The Perfect Indulgence Read online

  Apparently she’d stopped him.

  “Hey, Chris.” Eva tapped her on the shoulder. Today she had on red leggings and red ankle boots with a pink shirt covered in red-and-white polka dots. Heart-shaped pins held up her wavy blond hair. Trust Eva to have more than one outfit suitable for Valentine’s Day. “Jinx said the event at NYEspresso is going really well. The pastry-chef thing got great buzz and people are flocking to the café. I admit, I’m glad I’m here, though. This is totally exciting.”

  “Any chance you can get Ames to propose and start things off?”

  She snorted. “That’s not going to happen. Totally not his style to make it a public event. But you’re right, it would be perfect. Getting engaged at my own shop? I’d love that.”

  Her shop. Ames was starting his new job two weeks from Monday. Eva was flying back to New York tomorrow to pack up her stuff and help Ames pack his, and then she was coming back for good. She wanted to put her house in Carmia on the market and start looking for a place for the two of them right away.

  Chris would have to start packing soon.

  The crowd noise swelled into a roar of approval. Chris craned her neck toward the center of the tent. Was someone proposing?

  Yes!

  “Eva.” She grabbed her twin’s arm. “Man on the carpet! Come on, let’s go.”

  Eva squealed with excitement. “Awesome! You’ve done it!”

  They pushed their way to a spot with a good view, since she and Eva would be in charge of handing out the free coffee certificates. The beaming couple in the center of the carpet was instantly familiar.

  “Gus and Pammy!” Chris thumped a hand to her chest. “Oh, my gosh!”

  “Already? You have got to be kidding me.” Eva’s voice sounded in her ear. “Didn’t they just meet?”

  Chris nodded, totally enchanted. Gus was on both knees, hands clasped over Pammy’s, his eyes glowing with love. The crowd quieted.

  “Pammy, you are the sunshine of my life. You give me hope to carry on. You are the wind beneath my waves. I love you. Will you marry me?”

  “Oh, yes, Gus. Oh, my gosh, yes.” Pammy had her hands to her face, tears sliding over her fingers.

  “All right!” Gus got to his feet, pulled her up and dipped her, kissing her as if it was the last thing he’d be allowed to do on earth. Cameras and flashes went off all around. The crowd erupted into cheers.

  Chris clapped and yelled along with everyone else, brushing away her own tears. The way Gus had looked at Pammy... Oh, boy.

  She’d better give them the certificates right away or she was going to start sobbing.

  Stepping onto the carpet, she held up her hand for the crowd to quiet down. “Gus and Pammy, congratulations! Eva and I and all the staff at Slow Pour wish you a long and happy marriage. This certificate is good for one free coffee for each of you every day for a year.”

  The crowd applauded again. Chris hugged Pammy and then Gus, who picked her up off the ground and swung her around until she feared she was going to lose her lunch.

  “Thanks, Chris.” He put her down, looking so happy and so handsome she got choked up all over again. “Neither of us drinks coffee. I just really wanted to ask Pammy to marry me.”

  “How about a year of free Suja Juice?”

  “Whoa!” He nodded and raised his hand for a high five. “Excellent.”

  Chris grinned and gave his hand a resounding smack. “You go, dude.”

  “By the way, Bodie called me finally. He’s fine. He said he just got tied up. I think I’ll—”

  “Gus!” Eva launched herself at him. “Congratulations!”

  “Thanks, coffee lady.”

  Eva congratulated Pammy, then the happy couple made their way into the crowd to accept backslaps and high fives from friends and strangers alike.

  Chris stood watching them, giving in to a shuddering sigh and a little sniff.

  Eva gave her a strange look. “Since when have you been such a romantic?”

  “Me?” She shrugged. Since I met Zac. “I don’t know. I’m just emotional these days.”

  “Uh-huh.” Eva nodded sagely, tapping her finger on her chin. “Do we know why?”

  “Yeah, we do.” She gave her twin a sad smile.

  “And what does that tell you about—”

  “Hey, ladies.” Ames joined them, looking handsome in a crisp blue shirt and khakis. He slipped his arm around Eva, who lit up like a Christmas tree. “Wasn’t that great? You got one.”

