Grabbing the flowers, she crossed to a grinning Mikaela.
“You’re here! And you brought flowers. My day just keeps getting better and better.”
“Can I ask how much you’ve had to drink now?”
“I’m holding it. Not only in my head,” she added and laughed.
Sara smiled. Mikaela was such a pretty sight, her hair loose, layered T-shirts and jeans that showed off her curves. “All right to come in?”
“Oops.” Mikaela stepped back and waved her hand wildly for Sara to enter. “It’s been a day. An unbelievably great day!”
“Unbelievable, yes,” Sara agreed as they moved to the living room.
“I got a new job,” Mikaela blurted out and sank into the recliner. “I get to do a little traveling and I get to be on a special team. The team leader, who seems to have a lot of clout, insists I be on her team. How great is that? It’s mega great is what it is. I worked with her today and is she ever demanding. But I tell you, she can really pull the good out, you know? It’s going to be challenging, but I think I’m going to love it.” She wrapped her arms around her middle and exhaled. “It’s so crazy. So unbelievable. This morning I was all down and then this. A great job. For me. And you’re sitting over there wondering when is she going to shut up. Oh, wait. Better yet, you’re thinking she could at least offer me some wine and take the flowers.”
“Coffee. I was thinking coffee.” Sara’s mind was bouncing all over the place trying to follow Mikaela’s ramblings. She didn’t need to add alcohol to that. “So how was your day?”
Mikaela threw back her head and howled with laughter. “Great,” she was finally able to say, clutching her stomach. “My day was great, as you somehow guessed. Sorry about the spew. I blame it on Casey for not being here. You can too. Okay. Coffee. And I will take those flowers from you before they wilt. I should switch to coffee myself. Fewer calories and no headache in the morning.”
“Goes better with brownies too.”
“I wish. If you want sweets, you’ll have to find Casey’s cookie stash. I told her to hide them and then she did.”
“Actually I was talking about the brownies I brought.” Sara held up a gift bag. “Dessert, remember?”
“How did I forget that? Gimme.” Mikaela took the bag. “This day just keeps getting better. You’d better come with and pick your poison. I’m going to have something full strength to go with these babies.”
“Won’t that keep you awake?” Sara asked, though on second thought, it might balance out the wine and exuberance.
“I probably won’t sleep much anyway because,” she paused, did a quick, yet stylish turn. “I got a new job! And oh, oh, oh! While I was in the meeting with Angela, Christine had to make copies for Pat’s meeting. She was so pissed. A beautiful thing. But not as beautiful as when she and Ilene find out about my new gig. One that wasn’t even posted. Wonder if HQ will get a new letter of complaint. Well, let them try to throw dirt. I don’t care. Because…” She looked to Sara.
“You have a new job,” she filled in and laughed. “Why do I get the feeling you’re still circling just below the ceiling?”
“I am. I really am.” She all but danced her way to the kitchen. “You can do your coffee first, I’ll put these on a plate. Promise you won’t let me eat more than two.”
“Promise.” Sara turned the carousel with the individual coffees and picked the first decaffeinated one she came across.
“Done,” Mikaela declared. “Now that I’ve talked you to death, it’s your turn. How was your day?”
Sara thought about the letter in her pocket. “I have to go with unbelievable as well.”
“Not another incident. No. I would have heard about that. More family shockers?”
“You could say that. Got the official letter from the lawyer about the will and the check from the executor.”
“Let me guess. The fifty thousand you were supposed to get?”
“Times twenty thousand.”
Mikaela blinked. “Please don’t make me do math in my head. Wine head at that.”
“Ten million.” She nodded when Mikaela pantomimed jaw-on-the-floor. “Exactly how I felt. I read the letter at least three times and it has yet to sink in.”
“I know this is catty, but it’s no wonder your Aunt Liddy thought she’d hit it big. Did you have any idea your family had that kind of stash?”
“One, I have a hard time thinking of them as my family. And two, I know nothing about them. I don’t remember my dad ever talking about them, and of course Aunt Liddy didn’t, so I grew up not knowing they existed.” She removed the cup of coffee and took a sip. Maybe she’d add a new coffee maker to her want list.
“Let me grab my laptop. We can do an Internet search. With that kind of money, there’ll be lots of hits.”
“Before you do that, I’d like to, I mean, I want to talk about last night. If that’s okay?” she added as the smile left Mikaela’s face.
“Okay.”
