by Storm, Buck
“Not even being famous?”
“Do you love me?”
“You know I do.”
She pushed herself up on her elbow, facing him. “Am I famous to you?”
“I’m your biggest fan.”
“Only fan.”
“Okay, only fan.”
“Well, only earthly fan.”
“All right …”
“Then that’s enough.”
He kissed her. “I have a wedding present for you.”
“You mean, other than saving me from my crazy stepdad, smuggling me halfway around the world, and marrying me on a huge sailboat which we now own?”
“Yeah. Other than that.” He flipped a coin at her. Gold glinted in the air.
Paradise plucked it off the sheet. “My father’s coin? How did you get it?”
“Take a closer look.”
“It’s different. It doesn’t have the Spanish words on the back. Why?”
“Because it’s an unaltered eight escudos coin. The real deal.”
“Okay … Where did you get it?”
“In Father Salazar’s grave.”
“What? But you found the Bible in there … You never said anything about coins.”
“Gold coins. And nobody ever asked. We put the grave back together before Poppy got there, remember? Then everyone just forgot about it.”
“Except you.”
“Uh huh. Except me. A couple weeks later, I took Easy and Lan, and we went back.”
She held the coin up. “I’m almost afraid to ask … Was there more than this one coin?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“How much?”
“Enough that it’ll completely restore the old mission in Paradise. Enough that the kids at Dia Perdido will never want for anything. And even enough in Lan’s old smuggling hole down there that our great-grandchildren will still be spending it when they’re old and gray, provided we don’t give it all away.”
“Will we? Give it away?”
Doc shrugged. “It’s just money. I already hit the lottery the day you walked into Shorty’s.”
Paradise flopped back. “You wouldn’t stop looking at me. You were so obvious.”
“I still won’t.”
“We’re rich.”
“Uh huh.”
“I don’t mean the gold.”
“I know.”
The day shone bright and hot by the time they tumbled out onto the deck. Doc shirtless in cargo shorts and Paradise opting for her Esther-dash-Williams-dot-com two-piece.
Doc handed her a cup of coffee and whistled.
“Esther Williams,” Paradise said.
“Nope, Paradise Jones,” he said.
“I love it when you say that.”
“I know.”
“That’s why I said Esther Williams.”
“I know.”
“But it’s Paradise Morales now.”
“And I love it when you say that.”
Paradise sipped her coffee. “So now what, Captain?”
“Did you know there’s a little island south of here that has a baseball field right in the middle? They live for it down there. The Majors even scout the place.”
“Seriously? The whole world is out there, and you want to go watch baseball?”
“You know what they say …”
“It’s like chess on grass and dirt?”
Doc leaned over and kissed her. “Exactly.”
“That’s the millionth time you’ve kissed me today.”
“I know.”
“Don’t ever stop.”
“I won’t”
“Promise?”
He kissed her again. “Cross my heart.”
“On that island, is there a Green Monster?”
“There’s always a Green Monster.”
This time she kissed him. “Then let’s go sailing, Doc.”
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