Free Gift With Purchase

by Jackie Pilossoph

“Go out and get him, Emma. He’s your free gift with purchase,” I read out loud, tears welling in my eyes.

  At that moment, I thought to myself, “What am I waiting for?” I could actually feel my fear of romantic love leave my body, with exhilaration and self-empowerment taking their place. I was like a sky diver at twenty thousand feet, waiting to jump, and focusing on the beauty of the blue sky rather than the trepidation of how high up I was. What I had to do next was very clear.

  .

  Chapter 35

  It was cold and windy and the sky was dark. Rain would inevitably be coming down soon. There was no question about that. And here I stood, shivering at the entrance of the jogging path at 5:55 in the morning, waiting for a certain runner, who I knew was here every morning at 6:00.

  Suddenly I heard a dog barking. I turned and looked. There was Lucky. And Luke. They were walking toward me. I took a deep breath. Luke let his dog’s leash go and Lucky ran to me, continuing to bark and wag her tail while showering me with licks.

  “Hi!” I greeted my good pooch friend, bending down to return her warm reception. Then I looked up at her owner, who was now standing in front of us. “Hi,” I smiled.

  “What are you doing here?” Luke asked me. He motioned to my jeans and added, “You’re not here to run, I see.”

  I stood up. “No. I’m not here to run.”

  “Then what is it?” he asked, “Are you okay?”

  There was so much to say. I wanted to tell Luke how sorry I was that I hadn’t called him. I wanted to tell him that I loved the fact that he sent me a box of Tootsie Pops. I wanted to let him know that I understood his decision to try to work things out with his wife. I wanted to tell him that the day I spent at the beach with him was in my top five of my all-time favorite days in life. I wanted to tell him that when he rescued me from my fall and put band-aids on my scraped up knees, he wasn’t just rescuing me physically. I wanted to tell him that he’d rescued me. Period. And now, I wanted to rescue him. I wanted to tell him all of those things, but I didn’t. I said only one thing.

  I looked him right in the eyes and with the bold courage I learned from Preston, I declared, “Luke, I want you to kiss me.”

  Without any hesitation whatsoever, he leaned in and obliged. His lips and his touch felt so natural and so comfortable, and it was like I’d been in his arms a million times before. At that moment, I felt my entire core transform instantly from cautious and reserved to gutsy and unabashed. I was now a girl who wasn’t afraid to put the past behind her and go after what she thought could be her future.

  A few moments later, Luke pulled away from me and said with a chuckle, “How was that?”

  “It was good,” I smiled.

  “Emma…” He put his head down for a second and then looked up at me. Softly, he continued, “You’re like the girl I’ve known since I was three. You’re the girl who lived next door, the girl who I always felt was mine.” He took my hands and kissed them, and then he finished, “I feel like you’re mine. Is it wrong to say that?”

  “No,” I whispered, fighting back tears, “Nothing’s ever felt more right.”

  “Uhibuk,” he said softly.

  Tears sprung up instantly. “What?”

  “You heard me. I’ve been brushing up on my Arabic.”

  I smiled and whispered, “Uhibuk,” which means I love you in Arabic.

  Luke put his lips on mine and began kissing me again in the middle of the Willow Ridge jogging path with the wind blowing brutally and Lucky seeking shelter in between us. And as we stood there embraced, I realized something. Alice helped me see it, and so did Laura and my mother, and Preston, and Denny, and even all the Matts.

  People with a past, people with baggage if you will, are still capable of finding love again, and the difference between those who do and those who don’t is pretty simple. The ones who end up happy are the ones who put the bitterness and the anger bags down, the ones who stop thinking like a victim and find the guts to go out and grab the life they want, the life they feel they deserve. And not only do they hold onto, but they cherish the pieces of significance that give their lives true meaning.

  In the arms of the man I loved, I now realized I possessed more self-worth then I’d probably ever had in my life. Grace, acceptance and gratitude were part of my mantra. But most importantly, I was carrying the most precious piece of baggage on earth: my daughter. And at this moment, I felt like I had more free gifts than I’d ever dreamed possible.