  “It was fabulous. I hope they make it.” Eva put her arm around Ames and gave him a squeeze. Her face changed. “Ow. What is that? You have something sharp in your pocket.”

  “Oh, yeah?” He winked at Chris, who smiled politely, having no idea what was cute and mysterious about jabbing your girlfriend. “What do you think that’s about?”

  “I don’t know. It’s your pocket.” Eva moved away and swatted at a square bulge in his pants.

  “Let me see.” He rummaged around, then with a flourish, pulled out a black velvet box. “Oh, hey, yeah, I wondered where that went.”

  Eva gasped. “Ames!”

  “Man on the carpet!” Chris could barely get the words out. Her sister was about to get engaged! She was bursting with happiness.

  Ames knelt. Eva immediately sank down with him and they joined hands, gazing rapturously at each other. A soft ooh spread over the crowd before it quieted into electric anticipation.

  “Eva, you have brought so much joy and laughter to my life.”

  “You know we already get free coffee?” Eva’s eyes were sparking equal parts mischief and joy.

  “Wait, really? Jeez, what am I doing here?” The crowd laughed. Ames waited, gazing at Eva, who was gazing back at him, their expressions so full of love that Chris started bawling again. They were going to be happy forever. She wasn’t going to be able to take much more of this. At least she’d been smart enough to wear waterproof mascara.

  Gradually the crowd settled again.

  “Eva Meyer, love of my life, will you marry me?”

  “Yes, yes and yes, Ames Cooke. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.”

  More cheers, more excitement, more clicking cameras aimed at the kissing couple.

  “Hey, Chris, are you okay?” A slender arm enveloped Chris in a fierce hug.

  “Aw, Summer, thanks.” Chris wiped her tears, glad to see Luke standing next to Summer. The two of them looked happy and right together. “This is really perfect. And a bit brutal.”

  “I know, it really must be. But you’ve done so much for Slow Pour today and for Carmia, too. We’re going to miss you. I’m going to miss you.”

  “No, stop!” Chris was half laughing, half crying. “Please, have mercy on the tear ducts.”

  “It’s going great.” Luke nodded, smiling crookedly. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get Zac to come by. He said he had stuff to do.”

  “Oh.” She nodded. “I understand.”

  All too well. He didn’t want to see her. And with her emotions set on ultraturmoil right now, she didn’t think she could handle seeing him, either. She wasn’t even sure she could make it through the rest of this event.

  She did. By the time darkness fell, two more proposals had been made and accepted, and finally the last of the stragglers had gone home. Chris had sent Ames and Eva off to celebrate. Ames’s plans included a fancy dinner in San Luis Obispo and spending the night at an incredible resort hotel on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

  Chris, Summer and Luke had cleaned up and put away everything but the tent and the red carpet. The rental company would come pick up the tent on Monday. The red carpet Chris had decided to leave as a temporary tribute to the four couples who had committed to each other here today. When word got around she expected people who had missed the event would come by to gawk.

  “Thanks, guys. Go home. You’ve been fabulous. I’m going to do one last check inside.”

  “Okay.” Summer hugged her long and hard. “Luke and I are going to ha
ng out at my house, make dinner and watch TV. You’re welcome to come over.”

  Chris smiled. Oh, Lord. The offer was incredibly sweet, but it meant she’d become the single woman everyone felt sorry for. “Thanks, but I’m exhausted. I’ll be fine at home.”

  Eva’s home. Chris’s home was thousands of miles away, and she suddenly missed it something fierce.

  Almost as much as she missed Zac.

  “If you’re sure.” Summer hugged her again. “If you change your mind, just call. Seriously, we’ll just be hanging out.”

  “Thanks, Summer.” The back of Chris’s head was aching from forcing so many smiles. She just wanted to curl up alone on the couch and cry herself into puffy-faced hideousness. Then, phoenix from the ashes, she’d rise up again and be okay.

  That was the plan, anyway.

