“Hi, Trudy! It’s really good to see your face.”

Dani thought maybe she might tear up for a second. When she’d thought she was dying, Trudy’s was among the faces she knew she’d miss the most. Sensing her distress, Zed ran his hand along Dani’s thigh, squeezing it gently. Dani sniffed and gave Trudy a watery smile.

“Oh, hon, don’t be upset. I got the transfer you sent and started the payments. We should have everything taken care of within a week.” Trudy practically yelled over the sound of Jackson’s monkey noises. “Cheese and rice, Jack, go find your grandpa and tell him Aunt Dani’s calling before I lose my ever-loving mind.”

Zed laughed and that made Trudy’s face freeze on screen. “We’re not alone, are we?”

“No.” Dani glanced at Zed. He leaned into the camera’s frame and waggled one of his ham-sized hands at Dani’s aunt. “Trudy Gustafsson, this is Zed Berend. Zed, this is my aunt-but-more-like-a-sister-but-basically-my-best-friend, Trudy.”

Zed waved. “It’s really nice to meet you.”

“Oh good gosh! That’s the guy you’ve been ‘not dating’ this whole time? You could have mentioned he was—” Trudy’s green eyes went even wider and her cheeks turned pink.

Dani asked cheekily, “Could have mentioned what?”

Trudy shot her an annoyed look, though there was no real heat in it. “So tall.”

“But we’re sitting down, Tru,” Dani said, her tone too innocent to be genuine.

Trudy slapped a hand over her face.

“And if makes you feel any better, I finally got her to admit that we’re dating.” Zed piped in.

“That’s amazing progress. You have no idea.”

Jillian snickered, but tried to cover the sound with a cough.

“Oh, come on, are there other people there, too? Just show me to everybody so I know what I’m dealing with and stop sticking my foot in my mouth,” Trudy cried.

Dani motioned for Jillian to move around the back of the swing. Bael hesitated slightly, but followed along when Jillian pulled on his uniform shirt.

“Trudy, this is Jillian Ramsay, who is uh, head of the tourist commission here, but has become a really good friend. And this is Bael Boone, who is the sheriff in these parts. Guys, this is my aunt Trudy.”

“It’s really lovely to put a face to the name,” said Jillian.

Bael followed Zed’s example and waved. “Hi, there.”

If it was possible, Trudy’s cheeks got even more red. “Are all of the men in Mystic Bayou so…”

“Tall?” Jillian supplied helpfully. “Not quite, but we do have a higher than average rate of ‘really tall’ men around here.”

Trudy chewed on her lip. “The kids get out of school for two weeks in December. We could probably come down for a holiday visit…”

Grandad’s voice boomed off camera. “Why’s your face so red, Trudy?”