  .

  Epilogue

  One month later…

  At Stella’s, the little wine bar where I’d had my first drink with Alice months earlier, four couples plus my daughter sat at a big round table, eating and drinking, and celebrating my birthday. The crowd included my new boyfriend, Luke Sullivan, my almost nauseatingly in love parents, and Alice and her new girlfriend, a tall, thin, nice looking blonde woman who wrote children’s books for a living. Laura was also there with her date, a man she’d gone out with a few times, who seemed like a great guy, other than the fact that his name was Matt.

  “How did you guys meet?” Alice asked her during dinner.

  “Well,” she gushed, “Alan got our TV in the settlement, so I went shopping for a new one.”

  “I sold her a fifty inch flat screen,” Matt said proudly, putting his arm around my sister.

  “He was my free gift with purchase!” Laura joked.

  Just after we finished eating, I looked up and noticed a couple seated at the bar, not far away. My heart skipped a beat when I recognized the guy’s big sculpted shoulders and gorgeous dark skin. Preston Christiansen, the man who had given me memories that could still cause the hair on my arms to stand up, was sitting no more than twenty feet away.

  To my initial dismay, his date was gorgeous. And young. Her long blonde hair and perfect body, complete with fake (but beautiful) boobs caused a tinge of envy in me. I smiled to myself as I realized that Preston was with the person he was supposed to be with right now and so was I. My incredibly strong, smart and sexy older guy was by my side. His arm was around my chair and he was in a conversation with Alice about her job. Everything seemed as it should be.

  Still, I felt I needed a little closure, perhaps one more conversation with the womanizer who affected me so deeply. So when I saw him get up to go to the bathroom, I decided to follow him in hopes of stealing a minute of private conversation. Although a very high school-ish move, I stood inside the women’s bathroom, holding the door open just a crack and waiting for my old boyfriend to come out of the men’s room. I hadn’t spoken to him or seen him since the night we were about to have sex and then didn’t.

  The second I saw him walk out of the men’s room, I pushed the women’s room door open and feigned surprise. “Preston?”

  He turned around, his face lighting up the second he saw it was me. The expression of happiness was so genuine, I instinctively threw my arms around him. “Hi!” I exclaimed, hugging him tight.

  He chuckled, “How are you?”

  I pulled back and said, “I’m good, how are you?”

  His smile was so perfect. “Good.” He then said, “You look great, Baby,” almost causing me to go into cardiac arrest from overstimulation of the heart muscle.

  “You do too.”

  “Who are you here with?” he asked.

  “My family and…” I hesitated, “my boyfriend.”

  “You have a boyfriend?”

  “Yeah,” I answered with a shy smile.

  “I’m happy for you.”

  “Preston, listen…” I said, “Can I say something to you?”

  “Sure.”

  “The thing is…”

  “Tell me,” he urged.

  I took a deep breath and blurted out, “The thing is, I think I wanted you to fall in love with me.”

  Preston gave me a smile that melted me like push up pops in ninety degree weather and then said, “How do you know I didn’t?”

  “Because I know you.”
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  “The truth is,” he said sadly, “I’m not sure if I know how to love somebody.”

  I looked at him, and surprisingly I felt sorry for him. He truly was afraid of commitment and love. The good news was, Preston knew himself, and I felt in my heart that when he was ready to help himself deal with his fear of commitment, he would do just that. And I strongly suspected that one day, this man, beautiful both on the outside and in, would eventually find love. And just like me, it would be on his terms, when he was ready.

  The sex fiend suddenly switched gears and smiled playfully at me. “You know, if you’re interested, we could sneak into the bathroom and finish what we never finished at Donatella’s.”

  “We’re finished, Preston,” I said with a sad smile, “And I’m sad about that in a way. But I would never, ever change a thing with you. You were sweet and kind and sexy, and you made me feel amazing.” I kissed his cheek softly. “Thank you.”

