She landed in Denver in the late afternoon, the brilliant blue of the sky so startling and stark and stupidly unexpected, she felt, once again, disconnected from reality. She wanted to surprise Stuart with her return and had planned to rent a car and simply show up at his place. But when she walked off the plane and found herself literally stumbling from jet lag, she realized it might not be the best idea to get behind the wheel of a car. Jai, however, was happy to pick her up and keep it from his soon-to-be-husband, knowing how much it would please him. He was at the airport in what seemed like record time, and they made it back to the hotel by five. Ethel immediately plied both of them with a plate full of her awful muffins, which Jai was nice enough to gush over and begin eating in front of her.

Jai followed Ryann into her room, setting the extra muffins on the desk. She flopped backward onto the bed while he sat in an armchair, continually checking his phone and dismissing calls and messages.

“Stuart thinks I’ve died,” he announced, reading a message on his phone.

She laughed. “How long have you been gone?”

He glanced at the clock. “Less than three hours.”

She sat up again, rubbing her face. “Do you two normally check in this often?”

He nodded. “We text and chat all day unless we’re working, and he knows I’m not working. I was helping Maddie with the cake earlier today, but that was hours ago, and he knows that, too.”

She didn’t react to Maddie’s name, instead asking, “Do you need to call him?”

“Yes—if only to divert suspicion. What should I tell him?”

Her mind was still fuzzy. She wanted to surprise Stuart but hadn’t really thought it through in any way beyond her original plan.

“Maybe tell him to meet you somewhere in a little while?”

He pointed at her. “Good idea. We were supposed to have dinner and drinks with Erin and Darcy in a few. I’ll say I got caught up, and I’ll meet them all over there in a little bit. Then you can show up with me.”

“How long do I have?”

He tilted his head back and forth. “Thirty, forty minutes? I could push it a little, but you know how Stuart gets if you make him wait for food.”

She laughed and made herself get up, her whole body protesting. It was strange. After all, she’d slept well on the plane going to London, had slept solidly in her hotel last night in London, and had gotten a decent nap on the flight and on the drive here. She’d probably slept more the last two days than she had any night the last two weeks, but she was still terribly tired.