§ § § -- September 12, 1994
There were six people in the group that stood in front of Roarke and Leslie at the plane dock on Monday morning. Rodney and Jenny Stone stood arm-in-arm and beaming, with an equally cheerful Dania Branham in front of them; Tara Knight was grinning like a maniac; and, particularly to Leslie's surprise, Brian Knight and Lauren McCormick stood on Tara's other side, holding hands and looking somewhat self-conscious but very happy.
"So this is the guy you were rhapsodizing about yesterday?" Leslie asked, surveying Lauren curiously. Roarke slanted a curious look of his own at Leslie.
Lauren shrugged, her grin turning sheepish. "Hey, well, I just never really got around to telling everyone about him. Anyway, seeing as he turned out to be a guest of yours, you probably already know everything." Leslie rolled her eyes and they all laughed. "I'm going back to Oregon with him and visit him there for the rest of my vacation. I think we've got something really special here, and I want to give it a chance to develop."
"Me too," said Brian. "I never thought I'd find the right woman and I'd kind of given up, and then I met my boat lady here. Don't worry, Leslie, I promise to send her back home in one piece so you and your friends can grill her to death." More laughter greeted that, and Brian and Lauren made their farewells and headed for the plane. Tara and Dania followed suit; as Brian escorted Lauren along, they heard him ask her, "You were rhapsodizing?"
Chuckling with the Stones and Roarke, Leslie turned to Rodney and Jenny. "You two had such a gorgeous wedding. I'm glad all the preparations didn't turn out to be for nothing. But Jenny, how did you feel about using something meant for another woman?"
Jenny shrugged. "I'm not going to argue about it. My first wedding was a backyard affair and I wore my old prom dress to it, on Ray's insistence. This one was so much better and so much more romantic, I don't care who it was originally intended for. This time around, I really feel married." She stretched on tiptoe to kiss Rodney's cheek, then leaned over to bestow another on Roarke's. "Thank you, Mr. Roarke, for granting my fantasy. Right now, I feel like the luckiest person in the world."
"I'm very glad to hear it," Roarke said and smiled broadly. "May you have a full, rich and happy life together, and a safe and pleasant journey home."
They watched Rodney and Jenny stroll along up the dock, returning their final farewell waves, before Roarke turned to Leslie. "I wasn't aware you had seen Lauren at all this weekend, since you complained rather loudly on Saturday afternoon that she had stood you girls up for a late lunch."
"Oh, she was dancing around the fountain yesterday morning, acting like a nut case," Leslie said, watching the plane begin to taxi across the lagoon. "That's okay. Wait till she gets back home…we're going to show her absolutely no mercy whatsoever."
Roarke let his gaze slide skyward. "I feel sorry for her already." He responded with raised eyebrows to Leslie's dirty look just as the car came around to take them home, saving him from whatever retort she might be trying to dream up.
THE END