  After Summer and Luke left, she went back into Slow Pour for her purse, lingering by the table where she’d first met Zac back in October, and had been both strongly attracted and strongly annoyed by everything he did. He’d practically bullied her into taking a walk to the beach that day, showing her the special peaceful place on the cliff where she’d been so many times since to meditate. From that first meeting he’d seen what she needed and tried to give it to her.

  To repay him, she’d fought or denied her true feelings, bristled whenever he spoke to her, and once she started to understand and change, she’d given all the credit to herself and the Peace, Love and Joy Center.

  She owed him so much. Before she left, she’d make sure to speak with him and let him know how much his support had meant to her.

  How much he meant to her?

  Chris closed her eyes. She wasn’t going there. What was the point?

  She opened the office, got out her purse and did the final check on the store before turning the sign to Closed and locking up. Outside, she wandered over to the tent, dimly lit by nearby streetlights. The red carpet beckoned her. She stood next to it, reliving the special, intimate moments the four couples had shared with Slow Pour and with Carmia.

  The deep ache in her chest intensified. She lowered her head, feeling tears coming again. Again! This was getting to be a habit, and would continue, she suspected, until she was back home once again and could immerse herself in the crazy hustle of New York and her business.

  “Chris.”

  Her head jerked up and her heart took off. Zac.

  He ducked under the roof flap of the tent and walked toward her, stopping on the other side of the carpet, hands on his hips, looking big and solid and absolutely wonderful. “I’m sorry I missed your event.”

  “Oh, that’s...” She had to clear her throat. “That’s okay. It was great, though. Four couples got engaged.”

  “Yeah, Luke texted me. He told me about Eva and Ames. And Gus. That’s great.” He nodded. Nodded again.

  Oh, Zac. Chris felt as if she was going to explode from all the feelings fighting inside her.

  A sudden breeze blew through the tent, bringing the cool, damp smell of incoming fog. Apparently the clear skies weren’t going to last much longer.

  “I wanted to talk to you, Chris.” He was calm, as usual, watching her intently. She’d come to love both of those things about him. “I figured if I showed up earlier you’d be a little busy.”

  “Just a bit.” She wrapped her arms around herself, bracing for another draining conversation.

  “In all the time we’ve been together, you’ve been searching for ways to be as emotionally honest with yourself as possible.” His voice cracked. “But I haven’t been emotionally honest with you.”

  “Oh.” Her head sagged back down toward her chest. No more, no more. No more emotions today. No more complications. She felt as fragile and doomed as a soap bubble heading for a rosebush.

  Pop. The end.

  Zac’s feet took a step forward, to the edge of the carpet.

  “Zac...”

  “I love you.”

  Chris’s head rose. Her eyes widened. Her lips parted. Had she just heard him say what she’d just heard him say?

  He was looking at her tenderly, his blue eyes warm, his face solemn and incredibly sweet. “I love you, Chris. I’ve known for a long time. I should have told you before.”

  She needed to say something. But what? How would this change anything? What if she—

  Shut up, Chris.

  “I love you, too, Zac.”

  It was so simple.

  The second the words were out of her mouth, she felt as if ten tons of misery lifted off her shoulders and shot straight up and exploded into fireworks, lighting the sky with stars of blazing color.

  Yes, she was getting the hang of this romantic thing.

  It took about half a second for her and Zac to cross the carpet and find each other in the middle. A fraction of that time for their arms to encircle one another, for their mouths to meet.

  The fireworks were still exploding, but this time inside her head and inside her heart.

  “Zac.” She couldn’t stop kissing him. The Carmia public-works department would find them still like this in the morning.

  “Chris.” He apparently couldn’t stop kissing her, either. By Wednesday they’d be dead of thirst.

  “You and I are going to stay together.” He wasn’t asking. He was really hers, this man who’d stop at nothing. “Whether I have to bribe my way into Columbia or get a job selling tokens in the subway, I am not letting you go.”

  “Oh, Zac.” Chris gave a half laugh, half sob of happiness. “That’s fine. Really.”

  “No, seriously. I am not letting you go. We will have to find ways to work and shower and eat wrapped around each other like this.”

