by Cat Carmine
“What is this?” I say. “It smells great.” I didn’t realize until now how hungry I am. Apparently emotional catharsis can make me work up an appetite.
“Why don’t you find out?”
I glance at Wes curiously, but he gestures to the silver dome in front of me.
I lift it up cautiously and peek underneath, then laugh.
“…Macaroni and cheese?”
“Fresh from Fran’s Diner. I hope you like it.”
“I do … but …” I shrug, laughing.
“Were you expecting something a little fancier?”
“Kind of, yeah. I think the fancy platter threw me. I mean, I love mac and cheese as much as the next girl, don’t get me wrong.”
“Good. You don’t know how happy it makes me to hear you say that.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to make things work with you, Rori. I really do. But if we do, you’re going to have to get used to eating this stuff. Because starting tomorrow, this is going to be about all I can afford.”
“What are you talking about?”
Wes picks up his fork and stabs a noodle, popping it in his mouth and chewing slowly and leaving me in absolute suspense.
“Wes, you’re killing me here. What are you talking about?”
He grins. “Starting tomorrow, GoldLake Developments will officially be known as CAL Developments.”
“Cal? What are you talking about?”
“Carol Ann Lake. It was my mother’s name. I’ve used up almost the entirety of my savings and assets to buy out Levi’s half of the business and take it over for myself.”
I clap my hands. “Wes, that’s amazing! You’re going into business for yourself?”
“Yes. It’s the same company, so I’ll keep all the same active projects, but it’ll be entirely my business now. I won’t have to answer to anyone, and I’ll be able to pick and choose the projects I really believe in, rather than the ones that’ll turn the highest profit margin.”
“Wes, I’m so proud of you! That’s great news.” I grab my glass of champagne, which is probably a bit warm and flat by now, but I hold it up anyway. “To CAL Developments.”
Wes clinks his glass against mine. “Thank you, Rori. I’m glad you’re supportive, because the business is going to need some rebranding, and I was thinking you and Kyla might be able to help me with that.”
“We would love to.” I don’t even have to think about it. Somehow, listening to Wes’s story and seeing the change that’s come over him, I know that we’ll be able to work together on this.
“Good.”
“Wait …” I pause, setting my glass back down on the table. “You said all the existing projects will continue. What about the hiring initiative?”
“It’s still on. In fact, I’m going to expand it. Opportunities for people with disabilities, internships for at-risk youth. But it’s not a media ploy anymore, so I’m afraid we won’t be requiring any further marketing representation on that front.”
He grins and I laugh. “That’s just fine with me. This all sounds great, Wes.” I shovel in a bite of my macaroni and cheese, feeling fully relaxed for the first time since Wes picked me up an hour ago.
“There’s one other thing. I’m still buying the Elmwood Gables land.”
“What?!” My relaxation goes flying out the window. My entire body stiffens again and I freeze, a forkful of mac and cheese halfway to my mouth.
He nods. “I’m sorry, but I have to.”
“You don’t though. You can’t. I mean, look at this place …” I gesture frantically around us.
“I know it’s special, Rori. I get it. That’s why I’m not tearing it down.”
“But you said …”
“I said I’m buying it. The city is selling it regardless. So whether it’s me or another developer, someone’s going to snatch it up. Hell, even Levi is still interested, once he figures out his next steps. So I decided to formally put in the offer from CAL Developments. Once I own it, I can officially preserve it. The ownership structure will have to change a bit, but your friend Barb has graciously agreed to step in and head an informal board of directors to run this place.”
“So the garden is … staying?”
“It’s staying.”
“And no one here will be out of a job? People will still have their community?”
“Nothing will change. Like I said, a few things on the governance side, but I think that will actually help grow this place. With a board of directors, maybe the garden can start getting more concrete funding opportunities. Give even more people access to the space.”
My heart swells with happiness.
“Wes, that’s seriously the most amazing thing I’ve ever heard. I can’t believe you did all this.”
His cheeks color, which makes me smile.
“It was the right thing to do, Rori. I kept thinking of my mother and wondering if she’d be proud of me, and finally had to admit to myself that she wouldn’t. And of course, I thought of you. I might have even played a little game of ‘what would Rori do?” I may not be perfect yet, but I’m trying.”
“I think this is amazing, Wes. Truly. You’ve outdone yourself.”
“Thank you. Now finish your dinner, because we have a lot of night still ahead of us.”
I laugh and spoon up a huge mouthful of cheesy pasta. I’m suddenly famished. I finish my plate in record time and then devour the lemon meringue pie that gets served up to us afterwards. We finish the champagne too, and another bottle magically appears right after. We talk easily, laughing and joking as if none of the last two weeks had happened. As if none of the last twelve years had happened, in fact. It feels like it did the first time, getting to know Wes and getting carried away in the dizzy excitement of being near him.
The sun has set fully now, and the garden is lit only by the cafe lights and the distant blue glow of the streetlights. It’s probably the most romantic setting I’ve ever been in in my life. And being here with Wes is just …
Well, it’s everything I’ve ever wanted.
