Page 61 of Proof

“Right.”

“Lucinda is moving very soon, so that may push the needle, but you know how bureaucracy goes. The upside is that she can move, but without Carter. Not until the judge decides who has custody. And then there’s school. He’ll start here, which will also help my case. The courts don’t like disruption.”

“True. I remember when I was in social services, the child’s best interest was always the most important thing. Not what mommy or daddy wanted.”

“Carter needs to have an evaluation, too, but that won’t happen until the paperwork is filed.”

“Lots of balls in the air,” Luna noted.

“Exactly. That being said, I can’t plan my orientation lab until I get a handle on what’s happening with Carter. I don’t want to be out of town when he’s with the shrink.”

“But when you are out of town, where will he stay? With Lucinda, I presume?”

“That’s another thing. There is a baseball camp he wants to go to. That’s also a two-week stint, and I’m hoping I can arrange for both things to happen at the same time.”

“You certainly have a lot of things going on. I don’t want to add to your list of things to juggle.”

“I don’t mind juggling you at all,” Chris teased.

“Gail suggested I go out there for the solstice, June twentieth. We’ll climb Bell Rock to watch the sunrise.”

“That sounds rather spectacular.”

“It is. We did it several years ago when she first moved there. We got up before dawn and put on our hiking boots. The morning light was just bright enough so we could climb. We thought we would be the only people there, but as we ascended, we came across about a dozen people who had the same idea in mind. You’re right. It was spectacular.”

“I don’t want to hold up your travel plans, but I’m in a bit of limbo-land right now. You should probably put your trip together, and we’ll wing it until I get a better grasp on things.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Luna? Thanks for checking with me.”

“About what?”

“Scheduling.” He chuckled.

“Oh. That. You mean the thing couples normally do?” Luna egged him on.

“Yes, dollface. Couples. You. Me.” He paused. “And I thought you were the smart one.”

“Well, I am. I was simply being considerate.” She threw the conversational ball back.

“You always are.”

“Please don’t tell me I’m too nice. I hate it when people say that to me. It makes me want to be not nice.”

Chris laughed. “That will never happen.”

“You’re probably right, although I do have my limits. Just sayin’.”

“You? Limits? Hardly.”

“Okay, okay. You got me.” Luna chuckled. “I’ve gotta run. We’ll talk later.”

“You got it. Enjoy the rest of the day.”

Enjoying the rest of her day was exactly what Luna had in mind. She didn’t tell Chris about the news of her friend Brendan’s death. There was nothing he could do about that. She also didn’t mention the planned makeover. She wanted to surprise him. But she was going to tell Chi-Chi and ask if she would go with her. She picked up the walkie-talkie and buzzed her friend.

“Want to go on a mission with me?”

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