“He was not; now let me get a darn drink.” She grabs the menu back, but I don’t drop the subject. Instead, I lean near her ear so only she can hear me.
“Just because one man made you feel bad about yourself does not mean you’re not a total badass babe who is wanted.”
She swallows hard and nods, not saying anything. It breaks my heart she can’t see how awesome she is. I can only pray one day God will send her the right man because if it’s left to her, she’ll be a crazy old, lonely cat lady, but instead of cats it’ll be records.
Marcus comes up and hugs her from behind, saving her from the conversation. Harmony runs in, and Cole picks her up and swings her around, and Grace comes to give me a small hug.
“Hey, Lyla, how are you doing?” I know what she really means. I haven’t talked much about what happened, and this is sweet Grace’s way of letting me know she cares.
“I’m good. Thank you for asking,” I say, meaning it as I hug her back.
“Hey, Grace, they have Absinthe,” Marcus says, grinning his cocky smile, and Grace turns beet red and shakes her head at him.
Before I can ask what that’s all about, Mason and Willow come up the stairs and he lets out a loud whistle of his appreciation of the place as she stands there with her mouth hanging open. The place is impressive; I get it. They join us at the bar and order drinks, then shortly after, Nora and Declan join us and we all head to the gorgeous table.
White tablecloth, gold plates with matching silverware and dark-green napkins and beautiful eucalyptus running through the middle of the long table. We don’t order anything because Dane and Cole already set everything up, down to the last detail, so we all relax and chat, catching up on the details of our friends’ lives. I’m especially thrilled to have Marcus’ parents with us. We all listen enthralled about how great Harmony is doing in school and dance class. Mason has started a fling with Simone, and Charlie and Marcus have set up the other apartments that are above the studio for a new band his label Empire 39 has officially signed and will be moving here within the month.
“To celebrate the studio’s success with Simone’s album going platinum and the signing of Headspace, this is for you, Lyla, and don’t try to give it back because it’s technically already back into your account.”
His shit-eating grin makes me cock my head in confusion, but I take the envelope as he goes on.
“I’m also hosting a huge masquerade ball, and you’re all invited. Lots of snotty socialites and celebrities will be there, but I promise it’ll be fun.” Lowering his voice, he says, “Charlie, I made masks required just for you so I don’t want any excuses why you can’t or more accurately why you won’t come. I will drag you there myself if I have to.”
I watch her smirk at him but know she’ll try her hardest to get out of it. My poor, sweet, fucking gorgeous best friend is the shyest person I know, and secretly I wish what happened to her dad would have happened sooner. I look down and pull out the paper from the envelope and freeze, slack-jawed and ready to cry. A deposit slip of the 1.5 million dollars, the exact amount I gave Marcus years ago, has been deposited into my account.
“Holy shit, Marcus.”
I peer at him with tears in my eyes that I’m trying so hard to hold in. He comes around the table, and I get up. We hug and the table claps for some reason. I hear cheers of “congratulations on both your successes” and “So proud of you” along with “Holy cow” from Willow I think, who must have just seen the slip sitting on the table. We pull apart and sit back down. I wipe my cheek and turn to Cole. “Did you know about this?”
He looks guilty as hell but shakes his head, smiling like the Cheshire cat. I still lost most of my money when the scandal hit. I also had to deal with the IRS to be cleared of any money laundering I might have been involved in, which I was not at all, so it wrapped up pretty fast. They let me have my condo, which I sold along with my beloved restaurant. It was hard to sign on that dotted line, but I knew it was for the best. Cole, Marcus, and even his dad Declan helped me move everything back to San Diego, and I’ve continued to work side by side with Cole. I love it, I do, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss cooking more, which has come as a surprise.
Dane comes out with his team of servers all dressed in black. They bring carts around and place covered dishes in front of us.
“Hello, everyone. As many of you know, I’m the owner and head chef here at Kraze. As good friends of Cole and Lyla, I wanted to personally say hello and thank you all so much for choosing my restaurant for your family dinner this evening. As my servers come around you, they will lift your covers.” Everyone sits back as the covers come off the dishes and the aromas all waft in our faces.
