Page 61 of Moonlit Colorado

I opened my mouth and nothing came out for several seconds. “No reason to be jealous.”

“You don’t have one either.” Dane picked up his glass and clinked it against mine. “To our long weekend. It will be infinitely better having you with me.”

“Cheers. Thank you for bringing me.” I took a sip. “You could kiss me if you want. Since we’re on the trip now. Technically.”

Dane smiled, but he didn’t take my not-so-subtle hint. Instead his leg pressed against mine as we sipped more of the champagne. The bubbles and citrusy flavor tickled my tongue. Not as good as a kiss from him, but close.

Sharon collected the glasses for takeoff. As the plane accelerated down the runway, I grabbed Dane’s arm.

“First time flying, right?” he asked.

I nodded, my response stuck in my throat. He put his arm around me and held me tight against him. I was relieved that he didn’t laugh. Seemed ridiculous, since I’d had three brothers in the Army who were deployed overseas. But they’d always been eager to come home.

“Takeoff and landing are the noisy, bumpy parts,” Dane said. “But you’ve got this.”

Once we’d reached altitude and the flight smoothed out, my breathing relaxed. Sharon brought coffee and an assortment of danishes, croissants, and hearty bread with butter.Sogood. Then Dane ordered smoked salmon and an omelet with goat cheese and roasted tomatoes, holding out his fork to give me a bite of each one and giving me fiery-hot looks whenever the fork disappeared into my mouth.

Yikes.

After eating, I used the wi-fi to check my messages. Piper had written.

Piper

Did you leave yet? I must know all.

Me

We just took off. Had champagne and breakfast.

I snapped a picture of the dishes, which Sharon hadn’t picked up yet, and sent it to my friend. This was already my best vacation ever. Made me wonder, with a delicious, turned-on shiver, how much better it would get. Five whole days to look forward to.

It was also nice to get some time away from home. My brothers had been even more overbearing than usual lately, especially since Teller hadn’t discovered any new leads about the break-in or about Nina Jamison.

If possible, I didn’t want to think about that stuff this weekend. I wanted an escape, however brief, from my life in Silver Ridge.

Piper

I am DYING. Have so much fun. Text me everything!

WAIT don’t text me. I expect you to be having too much hot sex for that. Just enjoy it and tell me later.

I snickered, and Dane looked over. “What’s so funny?”

I put my phone away. “Nothing. What’s on the agenda when we land?”

Dane’s arm draped around me again, making me snuggle into his side. “We arrive at Teterboro Airport. It’s in New Jersey. We’ll drive into the city from there. I was thinking we’d shop first. Margot made us some appointments at places she thought you’d like.” He pulled out his phone. “Take a look and let me know which strikes your fancy.”

“An appointment? I’ve never had an appointment to buy clothes.” I glanced at the list of different boutiques on his screen.

He’d told me a lot about his assistant Margot, and I’d looked her up online. She was in her fifties, a Black woman with a pixie hairstyle and a confident smile in her work profile photo. Margot gave every indication of being a whip-smart lady. I was looking forward to meeting her, and I was grateful that she’d been thinking of what I might like. But these boutiques seemed expensive. The pictures alone were intimidating.

“I thought we’d just go to H&M or something. I’ve been to the one in Denver, and they had a lot of great stuff.”

He tilted his head. “Youarecute.”

I nudged him. “Quit. Clothes don’t have to cost a fortune for me to feel good in them.”

“If you don’t find anything you like in these shops, we can go to a chain. But you have to give them a chance.”

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