  Preston gave me a wide grin, “So, your salsa business is really a success, I hear.”

  All of a sudden, something clicked, and it dawned on me. Maybe the fact that I’d sold my company and landed a great job wasn’t a coincidence. The story suddenly became very clear. “Oh my God,” I said to him, “You did it, didn’t you? You’re responsible for my buyout and my job at Winchester.”

  “No. You did it,” Preston said with a grin, “All I did was hear from Stacy and John McGowan that you started a salsa business. I knew how good your salsa was, so I bought a few jars and put them on Phil Warren’s desk.”

  “Oh my God! You made all of this happen for me!”

  “You made it happen, Emma. You.”

  I threw my arms around him. “Thank you!”

  Through laughter, he answered, “No problem.”

  “Will you come meet everyone and have a drink with us?” I asked him.

  “Sure. Let me get my date.”

  I arrived back at the table and pulled up two chairs, feeling the strange looks from all my cliquey friends and family. Up walked Preston and his Gwyneth Paltrow looking girlfriend. “Everyone,” I announced, “this is Preston Christiansen.”

  I was thoroughly entertained as I watched the man who I once desired to the point of being unable to function shake hands with everyone. Laura was hilarious, bubbly and nervous and very inquisitive, Alice was not surprisingly kind, and so were my parents. When Preston shook hands with Izzie and said, “Nice to see you again,” Izzie’s face lit up and she looked at me and said, “What’s he doing here?” Everyone laughed.

  It was perhaps Luke’s reaction to meeting Preston that was the funniest. I had never seen Luke jealous. He was jittery, self-conscious, and territorial, making sure his arm was around me constantly.

  I would tell Luke later in the night, when we were alone, that there was nothing to feel threatened by when it came to Preston. Yes, he was gorgeous and sexy, and girls had a way of gasping at the sight of the guy, but I had a place in my heart for Preston and it was far, far away from the spot where Luke sat. Preston was my past, Luke my future.

  A few minutes later, I heard a cell phone ring. “Someone’s phone is ringing,” I announced.

  “It’s yours,” said Laura. Once again, my sister had changed my ring tone. “Money, money, money, money…money…” It was the theme song from The Apprentice. Everyone started laughing and when I said hello I was still giggling.

  “Hi, is this Emma?” a familiar voice asked.

  “Yes it is. Who’s this?”

  “This is Bradley Cooper.”

  “Ha ha…come on, who is this?”

  “This is really Bradley, Bradley Cooper.”

  I gasped and the entire table became silent. I knew right then I was speaking to my ultimate celebrity crush. “Hi,” I said.

  “Hi,” said Bradley with a chuckle, “I was calling to tell you that I had a chance to taste your Hotter than Bradley Cooper salsa, and I really enjoyed it.”

  “Thanks!” I gushed. Then I mouthed to my sister, “Bradley Cooper.”

  “Oh my God!” she gasped. Then she told everyone at the table and they all just sat there, gazing at me.

  “Phil wanted me to call you and let you know I just signed a deal with Winchester to endorse your salsa and put my signature on the jar.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, thank you so much!”

  “You’re welcome. I’ll look forward to meeting you next time I’m in Chicago,” he said.

  “Yes, me too!”

  After I said good-bye to Bradley, everyone at the table started laughing and talking about Bradley Cooper and his movies. We were interrupted by a couple of waiters who came out of kitchen singing happy birthday to me and carrying a cake with a few lit candles on it.

  While they sang to me, I looked around the table at all my loved ones. There was Izzie, my beautiful angel, who was so brave, dealing with life without a father. She had a look of excitement on her face that only a child gets in response to a cake with lit candles on it. Then there were my happy parents, two amazing people who had dealt with and survived infidelity. And my sweet, sweet sister, who by being my roommate had offered the beauty of seeing things from a different perspective. I giggled, thinking about the fact that she had actually picked up the guy who sold her a TV. And Alice, the woman who I’d kissed, and the woman who with one look could inspire me to no end. She looked so beautiful. I wasn’t sure if she would ever know how much she helped me in life.