“I’ll go first.” Sara took a deep breath. “I really like you. And I really like who I am with you. It’s…when you mentioned the house, I…this is going to sound terrible. I couldn’t see myself in that house year after year and that seemed wrong somehow. I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m not. You know I’ve been on the move for my adult life, so I don’t want to say I could settle down in one place and then not be able to. I feel terrible about it, but you deserve the truth and last night I was too scared of what might happen to say it. At the same time, having said that, I realized today I trust you and have no interest in seeing other women. I just wish I knew what all this meant.”
“What I said last night was not meant to tie strings around you or bind you to me in any kind of way,” Mikaela said. “I wouldn’t do that to you. That’s not the kind of person I am. I was feeling grateful for all the help you’ve given me with Nina, with the crap at work, so I opened my mouth and inserted my feet. I don’t expect you to want the house, the dog…” Mikaela reached out, then let her hand drop. “I am sorry. I realized later how that might have sounded to someone who’s a little bit jumpy, relationship-wise.”
“So where does that leave us?”
“Really liking each other and how we are with each other. I’d like to continue dating, continue getting to know each other, maybe kick it up and go back to the bedroom. Let me tell you, I really liked having sex with you. Knowing more about you can only make the experience more enjoyable.”
“And if I never see that house?” Sara pressed. She couldn’t bear it if that came back to haunt her or Mikaela.
“Never’s too far away to worry about. I’m more worried you’ll run off with some skinny super model now that you’re rich. Let’s face it, I’ll always be watching my weight, and even then, I’ll never be skinny.”
“Super model? Really? All the things to worry about and you pick that?”
“It lightened the mood, didn’t it? I’m not trying to dismiss your concerns, Sara. I just happen to think I have plenty of time to talk you into that house. Although…” Her smile was sly. “The house and the dog have gotten bigger. Ten mil can buy a lot of house.”
“Already spending my money, I see,” Sara said, but she was smiling.
“Yup.” Mikaela moved to stand in front of Sara. “Should I be worried you haven’t said anything about the sex part? It is kind of important.” She nipped at Sara’s bottom lip. “Okay. Very important.”
Sara smiled and wondered why she’d ever been worried. Before her was someone she could grow with, learn with. She pulled Mikaela into her arms. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Epilogue
Mikaela undid her seat belt as the plane taxied to a stop. Back home victorious, she thought, with more than a little bit of pride. The trip to Virginia had been a total success, the pinnacle of almost a year of hard work. But so worth every minute, she knew. Over the year she’d gained Angela’s respect and gotten her name bandied about by the muckety-mucks at headquarters. That t
here was no more talk of her having serviced Bill for advancement was a decided bonus.
Not that she had to worry about vicious gossip from The Two anymore. When they brought in an outsider to replace Jolene, Christine had decided it was time to retire. Mikaela wasn’t sure if it was Christine’s absence or the reprimand in her file, but Ilene no longer made the rounds to collect and disseminate gossip.
Once her seatmates were clear, she muscled her bag from the overhead bin. Because her rich girlfriend had upgraded her ticket to first class, Mikaela was one of the first to escape the stale air of the plane. Her plan was to enjoy her long weekend, then return to work, clear up the couple of small projects and sink her teeth into developing an implementation plan.
Although she’d told Sara to pick her up out front, she wasn’t surprised to see her big lug standing in the hallway leading to the baggage claim area. The large colorful sign Sara was holding brought a laugh. It was good to be back.
“Welcome to Atlanta, Ms. Ivanna Humpalot,” Sara said once Mikaela was standing in front of her. “I hope to make your stay pleasant.”
“Do you now?” Taking in Sara’s mischievous grin, she felt an overwhelming urge to kiss her and wondered if there’d ever be a day she could do that at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and not make a scene. Given the changes that had taken place these past few years, she might live to see that day. Today she would settle for a hug.
“You can count on it.”
The air of self-assurance was intoxicating. “I should have never encouraged you to go to that arts college. Hanging with those Millennials has turned you.”
“No, that would make me a zombie.” Sara tucked the sign under her arm and reached for Mikaela’s bag. “Which, given my great looks and smooth gait, I clearly am not. So, tell me.”
“Nothing but net!” Mikaela did a quick spin. “To say they were pleased is an understatement. And guess what? You can’t, so I’ll tell you. I get a bonus! Can you believe it? It’s not like working on the project wasn’t a big bonus by itself. Could have just knocked me over when Angela told us after.”
“Considering all the work you put in, I’d say it was well deserved.”
“You get plenty of credit too. Sticking with me through my most manic of moods.” She could say that now without fear it would scare Sara away.
