Chapter 22
Seven seventeen P.M…later that evening…
Carmelita sat beside her Sly in the team's van as it sped toward its destination, nervously gripping and regripping one of her canes. It had become her nervous habit…much like Sly's own twirlng of his famous cane. Much as she knew that what she was doing was good and right, she still had problems---moral problems---illegally infiltrating the premises of law-abiding folks and establishments. It just sort of rubbed her fur the wrong way…in a way, she thought to herself. Take the case confronting them all now, for example. She knew that this Zuikawa babe needed to be dealt with, and dealt with fast. What she was doing was against the law, and adversely affected the law-abiding public. She was dirty, and she needed to be taken down and sent off to jail…period. However, to give her friend, Trish, and Interpol the evidence of Zuikawa's wrong-doing, she herself would have to do some things that were also---on the surface---illegal as well. And, that was the rub for Carmelita. Carmelita's fingers continued to grip and regrip her cane. "Hmmph," Carmelita grunted under her breath.
"What's the matter, Carmelita?" Sly asked her, his dark eyes glittering in the darkness of the van. "Nervous?"
"No," Carmelita returned, smiling over at him. "It's just…well, let's say I'm having a little moral dilemma, okay?" she told him.
"Still?" Sly questioned, reaching out a hand to gently caress her face. "Want to talk about it?" He eyed her intently, his face full of his concern.
Carmelita smiled, still thrilled with the knowledge that there was someone, a very special someone, that cared so much about her. "Maybe later, okay?" she allowed, taking his hand from her face and kissing his palm. "I'm good to go, Sly. Really! Let's nail these bastards."
"That's my girl," Sly intoned softly, his dark brown eyes gleaming with his pride and huge love for this remarkable woman beside him now. "I love you, Carmelita Fox."
Carmelita felt a lump form in her throat…amazed that such a simple phrase could elicit such complex and delightful feelings within herself. "I love you too, Sly Cooper."
There was a small contented silence then…one that lasted a full minute.
Then, Carmelita finally broached the subject that was bothering her. "Gah, I just wish we didn't have to break-and-enter the Japanese Consulate," she worried aloud.
"Ah, so that's what this is all about, hmm?" Sly mused. "Go on, querera…out with it."
"Well, Sly," Carmelita continued. "It's not like when we busted into Polarsky's compound. He was a scumbag, and that complex was all his…illegit as he himself was, you know?" Carmelita looked over to see the expression on Sly's face.
"True," Sly admitted. "Very true." Sly thought a moment. "Here, think of this op this way, if you will: the Consulate is a patient, right? Now, Ms. Zuikawa is sort of like a tumor. And, correspondingly, we all are the surgeons. The proverbial Pros from Dover, so to speak. Our job, my sweet, is to excise the nastiness---that being Ms. Zuikawa and her ilk---from the patient---that being the Japanese Consulate---so that it can prosper and grow like it's supposed to, right?"
Carmelita frowned, thinking a moment. Her slim black eyebrows then rose up, and a small satisfied smile appeared on her lovely face. Sly was right! Much like a cancer patient, the Japanese Consulate was being used, used by this Zuikawa babe. And, again, much like the cancer patient analogy Sly had presented, that meant that the patient---the Consulate---would only get better after the cancer---Ms. Zuikawa again!---was removed…permenantly! Carmelita and her friends were nothing more than the surgeons that would make this so. "Nice analogy, sweetheart," she congratulated him. "That helped…a lot." She then reached out with both hands took a firm grip on his cheek ruffs, and pulled him toward her to kiss him directly upon the lips. "Thanks, handsome," she purred huskily after their kiss ended.
"Anytime, gorgeous," Sly replied softly, grinning. "So, my pretty lady…you good to go now?"
"You'd better believe it, Ringtail," Carmelita told him with confidence. She then canted her lovely head just so, lowering it too, so as to emphasize her large lovely eyes. "Have I told you that I love you, sweetheart?"
