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“Nobody ever greets me like that,” Natalie muttered as we both smiled.
I winked at her. “I could always give it a try next time I see you.”
Natalie laughed, and we toasted each other with our water glasses.
“What brings you down here?” Candice asked as she pulled away from Knox.
“A little of this and a little of that,” he answered noncommittally.
“Take a seat, Knox,” I offered. “I’m sure Martha will bring you something.”
Knox pulled up a chair, and soon the conversation turned to the case.
“We need more reinforcements brought in to handle Sutton and Mark’s security. There are some guys that Brian thinks would be willing to take on the job,” Knox said between bites of his quarter-pound cheeseburger.
“Who are you considering?” Candice asked.
“I’d rather not say until things are official. However, I did want to talk about something that’s been on my mind.” Knox finished the sentence in a deep voice staring intently into Candice’s eyes.
“What is it?” She asked breathlessly.
“We keep waiting for the right moment to talk about our wedding.”
I watched Candice’s eyes widen in surprise. She hadn’t expected Knox to bring that up. We all leaned in, not wanting to miss a second of this conversation.
“Candice, I love you. But you and I both know that it’s never going to be an ideal time to get married.”
Her shoulders seemed to droop a little. “I know.”
“So, I think we should elope,” he said grinning. “Go pack a bag, and let’s do this.”
Candice’s eyes lit with excitement. “Today? You want to elope today?”
Knox nodded. “Elliot is loaning us the jet. We can go to Vegas in a few hours. What do you say?”
Candice turned to us, indecision in her eyes. But I could also see that deep down this is what she’s wanted.
“Go for it,” I said. “In fact, take my car. I will catch a ride back to the house with Natalie. If you and Knox both go and pack now, you can get there before dark.”
Candice let out a little squeal of excitement just as Natalie clapped her hands. “Go on now! The both of you! It’s time to run away from all this.”
Candice got up and kissed us all on the cheek before laying one on Knox that was definitely not PG-13. We hooted and hollered for the both of them. I could hardly remember when I had laughed so much.
Pulling my phone out, I texted Sadie that we would be a little later than expected. Then I messaged Mark.
Sutton:So you knew about the elopement and didn’t tell me?
Mark: Once something is in the vault, you can’t access it without a code.
Sutton: I’m the one who taught you that.
Mark: You’re an excellent teacher.
Sutton: You’re a smart-ass student.
Mark: A smart-ass who has the hots for my teacher.
I couldn't helpthe smile that spread across my face. Mark needed to get home as soon as possible. I had a real hankering for some role-playing.