Chapter 28
“Well, little brother,” Sterling Wolf mused, “looks like we’ve both been keeping secrets from each other.”
Leaning against the balustrade that wrapped around the wide front porch, Stan ruefully regarded his brother. “Looks that way, doesn’t it?”
Sterling nodded, rocking gently on the porch swing. “I never told you that Celeste and I were having problems, and you didn’t tell me about the horrible nightmares you’d been having.”
“I know.” Stan sighed, suffering a fresh pang of guilt. “I didn’t want you to worry about me.”
“I know. And I would have worried,” Sterling admitted matter of factly. “But I still wish you’d confided in me. That’s what brothers are for.”
Stan hung his head. “Damn, Sterl, I’m already in the doghouse with Prissy and Mama Wolf,” he half joked. “You gonna put me there, too?”
Sterling chuckled, stretching out his long legs. “Since it’s almost Thanksgiving, I’ll cut you some slack.”
“Thanks.” Stan grinned, lazily swigging from a bottle of beer.
It was just after noon on Wednesday. After everyone enjoyed a hearty breakfast, Prissy’s brother had taken his mother, wife, daughters and Mama Wolf to a local shopping center to pick up some items they needed for the ski trip. While the boys stampeded downstairs to the basement to entertain themselves, Prissy and Georgina Reddick had curled up on the living room sofa to play catch up. That left Stan and Sterling, who’d grabbed two frosted beers and headed outside to the porch to do some catching up of their own.
“This is a really beautiful neighborhood, Stan,” Sterling remarked, surveying the quiet, picturesque street. He gestured to the house behind him. “Beautiful home, too.”
“Thanks, Sterl.” Stan paused a beat. “Coronado’s a really nice community. Great parks and lakes. Great fire and police departments. Great schools. It’s a wonderful place to raise kids, you know.”
Sterling chuckled wryly. “Are you finished?”
Stan blinked innocently. “Finished what?”
“Your not-so-subtle sales pitch.”
“I wasn’t giving a sales—” Stan broke off, grinning at the knowing look his brother gave him. “Okay, maybe I was trying to sell you on moving here. But you have to admit it’s not such a bad idea. The Wolf Pack would be together again.”
Sterling chuckled softly, shaking his head. “You know I’m not leaving Atlanta. The boys and I have our whole lives there, and Michael will be graduating from high school in another year. And I’m a homicide detective. Don’t seem like there’s enough crime in Coronado to keep me busy.”
Stan chuckled. “That’s probably true.”
“As for the other thing you said, the Wolf Pack will always be together right here”— Sterling patted his heart —“where it counts.”
Stan nodded slowly. “I’ll drink to that,” he said, leaning over and clinking his bottle against Sterling’s. Smiling at each other, they drank their beer.
After a few moments, Stan sighed. “But truth be told, as much as we’re really starting to enjoy Coronado, Prissy and I have already decided that we’ll be moving back to Atlanta in another five years or so.”
“Really?” Sterling raised a surprised brow. “What prompted that decision?”
Stan shrugged a shoulder. “We miss being near family. Miss being there to watch Michael, Marcus and Prissy’s nieces grow up. Prissy misses bonding with her mom and Theo. And hell, Sterl, I guess I miss seeing your ugly mug every day.”
Sterling grinned teasingly. “Considering that folks often mistake us for twins, if I’m ugly, what does that make you?”
“Damn,” Stan muttered. “Walked right into that one.”
The two brothers laughed.
Sobering after a few moments, Stan said quietly, “At the end of the day, there’s no place like home.”
Sterling’s expression softened, and he nodded. “Can’t argue with that.”
Stan smiled. Turning his face toward the gray winter sky, he inhaled a deep lungful of cold air and let it out slowly, watching as his warm breath gusted a silvery plume.
“Supposed to start snowing tonight,” he idly announced.
“I heard. Think we should head out earlier for the cabin?”
“Nah. The resort’s only an hour away. We’ll be fine.”
“I don’t know,” Sterling muttered dubiously. “Don’t wanna get stranded in no damn mountains.”
Stan grinned. “We’re not gonna get stranded, Sterl. Stop being such a city slicker.”
Sterling took umbrage. “Who you calling a city slicker? Need I remind you that I’m the one who organizes our camping and fishing trips every year?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Stan teased, walking over and joining his brother on the swing. “Everyone knows you’re the great outdoorsman.”
