They sat there silently for a while, the only change being Paul's subtle movement closer to her. Finally, however, he sat up and said, in a fairly matter-of-fact voice, "Sarah."
The girl who looked like Sarah DeVries turned to look at him. "Yes, Paul?"
Paul moved in a bit. "Sarah, you know we almost died yesterday. With that guy coming in and threatening us for whatever reason he wanted to. And something like that--well, it gets a man thinking about his life. About what's important."
"Paul, where are you going with this?"
If Hammer had been paying attention to Paul instead of the over-friendly local wildlife, she would have seen him fumbling through his jacket to retrieve a small box. "Well, there was something...something I meant to ask you a few days after this. You know, on our anniversary because I thought it would be romantic."
"The third of December," Hammer said absentmindedly. She cringed internally. These two know that date very well. Spouting hard facts would sound suspicious.
But if Paul Jackson suspected anything about her, he didn't show it. He was too caught up in the moment. Seizing "Sarah's" hands, he slid off the park bench and got down on one knee. "Sarah DeVries, I love you. Will you marry me?"
Time froze, at least for Hammer. "I...I..."
What was going on? She had seen the ring and anticipated the proposal. She had even run through a sappy acceptance of the ring that would bring her extra money when she inevitably left Paul and disappeared into a new life. But for some reason, she couldn't spit it out.
A few bystanders had apparently figured out what was going on and were heckling her to answer him. She opened her mouth, but instead of her prepared yes, she ended up saying...