  Then there was Preston, the gorgeous heartthrob, who had redefined me sexually, gotten me pregnant, fell off the face of the earth, and then turned my business into a gold mine. He had ultimately served a purpose in my life that was truly unexpected.

  And Luke, of course, the man who I’d met while lying on the ground after I’d just fallen on my face. The man who’d physically and mentally picked me up and helped me heal by offering his friendship initially, and then his love. For all these wonderful people surrounding me, I felt blessed beyond belief.

  “Make a wish,” shouted Izzie.

  I looked up and with tears in my eyes I announced, “But I already have everything I want.”

  I looked back at my daughter, and then I looked down at the burning candles, closed my eyes, and thought of the perfect wish. I wished for Isabelle to be as lucky as I was, in giving and receiving love, and I wished that she would find as much joy out of life as she possibly could, just like I had. Then I drew in a big, deep breath, and blew out my candles.

  The End

  Enjoy these Great Salsa Recipes!!!

  .

  Black Bean Watermelon Salsa

  Provided by: Linda Anderson

  Four cups diced watermelon

  One cup chopped Vidalia onion

  One clove minced garlic

  One tsp. chopped jalapeño pepper

  ½ cup chopped cilantro

  Two cans black beans (drained)

  Mix together and chill in fridge for two hours

  .

  Pineapple Mango Salsa

  Provided by: Lynn Bruno

  2 large ripe mangoes, cored and diced

  1 firm avocado, pitted and diced (overly ripe avocado won’t stand up)

  1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

  1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

  1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced (optional)

  ½ of a ripened pineapple, peeled, cored, and diced

  1 small red onion, diced

  1 small bunch of cilantro leaves, chopped

  salt and pepper to taste

  Dressing:

  ¼ to ½ cup olive oil2-4 tbsp. white wine or cider vinegar

  juice of 1 lime

  1 tsp honey

  Combine all diced items in a bowl and toss to combine. Add a bit of fresh ground pepper and sea salt to the mix to taste. Wisk dressing ingredients in a small bowl, or combine them in a sealed jar and shake until mixed. Pour dressing over fruit/vegetables and toss to combine. Add more salt and pe
pper to taste. Let sit for ½ hour for flavors to meld together. Enjoy over fish, chicken, pork, or all by itself!

  .

  Kiwi Strawberry Peach Salsa

  Provided by: Stephanie Hodges

  1 peach ~ peeled, pitted, and diced into small pieces

  1 kiwi ~ peeled and diced into small pieces

  6 strawberries ~ diced into small pieces

  1 jalapeno pepper ~ seeded and diced into small pieces (use as much as you’d like. I use sometimes use 2. You can use 1/2 if you don’t like it too spicy)

  1 tablespoon lime juice

  1 green onion ~ diced into small pieces

  2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

  1 pinch salt

  Mix all ingredients together. The longer it sits, the better the flavors come together. I try to make it a day or two in advance, but I’ve also made it and used it right away.

  .

  Cranberry Salsa

  Provided by: Pauline Levy

  12 oz package fresh cranberries, stems removed

  2 finely diced large celery stalks

  1 diced small white onion

  1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (may substitute banana pepper)

  ¼ cup chopped, fresh cilantro (more if you prefer)

  ½ tsp kosher or sea salt

  1/2 cup sugar

  3 tbsp fresh lime juice

  Process cranberries in food processor until coarsely chopped. Transfer cranberries to medium bowl and then add remaining ingredients. Stir well. Transfer to serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. For spicier salsa, include seeds from jalapeño.

  .

  Fresh Salsa: Always Healthy!

  Provided by: Missy Vacala

  (Use organic ingredients if possible)

  1 ½ cup tomatoes, diced

  2 tbsp finely diced white onion

  2 tbsp finely chopped red bell pepper

  2 tbsp finely chopped yellow bell pepper

  1 tbsp fresh chopped or 1tsp dried cilantro

  1 tsp fresh lime juice