Sterling grinned broadly. “Damn straight.”
A companionable silence lapsed between them as they sipped their beers, their long legs gently pushing the swing back and forth.
“Thank you,” Sterling said quietly.
Stan shot him a puzzled look. “For what?”
“For buying the plane tickets for Michael and Marcus.”
“Aw, come on, Sterl,” Stan muttered, waving off his brother’s gratitude. “Cut that out.”
Sterling ignored him. “You know my money’s been extra tight lately, so I really appreciate the way you and Prissy came through for my boys.”
“It was Prissy’s idea, and you know you can’t say no to that woman.”
A quiet, knowing smile touched Sterling’s mouth. “Well, whoever’s idea it was, it was a godsend. I haven’t seen Michael and Marcus this happy since…” He trailed off, unable to finish.
But he didn’t have to. Stan knew what had been left unsaid.
A heavy silence descended between the two men.
After several moments, Stan took a swig of his beer and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Anyway,” he said gruffly, “having Michael and Marcus here this week was like an early Christmas present to my boys. You should have seen the way Manny lit up when Mike surprised him. The boy got so damn choked up he had his poor mama in tears.”
Sterling gave Stan an amused sidelong glance. “And what about you?”
Stan grinned sheepishly. “I’m embarrassed to admit that I got a bit misty-eyed, too.”
Sterling laughed, shaking his head at Stan. “You always were a big ol’ softie beneath the tough guy exterior.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Stan grumbled, shifting uncomfortably on the swing. “And if I am getting soft in my old age, it’s Prissy’s damn fault.”
“Uh-huh. I’ll be sure to tell her you said that.”
“Go ahead. She knows it’s true.”
“Well, I don’t know about all that. What I do know,” Sterling drawled, dark eyes twinkling with amusement, “is that your wife’s got you wrapped around her pretty little finger.”
Stan smiled softly, not even bothering to deny it.
“Which is as it should be,” Sterling added almost to himself.
Stan’s smile faded as a wave of guilt swept through him. It didn’t seem right for him to be so deliriously contented and in love with his wife when his brother was still reeling from the painful destruction of his own marriage. Next to their late father, Sterling Wolf was the kindest, most honorable man Stan had ever known. If anyone deserved to be happy, it was Sterling.
Stan clenched his jaw, his gut tightening with the familiar anger and resentment he’d been harboring—rightfully so—toward Celeste. Striving to maintain his composure, he asked evenly, “When was the last time you spoke to her?”
Sterling didn’t have to ask whom he was referring to. As pain tightened his features, Stan regretted bringing Celeste up, though the specter of her treachery had been looming over them all since the divorce.
“I spoke to her on Sunday,” Sterling answered in a low voice. “She called to tell me that she’s in Minnesota with Grant, who’s working on some research project for the Mayo Clinic.”
Stan’s jaw hardened, but he said nothing.
Sterling’s keen gaze searched his face. “You already knew, didn’t you?”
Stan hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. “She called Prissy a few weeks ago. She wanted them to have dinner together while Prissy was in Rochester for her leadership conference.”
“Did they get together?”
“Yeah.” Stan grimaced. “I’m sorry, Sterl. I really wanted to tell you, but Prissy promised to let Celeste tell you herself when she was ready.”
Sterling nodded slowly. “Prissy did the right thing. It was better coming from Celeste. It was still painful and shocking to hear, but…well, she’s the mother of my children, and nothing will ever change that. So we have to keep the lines of communication open between us, no matter how difficult it may be.”
Stan nodded, conceding the truth of his brother’s words. “Did you work out an arrangement with her?”
“Yeah. She’s going to fly home every other weekend—on Grant’s dime—and stay at his penthouse so she can spend time with Michael and Marcus. My only stipulation was that she not take the boys over there under any circumstances. They’ve been traumatized enough, and God only knows what Marcus would do if he ever stepped foot inside his mother’s love nest.”
“Probably the same thing I’d do,” Stan muttered darkly. “Set that motherfucker on fire.”
Sterling choked out a laugh, shooting him a reproachful look. “Now what kind of talk is that coming from Coronado’s Firefighter of the Year?”
