Page 75 of Proof
On their way to Enchantment, Luna began telling Gail about Chris’s promotion and filing for full custody.
“Are you ready to be a mommy?” Gail raised her eyebrows.
“As if.” Luna laughed. “Carter is a good kid. We get along well. Besides, they live over two hours away, so it’s not like I’m going to be packing his lunch.”
“You never know,” Gail taunted her. “I don’t think you’ve been interested in anyone this much since Brendan.”
Luna sucked in her breath. “Oh my gosh. With everything going on, I didn’t tell you the horrible news.”
“What horrible news?” Gail turned to look at her.
“He’s dead.” Luna’s eyes filled up with tears.
“What happened?” Gail’s eyes were wide as saucers.
“Nobody seems to know. There was a postage stamp-sized obit in the paper, and then a few days later, there was an obit for his wife.”
“Holy cow!”
“Holy cow is right! Get this—when I looked up his name in the Hennepin coroner’s office, there was no record of his death.”
“That is bizarre. Could it have happened somewhere else?”
“Maybe. I know they were hoping to buy a place in St. Kitts.”
“Did you check the newspapers there?”
“No. It hadn’t occurred to me.”
“Well, we’ll do some digging on our own later. For now, let’s enjoy the moon, stars, and the good energy.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
After they arrived at the Che Ah Chi restaurant, a hostess showed them to an outdoor table on the brick deck. The panoramic view was stunning, displaying the colorful striations on the canyon walls. “I understand why you moved here,” Luna said, as she took in the magnificent view and the crisp air.
“We’ve talked about moving again a few times, but where would we go?”
“Good question. I often wonder where I will end up twenty years from now.” Luna looked around at the other guests. Most were in their mid-fifties.
“Maybe an island paradise?” Gail grinned.
“I love where I am. Stillwell Center has given me a home. A place. You know, where I can be me.”
“And I know how hard that is!” Gail was only half teasing.
The waitress came to the table and asked what they wanted to drink.
“Margaritas?” Gail raised her eyebrows.
“Only one. You know what that stuff does to me,” Luna replied.
Drinks were served, and they ordered dinner, then watched the sun set behind the canyon walls. Several minutes later, a large full moon began to climb over the eastern buttes. The two friends chatted as they enjoyed the local cuisine and discussed a plan for the next day.
Gail had a list of places and artists to see. “I don’t know what you want to do for breakfast, but I picked up some muffins and croissants to get us started. Coffee, of course, for the owner of Madame Namaste Café.”
“Perfect.”
“We’ll head out to Tlaquepaque and visit Celebrations Navidad, Adorna, Cucina Sedona, and El Pi-caflor. Celebrations Navidad has a lot of ornaments, hence the name.” Gail chuckled. “I checked their website, and there are lots of Sedona-centric items. Snowy cactus, Kokopelli, hand-carved gourds.”