by Rexi Lake
“Maybe you should stop with the wine and make a hard apple cider first,” she murmured. “You like it so much without the alcohol, why not capitalize on what you already have?”
He stilled beneath her, but she didn’t notice. He heard the soft sound of her breathing even out and deepen. She had no idea the way her sleepy words hit him.
Epilogue
Two months later
“I CAN’T BELIEVE HOW well this is going,” Tucker whispered into her hair as he pressed a kiss to her crown.
She smiled up at him and wrapped her arm tighter through his. “I can. You already had a wonderful thing going, you just needed the right inspiration.”
He grinned and winked at her.
Olivia giggled and rested her head on his shoulder for a brief moment.
“Oh! My dears! I must get a good photo of you both with your display before it is completely gone!” La Dame claimed their attention as she approached. The crowd moved out of her way, parting like waves as she walked straight through them. “Come, come.” She waved her hands and directed them into the spotlights that were positioned around the artfully displayed exhibit of Hart Farms newest product: Sweet Cider Sin, a hard apple cider.
Between La Dame’s love of the Hart apples and her expertise in advertising, plus the Marsten Fundraising Gala to host the release of the new product, Tucker and Olivia had been able to pull off a fast and successful marketing campaign to launch the new product in record time.
“Smile, my dears!” the woman demanded.
They smiled and allowed her to take several shots, before they couldn’t resist looking at each other and grinning.
“Perfect!” La Dame’s voice was exuberant. She snapped several more photos before releasing them and moving back into the crowd to grab candid shots of people enjoying the Gala.
Olivia giggled. “I had heard she was flamboyant, but I truly did not realize the extent of her liveliness.”
Tucker chuckled. “She is a very bright personality.”
“I bet your mother loves her.” One thing Olivia had learned over the months was exactly how deep Lila’s love for tabloid gossip went. As she and Olivia grew more comfortable together, Lila had begun asking for the ‘truth’ behind the stories she’d read about Olivia.
“You have no idea,” he agreed. “How long do we have to stay before we can disappear?” he asked.
She laughed, pulling on his arm to direct him around a small group of people. “I’m not entirely sure, but I think we must be here for at least a few more hours.”
“Hours?” He raised a brow at her upturned face and expression of innocence.
“It is the launch of your product,” she reminded him.
“Do you think anyone would miss us for a few minutes?” he asked.
She opened her mouth to answer, but was unable to speak as Steven and Lila Hart approached.
“Tucker! I can’t believe how many compliments we’ve been getting. And your father has already been asked when the hard cider will be available for sale!” Lila’s excitement was palpable as she all but squealed in delight. “Olivia, thank you so much for getting your father to agree to this.” She leaned in and wrapped her arms around the younger woman.
“Oh, it was nothing,” Olivia answered, hugging the woman back.
“It wasn’t nothing. It was very much something,” Lila said.
“Lila, give the girl some space to breathe,” Steven said.
Olivia smiled gratefully at him as Lila loosened her hold and stepped back. Steven Hart was as calm and collected as Lila was cheerful and bubbly. They were opposite in many ways, but they balanced each other well. She and Tucker were still finding their balance, but that was becoming easier with each day. Although she still had her apartment and job in Tribeca, she’d been spending much of her time at the Hart farm helping Tucker with the cider production. She and Tuck had talked a little about her working with him instead of at the cafe, but she’d held out and he hadn’t pushed.
That, of course, made her decision that much easier. Even if he didn’t know it yet.
“We’ll leave you two to enjoy the Gala. I’m sure you’d rather be dancing or something instead of talking to us,” Steven added. He smiled and shook Tucker’s hand. “You did well, son. Your great-grandmother would be very proud of you for making your own drink.”
Tucker grinned. “I had some help,” he said, wrapping his arm around Olivia’s shoulders again.
“Indeed you did.” Lila agreed, her bright smile didn’t quite hide the questioning look in her eyes that she leveled at Olivia.
Olivia simply smiled in return though, not giving away anything.
“Dad has a good idea, though. Will you dance with me?” he asked Olivia.
“I will,” she agreed.
He led her to the dance floor and pulled her into his arms as the string ensemble played a variety of gentle music that allowed couples to dance intimately with each other.
“I don’t think we’ll be able to sneak out of here anytime soon,” she murmured as he twirled her around gently.
“No, probably not,” he agreed. “But that just means we’ll have a bit of a wait until we can play later,” he murmured the last bit low so only she could hear it. “Unless you want to stay in the city tonight.” He raised a brow at the suggestion.
She shook her head, smiling. “No, we can’t do that.”
“We can’t?” he asked.
She shook her head again. Still smiling, she gently pulled him off to the side of the dance floor. “We can’t; I turned in the keys to the place yesterday while you were here finalizing things and I ran out to do that errand.”
“You turned in the keys?” His eyes narrowed on her slightly.
“I figured it might be more prudent to live closer to my new place of employment,” she added. That hint of mischief in her tone couldn’t be avoided.
“Oh?” He moved closer to her, his hands going to her waist. “And where is this new job?” he asked.
“On a farm. You may have heard of it. They grow lots of apples.” She told him, the innocence in her face contradicted the giggle in her voice.
“Lots of apples, huh?”
She nodded.