Stan shook his head grimly. One word from his brother, and he’d have gladly wiped Grant Rutherford off the face of the earth.
“You’re a better man than me, Sterl. That’s all I have to say.”
“Yeah?” A small, humorless smile twisted Sterling’s mouth. “You think I haven’t fantasized about retaliating against Grant for taking my wife and hurting my boys? You think I’ve never found myself parked outside his apartment building—my Glock in one hand, my badge in the other—wrestling with the temptation to bust down his fucking door and pump him full of lead? I’m a cop, so you know there are a number of other ways I could do him real dirty. But what good would any of that do? And if I wind up in the state penitentiary, where would that leave Michael and Marcus? Abandoned by their mother and father, that’s where. Then what would become of them? What kind of future would they have?”
Sterling shook his head, looking grim and resolute. “Sometimes being a man means swallowing your pride and walking away from the fight you lost long before you ever entered the ring. Grant Rutherford didn’t force himself on Celeste. She’d been unhappy with me for years, and she wanted something else. She made her choice, so I have to respect that and find a way to move on.”
When he’d finished speaking, Stan could only stare at him. He didn’t know whether to applaud Sterling for the dark, violent urges he’d confessed to having, or haul him roughly into his arms and assure him that everything would be okay. Either way, he’d never been prouder of his brother than he was at that moment—and that was saying a lot considering how much he’d always looked up to Sterl.
Observing his awestruck expression, Sterling chuckled and warned gruffly, “Now don’t you go getting all sentimental on me, boy.”
“As if,” Stan mumbled as he glanced away and swallowed hard, trying to clear the lump of emotion that was clogging his throat.
“Well,” Sterling drawled after a minute, lazily pushing to his feet. “Guess we’d better get to that poker game we promised the boys. Besides, my fingers and toes are starting to grow numb. It’s cold as hell out here.”
Stan grinned at him. “Wuss.”
Sterling jabbed one of those numb fingers at him. “Just for that, I’m gonna take great pleasure in totally annihilating you at poker.”
Stan laughed. “What else is new?”
When the two brothers reentered the house, Prissy and Georgina were curled up on the living room sofa while a cozy fire crackled in the hearth. They were holding mugs of hot chocolate and pealing with hysterical laughter.
“Uh-oh,” Stan intoned, trading amused glances with his brother. “Why do I feel like we just stepped into a sorority house?”
Sterling grinned, hanging up their coats in the mud room. “Well, considering that Prissy is a Delta and Georgie is an AKA, your observation isn’t too far off the mark.”
Overhearing their exchange, Prissy and Georgina wiped tears of mirth from their eyes and sighed.
“Don’t mind us,” Prissy told the approaching men. “We were just enjoying an old private joke.”
“Sounds intriguing,” Stan drawled. “Care to share?”
“No,” the two women blurted, then looked at each other and dissolved into fresh giggles that had Stan and Sterling shaking their heads and chuckling.
“Women and their secrets.”
“Yup. What can you do?”
Prissy smiled at her darkly handsome husband and brother-in-law, and felt a renewed appreciation for the wondrous gift of black manhood.
“I hope you fellas are heading downstairs to play poker with the boys,” she said.
“Yes, ma’am,” they confirmed.
“Good, because Magnum wandered up here not too long ago, wanting to know when you two would be ready. I told him not to disturb your bonding session, but he’s really eager to get the game under way.” Her smile turned teasing. “Seems he’s feeling his oats after beating his daddy—”
“What?” Sterling exclaimed, staring at Stan. “You let that boy beat you at poker?”
Stan scowled. “I had a lot on my mind that day.”
Sterling guffawed, giving him a look of grave disappointment. “After everything I’ve taught you, you got beat by an upstart who’s gonna boast and brag till the cows come home. Just for that, I’m really gonna have to show you no mercy today.”
“You hear that?” Stan complained to Prissy. “See how he treats me, baby?”
Prissy laughed, shaking her head. “Please go easy on him, Sterl, or he won’t be much company over the next few days. You know how he sulks.”
Sterling’s bark of laughter drowned out Stan’s exclamations of protest.
Affectionately tweaking Prissy’s nose, Sterling promised, “Just for you I’ll show him some mercy.”
She smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Sterl.”
