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“Where are you then?”
“Right now, if you can believe it, in a cabin by a lake in Oklahoma.”
Slade laughed. “When you said in a cabin by a lake, I thought you were going to say Summer Lake.”
“You’re not completely wrong. That’s where we’re headed.”
“And you’re in Oklahoma? You couldn’t find a more direct route?”
“We could, but we didn’t want to. It’s a long story, but we’re bringing a truck for Clay MacAdam, and we’re making a road trip out of it.”
“Nice! And I’m guessing that you’re also going to Summer Lake to see Ria?”
Xander still hadn’t gotten used to the way that people now called Alexandria DuPont ‘Ria’. He liked the idea of it, but he’d grown up knowing the woman as the mighty Alexandria, he wasn’t sure that he’d ever be able to think of her as simply Ria.
“Yep. When we thought that we were just visiting Nashville, she asked Tori if we’d stop and see her on the way back to Napa. It turns out that we’re killing two birds with one stone this way.”
“So, you’re coming home to Napa?”
Xander stared out at the lake as he considered that question.
“Or not?”
“The honest answer is that I don’t know the answer yet.”
“Fair enough. And as much as I’d like to have you here, I hope you figure out a place where you’ll be happy.”
“Thanks.”
“But you have to put me out of my misery; have you figured out if Tori’s the woman you’re going to be happy with?”
“I have. The where might still be in question, but the who…” He smiled. “The who for me is Tori.”
“Good. I’m glad.”
“Thanks.” He looked up when the door to the cabin opened and smiled when Tori appeared, her hair still wet, and a towel wrapped around her. “Listen, I have to go. I’ll call you soon, okay?”
“Okay. Make sure you do. I want to know how things are going. Say hi to Tori for me.”
“Will do. Later.”
“Later.”
He got to his feet and hurried up the dock. When he reached the door he tugged at the towel, but Tori clung to it as she kissed him. “I only came out to say sorry I’m taking so long. I don’t want to make us take any longer.”
He chuckled. “I do. But if you throw some clothes on quick, we can watch the sunset. After that, we can decide how much of a hurry we’re in to go out for dinner.”
A few minutes later, he was sitting back down in the chair on the dock, and Tori sat on his lap. He closed his arms around her and jerked his chin toward the horizon, where the sun was just starting to disappear.
“I wanted you to see this.”
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
“It is, and it feels important, too.”
She gave him a puzzled look. “Important?”
“Yeah, call me sentimental, but when I was sitting out here before, I was thinking that the sun is setting on the last part of our lives. I mean, I’ve been out of the Navy for a while now, but I’ve been in a kind of limbo since then. As for you, you’ve made your decision about singing and about Nashville. I think it’s fitting that there’s a beautiful sunset to mark the end of all of that for both of us.”
