Page 30 of Sapphire Sunset

“Naser. While I appreciate your curiosity, when a designconcept starts to take shape, it’s not possible for me to answer specific questionslike this. It feels like an interrogation, and I know that’s not yourintention, but be patient with my process is what I’m saying.”

“I see. Why don’t I throw you into traffic instead for beingpretentious and annoying?”

“That’s fine, as long as you park near Nordstrom.”

Eventually they found the perfect pair of boots, brownleather with tiny silver diamond designs flecked throughout the skin. Masculinewith a hint of flash and sass. A perfect tribute to big, manly Logan and shiny,sassy Connor.

Then it was home to put his vision together, which he did onthe kitchen counter while Naser routinely reminded him of what little time hehad left to shower and get dressed before heading over the hill to LagunaBeach. But Connor was so lost in his work he only responded with dismissivegrunts as he hot glued packages of peanut butter cups to the three stacked halfchevrons he’d fastened out of wire. The first hot glue gun he’d hauled out ofhis crafting drawer had been jammed. The other five worked just fine.

The chevrons were fairly wide, so he took some time decidinghow far apart to space the cowboy boots atop the bottoms of the three wires. Heeventually opted to tuck them close together, adhering the side of one boot tothe other so they looked like a gift underneath a soaring marquee of chocolateand peanut butter cups.

Naser started to speak. Connor held up a warning finger,which silenced his best friend instantly, then he began arranging packages of peanutbutter cups vertically into both empty boots.

“If you rearrange those one more time, they’ll unionize andgo on strike,” Naser finally snapped.

“Naser, I’m not really available for sarcasm right now.”

“Well, are you available for some wine?” he asked.

“It’s a coffee date,” Connor snapped. “I can’t have wine.He’ll think I’m a drunk.”

“Yeah, but you’re not on the date yet, and you need torelax.”

“I don’t need to relax.” In one hand Connor bunched up thepeanut butter cups he’d stuffed into one boot so they were more visible abovethe top. “I need to focus.”

“Connor, if you’re going to manscape and douche in the nexttwenty minutes, you need to relax or you’ll injure yourself. Also, I’m assumingyou’ll need your usual forty-five minutes to decide which blue polo shirt towear.”

“Is this more sarcasm?’CauseI’veissued a warning. This is an important moment for me.”

“Maybe you should douchewithwine,” Naseranswered.

Connor headed for his bedroom. “I need to go call my dad’sdriver. I texted him earlier, but he wasn’t sure he could get the Rolls.”

“Wait, a Rolls? Connor, it’s a coffee date.”

Connor spun to face his soon-to-be-ex best friend. “No, it willstartas a coffee date, and then it will turn into something much,much better. Just like last night started as me thanking him for what he did atthe party and then turned into something much, much better. I’ve already sentthe driver a map of two different lookout points, both with views almost asgood as Sapphire Cove’s. We can go to the first one for preliminary chitchat,and then the second one has a trail where we can wander off to enjoy a repeatof our kiss from the night before. And maybe more.”

“Outdoor make-out sessions, now with more rattlesnakes.”

“I need to feel supported right now.” Connor had almost closedthe door to his room when Naser reached through the crack and gripped hisshoulder.

“Blondie, wait,” Naser said. “Look, I know you’re all abouthaving a plan. And it’s great that you’re such a detail-oriented person whoowns six hot glue guns. But maybe you should, I don’t know…show up for coffeeand go with the flow.”

“You’re the one who said he might be afraid about the workthing. I have to bring my A-game.”

“Connor, your A-game isyou. It’s not a rentedRolls-Royce.”

“I can’t leave any stone unturned,” Connor said. “He’s a gayHalley’s Comet, remember?”

“I was exaggerating. I mean, we barely know the guy, right?”

“Oh, I plan on changing that real fast.” Connor smiled, thengently pushed the door shut between them.

He had work to do. And Naser was right.

A fair amount of it would be in the bathroom.

The last time Logan had been this afraid, hewas in the midst of a training exercise off the coast of Camp Pendleton a fewmonths after a CH-46 had gone down during similar maneuvers, drowning a Marinehe’d been buddies with in the process. When he’d looked out the open door ofhis hovering Black Hawk and realized the sparkling Pacific was a lot farther downthan he’d first thought, his stomach lurched and his head spun, like they wereboth doing now. Combat deployments had brought with them their own sense ofpersistent anxiety, but the IED that had knocked him out of his Humvee he’dnever seen coming, and the few times he’d been fired on had come fast andfurious too. Neither incident compared to the sudden terror of that moment highabove the Pacific, the dread that came with staring possible disaster in theface.

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