“Don’t thank him too soon,” Stan grumbled. “He’s been known to pull a bait and switch, ’cause once he’s seated at that poker table, he becomes a different person. Think Jekyll and Hyde.”
As everyone laughed, Stan crouched down behind the sofa to smile into Prissy’s eyes. “I need a good luck kiss.”
She smiled. “Is that so?”
“Umm-hmm.”
Prissy kissed the tip of his cold nose, then his soft mouth. “There. I gave you two. How’s that?”
“Wonderful.”
“Good. Now go and conquer.”
He grinned. “Aye, milady.”
As he got to his feet, Georgina smiled at Sterling. “I’d wish you good luck, but everyone knows you don’t need it.”
He winked at her, then gently squeezed her shoulder as he and Stan headed from the room.
Something about the brief yet intimate gesture had Prissy’s eyes narrowing in speculation. Her radar went on full alert as she watched Georgina’s gaze follow Sterling out of the room.
When he was gone, Georgina smiled privately and lowered her head to sip from her mug of hot chocolate.
Prissy stared at her. “What was that?”
Georgina met her gaze. “What?”
“That little smile. And the shoulder squeeze from Sterling. And the way you watched him leave the room just now…” Prissy trailed off, watching as Georgina blushed furiously. “Oh, my God,” she breathed with dawning comprehension. “Did something happen between you and Sterling?”
As the other woman dropped her gaze to her cup, Prissy gasped in shock. “Georgie!”
“Shhh!” Georgina darted a nervous glance beyond the foyer to the closed basement door. “I don’t want anyone to hear what we’re talking about, especially Quentin.”
Prissy waved a dismissive hand. “Girl, please. They’re not gonna hear a thing with all that noise they’re making down there. And the way they blast that television, it’s a miracle none of them have gone deaf.” Prissy scooped up both of their mugs and set them down on the small table beside her, then turned back to her longtime friend. “Now tell me what happened between you and Sterling.”
Georgina blew out a deep breath and dazedly shook her head. With her smooth honey complexion, patrician features and long curly hair, she was a dead ringer for Lonette McKee, that pretty young actress from the movie Sparkle.
“I don’t even know where to start,” Georgina confessed in a husky voice. “I still can’t believe what we did.”
“What did you do?” Prissy whispered.
Georgina met her wide-eyed gaze, then sighed. “Let me start from the beginning. I sent Quentin to spend this past weekend with his daddy’s family since he won’t be there for Thanksgiving. They were not too happy about that, I might add. His aunts and grandmother gave me a real tongue-lashing for taking Quentin away for Thanksgiving, even though when Fraser was alive, we spent every holiday with his family. You know, since my parents cut me off years ago.”
Prissy nodded sympathetically. “I remember.”
Georgina hailed from a proud old Southern family of doctors and lawyers who’d expected her to marry someone of the same social standing. But when she met and fell in love with a cocky amateur boxer who didn’t have a penny to his name, her family was appalled. When Georgina defied their wishes and married Fraser Reddick, her parents had disinherited and disowned her. Since then, nothing—not Quentin’s birth or the tragic death of his father—had mended the rift between Georgina and her relatives. Prissy thought it would be poetic justice if Quentin—who was overprotective of Georgina—grew up to become a successful doctor or lawyer who’d reject his mother’s family if they ever sought to make amends with him.
“Anyway,” Georgina continued, “I know how much Fraser’s kinfolk love to dote on Quentin. He looks and acts so much like his daddy that sometimes it feels like Fraser never left us. But the Reddicks shouldn’t make me feel guilty for choosing to spend the holidays somewhere else for a change. And it wasn’t just my choice. When I told Junebug that you’d invited us to accompany Sterling and the boys here for Thanksgiving, he was so excited. And that was even before I told him about the ski trip.”
Prissy smiled softly. “You know you and Quentin have always been like family. We’re so glad you both came.”
“Me, too.” Georgina sighed heavily. “And the timing couldn’t have been better. I needed to get away from Atlanta for a few days. This past Sunday was Fraser’s birthday. He would have been thirty-five.”
“Oh, Georgie.” Prissy reached over, gently grasping her friend’s hands in hers. “I’m so sorry. I forgot to call—”
“Oh, girl, don’t worry about it,” Georgina said dismissively. “You can’t be expected to remember every date. You always send a beautiful card on our wedding anniversary and the anniversary of his passing. And remember how you and Celeste would come over and drag me out of bed, take me out to lunch and treat me to a massage?”
