Page 71 of Capture the Moment
He tapped his water bottle against hers. “Cheers to that.” He wondered what changes she might be considering and hoped it might include rethinking this jerk-boyfriend. It’s not that Coop was the type of guy who would ever come between a couple, but it sounded to him like this guy wasn’t ready for the give-and-take of a real relationship. Not yet. Just like Coop hadn’t been ready for one with Emma. He thought he was, but he wasn’t. Not really.
However, watching Kate’s profile as she gazed at the meadow in front of them, he thought he might have found a reason to be ready now.
Maisie sat on a park bench at the Jenny Lake Visitor Center, her legs kicking excitedly against her BMX bicycle tire as she chatted on the phone with Kate’s boyfriend, Oliver. He had texted her early this morning to set up a time to talk about surprising Kate. Since then, she’d been nearly bursting with enthusiasm, her mind running wild with ideas for the perfect marriage proposal.
“Okay, okay, hear me out,” Maisie said, barely pausing for breath. “You could rent a skywriter to fly overhead and write the words ‘Marry me.’”
“Um, no,” he said.
“How about hiring a flash mob to dance and sing while you pop the question?”
“No.”
“Too much? Okay. I’ve got more ideas. What do you think about taking her on a treasure hunt around the park, and at the end, there’s a hidden ring waiting for her?”
“Well, that’s an improvement on the first two ideas.” Oliver sounded unimpressed. “All I need from you is to know whenand where Kate will be later tonight, before sunset. I need your help to make sure she’s in the right place when I arrive.”
Maisie’s enthusiasm dimmed. “Oh, right, of course. Sorry, I just got a little excited there. Where do you want Kate to be?”
“Is there some general location to meet up? A place where people go to hang out?”
Maisie looked around. “Well, the Jenny Lake Visitor Center is easy to find. There’s a big patio in front of it. It can get crowded, though.”
“Sounds ideal.”
“And then I thought you’d both drive over to Oxbow Bend for the big event.”
“Why there?”
“Because ... it’s so memorable. So impressive. But there might be a crowd there too.”
He chuckled. “I’m not worried about crowds. The whole world is welcome to watch me propose to Kate.”
Maisie practically swooned.
“I’ll be at the Jenny Lake Visitor Center thirty minutes before sunset.”
“Gotcha. I’ll be wearing a yellow down jacket. You can’t miss me.”
“Just be sure that Kate is there. Thanks, Mary. I appreciate your help.”
“Maisie,” she corrected. Before he could hang up, she said, “Wait a minute. Have you given plenty of thought about what you’ll say? You need a romantic speech that’ll make her cry happy tears.”
“I’ll worry about the speech. You worry about getting Kate to the right place at the right time.”
“Got it, got it,” Maisie said. “One more item on the agenda. We haven’t talked specifics about the ring. The right ring can make or break the proposal.”
“And you know this because...”
She scoffed. “Because I watchThe Bachelor.” Obviously. “You gotta go big with the ring. Break the bank.”
Oliver laughed. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Okay, bye!” Maisie said cheerfully, but he’d already ended the call.
She had barely put her phone back in her pocket when Frankie flopped down on the bench beside her, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. “What are you up to?”
“I shouldn’t really say ... but ... promise you won’t tell Kate?”
