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“No one on this island expects you to put yourself in financial jeopardy just so the Historical Society has a home.”

“I gave my word. I’m not going back on it.”

Jack was silent.

“It’s okay. I’m going to figure this out.”

“Hey, hey,” Jack protested. “Itwillbe okay. You’re not in this alone, you know.”

“No, I know.” Ellery smiled. “You’re the best thing I’ve got going for me. Which is why no way do I want to do anything to risk that.”

“You’re not risking anything. If you want that role, I want you to take it. And as for the rest of it… We’ll figure something out. Together.”

“Yeah.”

Jack frowned. He seemed genuinely concerned. “I didn’t realize you were this worried. You’re always so upbeat. Joking and…”

“I’m mostlynotworried. I’m probably not worried enough. Most of the time Idothink everything will work out. But it would be nice to have a little bit of security. That’s all. That’s the only reason I’m even considering taking this role.”

Jack said abruptly, “Ellery—”

Ellery smiled in inquiry.

“I’ve…been thinking.”

“That sounds serious.”

“Iamserious.”

Ellery kept smiling but he was getting a little nervous. Jack’s expression was so grave, so intent. If Jack was going to break up with him or deliver bad news, he wouldn’t do it with wine and flowers and little twinkly lights painstakingly wound around shrubs and bushes. Wine, flowers, candles seemed to indicate something different. Something Ellery had been determined not to set his heart on.

But as Ellery stared into Jack’s dark eyes, the heart in question skipped a hopeful beat. Ellery swallowed.

“I realize eight months isn’t that long, but…”

Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.

Watson, who had been contentedly mauling his pale-pink, bug-eyed squeak toy, suddenly hopped up and trotted to the table, compressing the toy maniacally. The toy issued plaintive, high-pitched squeals for help.

Jack and Ellery determinedly ignored the puppy.

“It’s long enough to know…”

SqueakEE. SqueakEE. SqueakEE.

Jack cleared his throat. “That is, I didn’t think I was ever going to feel like this—feel this much—feel that someone could matter so much—” He broke off to glare at Watson. Watson grinned around his toy.

SQUEAKeeee. SQUEAKeeee. SQUEAKeeee.

Watson dropped the slimy toy on Jack’s foot.

“Oh. My.God,” Jack groaned. “Every time! Every single freaking time I start this, we get interrupted! This must be my fourth attempt to propose to you!”

“A-are you proposing?”

“Yes! Hell,yes, I’m proposing!”

Ellery burst out laughing, bent to snatch up the squeaky toy, and threw it to the very end of Jack’s backyard.

Watson directed a look of wounded dignity at him and trotted off—unhurriedly— to retrieve the toy.

Jack sighed, once more reached across the table, taking Ellery’s hand. “Ellery, I love you. I love you so much I can’t imagine the rest of my life without you. I don’t care if you’re selling books or making movies or solving mysteries, so long as you’re happy. I just want to be with you. I want to share it all. The good times, the bad times, the in-between times—”

“Yes.” Ellery interrupted, and he didn’t care if Jack saw the tears in his eyes. “Yes.”