“I do hope it’s all to your liking and especially yours, Lyla, seeing how they are all your recipes.”
My head shoots to Dane, and he’s grinning knowingly at me.
“Tonight only, I’ve prepared some of Lyla Turner’s most famous and popular dishes. These items aren’t found on my menu and were only trusted to me because I’ve had the pleasure of becoming friends with her and Cole.”
I look to Cole and he gives me a cocky smile with love and hope in his eyes. I laugh, loving it and wanting him to know it. I feel him relax as I press my lips to his cheek and whisper “Thank you” in his ear.
Dane goes around and introduces my dishes to everyone, since everyone got something different. Even Harmony, who doesn’t wait before she digs in, loving her fancy mac and cheese with bacon and smoked pulled pork. Everyone moans at first bite, and I nod and smile my approval to Dane who slowly retreats downstairs with his servers.
The evening is a huge success, and we laugh and eat some great food all while spending quality time together. Finally, everyone cheers to a wonderful night with amazing friends, and we finally say goodbye.
Epilogue
Cole
My palms are starting to sweat as we say good night to everyone. I haven’t been nervous up until this moment, knowing all my planning is coming into full swing. The night has been perfect. Dane did an incredible job with dinner, and the rooftop lounge was ideal. Everyone is on the same page, and no one ordered dessert. I whispered in Lyla’s ear about a dessert place I wanted to take her to, so she didn’t order anything either. Marcus gives me the nod as we head out.
“Would you like to walk? It’s not far from here,” I ask as she takes my sweaty palm. I yank it out of her soft hand and wipe them both down my thighs with a light laugh, then take her hand in mine and pull her close.
“Sure. It’s a beautiful night, why not.” She smiles up at me.
About a block into our brisk evening stroll, I ask her, “Do you remember the day we first met?”
“Of course, I do. How could I ever forget? Even half asleep my jaw hit the floor as soon as I saw you in all your herculean glory.”
“I remember seeing you. You walked in wearing a tight fucking skirt I wanted to rip off immediately, and I think the chemistry between us clogged up the room because Marcus immediately put his foot down.” I laugh at the memory and even with how hard the months without him were, it’s all pretty fucking comical now. He constantly tells jokes about how he walked in on us but still seems to be happy with how it worked out. Tonight wouldn’t have been possible without his blessing.
“Yes, dad got very mad almost immediately. I think it was obvious then how much we wanted each other, and we shouldn’t have tried to fight it.” She grins with a knowing look in her eyes.
“Oh, are you referring to when I bolted after we discovering how phenomenal you tasted, and then you made me feel like an idiot adolescent and coincidently about to blow a load at the family dinner table at the mention of honey? Is that what you mean?”
“Yeah, that’s about right.” She laughs hard at that and squeezes into my side tighter, so I put my arm around her and kiss the top of her head.
We walk for a few blocks. The sun’s already set, and a cool breeze blows up off the ocean and into the
city. The night is perfect and hopefully one I’m going to remember the rest of my life. The ice cream shop is in view, and I point it out to her. She assures me she’s never eaten here, and I’m relieved because we’ve gotten very close to our actual destination. When I grab her hand again and yank her across the street, she makes a squeaking sound of surprise but runs along with me. We run around the corner and stop in front of a closed shop with the sold sign hanging in front.
“Oh my gosh,” she says in awe. “Do you know what this place is?” she asks me, walking up to look through the window. The door is unlocked so I turn the handle and hold the door open until she notices.
“What did you do?” she asks with a tilted smile.
I shrug and lift my hand, ushering her in. She goes in happily and searches for a light in the dark room that’s mostly covered in dust and old sheets. I grab the two lanterns I stuck by the door and turn them on. “Over here.” I walk over to the small picnic I have set up. It’s not much and nowhere near as good of a dessert that she could have gotten at Kraze, but hopefully she’ll still like it.
“This looks amazing, but you do know where we are, right? So, what did you do?”
I open the basket Willow packed for me earlier and set out the ice cream bowls, glasses, honey, and whiskey. Then I reach in for the ice cream as she finally sits down on the blanket beside me. I dish out the ice cream, and she takes a look around the broken-down dusty room.