“All part of the service.”
They made their way past baggage claim, out the door and into the parking garage.
“You’re probably tired after going all out for three days,” Sara said, once they were settled in the sports car Mikaela had helped her pick out.
“Should be, but I’m still wired from the adulation. You know me. I’ll probably fall from the ceiling around midnight, then sleep like the dead for ten hours. You up for something? I’m all yours until Monday morning.”
“There’s something I want to show you if you’re up for it.”
“Let’s do it. But first.” She leaned in and gave Sara a thorough glad-to-be-home kiss. “Missed you.”
“Missed you back.” Sara ran a hand down Mikaela’s face. “My life’s been too quiet.”
“Good.” During the twenty-minute ride, Mikaela regaled Sara with more details of her trip. “Nice,” she said when Sara pulled into a driveway. The house was an old Victorian sparkling with Christmas cheer in the Inman Park neighborhood and looked vaguely familiar. “A holiday party?” She pulled down the visor without waiting for a response and checked her reflection in the mirror. Should have refreshed my makeup at the airport, she thought. She reached for her pocketbook to rectify the oversight.
“You look fine.”
Mikaela rolled her eyes. “That’s what you always say.”
“And I’m always right.” Sara hopped out and walked around to open Mikaela’s door. “No party, but I do want you to check something out for me.”
“Haven’t we been here before? That tour of homes during the Inman Park Festival maybe?”
“Yeah. You really liked it, remember?”
“Oh God, yes. It’s the one with the beautiful library you practically had to drag me out of. I terrorized everybody at work with the pictures.”
“Not just at work,” Sara said dryly as they climbed the steps to the porch. “You liked the kitchen too.”
“Lusted after it,” she corrected. “But a lot of that was for the high-end appliances. Don’t tell me you’ve arranged for me to have my own private tour. I may never shut up about it now. Especially if the Christmas decorations inside are as nice as the ones out here.”
Sara rang the bell. “I’ll take my chances.”
Mikaela put her hands on her hips. “Is that your sly way of saying I talk too much?”
An attractive older woman opened the door before Sara could respond. “Come on in,” she said with a welcoming smile. “So glad you could make it. Denise Zimmer.” She held out a hand.
“Mikaela Small. I have to tell you, I love your home.”
“Thank you. Feel free to explore at your leisure. I’ll be in my office down the hallway should you have any questions.” Denise’s heels clicked against the shiny hardwood floor as she walked away.
“Okay, what gives?” Mikaela asked softly.
“Surprise!” Sara took her hand. “Remember when you told me about that little house and the little dog?”
She didn’t dare hope. “The one you were worried about because you couldn’t see yourself living in it with me?”
“That’s the one. Do you also remember how you said you could talk me into it?”
“I hope you know by now that I would never force—”
Sara put a finger to Mikaela’s lips. “I do. But the funny thing is that being with you this past year has shown me that staying in one place with one person is not a prison. Thanks to you, I no longer feel the need to run around the next corner alone, searching for the next big thing. Why would I want to experience the next big thing without you by my side?”
“That is so incredibly romantic.” Mikaela put a hand to her heart and sighed. “It’s no wonder I’m crazy in love with you.”
“Crazy enough to consider living here with me year after year?”
“I’d live with you in a shack. But what about the Zimmers? They may have something to say about us just moving in.”
“Turns out they’re relocating to Boston. Jackie remembered how much you raved about the house, so when she found out it was going on the market she knew we’d be interested.” Sara gave a sheepish shrug. “I may have mentioned, after a couple of beers after basketball one week, that I wouldn’t mind starting the process of looking for a place for us. That is, us looking for a place for us.”
“Oh God.” Tears sprang to Mikaela’s eyes. “Are you positive? Because I’m to the point where I need you to have what you want. Let’s face it, just having you in my life beats the hell out of that little house.”
“Positive that I want you.” She folded Mikaela into her arms and held on tight. “Positive that I will always want you in my life. That this is a place where we can continue to be happy together.”
“Then you’ve got to marry me. Because I’m positive that I want forever and ever.”
“What is this? No knee, no ring?”
Mikaela laughed. “We’ll talk about that after you show me my new house.” She pulled Sara down for a quick kiss. “And don’t weven think we’re not going to get a bigger dog to go with it.”
Bella Books, Inc.
Women. Books. Even Better Together.
P.O. Box 10543
Tallahassee, FL 32302
Phone: 800-729-4992
www.bellabooks.com
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