He grinned. “So you’re accepting my offer?” he asked.
She nodded again.
“Are you accepting the whole offer?”
She breathed out the breath she’d been holding. “Yes.”
He leaned down and pressed a hard kiss to her lips. She sighed into the touch. He was damn good at making her melt and ache with that mouth of his. He pulled away much too soon for her liking, but then she remembered that they were not only in public, but in the midst of a ballroom full of people who would love nothing more than to get the first bite of some juicy gossip.
She smiled up at him happily as he grabbed one of her hands and raised it to his lips.
“I guess it’s a good thing that I’ve continued to carry this in my pocket for the past week,” he said. He pulled his other hand from his pocket and slid a single solitary diamond on her ring finger.
“How did you know I’d say yes?” she asked, her eyes lighting up at the ring.
He shrugged. “I didn’t. Although I did have a fairly strong feeling you would eventually.”
She looked up from her hand and winked at him. “The finer things in life are worth the wait,” she told him.
He threw his head back and laughed, drawing the attention of those nearest to them. It didn’t take long before first one woman, then another, spotted the flash of sparkle on her finger. The rest of the evening passed in a blur that mixed congratulations of their engagement with those of the new product. In the end, the Gala was the most successful of Marsten events for the year. Raising nearly seven million dollars in funds for the Marsten cancer research and care grants they sponsored annually, it was the most they’d raised from one event since beginning it nearly two decades earlier.
What stayed with Olivia most, however
, wasn’t the bright lights, the sparkling cider, or the music. It wasn’t the cameras flashing or the who’s who of New York mingling and dining. It was the way she felt connected - finally - to something more. She felt like herself, not just a character playing a part. And she felt happy and whole. Because of Tucker. He’d strode into her life with a smart remark and a desire to get under her skin, which he’d succeeded at all too well. But then he’d stuck around and taught her how to enjoy life and helped her find herself in the process.
Life was full of surprises. But she’d learned one very important lesson: when life delivers apples, make Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal cookies. And some hard cider too.
The End
“Olivia’s Apple Oatmealies”
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies
SERVINGS: 19 COOKIES
Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Total Time: 45 Minutes
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups (177g) all-purpose flour (scoop and level to measure)
1 1/4 cups (120g) rolled old fashioned oats
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup (160g) packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (120g) finely chopped peeled Granny Smith apple 1/4-inch cubes or smaller)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two 18 by 13-inch baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
2. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, oats, cinnamon, baking soda and salt for 20 seconds, set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together butter and brown sugar until combined. Mix in egg and vanilla extract.
4. Toss apples with lemon juice in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to egg and vanilla mixture and mix until combined, then mix in apples.
5. Scoop dough out using a medium cookie scoop, or 2 Tbsp at a time, and drop onto prepared baking sheets spacing cookies
2-inches apart. Flatten them just slightly.
6. Bake one sheet at a time in a preheated oven until cookies are set, about 14 - 15 minutes.
7. Let cool on the baking sheet for several minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
Use rolled old fashioned oats for best results. Don't substitute quick oats.
Dice apples into tiny bites so they cook through and soften by the time cookies are done.
COPYRIGHT © 2020 COOKING Classy
https://www.cookingclassy.com/apple-cinnamon-oatmeal-cookies/
About the Author
Rexi Lake is a dreamer. She lives in a world full of characters and their stories. And when she gets the time, she shares those stories with others. Rexi has always believed that the world deserves more happily ever afters, so she brings them into the world the best way she knows how: through her words. She lives in Western Pennsylvania with her socially active daughter. When she’s not writing, she’s busy with living and enjoying life and whatever comes her way.
You can find Rexi on a variety of social media sites, as well as her website. She does her best to attend 2-4 author events each year. Follow her for more information on upcoming releases and appearances.
Don’t miss the other Bad Apple novels!
The series features 5 standalone steamy contemporary romance tales that bring together the bad boys (and girls) of New York City with the love of their lives. Are they willing to do anything to hold on to their “one” - even change?
❖ Delicious Sin by Claudia Stevens
❖ Big Apple Sin by Simone Evans
❖ Sweet Cider Sin by Rexi Lake
❖ Sin in Blue Jeans by Dakota Trace
❖ Sinfully Star-Crossed by Elouise East
Other Novels by Rexi Lake
Just Say Yes
Claimed by Christmas (Claimed #1)
Claimed in Cuffs (Claimed #2)
Claimed in Chains (Claimed #3)
Claimed by the Chef: Turn Up the Heat (Claimed #4)
Imagi
For the Love of Coffee (Fated Mates #1)
For the Love of Chocolate (Fated Mates #2)
Fairyfales
Wicked for Him
Spirit Hollow
Sips and Spells and Wedding Bells
Standalones
Keeping His Kitten (Leather Persuasion Multi-Author Series)
The Lady of the Lake (Loch Gaoil Multi-Author Series)
Anthologies
Eternal Steel Beginnings (Hearts of Steel Charity Anthology)
The Hitman’s Fall (Heart of an Alpha Charity Anthology)
Coming Soon
Eric (Eternal Steel #1 [Includes Beginnings])
Mistletoe Magic (Fated Mates #2.5)
Being Her Beast (FairyFales #2)
