by Susan Hatler
“Of course,” I said, feeling humbled that he’d want to share such a special and difficult moment with me. “Whenever you’re ready, we’ll go.” I squeezed his arm. “Now you see that you don’t have anything to be sorry about?”
“Yes, I do.” He laced his fingers through mine. “I lied to you,” he said, sending tremors of fear skittering through me. His hand tightened. “I told you when I loved someone I’d never leave them. Then I left you alone. Feeling insecure.” He cupped my face with his strong hands. “I will never do that again. I love you, Olivia.”
“I love you, too, Brody,” I said, meaning each and every word. My heart leapt as he took me in his arms, pulled me against him, and kissed me.
The sky rumbled above then the clouds showered us with cold rain. We pulled apart, laughing. As the rain drenched us, I stayed in his arms, staring into his eyes. I could see the feelings he had for me shining in his beautiful blues. I wondered how I’d been so blind to his true feelings before. I rose up on my tippy toes and kissed the man of my dreams. In the coldness of the rain, his mouth was warm and sweet, as he pressed his lips to mine again and again.
In his kisses, I finally figured out how an independent woman could still have romance in her life. She had to let go of past pain and heal in the comfort of friendship. When the right man came into her life, no matter if the timing was perfectly imperfect, she needed to write her own legend, and let nothing stand in her way—and that’s exactly what I planned to do.
Epilogue
I scooted onto the same barstool I’d sat on at Scotty’s Seafood Restaurant when I’d first met Brody, feeling bittersweet that tonight was the retreat’s last dinner. The luxury beach retreat hadn’t gone exactly the way I’d pictured, but I’d loved being The Date Escape event planner, and was sad our time together was coming to an end.
As a group, we’d invited our neighbors tonight—and even some local friends—and this felt like one of those special nights to remember in life. I gazed out at the setting sun over the bay, and at the tiny sparkles of light glinting on the waves as they washed gently against the shore. The storm had passed through quickly, leaving clear skies and sunny days ahead.
Brody positioned himself behind the bar and turned to me. He gave me a very sexy grin. “What can I get for you, lovely lady?”
“Hmm . . .” I giggled, tapping a finger against my chin. “What would you recommend for an independent woman who’s fallen in love?”
“I have just the thing, in fact.” With a twinkle in his eye, he grabbed the shaker, then reached for a bottle behind the bar. “I’m calling this one, The Perfect Kiss.”
I raised a brow. “You make these drinks up as you go along. Don’t you?”
“Shh.” He winked at me. “Bartender’s secret,” he said.
“I’ll take one of those, please,” Wendy said, suddenly appearing by my side. We exchanged a quick hug as Brody mixed our drinks. She hopped up on the barstool beside me, smoothing the skirt of her black cocktail dress. “I’m glad to hear the retreat was a success. I see you got over your need to be independent without a man.”
“Pretty much.” I laughed, twisting in her direction. “I’d been so wrapped up in Greta’s book and focusing on not getting my heart pummeled again, that I ended up hiding behind my career. Well, the full-time career I’d wanted, anyway.” My chest tightened a little. “As of now, Greta’s not scheduling any more of The Date Escape women’s retreats. So, it’s back to pushing seafood at The Market for me, while marketing Olivia’s Occasions,” I said, my tone finally laced with something other than disappointment. Maybe, hope.
She patted my arm. “Give your business time to take off. It’ll happen,” she said, then looked around the room. “You could’ve done a lot worse than two weeks in a luxurious mansion, coming away with a boyfriend, and reuniting with Charlie.”
I picked up the pink-colored drink after Brody set the glass down. “You’re right, Wendy. Cheers to everything you just said.”
She clinked her glass into mine, took a long sip, then set her drink down. She gave Brody a sly grin. “When I first saw you with Olivia, I had a good feeling about you two.”
“Oh yeah?” he said, reaching for my hand as he smiled at Wendy. “Maybe you should’ve clued us in. Would’ve saved Olivia a lot of time resisting me.”