I smile across the table at him, and the smile he returns to me says he feels everything I’m feeling and then some. There’s an electricity between us, but more than that, a sense of completion. Of life coming full circle. Of both of us, after all this time, ending up exactly where we were meant to be.
“Rori.” Wes clears his throat. “I have to ask you something.”
“Yes?” I lean forward, barely daring to breathe.
He hesitates a second then holds out his hand.
“Would you like to dance?”
Forty-Three
Wes takes my hand and leads me into an open grassy area of the garden, in between the towering pink azalea bush and a low bed of day lilies. The music changes, from the soft jazzy background soundtrack that played over dinner, to a perfectly cheesy 80s power ballad. I giggle as Wes sets his hands around my waist. I loop mine around his neck and let my body lean against his.
We turn slowly in the grass, moving in time to the searing guitar solo. The lights twinkle above us and the silver stars sparkle and the whole moment seems to shimmer, like something outside of time and place. Something magical. Something perfect.
I look up to find Wes smiling down at me. For the first time all evening, he looks relaxed … and truly happy.
I lean in closer to him, reveling in the warmth and comfort of his body. The familiar plains of his chest, the bulk of his arms, the stubble of his chin against my skin…
The press of his erection against my stomach.
I grin up at him as I pull him closer, and he growls into my ear.
“Just creating an authentic prom experience for you,” he murmurs. “Because trust me, if we had been dancing together in high school, there’s no way I would have been able to control my reaction.”
I giggle, but a thrill of anticipation runs through me.
“I would hate for it to go to waste, you know…”
He growl
s again, nipping at my ear lobe. “Don’t tempt me. Unless you want me to fuck you in the grass right here, in front of everyone at the community center.”
He gestures back towards the center, and when I turn I find a group of people clustered at the door, watching us dance. Barb is there, one hand pressed to her heart as she watches us, and she gives me another excited wave. I laugh and wave back.
“Show’s over, people,” Wes calls out. “Nothing to see here.”
“Just came to let you know we’re all clearing out, Wes,” Barb answers. “I’m leaving you the keys here. Lock up when you’re done.”
I’m not close enough to see for sure, but I could swear she winks at him as she loops the keys over the stair rail.
“Did you enlist all of them in this little plan of yours?”
“Well, I am technically their boss now,” he grins. “Though actually, when I told them what I wanted to do, I suddenly had an army of very enthusiastic volunteers.”
I shake my head, laughing softly. “I still can’t believe you did all this for me.”
“I’d do anything for you, Rori.” His voice is serious again, his expression one of deepest reverence. He presses his palm against my cheek, forcing me to look up into his eyes.
“I love you, Rori Holloway.”
I suck in a short breath, then lean my cheek into his hand.
“I love you too, Weston Lake.”
His smile twists. “It’s been a long time since anyone’s called me that. It was my grandfather’s name, you know.”
“It’s a nice name.”
“It is.”
“Now are you going to kiss me, or what?”
Wes growls, swooping his head in towards my mouth. His lips cover mine, and he draws my body closer to his. I lean against him and let myself be carried away by his embrace. His lips, his tongue, his hands, all of it takes me away. Wes and I together, sailing away on the wave of our forever love.
Because that’s how this feels. Eternal. Infinite.
I pull away for a moment, breathless. Wes frowns.
“What?”
“Do you remember the first time we kissed?”
He hesitates. I can see him thinking. Then he grins.
“At the Spirit Club bake sale, right?”
I laugh, nodding. “You bought my peanut butter cookies.”
“But you didn’t have change for my five dollar bill.”
“So you made me give you a kiss instead.”
“What? I thought that was quite charitable of me. It was for a good cause, after all.”
“The Spirit Club appreciated your contribution. But I think I appreciated it more.”
He grins. “Except then I had to spend the rest of the afternoon hanging around like a stalker, waiting for you to finish up so that I could ask you out properly.”
I laugh, leaning my head against his shoulder. “I’m glad you did.”
“Me too.” He sighs. “I’m just sorry I did all that other stuff in between then and now.”
I pull back, studying his face. His beautiful, handsome face. His blue eyes look grey under the light of the twinkle lights, and there’s a hint of sadness in them. I kiss him softly on the lips.
“I’m not.”
He raises his eyebrows. “Really?”
“Really. You’re the real estate developer — you should know this.”
“Know what?”
“That sometimes you have to tear everything down to build something better.”
He shakes his head softly. “I don’t think I could love you more, Rori.”
“I feel the same way.” I nuzzle my nose against the underside of his jaw, and then find his lips with mine again. We kiss for a minute — a long, dizzying, heart-stopping minute — and then I pull away again.
“Wes?”
“Yes?”
“I’m tired of dancing.”
His eyes blaze. “Me too.”
He scans the garden quickly.
“Don’t move.”
“Okay.”
I watch him bound over to the table where we’d eaten our meal of mac and cheese, then laugh as he yanks the white linen table cloth off, tumbling used cutlery onto the gazebo floor. He rescues the champagne bottle before it spills and sets it on the step of the gazebo for later. Then he returns to where I’m standing, brandishing the table cloth and floating it down to the ground in front of us.
