An hour later, we’re lying naked in his bed, and my mind is racing. I’m on my stomach, propped up on my elbows, gazing at Jeremy. His eyes are closed, and I think he’d like to sleep, but I have too many questions. “How are you going to do it?”
He peers at me through his lashes. “Didn’t we already do it?”
“Economize, smart ass.”
He sighs, but opens his eyes fully. “Why don’t I leave that to you, Ms. Business Degree?”
“Can you still practice law?”
“Not here. At least, not with the license I have.”
“We’ll look into that. Maybe you could make money on the side, drawing up contracts or something.”
He turns on his side and props his head on his hand. “I must confess I’m quite disappointed to find out this is what you were thinking about while I worked diligently to lift you to the heights of passion.”
I smack his hand out from under his head. He laughs and pulls me closer for a kiss.
“Perhaps I should try again.” He rolls us over so he’s on top, and then he pulls back to look at me. “No thinking.”
“My mind is blank.” With his knee, he parts my thighs and then slides down between them. He knows exactly what to do to make the business side of my brain turn to mush.
CHAPTER 24
About a million things have happened in the last three weeks. The reviews of our new book are great—except for that 1-star from the woman who complained about it being a romance. Seriously?—and sales are steady. We’ve done online interviews and guest posts, and we’ve scheduled book club visits, in person and by Skype. We got another request to speak to that RWA group too. All that and my promotion plan is only warming up. I’m going to market the hell out of these books. Penny James is going to be huge someday.
So, we put my stuff in storage, and I moved upstairs to Jeremy’s apartment. (And boy was he right about the noise from downstairs traveling through the air ducts.) We’re still figuring out the division of chores—no more Renata. And we stick to the food budget, so I’m finally getting to show him my cooking skills.
You know what cracks me up? Jeremy talked like he was practically penniless, but that’s because he grew up rich. With my money management skills, we could live for ten years on his assets, so when his Notting Hill condo sold, I didn’t say a word about him buying the new car he had his eye on. He looked pathetic driving mine.
We celebrated our birthdays together with my family and Jeremy’s sister, Laura, who flew over for the occasion. I won Laura’s approval. Jeremy passed inspection by my brothers, and my mother loves him, of course. We had the party at Mama Mia’s—Luisa succumbed to Jeremy’s charms and forgave him. I’m not giving up on his parents coming around and maybe the “daft prick” too.
But this evening, we’re in Carmel. We’re not staying in the luxurious suite at the Tickle Pink Inn, as we’d once planned, because that’s way beyond our present means. Jeremy kept apologizing until I told him I couldn’t care less as long as I’m with him. We’ll stay there someday. For this visit, we booked a couple of nights at a cute bed and breakfast.
After dinner, Jeremy takes my hand and we walk to the beach with a bottle of wine to watch the sunset. “Take off your shoes,” I tell him as I do the same.
“I’m fine.”
“Jeremy. Look at this beautiful sugar sand. You’re going to take off your shoes and let your feet sink into it or we’re not going for a walk.”
“It was your idea to walk on the beach, not mine.”
I growl and show him my meanest face. He laughs, but he takes off his shoes, wincing when his toes touch the sand.
“Don’t be a baby.”
“I’m not a fan of grit between my toes.”
“Get used to it because after dark we’ll have sex on the beach and sand will get—”
“We will do no such thing!”
It’s my turn to laugh. “So, is the beach as horrible as you feared?”
“Nothing is horrible when I’m with you.”
“Well, listen to you. It’s almost like you know something about romance.”
“Ha. Ha.”
He jerks me to his side as a dog rushes by, chasing a ball. While we’re standing so close, he kisses me. Then we walk along the beach to a quieter spot where we sit and watch the surf for a few minutes. The sky morphs from a bronzed to a scarlet glow as the sun begins to sink toward the horizon. Jeremy pours the wine and we toast. “To Penny James,” he says, “may she never run out of stories.”
When our glasses are empty, he sets them in the sand and moves so he can stretch out his legs on either side of mine. I lean back into him.
“They hold beach weddings here in Carmel,” he says. “Did you know that?”
“Yeah, I learned about that when I researched this place for our book. You think we should use that in the next one?”
“We could. But I think we should do more extensive research.”
“Maybe talk to a wedding planner?”
“That’s an excellent idea.”
“The time of year we set the book in would probably be a factor,” I say.
“Spring seems a perfect time. Maybe sooner.”
“Well, our heroine will have to have money because a wedding here is probably expensive.”
“Your mother said it’s affordable.”
“Why would my mother know—” Something flashes in my eyes. The neon orange of the sun has set fire to the diamond in the ring he’s holding in front of me. I forget to breathe for several seconds. “Ohmygod. You can’t possibly afford that, Jeremy. It’s an extrava—”
“Shush. I charged it to my expense account over a month ago. My father owed me one last thing.”
Over a month ago? That was before what’s-her-name showed up. My eyes are stinging and my throat is tight, but I squeak out one word. “Clever.”
“You could use some lessons in romance, Ms. Business Degree. Respond properly to my question.”
I jump to my feet and face him. “I’m sorry. Did you ask a question?”
His right eyebrow rises. “It was clearly implied.”
“Really.” I back a few steps away.
“Chelsea? What are you doing?”
With a giggle, I turn and race up the beach and duck behind a sprawling cypress. When Jeremy reaches the tree, I pull him down onto the sand beside me and hold out my left hand. “What does this imply, Mr. High Tea?”
He slips the ring on my finger and takes me in his arms. We totally miss seeing the sun sink below the horizon.
*****
Acknowledgments
As always, I thank my family for loving, encouraging, and supporting me in many ways. A special mention, and much love, goes to my husband, the man who does far more than his share in real life so I have abundant time to spend in my fictional worlds.
A special thank you also goes to Jennifer Neri for all the time she spent reading and critiquing, answering my numerous questions, and not letting me give up.
Another thank you goes to my beta readers Kasie West, Michelle D. Argyle, Christa Polkinhorn, Tricia Sutton, and Johanna Argo and to my critique partners Susan P. Baker and Karen Martinson Kroll.
And, of course, thank you dear readers. Without you my work is incomplete.
About the Author
Linda Cassidy Lewis believes life is all about relationships, and her fiction reflects that. She was born and raised in Indiana and now lives with her husband in California, where she writes versions of the stories she only held in her head during the years their four sons were growing up. She lives in the city and is thankful for the gift of imagination that whisks her away to sea or mountain or countryside whenever she wishes. Linda is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and the author of The Brevity of Roses and its sequel, An Illusion of Trust.
Linda loves hearing your thoughts, so please consider sharing them in a brief review on Amazon. If you have any questions for her, please post them on her G
oodreads author page.
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Please connect with Linda online.
Website: lindacassidylewis.com
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High Tea & Flip-Flops Page 23