“Like I would’ve listened.” I laughed, loving the feel of Brody’s warm hand around mine. I thought back to our time on the beach. The Boat. Horseback riding. Dinner. The monument. Kissing in the rain. . . I smiled at Brody. “I had to fall for you in my own time. I think that worked out pretty well, though.”
“Can’t argue with that.” He pressed his mouth to the inside of my wrist, sending tingles up my arm. Shiver.
“If you’ll both excuse me, I’m going to look for Max.” Wendy put her hand on my shoulder and smiled, before she left to find her boyfriend.
A moment later, Janine rushed over to me looking more than a little stressed.
“Hey, Olivia.” She sat on the empty barstool next to me. “I think everything is ready to go. I went through the itinerary and triple-checked everything just like you taught me,” she said, talking so fast I could hardly keep up. “Everyone’s here. When would you and Greta like to make your speeches?”
“We’ve got time still.” I felt a rush of warmth for her. “I know you’re going back into real estate, eventually. But you’ve done a wonderful job as my assistant, Janine. I really wish Greta would’ve wanted to host more retreats, so you and I could continue working together. Maybe if things pick up for my business, and you have time, I could hire you again.”
Her eyes widened. “Really? That would be amazing.”
“Thank you for running the retreat for me after the Bait Buster event blew up on us, and I left to talk with Brody. I really appreciate your help,” I said. “Many of the women told me your discussion that afternoon in the sharing circle was a highlight of the retreat for them.”
She blushed. “I’m sorry I freaked out about Greta breaking her own rules.”
“You know what?” I took a quick sip of my drink, letting the fruity flavor dance on my tongue and slide down my throat. Yum. I smiled. “We all freak out every now and then. You helped make the retreat a great success, and that’s what is important.” I spotted Greta across the room, talking with Charlie and a few other women. “I’m glad Greta learned to open her heart to Scotty again. She didn’t need him in her life. She simply loved him.”
“So dreamy,” Janine said, then her eyes suddenly bulged. “You know what? I’m going to quadruple-check the cake in the kitchen. The caterer put the box close to the stove. I asked him to move the container, but I have to make sure the fondant didn’t melt.”
“Thanks,” I said, thinking I might’ve trained her a little too well. I didn’t want stress to rule her life, or anything. I spotted Charlie across the room with Wyatt, and I knew she’d invited him here as her date. I was glad she was taking a chance on a guy again.
Charlie had turned Greta down for the tell-all book about her ex, but Greta had announced her new project last night at dinner. She was tentatively calling the book Love: We All Need It. The book’s premise would be how to love yourself so you can love others.
I noticed Silvi talking with Greta and Charlie. Silvi looked impossibly chic in black pants, an emerald green top, and matching heels. She caught sight of me, excused herself from the ladies, then wound her way to me.
“Olivia, this night has been fabulous.” She gave me a quick hug and peck on the cheek. “Greta has been telling me about some challenges, make that debacles, you’ve conquered during the retreat. As a guest, everything ran smoothly for me. I’m very impressed.”
A lump formed in my throat. “Thank you. I take a lot of pride in my work and your compliment means a lot to me,” I said, smiling.
“Truthfully, I have ulterior motives for telling you this.” She finished off her champagne, then smiled at me. “As the general manager for the B
lue Moon Bay Country Club, I take a lot of pride in my work as well. I’ve been looking to hire an event planner, but I’ve been unable to find one that impresses me. Until now.”
My heart rate kicked up a notch and I practically slid off the bar stool. I faced her fully with my hand over my heart. “Are you saying . . .?”
“I’m asking. Would you like to join my team? I’d love to hire Olivia’s Occasions to run our special events for us. Our members at the country club expect the best. I know first-hand you can deliver. We have at least one event per week. More around the holidays, of course. Think you can handle that?”
Vigorously, I nodded. “Absolutely . . . working with you would be amazing.” My hands began to shake as adrenaline coursed through me. This account meant I could work at my business full-time. No more working at The Market. No more fish scent. Woot! Plus, I could afford to hire Janine to help me. I held out my hand toward Silvi. “Thanks for putting your faith in me. I’m really excited about this opportunity.”