A soft, reminiscent smile curved Prissy’s lips. “I remember.”
She remembered, too, how shocked and devastated everyone had been when Fraser—a police officer—was killed in the line of duty three years ago. She remembered going home the night of his funeral, getting down on her knees and thanking God that it wasn’t her husband who’d been put into the ground that day. And she remembered Celeste’s guilty confession to her that she’d gone home and whispered the same prayer.
Georgina continued quietly, “Quentin called me from his aunt’s house on Sunday evening. They’d just finished cutting the birthday cake in Fraser’s memory, and Quentin wanted to call and make sure I was okay. I assured him that I was, we chatted for a few minutes, and then I hung up the phone and cried myself to sleep. When I woke up, Sterling was at the front door. He’d stopped by on his way home from work to check up on me. But the moment I saw him, I could tell something was wrong. But he wouldn’t tell me at first. He was more concerned about me.”
“Typical Sterling,” Prissy murmured fondly.
“Yes.” Georgina smiled softly. “Always putting others above himself. We sat and talked for a while, and he told me that the fellas at the station had commemorated Fraser’s birthday with some special ritual that involved gathering around a circle and toasting one another with Fraser’s favorite brand of beer.” She laughed ruefully. “I know I’m not explaining it right, but it was very touching.”
Prissy smiled gently. “I’m sure it was.”
Georgina gazed down at their joined hands. “I was moved to tears, Prissy. After Sterling comforted me, I turned the tables on him and asked him what was wrong. I had to keep prodding until he finally opened up and shared the conversation he’d had with Celeste that afternoon.”
Prissy held her breath, wondering if Celeste had changed her mind and told Sterling about her miscarriage.
Georgina’s somber gaze returned to hers. “She told him that she and Grant would be spending the next three months in Minnesota, and if Grant changed his mind about accepting the surgeon position at the Mayo Clinic, she planned to relocate with him.” Georgina shook her head slowly. “Sterling was so hurt and devastated, Pris. He admitted to me that that was the moment he realized that his marriage was truly over. Before then, even despite their divorce being finalized, he’d been secretly hoping that there was still a chance for them to work things out. But Celeste’s decision to move away with Grant dashed the last of his hopes. So it was my turn to console him.” Georgina’s expression softened. “One moment we were embracing, the next moment we were kissing desperately and undressing each other.”
“Oh, my God.” Prissy was stunned. “You and Sterling…”
“I know. I never would have imagined something like that happening between us. But it did. Oh, Prissy, he was so passionate. So tender and giving. Lord have mercy, I’m getting flushed just thinking about what an amazing lover he was.” Georgina sighed, laying a hand over her heart as tears shimmered in her eyes. “He’s the first man I’ve slept with since….”
“Since Fraser died,” Prissy finished softly.
Georgina nodded. “It wasn’t screwing, like we were just using each other to exorcise demons. We made love, Pris, and afterward we held each other tight and let our tears fall together.”
As moisture filled her own eyes, Prissy gently squeezed Georgina’s hands. “It sounds incredible.”
“It was. We were two lonely, hurting souls who turned to each other in our time of need, and we shared a poignantly beautiful experience that I will never, ever forget.”
“Oh, Georgie.” Prissy’s voice softened as she searched her friend’s face. “Are you in love with Sterling?”
Georgina choked out a soft, teary laugh and shook her head. “You know Fraser is the only man I will ever love. But let me tell you. Sterling Wolf could steal any woman’s heart, and if I’d met him before Fraser, I never would have wanted for anyone else. Men like Sterling—and your Stanton—represent what every man should be. Strong, dependable, unselfish, fiercely protective and loyal. True gentlemen through and through. Every woman should be lucky enough to have a husband like Sterling.”
“One did,” Prissy murmured sadly, “and she walked out on him.”
Georgina shook her head. “I hate to say this about someone we both consider a dear friend, but Celeste is out of her fucking mind.”
This startled a laugh out of Prissy. “Georgina Reddick! Since when do you use that kind of language?”
Georgina grinned unabashedly. “Sometimes profanity conveys what mere words cannot. I know Celeste had her reasons for doing what she did, but I truly believe she loves Sterling, and someday she’s going to regret her decision to leave him and those precious boys.”