Sly grinned even broader now. He never got tired of hearing his Carmelita tell him that she loved him! No sir! "Why, I believe you did no more than a minute or so ago…but, that's okay…you can do it again, if you want to."
Carmelita giggled softly, then nestled her head against Sly's shoulder, inhaling the smell of him, his soft cologne. "All right, I will! I love you, Sly Cooper," she stated, closing her eyes in contentment.
"Yo, Bent!" Sly called up. "We still got some time before this op starts, right?" He then flicked his clever brown eyes down to Carmelita who grinned back up at him.
"As a matter of fact," Bentley said with a frown, "we don't."
Carmelita looked to Sly, then he to her, and they then both moaned, "Awww!"
"Kids," Bentley grumped, even as he worked. "I'm dealing with children…"
Carmelita leaned away from Sly, and stretched. "Pretty nice timing on this new case, huh sweetie?" she commented. "Don't know about you, but me…I was getting pretty bored."
"Yeah, I hear that," Sly admitted. "Hey, what can I say? It can get like that from time to time." Sly paused, reaching over to take his beloved lady love's strong, slender hand in his own. "Besides, Bentley of late has had a few other 'things' on his mind, don't you think?"
"You mean, like a beautiful snow leopard lady things, Ringtail? That sort of thing?" Carmelita teased, loud enough for Bentley to hear.
"Yeah, now that you do mention it, I do think a certain Ms. Sing does factor heavily in his thoughts," Sly added his two cents.
Bentley just turned back briefly to the teasing twosome and grinned, then turned back to the matter at hand once more.
Carmelita stroked Sly's hand with her thumb absently, thinking.
"Something the matter, corazon?" Sly asked, as her silence grew.
"Well…don't know about that," Carmelita replied with a shrug. "But, I do have a question."
"Go ahead," Sly prompted her. "Shoot!"
"Okay, but you'll regret it!" Carmelita teased, unable to let that one pass. "But, seriously…just how long have I been a Master Thief now? What is it…four months, maybe? Even longer?"
Sly quickly did the math. "Yeah, just a skosh over four months…if my math holds up, that is," Sly admitted.
"Hmm," Carmelita responded. "I have been a thief that long now…and still no one knows just who I am…other than they think I'm your new girlfriend."
"Well, you're more to me than just that, Carmelita," Sly answered cleverly, smiling. "But, I get your drift, dear." Sly then stopped, thinking a moment. "Okay, now think about it, querera…do you really wanna be a public figure? Like I am?" he asked her. "Because, trust me, while it's sort of neat at first to see your face on the wanted posters, Carmelita, it gets really old, really fast."
"What do you mean?" Carmelita wanted to know.
"Notoriety isn't all it's cracked up to be, sweetie," Sly told her. "Heck, even if I just want to go outside for a breath of fresh air, I have to do so in disguise. That's why I did all my perambulating at night, you know. It's the one time of day that I'm safe from prying eyes."
"And, it doesn't hurt that you're a raccoon either, does it?" Carmelita helpfully pointed out.
Sly laughed, pulling her hand up to kiss the back of it. "True, but that's not the worst part," he told her. "If it just affected me, that'd be okay, y'know? But it won't, Carmelita. If you went public, then…why, first off, Kitty and Ling, heck, even Trish, would be reassigned to other cases…as they were your friends, and therefore they couldn't be trusted. And, then, your friends and family will all be under some pretty uncomfortable and intense scrutiny from the authorities. They'd have Interpol all after them…looking at their phone records, their finances…not pretty. And, speaking of finances, you'd better be sure to transfer your savings to somewhere new…because they will freeze your assets so fast, you're pretty little head'll swim!" Sly then looked over to Carmelita, his eyes intent. "Still think you want to join me in the spotlight, honey?"
