She took a healthy swig and then handed him the bottle.
“May they ever shine upon us.”He lifted the bottle high.
She nodded her approval.
He followed her lead with a shot of brandy, then swirled the empty bottle with a chuckle.
“You were right,” he said with a chuckle.“Just enough for two sips.”
“Just enough,” Gloria agreed.She took the bottle from him and set it aside, well out of harm’s way.
She placed her hands on either side of his chest and pushed him flat onto the blanket, then cuddled up beside him so that both their faces tilted up toward the stars shining high above them.
“You already know how I became interested in the heavens,” she said after a long moment of companionable silence.“Why did you?”
“Same reason,” he said.“Or the opposite.My parents.”
“Your father was a Royal Navy Captain?”she teased.
“My father was a flash-tempered Narcissus,” he said, his voice devoid of humor.“I learned to stare out the window at the stars as hard as I could, in order to pretend I couldn’t hear the shouting.”
Aghast, she slid her hand beneath his and interlaced their fingers.“He sounds dreadful.”
“He excelled at dreadful,” Christopher agreed.“When Mother left us, her absence destroyed me.But I couldn’t blame her for going.All I wanted was to escape, too.”
“And you’ve been escaping ever since,” Gloria said softly.
He swung his head toward hers with startled eyes.“I’m not escaping.”
She arched a brow.“Aren’t you?”
He shook his head.“I stopped running away a long time ago.I’m searching for something better.At first, I needed a place where I could go unnoticed.Later, I wanted to find a place I could belong.”
“And now?”
“Now I like exploring,” he said with a lift of his shoulder.“You may not have heard this, but it turns out, adventure is fun.”His voice turned wistful.“Seeing all the different ways to live one’s life helped me feel better about mine.I started making small changes.Picking up new ideas wherever I went.”
“Like French?”she asked
“More than French.”He seemed to think it over.“It’s not just language or food or customs.It’s an alternate way of viewing the world.Of treating each other.Of enjoying each day.I learned to be grateful for things I might never have considered before.”He paused.“Traveling doesn’t just make me a better person.It makes me…happy.”
She gave his hand a squeeze.“You deserve joy.”
He gave her hand an answering squeeze.“Everyone deserves joy.”
“I’m happy!”She turned her head toward him and let him see the truth in her eyes.“I’m happy every time I’m with you.”
She stuck out her face and pushed her lips into an exaggerated pucker as though trying to kiss him without bothering to actually move closer.
He gave a snort of laughter and bent his neck down far enough to kiss the tip of her nose.“You are the strangest woman I have ever met, but I like it.”
She sighed with pleasure.“You say the sweetest things.”
His voice was droll.“Finally, a woman who appreciates my finer talents.”
“Speaking of talents…” She pointed up through the window at the stars.“What do you see up there?”
“Is this a test?”he asked suspiciously.