“I know,” Prissy murmured, swallowing a lump of sorrow at the thought of Celeste’s lost baby. “I told her the same thing.”
“Unfortunately for her, by the time she realizes her mistake, it may be too late.”
“You think Sterling is going to remarry?”
“Oh, definitely. Some smart, lucky woman is gonna snatch up that Wolf.”
Prissy smiled quietly. She hoped her friend was right. Sterling had so much love to give. He deserved to find someone who would appreciate all he had to offer.
She slanted Georgina a sidelong glance. “What about you? Do you think you’ll ever remarry?”
Before Georgina could respond, the basement door burst open, and out ran Quentin and Montana.
As they laughingly raced toward the kitchen, Georgina called out, “Quentin Fraser Reddick! What have I told you about running in the house?”
“Both of you should know better,” Prissy added admonishingly.
“Sorry, Ma, but Dad told us to hurry up with getting more snacks!”
As Montana continued to the kitchen, Quentin reversed direction and sauntered over to the living room. His golden skin was flushed from his sprint up the stairs, and his hazel eyes were bright with irrepressible laughter.
He was such a handsome boy, Prissy mused fondly. He and Michael had been best friends practically from birth, vigorously kicking inside their mother’s wombs every time Celeste and Georgina were together. They’d been born three weeks apart and had been inseparable ever since.
Reaching the sofa, Quentin leaned down and kissed Georgina’s forehead. “Hey, Ma.”
“Hey, Junebug.” She smiled, affectionately cupping his cheek. “Who’s winning the game?”
He groaned. “You know who. Uncle Sterling.”
Georgina and Prissy laughed.
“Uncle Stan’s doing pretty good, too,” Quentin informed Prissy.
“Whew,” she said, making an exaggerated show of wiping her forehead. “That’s a relief.”
Quentin grinned at her.
“We’re leaving for the cabin after dinner,” Georgina reminded her son, “so make sure you have all your things together.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Q,” Montana called from the kitchen, “I need your help carrying all the snacks!”
“Chill, dude. I’m coming.” Quentin smiled at his mother and Prissy. “Gotta go.”
And then he was off again, calling over his shoulder, “Thanks for inviting us this week, Aunt Prissy. This is the coolest vacation ever!”
Prissy and Georgina laughed, watching as he and Monty headed back downstairs with armfuls of sodas and bags of chips.
Alone once again, Prissy grinned conspiratorially at Georgina. “I just have one question. Are you and Sterling gonna be sneaking into each other’s rooms for some hanky panky late at night?”
Georgina chuckled, her cheeks flushing as she shook her head. “Considering that I’m rooming with Mama Wolf, sneaking around might be a bit of a challenge. Not that we’d even try something like that.” She sighed, a bit wistfully. “What Sterling and I shared was truly special, but we don’t intend to start sleeping together. Sterling still loves Celeste, and I’m still mourning Fraser. So this isn’t the right time for us to become involved.”
Prissy gently searched Georgina’s face. “So that night…was a one-time thing?”
Georgina hesitated, then nodded. “Yes.”
“Are you sure?” Prissy prodded, suddenly feeling naughty. “Because the ski lodge we’re staying at is supposed to be very romantic. And since the resort offers so many fun activities in addition to skiing, the kids won’t always be around. And my mother and Mama Wolf have already planned their itinerary, which mostly consists of hitting the local town to spend hours browsing the little shops, stocking up on souvenirs and sightseeing. So that leaves…well, the three couples. By the time we’re done enjoying the great outdoors, relaxing in the spa, cuddling around a fire, sipping hot toddies…” Prissy trailed off with a dramatic sigh. “No one would blame you and Sterling for succumbing to the romantic ambiance.”
Georgina glowered at her. “That is not fair. I thought you were my friend.”
Prissy laughed. “I am. Which is why I consider it my duty to warn you what you’ll be up against.”
“Thanks,” Georgina said dryly. “I’ll consider myself forewarned.”
“Good.” Prissy bit her lip, then couldn’t resist prodding teasingly, “So no more hanky panky, Georgie?”
“No more.” Georgina paused, her eyes glimmering with sudden mischief. “Well…I guess I won’t completely rule out anything until we get there.”
At that, the two women burst out laughing.