Carmelita frowned, thought a moment longer, then nodded resolutely. "Yeah, Ringtail…I want that. Not for the recognition, mind you. But, because I want the criminals out there---the real ones---to know my name, and fear it! I want the Cooper Gang to be any other Master Thief's worst nightmare come true! I want the average citizen to know the streets are safer because we're on the job. Does that make any sense to you, Sly?"
"More than you think, Carmelita," Sly told her, nodding his head proudly. "I know I sound like a broken record sometimes…but, I'll risk it! I like the way you think, woman! Oh, and the way you look, and the way you walk. And---!"
Carmelita grinned happily, then silenced the chatty, flirty raccoon with a kiss that lingered until both of them were gasping for breath. "Ooh, Sly…I can't wait to marry you, mister!" She told him, giving him a much abbreviated version of their last kiss.
"Um, speaking of our upcoming nuptials, querera," Sly observed. "One small favor, eh corazon?"
"What?" Carmelita asked, curious.
"Could I possibly ask you to wait for your 'Coming Out' Party, until after we're married? Hmm?" Sly asked her, smiling. "It's going to be hard enough finding someone and someplace willing to marry a pair of Master Thieves…even if only one of them is actually known, don't you think?"
"True," Carmelita had to agree.
"And," Sly leaned over to speak softly to his fiancee. "I want the day I marry the most beautiful girl in the world to be perfect. Absolutely perfect. The perfect woman deserves nothing less."
Carmelita actually shivered then, and felt herself tremble with her excitement and love for the amazing man seated beside her. "I'm by no means perfect, Ringtail, and you know it," she pointed out, her eyes still shining. "But, I'm a whole lot closer to being so when I'm with you, sweetheart." Carmelita found her hand come up to caress his face. How did she ever manage to thrive without this man sharing her life for so long? she wondered to herself. She mentally kicked herself just then---but only a moment---for being so stubborn as to not see how complete she felt when they were together. "I know you asked me to marry you, Sly. And, I accepted," Carmelita then said in a soft voice---one that Sly swore later on was uncannily angelic to his ears! "But, I have to do this. Would you marry me, Sly Cooper?" she asked.
"Gladly, and with all my heart," Sly answered, his voice husky with his emotion. "I'd be a fool to ever think otherwise, Carmelita."
Carmelita didn't trust her voice just then, and settled on pulling him to herself and holding him close, her head fitting perfectly into the hollow of his strong shoulder.
That embrace was only ended when the two felt the team's tan panel truck come slowly to a halt. Apparently…they were there. "Love you, sweetheart," Sly whispered to his Carmelita.
"Love you too," Carmelita answered, softly kissing his ear just once before they separated.
"All right, we're here," Bentley announced. "And," he paused, giving the once snuggling Master Thieves a reproachful look, "if you two lovebirds can manage to pry yourselves away from one another a minute…"
Carmelita looked at Sly, who grinned and returned her gaze. "So, what do you think, Ringtail?" she asked.
Sly pretended to ponder a long moment. "Hmm, it is sort of why we came here in the first place, after all, isn't it?" he mentioned, grinning cleverly.
"True," Carmelita answered with a grin.
"Are we going to do this or not?" Bentley snapped, tired of all these two's antics.
"Keep your shell on, Bentley," Carmelita advised, then leaned over and forcibly thumped Bently on his shell-covered chest once with her index finger. "You snap at me one more time, mister, and you'll find yourself hanging from some tree, about a hundred feet up. You got that?" she added, allowing the tiniest bit of threat appear in her voice.
Bentley rubbed his chest where she had poked him. "All right, all right," he answered. He then looked down at his trusty laptop, and typed. "Rats!" he then grumbled. "This is not going to be one of our standard operations, and that's a fact."
"How so, Bent ol' boy?" Sly asked, leaning forward.
"Well, first off…just look out the window, Sly," Bentley urged.
