums and observatories. I am so going to do that! And Eve and I have been talking about Europe. You know, after we finish college. There’s a big world out there. It’s not all Oregon State University and Thunder Point and some baseball player, you know.”

Gina sighed and gave her daughter a loving stroke along her arm. “I know, baby. It’s so good to see you have dreams. Big dreams. And you will do it, too. All of it.”

* * *

Gina called Mac’s cell phone. “Did I wake you?” she asked softly.

“No. Saying good-night again?”

“I have Ashley’s permission to elope,” she said. “Are you still tempted to do that?”

“I’m more than tempted. Want to leave in an hour?”

She laughed at him. “I think one needs a marriage license to elope....”

“We’ll go to Coquille and get one tomorrow. This weekend?”

“Shouldn’t you ask your family if they’re on board with that idea?” she asked.

“Oh, hell no, I’m not asking. I’ll tell them, though. I’ll find us a little chapel, we’ll do it Friday night and have the weekend away.”

“I’ll move into your place, if Lou has no objections. Tell her I’m prepared to take orders. For as long as she’s there, forever if she chooses that option, I understand it’s her domain.”

“Ach, she talks tough. I’m sure she’ll be glad to have a little help around the house. What made you decide?”

“It was Ash. I told her that it’s hard to say goodbye to you at the end of every day and she said, ‘What are you waiting for? Just do it!’”

“I love that girl,” he said. “I just want you to have what you want, Gina. Big or small, I don’t care. I’d even go common law. I just want you to be the last thing I feel against me at night and the first thing I feel in the morning. I love you.”

“You’re the strangest man,” she pointed out to him. “It takes you years to kiss me and then you’re a runaway train. There will be adjustments, you know.”

“I know. Extreme contentment. I’m a tough guy, Gina. I’m up to the job.”

* * *

Cooper was a genius. It wasn’t lost on him that something serious had been bothering Sarah for at least a couple of months. She tried to pass it off as just work stuff, but it was obviously much more serious than that. And the past few days the quiet had grown deep and a little scary. He was a very straightforward guy, so of course, he confronted it, told her he’d noticed a change in her behavior lately and wondered what it was about.

“I realize I’ve been moody,” she said. “It’ll pass. I’m sorry.”

“Spencer was told they hadn’t even hoped for a candidate of his caliber for that job at the high school. It’s all done but the shouting now. Is it about Austin living here?”

“No, no, of course not. That’s wonderful for you. And I enjoy Austin—I think he’s adorable and exhausting, just as a ten-year-old boy should be. It’s just work stuff. I’ll tell you all about it when I get a handle on it.”

“Your ex isn’t giving you a hard time, is he?”

“No, he’s ben completely silent. In fact, rumor has it he’s found women up there in Alaska, which means he’ll be very busy and will be leaving me alone. Listen, don’t take it personally, okay? Now and then work gets a little stressful at the command level. You know. I’m cranky. I just need a couple of days off.”

“And you’ll get ’em,” he said. “You have the weekend off, right?”

“Right. I’m looking forward to spending it on the beach!”

“Well, maybe except for one night. I have had an interesting request from Mac. Apparently Gina and Mac aren’t waiting any longer—they’re going to get married Friday night in Coos Bay at a little chapel on the water. They’d like us to meet them there, be the witnesses, join them for a nice wedding dinner and then disappear as quickly as possible. It’ll be small, just the four of us. There will be someone at the chapel to take a few pictures and they’re going to hide away for the weekend. We can come back here. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, I’ll take you on a sleepover. I can get us a reservation somewhere that has a vibrating bed and mirrors on the ceiling.”

She laughed. He could always make her laugh.

“Let me think about that—Mac’ll be out of town, I’ll be out of town, Landon and Eve will be in town....”

“I bet Mac’s got a shotgun Lou knows how to use....”

Again she laughed. “For right now, let’s plan on coming back to Thunder Point on Friday night, but I’ll think about the mirrored-ceiling option.”

“That’s my girl. I’ll call you again tonight.”

Cooper knew it wasn’t the Mac and Gina marriage that bothered Sarah, since she’d just barely found out. He hoped she wasn’t worried about the fact that Spencer and Austin would be making Thunder Point their home. But he’d told not only Sarah, but also Spencer, that if his circumstances changed he could be flexible, he would travel to see his son. So it couldn’t be those things. He’d asked her about Landon—he was under control. No more scary romance issues with him, at least for the time being. Cooper felt as if he was beginning to make things up—none of it made real sense. Of course, there was the dreaded possibility that Sarah had taken this thing with him as far as she could and was ready to end it all, but even that idea seemed pretty far-fetched.