  “Okay.” The sobs gave way to pure giggles. “That is totally fine with me.”

  He leaned his forehead against hers. “Oh, Chris. I can’t believe how close I came to letting you go.”

  “Oh, Zac.” She lifted her hand to touch his cheek. “I can’t believe how close I came to going.”

  “You know what?” He lifted his head and grinned at her. “From now on I would much rather hear you say you are close to coming.”

  “Mmm, that does sound better.” She moved provocatively against him. “Speaking of which...”

  “My place or yours?”

  “Doesn’t matter. Because wherever we go, it will be you and me.” She kissed him, her love, her future, the man who had helped her become the woman she wanted to be, by uncovering the woman she’d been all along. “And nothing in any place or in any city can change that.”

  Epilogue

  “I NOW PRONOUNCE you husband and wife.”

  Bodie turned to Gail, who looked so hot in her black leather wedding dress that he wanted the damn ceremony over with so he could get her back into bed.

  He hadn’t expected to fall in love with her. Hell, he never thought he was the love-forever type. But she kept him coming back for more and more and more, and then one day he just felt like proposing, so he did.

  They bought a house on the beach in Encinitas, just north of San Diego, the quintessential surf town. Maybe he’d get Gail to pop out a few kids. That would be cool. He owed it to the world to pass along the big bad Bodie DNA to some cranking little surfer-dudes.

  “You may kiss the bride.”

  He kissed his wife, wincing when she bit his tongue hard. She’d pay for that. Then she’d make him pay for what he did. And on and on into their happy ever after.

  Life was kicking ass.

  * * *

  “I NOW PRONOUNCE you husband and wife.”

  Gus started crying. He couldn’t help it. Pammy was so beautiful in her white gown, with the big poufy veil. He was the luckiest guy in the world. And she didn’t do too badly, either.

  He was winning tournaments now and then, instead of just placing, pretty sure he was heading for the big time, but he worried that with a wife now and kids someday, maybe he better get serious about a career. He could always...

  Or maybe he’d be good
at...

  Uh.

  He was a surfer. What could he say?

  Pammy was studying to be an X-ray technician. Practically a doctor. She was so smart. He was away from home more than he wanted, but it was so much more special now coming back to Carmia than it had ever been, with this perfect woman waiting for him.

  “You may kiss the bride.”

  Yeah, he was all over that. And looking forward to doing it every day until death.

  Life had totally worked out.

  * * *

  “I NOW PRONOUNCE you husband and wife.”

  Summer smiled up at Luke, letting him see all the love in her eyes. He looked so gorgeous! He no longer wore the brow ring, and he’d cut his hair shorter. It made him look older and so sexy. Women were always flirting with him.

  They’d made a wonderful home at Zac’s, both studying full-time at Cal Poly. As planned, Summer was pursuing her dream of a psychology degree. Luke was taking on computer science and doing really well. He was serious about his studies, serious about becoming a husband and someday a father. Both of them were amazed at how easily they’d adjusted to living together. She was getting married a lot younger than she’d ever dreamed of doing, but Luke... Well, she couldn’t imagine ever being without him.

  “You may kiss the bride.”

  She kissed her new husband, beaming at him, so glad so many of their friends had been able to join them for their wedding. Even her family had behaved. They liked Luke. Who wouldn’t?

  Life was finally as she’d always wanted it to be, full of laughter and full of love.

  * * *

  “I NOW PRONOUNCE you husband and wife...and husband and wife.”

  Chris beamed at Zac, then peeked behind her for a quick second to beam at Eva who was facing Ames at their double wedding outside Slow Pour, under a tent, on a red carpet.

  Of course Zac had gotten into Columbia—he’d gotten in practically everywhere he applied. Which was good, because she was pretty sure selling subway tokens would have gotten old fast for a guy with his brains. It was great being back in the city of all cities, but she’d missed Carmia more than she expected. Zac had taken to Manhattan well for the most part. Winter, not so much. After he graduated, she planned to sell NYEspresso and return here with him. She and Eva would share the ownership and management of Slow Pour, so when kids started arriving the two couples would be able to maintain a good balance between family and career.