Sly and Carmelita did so immediately. Outside, in the dark they almost immediately spotted the well-lit Embassy compound. However, the trouble was that they were on one side of a twenty-meter wide rather turbulent river---undoubtedly some tributary of the famous Seine River. The only means across the river was an elderly plain concrete bridge, fifty meters long, and wide enough to just barely accommodate two-way traffic. The Cooper Gang currently found itself on the far side of that non-descript bridge, while the Embassy was on the other side. "Great," Carmelita groused. "Just super. And, here I am, without my swim fins and scuba gear…"
"I don't think that'll be necessary, Carmelita," Bentley assured her, realizing she was being sarcastic. "But, that river does complicate things just a bit."
"You think?" Carmelita challenged, not liking the situation.
"Carmelita, be nice," Sly told her quietly, to which she nodded, but frowned.
"Gimme a minute," Bentley quietly pleaded, his fingers a blur over his keyboard and built-in mouse. "Ah ha! Thought so!" he crowed a moment later.
"What's the scoop, chum?" Sly wanted to know, his eyes intent on his smiling pal.
"Murray, crank 'er up, pal," Bentley commanded, ignoring Sly for the moment. Murray did as Bentley asked him, and the van began to move again. Bentley then turned to address Sly and Carmelita. "Sorry 'bout that," he apologized. "But, we got to get moving."
"No problem," Sly promised. "Whenever you get the chance, guy…"
"Murray, keep an eye peeled, pal," Bentley ordered. "There should be another bridge coming up pretty quick."
"But isn't this taking us away from the Embassy, Bentley?" Carmelita pointed out.
"Well, yes," Bentley conceded, "yes, it is. However, once we cross this bridge, we'll be in the small copse of woods just outside the Embassy proper. That's where I plan to place our command post, folks."
"A night out under the stars, eh, Bent?" Sly posed, grinning.
Bentley grinned in reply, nodding. "Something like that," he agreed.
"Just the place to take a pretty lady out for a moonlight stroll, huh?" Sly whispered to Carmelita.
Carmelita grinned, patted his cheek, then said, "Shh. I want to hear what Bentley's got in mind, Ringtail."
Bentley nodded, liking that---for the moment, at least---he had her attention. He briefly mused to himself…am I that bad around Yuri? He hoped not…but, you never did know now, did you? "I plan on establishing our command post---this van in fact---at the fringe of the wood. That'll place us only fifty feet away from the Embassy walls. And, since this wood is an old one, I'm pretty sure that there will be some tree tall enough for you two clear the walls," Bentley explained.
"Here's that bridge, pal," Murray called out.
"Go to just your parking lights, Murray," Bentley advised, and smiled when Murray did so. "Now, across the bridge, pal."
They all listened as they prepared to cross this older, cruder bridge made up of rough hewn sixty-one centimeter by twenty centimeter planks, which were anchored on both sides of the river by concrete, and were staggered but placed end-to-end, the whole affair supported by three evenly spaced sets of immense pilings rising out of the riverbed itself. Bentley gulped as he saw that the bridge sported no railings, and only had one streetlight to light the way. "Careful, pal…it should be wide enough to allow us across…but not by much, my friend…"
Carmelita clutched Sly's hand tightly as the team's panel truck clomped on to the bridge, none of them much liking the groan of the timbers as the ton-and-a-half vehicle began to cross the span. Murray was cautious, which was much appreciated by all, as they all could hear the turbulent roar and splash of the river beneath them just now. "Easy," Bentley urged, biting his lower lip in worry. "Easy…"
Thankfully, it didn't take the panel truck that long to cross the eighty meter bridge, the last thump as the truck's tires reunited with the concrete on the other side was music to all of their ears. "Whew!" Bentley exclaimed, wiping his brow and smooth pate. "Hope we don't need to cross that thing in a hurry," he pointed out, even as the truck began to jostle a bit more…now that they were off the pavement and were now traversing a two-track path toward an dark expanse of immense trees. "Keep on going down this way, Murray," Bentley told his big pal, "about another hundred meters. I'll tell you when to stop."