It would be hard to stay strong through something like that because he loved Sarah. He loved her like he’d never loved before. He wanted her forever and he knew he wasn’t just fantasizing—it was real for him. If she dumped him it would put a serious kink in some plans he had to surprise her. Not to mention the idea that she might leave him would kill him.

But things remained the same all week. Sarah was aloof. Preoccupied with some itchy problem, yet not seeming to be terribly unhappy with him.

On Friday he picked her up to go to Coos Bay to meet Mac and Gina. “We’re stopping at a florist,” she said. “I ordered flowers.”

“How did you know to do that?” he asked.

“I asked,” she answered with a laugh. “I asked Gina what she’d like me to wear, and if she’d planned for flowers or a wedding cake or anything like that. She said she was keeping it very simple, that her mother wanted to have a party sometime this summer and if she didn’t get to make the cake, she’d be crushed, so flowers it is.” She gave a sigh. “She said as boring and unromantic as it sounded, they had so much to do with their hard-earned money—educations for one thing—and they didn’t want to splurge on a big wedding. She said getting out of town for a weekend was definitely going to be romantic and not boring!”

“We should do that sometime,” he said while driving.

“We should,” she said quietly.

They stopped off for flowers, took two lovely bouquets to a small chapel near the waterfront and found an excited and thrilled bride and groom. Gina was astonished by the gorgeous flowers. Sarah pinned a simple rose on Mac’s lapel, and then one for Cooper. And Cooper was so proud of her for her thoughtfulness and generosity. He’d gotten them a gift to give them later, which he hoped they would like.

When the bride and groom stood before the minister, Cooper whispered, “We could do this, you know.”

With a heavy sigh that was filled with disappointment, she said, “I wish.”

“It would be a game changer.”

“I know,” she said softly.

Before anything more could be said, the vows began. It was the simple, straightforward pledge—for better or worse, richer or poorer, sickness or health, forever and ever. A very short, balding minister who wore glasses and a robe stood before them at the front of the pretty little chapel; his voice was soft and caressing, but Mac’s voice was strong and firm, Gina’s voice was tinged with emotional tears. Sarah cried and smiled at the same time, and in seven minutes the vows were pledged, the kissing done, the certificate of marriage signed by everyone and a half-dozen pictures were taken by the minister’s oldest son. Cooper and Sarah took photos on their cell phones, then immediately texted them to Lou and Carrie. Ten minutes later they were entering a nice waterfront restaurant where Mac had reserved a table with a view.

Before even sitting down Cooper excused himself for a moment. He saw the maître d’ and ordered a bottle of champagne. He hadn’t been seated long when it arrived to the surprise of the new husband and wife. When the cork had been popped and the flutes filled, he lifted his glass and said, “Here’s to a wedding in which the kiss lasted longer than the vows!”

Mac leaned against Gina and said, “Hear, hear!”

Gina said, “And look at us—at a restaurant that’s not Cliffhanger’s.”

“And if Mac doesn’t mind, I’ll order for myself tonight,” Cooper said. “He’s pretty fond of telling people what to eat.”

“This is the pot speaking of the kettle,” Sarah pointed out.

“So where are Mr. and Mrs. McCain knocking boots tonight?” Cooper asked, getting an elbow in the ribs from Sarah.

“Joe has a lake cabin,” Mac told them. “There are plenty of really nice hotels around here, even some bridal suites, but the cabin is just perfect—we’ve been there before. It’s isolated, comfortable, there’s a boat to take out on the lake. Gina packed a cooler with some of Carrie’s best dishes and sandwiches premade, plus some breakfast groceries. I made the beverage run and confirmed that the cell phones don’t work up there. There’s a landline for emergencies, but we’ll be alone, which is the main thing. It’s an hour away, but well worth the drive. We promised to be back by six Sunday night. We’ll stop by Carrie’s for dinner with Ash and Carrie, then on to my house—Gina’s new home.”

“We hope,” Gina said. “A lot of people are facing change with this marriage—the kids, my mom, Mac’s aunt. They all say they want this, but we’re hoping the adjustments won’t be too confusing or disruptive.”

“Gina will have the biggest adjustment to make,” Mac said. “Her house has been like a convent—not a lot of noise or traffic. My house is the bigger house, but it’s filled with kids and dogs and... Well, there’s Aunt Lou, who is very protective of what little space she gets. She’s threatening to get her own place, or move in with Joe, who is staying there with her this weekend. Whatever she does, she won’t be far away. My kids are her kids. She’s raised Ryan and Dee Dee since before they were potty-trained.”