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the Exodus End bus was soundproof. If she tried, she could convince
herself that Toni and Logan were doing aerobics back there and that was what
was making them both appear so hot and sweaty whenever they ventured out into
the main cabin of the bus.
    Toni
pushed her glasses up her nose with the back of her wrist. “Uh, I’ll have soup
with my salad, if that’s okay.”
    “What
kind?” the server asked.
    After
listening to the list of available soups, Toni settled on chicken noodle.
     “When’s
the baby due?” Toni asked Jessica once the server collected their menus and
left the table.
    “Not
until February.” Jessica’s face went pink. “And I’m already showing.” She ran a
hand over her perfectly flat belly.
    “You
are not,” Reagan said, shaking her head.
    “My
pants are getting tight.”
    “That’s
all the mayo you’ve been eating,” Reagan said.
    Jessica
stuck her tongue out.
    “And
the Rocky Road ice cream,” Myrna added.
    Jessica
turned to direct her stuck-out tongue in Myrna’s direction before focusing her
attention on Toni, seated on her left. “Are you coming to the wedding with
Logan?”
    Toni’s
eyes widened behind her thick-rimmed glasses. “Wedding?”
    “Sed
and I are getting married in a couple of weeks. Didn’t Logan mention it?” When
Toni shook her head, Jessica rolled her eyes. “He probably forgot. You’re
invited to accompany him if you want to come.”
    Toni
smiled brightly and touched Jessica’s arm with trembling fingertips. “Thanks.”
    “So
are you and Logan getting serious?” Myrna asked, cutting a slice of hot bread from
the basket the server just dropped off and spreading butter over it.
    “We
went tandem skydiving yesterday,” Toni said, her face flushed with pleasure.
    “Is
that what kids do these days when they’re serious about each other?” Myrna
asked.
    Kids? Logan was only a few years younger
than Myrna. Of course, he acted like he was still in his teens most of the
time.
    “As
we plummeted toward the ground, he told me he loved me for the first time,”
Toni said, her lips curved into a smile as she stared at the table in front of
her. “It was a magical moment.”
    “Aww,
how romantic,” Jessica said as her eyes overflowed with tears. “Sorry.” She
sniffled and, abandoning her disintegrating tissue, she dabbed at her eyes with
a cloth napkin. “I don’t know why I’m crying again. Sheesh!”
    Reagan
didn’t know either. Jessica wasn’t the type of woman who cried easily, but
she’d been on the verge of tears most of the morning.
    “It’s
just the hormones,” Myrna said, passing the loaf of bread to Rebekah.
    Aggie
rubbed Jessica’s back soothingly. “Don’t cry, kitten.”
    “Sorry,”
Jessica said. “It’s just . . . I miss Sed.”
    “You
left him just a couple of hours ago,” Reagan said, though she understood. She’d
started missing Trey and Ethan as soon as they were out of sight.
    “Go
call him,” Aggie said. “It’ll do you good to hear his voice.”
    Jessica
nodded. “Planning this wedding has been making me crazy.” She slid her chair
back and grabbed her purse. “That’s why I’m so emotional.”
    “Hormones,”
Myrna interjected as Jessica headed to a quiet location to call her fiancé.
“And it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”
    “Poor
Sed,” Rebekah said with a laugh, passing the loaf of bread—minus another slice—to
Reagan.
    “Things
will settle down a bit after their wedding,” Aggie said.
    “For
a week maybe,” Myrna said. “Then we’re heading to Europe. That’s sure to be
chaos.”
    “Good
chaos,” Reagan said. She’d never been to Europe. She couldn’t wait to see the world
and share the experience with Trey and Ethan.
    “I
envy you all,” Toni said.
    “You’re
not going to Europe with us?” Reagan asked.
    Toni
shook her head. “I should have enough material for the book in a few days. I
just need to capture more footage from the crew’s point of view