Sly and Carmelita craned their heads to look out the panel truck's windows. They both could see the glow of the Embassy's lights through the trees, so they knew they had to be pretty close. "How did you ever know about this…for the lack of a better term…'road'?" Carmelita asked Bentley.
"Best twenty euros I ever spent," Bentley replied, showing them his laptop. "For twenty euros, I got a download from the Paris Geographic Survey of Paris and its environs. I did a zoom in on the Embassy, and spotted this little squiggle. That squiggle turned out to be an old, seldom-used logging path…which we currently are traversing, by the way…"
"Slick," Carmelita replied, impressed. "Nice attention to the details, buddy boy."
"Don't mention it," Bentley responded, grinning with his thanks. "Okay, Murray…that's far enough. Now, turn right, and creep forward until I tell you to stop, okay?"
"You got it, pal," Murray replied, flicking his eyes from Bentley to the trail ahead, which made the last one look like a French freeway. The panel truck's springs got themselves a workout, and its occupants had their teeth rattled for the fifty meters or so they traveled before Bentley brought them to a halt.
"We're here," Bentley announced, frowning. "Every one out. I need room to work," he then commanded, and they did as he bade them to. Sly opened the sliding door on his side---the side closer to the Embassy---and stepped out. He paused a moment, then helped Carmelita out.
"Say, querera?" Sly said aside to Carmelita.
"Yeah?" Carmelita answered, her eyes becoming adjusted to the darkness now.
"Care to join me on an impromptu recon?" Sly asked his beautiful lady love, his voice suave and charming.
"Don't wander away too far, you two," Bentley called out without even looking up. He knew his Master Thieves…
"Sure," Carmelita replied to Sly, realizing that Bentley and Murray were going to need some time to set up their mobile command post. "Let's see what's what, shall we?"
Sly laughed, realizing how much he truly enjoyed her company. "Thought you'd never ask, sweetheart!" he responded.
The two Master Thieves sped off like a pair of wraiths, their clothing appearing shades of dark gray in the darkness of the woods. It took them only a minute before they discovered the fringe of the woods themselves. "Whoa!" Carmelita marveled aloud, as she gazed out at the eighteen meter high stone walls of the Japanese Embassy…which, by the way, were only about twenty meters away from them now.
"I'll say," Sly agreed, moving over beside the kneeling Carmelita. He then gazed up and shook his head in awe at the towering pines and beeches that sheltered them from view from the Embassy. "Woo, some of these trees must be a hundred meters tall…or more!" he said softly to his lovely companion.
Carmelita looked up too, and nodded. "At least," she agreed. She then intently studied the tops of the walls, and smiled when she saw no one standing or walking there. "Those walls appeared to be unmanned, Ringtail," she observed.
"Yeah, I agree," Sly replied, having already taken out his binocucom and was using the electronic viewing device to his favor. "I don't think there's a firestep on those walls…there just there to keep folks out, I think. Hey, but those fancy dragon figures on the walltops should prove quite useful though. A convenient target for Bentley's grappling hook guns."
Carmelita nodded her agreement. "C'mon, Sly…let's see what we can from the safety of the woods," she suggested. "Oh, and be sure to record what you're looking at too…Bentley will want to see everything, no doubt."
"Spoken like a true Master Thief," Sly complimented her, grinning. "Let's do it, querera…"
Five minutes later---at seven thirty-one P.M.---the two returned to the makeshift command post. The panel truck now sported a very tall, thin, telescoping mast topped by a concave dish emitter/receiver at its apex. "So, surveillance complete, you two?" Bentley asked, almost knowing what they had been up to.
"Yep!" Sly answered. "You should now have all the images we got with our binocucoms, Bent."
"Cool," Bentley replied, nodding happily. "Well, folks, give me five to peruse what I've got and get back to you, okay?" Bentley asked, eyeing the two Master Thieves trustingly.