“Me, too.” Silvi shook my hand, then reached around my shoulder pulling me into a hug. “I’ll have our H.R. department draw up the paperwork on Monday and send it over to you. We’re going to have so much fun working together.”
“Thank you,” I said, hoping I wouldn’t pass out as Silvi accepted a fresh champagne flute from a tuxedoed waiter, then went off to mingle with some of the ladies from the retreat. I felt dizzy with excitement, and glanced around the room for Brody. Instead, my gaze locked on Janine’s.
Her brows shot upward, and she raced to me. “Another disaster? What do you need me to do? Tell me, then consider it done.”
I filled her in on my pending business contract with the Blue Moon Bay Country Club, and the very huge fact that I would be able to hire her to work for me full-time. She hugged me, and then said, “I’m going to call my mom. She’s been so worried about my finances since I moved!”
Taking a step back, I was amazed to see how differently things had turned out than I’d envisioned. Greta and Scotty were mingling with the other guests, but they didn’t leave each other’s sides. Everyone looked so . . . happy.
Just as I felt like things couldn’t get any better, Brody came up beside me, and slipped an arm around my waist. “Finally, I get you to myself,” he said, dropping a kiss on my cheek.
I grabbed onto his arm. “Guess what? Silvi hired me as event planner for the Blue Moon Bay Country Club. They’re sending the contract to me on Monday!”
“Congratulations.” He raised his frosted beer mug to my glass. We clinked them together, and then sipped our drinks. “Sounds like the country club is the lucky one, though.”
“Mmm . . .” I set my drink down, and smiled, noticing the moon, full and bright, and illuminating everything the night held. “The Perfect Kiss is delicious.”
“Know what else is delicious?” he asked, staring deep into my eyes as the corner of his mouth hitched up. Without waiting for a response, he leaned toward me, stopping when his mouth was only centimeters from mine. “This . . .”
I lifted my lashes, watching as he grinned then pressed his mouth to mine. A small sound escaped me. My lips felt warm and tingly as his tongue parted them gently. We tasted each other over and over until I was lost . . . lost in whatever the night brought forth, the promise of our beautiful future together, and Brody’s perfect kisses.
The End
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If you enjoyed spending time
with these characters,
be sure to read Charlie’s story in:
The Wishing Star
(Blue Moon Bay, 3)
About the Author
SUSAN HATLER is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author, who writes humorous and emotional women’s fiction and young adult novels. Many of Susan’s books have been translated into German, Spanish, French, and Italian. A natural optimist, she believes life is amazing, people are fascinating, and imagination is endless. She loves spending time with her characters and hopes you do, too.
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Titles by Susan Hatler
Do-Over Date Series
Million Dollar Date
The Double Date Disaster
The Date Next Door
Date to the Rescue
Fashionably Date
Once Upon a Date
Destination Date
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The Wedding Whisperer Series
The Wedding Charm
The Wedding Catch
My Wedding Date
The Wedding Bet
* * *
Blue Moon Bay Series
The Second Chance Inn
The Sisterhood Promise
The Wishing Star
The Friendly Cottage
The Christmas Cabin
The Oopsie Island
The Wedding Boutique
The Holiday Shoppe
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Better Date than Never Series
Love at First Date
Truth or Date
My Last Blind Date
Save the Date
A Twist of Date
License to Date
Driven to Date
Up to Date
Déjà Date
Date and Dash
* * *
Christmas Mountain Romance Series
The Christmas Compromise
‘Twas the Kiss Before Christmas
A Sugar Plum Christmas
Fake Husband for Christmas
* * *
Treasured Dreams Series
An Unexpected Date
An Unexpected Kiss
An Unexpected Love
An Unexpected Proposal
An Unexpected Wedding
An Unexpected Joy
An Unexpected Baby
* * *
Young Adult Novels
See Me
The Crush Dilemma
Shaken (Mind Reader Series, 1)
Linked (Mind Reader Series, 2)
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