Mike’s eyes lightened. “We could always go to the flower garden and have a net fall on you. I could put a knife between my teeth and cut you out.”
“Out of the net or my dress?” Sara asked seriously.
“Dress. I’d leave the net alone.”
The look he gave her was so lascivious, so naughty, that she laughed. “All right. Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going back to my car and I—not you—am going to drive us to your car. We’re then going to walk down to K Creek—you may carry the picnic basket—and we’re going to eat and talk. And you’re going to explain to me what’s going on.”
“As much as I can.”
She glared at him.
“Okay. All of it.” They started walking. “So how do you know where my car is?”
“Puh-lease. It’s where everyone trying to hide on this road parks. Half the girls in Edilean lost their virginity under that tree.”
“Did you?”
S
he opened the door on the driver’s side. “Who said I’ve given it away yet?”
Laughing, Mike got in the other side and closed the door.
9
SO YOU’RE SAYING I own that tree?” Mike asked. He was stretched out on a red-and-white-checked tablecloth, the basket of food was between them, and Sara was sitting on the other side. At the bottom of the gentle slope was pretty little K Creek.
“Every inch of it.”
“The Virgin Tree. That thought is going to keep me awake at night.”
“You also own some of the creek and all those old buildings. What are you going to do with all of it?”
“Move into the house and let Lang be my butler. He’ll serve me sliced tomatoes with a marijuana dressing—all from his garden.” He gave her a sideways look to see if she’d be shocked, but except for a flicker of her lashes, she didn’t react. Good, he thought. Cool in the face of surprise.
“If Luke finds out about illegal plants, he’ll skin the old man.”
“That’s just what I thought, but what your mother would do scares me more than Luke.”
“Me too,” Sara said and smiled at him.
He put his hands behind his head and looked up at the sky. “I’ve never owned any property before.”
“Not even a condo on the beach in Fort Lauderdale?”
“Especially not a condo.”
“So are you ready to tell me what’s going on?”
“Couldn’t we just enjoy the day?”
“No,” Sara said. “I want to find this woman so I can get the groom back for my wedding. How do we go about finding her?”
“DNA.” He moved on to his side and looked at her. “We have to collect DNA from every woman in this town who is around fifty-three years old and send it to a lab. We don’t have anything from Mitzi, but we do have DNA from her son and other relatives, so we can match them.”
“And you’re sure she’s here?”
“No, but with this woman even a possibility is worth whatever it takes to get her.” Mike picked up a bunch of tiny, sweet, champagne grapes, turned on his back, held them above his head, and began to eat them.