"You got it, Bent," Sly told his pal. "C'mon, Carmelita…let's go see what's going on with Murray…"
They were both preparing to amble over to where Murray stood, leaning against a nearby tree, when Bentley interrupted them. "Sly? Could you, er, stick around a minute?" Bentley asked. "I've got some questions about some of the images you two took."
"Sure," Sly answered, then bade Carmelita to go on over to Murray. "Say 'hey' to Murray for me, sweetheart," he asked before she left.
Carmelita made her way over next to Murray, leaning against the second stout beech trunk. The big hippo was oddly quiet, and appeared to be deep in thought. "Enjoying the scenery, fella? Or, is something bothering you, Murray?" Carmelita asked.
Murray blinked, then looked over at her a moment. "Yeah, the scenery's nice enough, I suppose, Carmelita," Murray responded, smiling softly. "But, no…that's not what I'm doing. I've been…well, I've been thinking, is all."
Thinking? This was Murray, wasn't it? Carmelita teased herself. No, she had learned that while Murray might appear a bit dim-witted, he wasn't. "Okay, that's allowed," Carmelita teased him, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "Now, what's got you to thinking, pal?"
"Well," Murray began, suddenly beset with a case of shyness. "Um, well, it's just I was wondering about something is all..." Murray then sighed expansively, slumping. That lasted only a moment though, before Murray turned intently toward Carmelita. "Sly asked you to marry him, right?" he threw out.
"You know he did, Murray," Carmelita gently reminded him.
"Yeah, just checking," Murray argued gently. "And…I just found out the other day that Bentley is planning to ask Yuri to marry him. Right?"
"So I've heard, yes," Carmelita acknowledged, still wondering where Murray was heading…though, she was beginning to get a rather insistent inkling about that.
"Thought so," Murray answered, then slumped his shoulders again. He squared them up again, and turned once again to Carmelita. "Well, see…it's sort of like this, Carmelita…" Murray then stopped a moment, nodded his head as if giving himself permission to speak, then continued. "Now, you know I love my Naomi very much, right? That there's no other girl for me than her. Only her."
Carmelita grinned, pleased for the two of them. "Hate to tell you, Murray old pal…but, that's no secret, big guy," she told him.
"Heh, yeah," Murray admitted with a single laugh. "But, see…as much as I'd just love her to be with me always…er…I…" He stammered to a halt, looking dejected again.
"C'mon, pal…what's the matter, Murray?" Carmelita than asked, laying a hand on Murray's immense forearm in her concern.
Murray paused, apparently fighting some internal battle a moment again. But, soon enough, he continued again. "Now, don't get me wrong or anything, okay?" Murray said, averting his eyes from Carmelita's. "I know Naomi loves me…I do! But…er, I don't really think that she's, um, ready for me to pop the question right yet, you know?"
Carmelita blinked at hearing that! The Murray she knew---and loved!---wasn't afraid of anything! He was kind, he was stout-hearted, still could watch cartoons with wonder in his eyes, still thought television wrestling shows were real, and more times than not, spoke in superhero-ese. To see him here and now, contemplating asking the beautiful Naomi to marry him…wow! "Do you want to…I mean, marry her, Murray?" she asked, almost knowing the answer before she asked the question.
She had found it amusing and more than a little touching just how this most unlikely pair had clicked, and grown continually closer to one another. She also had been amused by the way that Murray---once Naomi had confessed she loved him!---had begun training in earnest, working harder and longer each and every day. Now, he could handily lift the back of the panel truck off the ground without seeming effort, and could demolish a roomfull of four-by-fours in the span of a half-hour. Carmelita knew that Murray was strong…stronger than she was, and Sly, and Bentley…heck, probably even stronger than all of them put together! Now, be that as it may, the one thing Carmelita had not seen in Murray before Naomi, was him thinking very deep thoughts. But, now…well, that heretofore surprising behavior seemed to be occurring with more and more frequency. Well, Carmelita told herself just then…only one way to find out what's going on in the Big Guy's brain…
"What is it, Murray?" Carmelita asked kindly. "I know you really love her, pal."