“I love this place, Cole. I’m really happy you brought me here. I didn’t even know it was empty. Does Marcus?”
“Yeah, Marcus knows the owner.”
“He doesn’t own it? Who does?”
“You do.”
“What?”
Her eyes looked ready to bulge out of her head, her adorable shocked face completely priceless. I reach into my pocket and pull out the keys, take her hand in mine, and place them in her palm and cover them.
“This beat-down old record store is all yours, Lyla. To make many more great memories in.”
She stares at me speechless, and her mouth is still hanging open. It’s really fucking cute.
Finally, after the quiet has stretched, she starts to blink and stutter. “But this place should belong to Marcus. Record 39 was his mom and dad’s pride and joy, at least at one time.”
“I’ve spoken to them, and they are happy the place will be in loving hands. It hasn’t belonged to the family for a few years, and it’s pretty worn down as you can see. That only means you can make it whatever you want. A restaurant, a retail boutique, an art gallery if that’s what you want, but, Lyla, it’s all yours.”
“You bought me a building?” she asks with tears now shining in her eyes.
“I did.” I take her face in my hands and kiss her lips gently. “I love you, Lyla, and I want all your dreams to come true, and I’m hoping you’ll be a part of making mine come true.”
“I would do anything for you, Cole. Thank you for this extremely generous gift that I will never know how to repay. How can I make your dreams come true? Tell me and I’ll make it happen.”
“Marry me?” I ask and pull the small box out from under the nearby covered table.
“Wha—” She doesn’t finish but covers her mouth in shock.
“My dream is life with you by my side. I don’t care about all the buildings I own or what my bank account says; you are my life, Lyla. Make me the happiest man alive and be my wife?”
She sputters a small cry and soon nods frantically, saying yes over and over and kissing me. My lips, my chin, my cheeks, and my forehead. Soon she’s in my lap, straddling me, and I laugh a little, trying not to cry because I know my girl and she would call me out. I slip the ring out of the box and onto her finger. It’s the perfect size thanks to Charlie’s help, and the large oval diamond looks perfect on her long slim finger.
“I want nothing more than to become your wife. I love you, baby.”
She kisses me softly this time and slowly. Soon she’s pushing her tongue in, and I’m laying us down, forgetting the rest of the plan. A knock on the glass door makes us jump apart, and Marcus, his parents, Grace, Harmony, Charlie, Mason, and Willow all come in yelling and clapping. She looks to me smiling, and we sit up, laughing at ourselves.
Thank You!
Dearest Reader,
Thank you so much for taking a chance on me and my very first novel. If you liked it, please consider leaving a review so I can keep publishing more steamy stories. I hope you loved reading it as much as I’ve adored writing it. Lyla, Charlie and Marcus have been in my head with so many adventures wanted to come out and you’ll be happy to know there is so much more to come. Cole and Lyla were in insta-lust but that soon turned to love before the two even realized it. They maybe the beginning of the series but I’ve got so much more in store for you starting with the prequel that started it all with Nora and Declan. If you remember they are Marcus’s parents and they have a story all their own in Rum & Records. If you would like to read this short novella for free be sure to sign up for my newsletter and I’ll send it right over.
Book Two in the Empire Records Series will have our sweet shy Charlie turning into a whole new woman with a hot Rockstar that shakes the ground beneath her introverted world in Black Velvet & Lace.
Book Three, Vodka & Pop Rocks will have our spunky Willow making deals with her mouth that her body can’t seem to fight…find out all the details and more in my reader group Heather Lauren’s Love Lounge (Facebook)
Book Four will be the last book of the Empire Series and will have our beloved Marcus realizing things about his past that will alter his future forever in Absinthe & Heart.
If you have a quick moment I would greatly appreciate if you would consider leaving a review on Amazon to help me better my craft as well as reach more awesome readers like yourself.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart,
Heather Lauren
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About the Author
Heather is a mom of three who loves coffee, tacos and a good adult beverage. In that order.
Whiskey and Honey: Can a forbidden fling be real love? (The Empire Records Series Book 1) Page 15