“How so?”
“He’s so distracted. Stressed about something, but never says what. I don’t know. Maybe he’s just not comfortable in our relationship anymore.”
Maeve walked into the kitchen. “Mick isn’t? Why? What’s going on?”
Lacey rolled her eyes, suddenly wanting to change the subject. “Nothing. Really.”
Bess glanced over her shoulder at Maeve. “Lacey thinks Mick is ready to break up.”
“I didn’t say that, Bess. But there’s something going on. I don’t know. Maybe it’s all in my head.” Setting her coffee mug in the dishwasher, she tried to make light of the situation. “Well, if he is going to dump me, I hope he does it before Wednesday. I saw a hell of a funeral coming up in the obituaries. The guy owned four acres of sandy beach waterfront.”
Maeve snorted. “Now you’re sounding like Vi.”
Lacey tried to grin, but the moisture welling in her eyes gave her away. Withdrawing from the looks of sympathy from her friends, she trudged out of the kitchen.
***
“We really could just go down to O’Toole’s,” Lacey said as Mick held the car door open. “We’re not celebrating anything.”
Mick shut the door behind her and hopped into the other side. “Sure we are. It’s the start of Spring Break.”
“Well, I guess that is something. But Eagle’s Point? I’d be content celebrating anywhere with you.”
Putting one hand on hers, he backed out of the driveway. “That’s what I love about you.” The words fell so easily from his lips now, so different from any other time in his life. He nodded inwardly, knowing that Lacey was right for him.
If he could just get the nerve to propose. Asking a woman to potentially end her career and follow him to who-knows-where wasn’t an easy thing to do. It was a wonder anyone ever got married in the military.
At least Eagle’s Point was the right setting for a proposal. His tightly knotted stomach churned. God, it would be so much easier to ask her in an email.
“Besides, Eagle’s Point is special to us,” he went on. “If you hadn’t volunteered to help with the fall fundraiser there, I never would have seen you again.”
“Oh,” Lacey said so awkwardly it made Mick glance her way. She looked wary at the mention of the fall fundraiser, full of regret. But when their eyes met, she smiled brightly, making Mick wonder if he had imagined it.
Driving over the Naval Academy Bridge, Mick warmed at the sight of anchor lights bobbing in the creek below them. Annapolis’s waterways were filling with sailboats again, the surest sign of warmer weather ahead. The rain had finally stopped that afternoon and a spell of southern breezes cleared the sky for the full moon that reflected in the water. Mick felt oddly calmed by its presence, until he felt the pressure of the ring box in his pocket as he shifted into first gear approaching a turn.
The winding road that led to Eagle’s Point offered a wealth of memories for Mick, remembering their two shared evenings at the historic mansion when they were both still fighting their feelings for each other. They had come so far since then. As he stepped out of the car and opened her door, he gazed momentarily at the starry skies above him. A line of clouds was rolling in low in the western sky. Don’t rain, Mick ordered them silently. He wanted everything tonight to be perfect.
Lacey stiffened noticeably at the touch of his hand on her waist as he led her into the restaurant and to the table that waited for them, with a bottle of her favorite Chardonnay already on ice.
“This is the same table we sat at when we first came here together.” Lacey’s voice sounded distant at the realization.
“I called in advance. I figure the table might be lucky for me,” Mick said with a grin, nodding thanks to the waiter as he poured their wine.
When the waiter left, Lacey tossed back her Chardonnay like it was Gatorade after running a triathlon. Mick eye’s widened. “Want another glass?”
Lacey didn’t answer, and her jaw clenched visibly. “Mick, can I ask you something?”
Mick shifted uneasily at her tone. “Of course.”
“You’ve been acting a little odd lately.”
Mick reached for his glass and wished desperately he had ordered Scotch. “How so?”
Lacey balked momentarily. “Just as though there is something on your mind.”
“Like what?”
Lacey almost laughed. “You tell me.”
Mick’s shoulder’s sagged. “Have I been that obvious?”
“I guess. What’s going on, Mick? Did I do something to upset you?”
“You? God, no. It’s not you at all.” Lowering his hands, he nervously pulled apart a dinner roll without eating it. It was now or never. “You know I love you, right?”