"Yeah, I do…so much!" Murray affirmed, nodding with such earnestness that Carmelita wanted to hug him. "Gah! But, every time I try to tell her---you know, what's in my heart, right?---then all I can do is mumble 'I love you' into her ear. While I know she likes that…it doesn't even begin to describe how much I love her! How much I want to be with her!"
"Trust me, Murray," Carmelita tried to assure him. "Naomi knows, big guy…we woman are pretty good at noticing things like that."
"Sure, yeah," Murray answered dully, not convinced. "Heck, I rented all of Naomi's favorite romance movies…you know, hoping I'd get a few tips, you know, maybe learn a romantic line or two…" Murray stopped talking then, grinned, and went red beneath his mask.
Carmelita smiled, charmed nearly to tears. "That's nothing to be embarrassed about, Murray! That's so sweet! You know, I think that Naomi is one very lucky girl…you know that?"
"Naomi? Why would that be?" Murray asked, confused. "I mean, she so wonderful and all that…but, well…um…" Murray looked down, shuffling his big feet in his embarrassment.
"C'mon, pal…you're not stupid, I know," Carmelita pointed out to him. "In fact, since you've been seeing Naomi, you've been doing a whole lot of deep thinking, pal. But, never mind that," Carmelita added, waving her hand to change the subject. "Have you told Naomi what you just told me?"
"Heavens, no!" Murray gasped. "I'd just make a big fool out of myself…"
Carmelita slapped her open hand against Murray's big chest. "You. Would. Not! Murray, I've seen you run eagerly into a room with twenty bad guys! Why are you so frightened of a slender cheetah girl?"
Murray looked stunned, wavering between what he should do. "I'm not afraid of Naomi, Carmelita…I love her."
"Then, Murray," Carmelita told him, hugging him then. "Tell her so! Tell her that…just like you did to me! Tell her how much you love her! Tell her how you can think of no one else but her! Tell her whatever you're feeling…but, most important of all…just tell her!"
Murray gently pulled Carmelita away from him, and gazed down at her. "Really?" he asked, surprised by her simplistic answer. "That's all I need to do?"
"Hell yes!" Carmelita softly scolded her friend…remembering how she too had once not told Sly of her feelings for him, fearing she'd appear foolish. "Chances are, you know, that she feels exactly the same way you do, Murray."
"No!" Murray proclaimed, then bit his lower lip softly, disbelieving yet…hopeful. "Really, Ms. Fox?"
"Murray, c'mon now…it's Carmelita," Carmelita replied gently. "Look…you're making this way more difficult than it should be, okay? Do you love Naomi?"
"You know I do, Carmelita!" Murray answered, nodding emphatically.
"Do you want to marry her, pal?" Carmelita then asked, pressing her case.
"Oh, yeah," Murray replied, his face contorting slightly as he tried to suppress his emotions. "More than anything, Carmelita!"
Carmelita pressed her thumbnail into her palm hard, the pain keeping her from bursting into tears just then. "Then, just ask her to, you big lug! Is that so very hard? Hmm?" she pressed him.
Murray was breathing heavy now, his eyes a bit wild…but, even before Carmelita's eyes, he steadied, and then…smiled. Smiled the most handsome smile Carmelita had ever seen grace his face. "I will, Carmelita. I will ask her," he said softly, then drew Carmelita into a hug for a moment. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it," Carmelita replied, pressing her thumbnail even harder into her palm, her lower lip trembling, her eyes gleaming with her unshed tears. That was most likely the sweetest thing she'd heard since her own Sly had proposed to her!
Just then, Sly and Bentley returned. Sly moved over to Carmelita's side, eyeing her questioningly. Carmelita put her arm around his waist, and briefly buried her head into his shoulder, holding him tight. In a moment, she had gotten herself under control again, and smiled into Sly's concerned eyes, letting him know all was well again.
Bentley nodded to them all. "All right, people…let's get this party started…"