“Come here,” he growls. I slip into his arms and he lowers me to the ground, holding himself over me. I press my palms to his cheeks and bring his lips down to mine.
We move together, his hands exploring my body as I tug at the tails of his shirt. I run my hands along the smooth plains of his abs, find the waist of his pants, move to the back to cup his firm ass as it flexes.
Wes kisses his way down my neck, across my collarbone, then pushes my shirt up and kisses a line across my stomach. The combination of his lips and the warm night air on my skin makes me shiver, and Wes pulls me closer. His skin is burning hot, flaming with desire.
He pushes my yoga pants down off my hips, and I kick them away. I don’t even care that we’re still at the community center, that there are neighboring buildings that might be able to see down into the garden. All I care about is Wes, about his touch, about being as close to him as possible.
“Please, Wes,” I whimper. He finds my part and I tremble as he strokes me. His fingers are deft, already knowing exactly the right way to touch me to set me on fire.
I fumble with his belt and he stops touching me long enough to help me push his pants down, and then we’re both naked from the waist down and our bodies are coming together on their own, already finding each other in the dark. Heat seeks heat.
“Do we need a …” he stops, forcing himself to pull back, even though he’s breathing heavily.
I shake my head. “It’s just us now, Wes. Right?”
“Just us,” he echoes, dropping his head to nip at my jaw. “Forever.”
He’s inside me then, bare and with nothing between us. It feels even more exquisite than I could imagine. His skin is soft and warm and he fills me with his hardness and strength. I clench my body around him and he groans, thrusting his hips against me.
Even through the linen table cloth, the ground is cool beneath my back. But above me, Wes is a furnace, molten lava. I cling to his heat, to his energy. We move together as one, until I can’t take anymore. I grab his shoulders and buck underneath him, whimpering into the empty night air as he kisses my jaw.
“Oh, God, Rori,” he groans. His hips slam against mine, driving his cock deeper inside me as I come. I cling to his frame as I feel him twitch and then surge inside me. We come together like that, holding on to each other and riding the wave of some infinite thing.
We lie there quietly afterwards, catching our breath and looking up at the twinkling lights above. Then I roll over to face him, propping myself up on one arm.
“Okay, seriously, did you make an entire playlist of these 80s power ballads?”
He chuckles. “Yes. Actually, I had Joyce do it. You should have seen her face. She said it was the strangest request she’d ever gotten in her forty years of working for corporate America. I still think she did a pretty damn good job, though.”
I laugh as I cuddle up against his chest. “She did. Thank you for doing all this for me.”
“Get used to it,” he whispers, his lips against my hair. “Because I’m going to spend the rest of my life doing things for you.”
“Do you mean that, Wes?” I feel so sleepy suddenly that I can barely keep my eyes open. I snuggle closer to him.
“I do, Rori. I absolutely do.”
He pulls me closer to him and holds me tight against his chest. I let my eyelids flutter closed, safe at last in the arms of the man I love. Because it’s Wes.
It’s always been Wes.
Forty-Four
I stood at the entrance of the gym, near the doors. It was crowded in there, and I was waiting for the
right opportunity. For the moment when she wouldn’t be surrounded by so many people, and I could actually talk to her.
I watched as she laughed, as she handed a sticky Rice Krispie square to one of the basketball players. Her dark red hair was pulled back into a swishy ponytail, and I swear I could see her hazel eyes sparkling from here. I thought of her eyes often. They were the exact same color as the sunlight glinting off the grass in the park I rode my bike home through.
Her name was Rori Holloway. That much I’d already managed to suss out. She was in my English class and she was on the volleyball team and she had at least one, maybe two sisters. That was all I’d been able to piece together so far. I wanted to know more, but first I needed the balls to actually, you know, talk to her.
There was a small break in the crowd. Rori stood back from the bake sale table, surveying the busy pep rally with her hands stuffed into the back pockets of her jeans, over the ass that I’d spent many hours daydreaming about. I ran my fingers over the worn five-dollar bill in my pocket, and then screwed up my courage.
As soon as I reached the table, she smiled at me. Her smile was a thing of beauty, wide and warm and open. It lit up her whole face.
“Fifty cents each, or three for a dollar.” Her voice did something funny to my insides, making them twist and loosen at the same time.
“Everything looks great.” I forced myself to be cool, but it was hard. “Which ones did you make?”
Her cheeks went pink. “The peanut butter cookies.” She pointed to a red platter of slightly-burnt cookies. The tray was still full, so I didn’t think she’d sold too many of them.
“I’ll take six.” Her grin got wider. She put the cookies into a small plastic sandwich bag for me.
“Two dollars. Please.”
I handed her the five and she frowned.
“Sorry — we’re actually out of change right now. Taryn just went to get some more from Mrs. Harris. Do you want to wait, or ...?”
I wanted to wait. I wanted to stand there and talk to her some more, maybe forever, but there was a group of basketball players ambling their way over now and I knew that they’d overwhelm us as soon as they got here.
