by Lisa Moreau
“You’re doing great,” Sydney said to the woman as they approached the reception area.
“Sometimes I don’t think I’ll ever get it.” The woman frowned.
“Stick with it and I promise you will.”
“Thanks, Sydney. I’ll see you next week,” the woman said and exited the studio.
Sydney wrapped her arms around Emily’s waist. “Hey, beautiful.”
Emily beamed and looked at Robin. “How’d I get so lucky?”
“You two are disgustingly cute together,” Robin said. “I’d love to stay and hear all the lovey-dovey crap, but it might make me retch. Plus, I have a class to teach.” Robin chuckled and disappeared down the hall.
“You were supposed to be showered and ready to go by now,” Emily said.
“Sorry. I got held up. Just give me a minute.” Sydney tried to pull away, but Emily held her in place.
“Not so fast,” Emily said. “I’m not done with you yet.”
Sydney smirked. “No?”
Emily dropped her gaze to Sydney’s luscious lips, her pulse rate increasing before they even touched. She inched forward and traced Sydney’s mouth with her tongue before plunging into a deep kiss. The sound of Sydney’s pleasurable moans caused Emily’s heart to flutter. Emily raked her fingers through Sydney’s silky hair and pulled her even closer, the length of their bodies pressed together. It was amazing how one kiss could ignite Emily’s passions. If they weren’t in the studio, she’d lay Sydney down and make love to her.
They quickly pulled apart when someone opened the front door. Emily grabbed the edge of the counter for balance since she was totally limp and resisted the urge to cover her face, sure it was flushed with desire.
Sydney thrust her hands behind her back and cleared her throat several times. “Hi, Sandra,” Sydney said to the woman who’d entered. “Go on back. The class is about to start.”
The woman smirked and flashed a knowing glance as she passed them. Once she was out of sight, Emily slid her arms around Sydney’s waist and smiled.
“Sorry. Guess we got caught.”
“Never apologize for kissing me,” Sydney said and planted a peck on Emily’s nose. “Give me fifteen minutes and I’ll be ready to roll.”
Reluctantly, Emily released her hold. “Hey,” Emily said and grabbed Sydney’s hand. “I need to ask you something. Do you ever regret not taking the PowerBar job?”
“What brought that on?”
“I just wonder sometimes.”
“I can honestly say absolutely, unequivocally, no. I do not regret it.”
“But—”
“No buts. You were right before when you said my self-worth doesn’t come from a job but from within. I wanted to work at PowerBar because it was a high-class place in Beverly Hills, and I thought it would mean I was somebody.” Sydney chuckled. “Guess I had a lot to learn.”
“You’re an incredible person, regardless of where you work.”
“I know that now. And I was going to save this surprise until later, but maybe I’ll go ahead and tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Robin wants me to be her partner. I’m going to be a fifty percent owner of PoleCat.” Sydney’s eyes sparkled with delight.
“Oh my gosh. That’s wonderful. Congratulations.” Emily gave Sydney a tight squeeze.
“Thanks. I’m really excited about it,” Sydney said, smiling widely. “We’re really in sync with what we want to accomplish.”
“That’s wonderful, sweetie. I’m so happy for you.”
“So no more wondering about PowerBar, okay?”
“All right.” Emily gave Sydney a quick kiss. “Now go get ready so we can get on the road.”
* * *
“Did you ever think you’d see that?” Emily said with a chuckle.
“Not in a million years,” Sydney said. “But then again, I can’t blame Fran for succumbing to your powers of persuasion.”
They gazed up at the enormous All Are Welcome sign at the entrance to Fran’s farm and drove through the open gate.
“Remember when we broke in?” Sydney asked. “You were scared shitless.”
“I was not!” Emily protested but with a smile in her voice.
“Come on. Admit it.” Sydney teasingly poked Emily in the ribs.
“All right. Maybe a little. You know, that’s when I started falling in love with you.”
“Really?” Sydney looked surprised.
“When I got stuck in the fence, you made me feel safe and cared for. I would’ve followed you anywhere that night.”
“I was hooked the minute you threw my avocado protein drink on me and jabbed that humongous ring in my face.” Sydney laughed.
“You deserved it.” Emily smiled. “But I’m glad you broke into the cabin.”
Sydney grabbed Emily’s hand and held it. “Me, too.”
Emily pulled behind a truck and parked, amazed at all the people. It had taken some convincing, but Fran had finally agreed to open her farm to the public. Her failing business was revived by weekend fig fests, when customers picked fruit themselves and paid by the basket. The biggest draw, though, was that folks from all over the world flocked to see the famous Madagascar lovebirds. After Fran’s profits soared, she didn’t seem to mind so much that the birds were eating her figs. Fran got rich, and Emily secured a safe place for the lovebirds to reside. It was a win for both of them.
Emily grinned when she spotted Fran and Bud standing on the porch. She’d missed them.
“Hey, you two,” Sydney said as they approached.
“Well, look what the cat drug in.” Fran smiled. “It’s been months since you’ve visited.”
“I know,” Emily said. “It’s been too long.”
Sydney and Emily climbed the steps and gave Fran and Bud each a hug.
“I saw you on that there Discovery program the other night,” Bud said to Emily. “You’ve become quite a TV star.”
Emily chuckled. “I think the lovebirds are the stars.”
“The place is packed,” Sydney said, motioning to the crowd.
“Every weekend gets even busier,” Fran said.
“And to think you wanted to get rid of the lovebirds.” Emily smirked.
Fran’s cheeks turned bright red. “Well. I can be pigheaded sometimes, I suppose.”
“Not too pigheaded to say yes to my proposal, though.” Bud stood upright and hooked his thumbs under his suspenders.
“Wow. Congratulations,” Emily and Sydney said in unison.
“We’re getting hitched two months from today, so you two better plan on being here.”
“We wouldn’t miss it.” Emily’s heart warmed at the tender look Bud and Fran exchanged. She couldn’t help but feel proud that she and Sydney had gotten them together during that Conway Twitty dinner.
After chatting a bit, Emily and Sydney meandered through the fig trees. Anticipation swirled inside Emily as they neared the lovebirds. She’d seen them dozens of times, but the excitement never waned. Disappointment settled in, though, when she saw a huge crowd around the lovebirds’ fig tree. They’d never get close enough to see the birds, even with Emily’s high-powered binoculars.
“Jesus, look at all the people. I can push through for you,” Sydney said, undoubtedly seeing Emily’s displeasure.
“No. That’s okay. Most of these folks have never seen the birds. They deserve to enjoy them.”
“Yeah, but they’re kinda like…ours.”
Emily faced Sydney and smiled. “They are, but you know what? There’s only one lovebird I care about, and she’s standing right in front of me.”
About the Author
Lisa Moreau is an ultimate romantic and loves creating lighthearted, happily-ever-after romances. Her debut novel, Love on the Red Rocks, is a 2017 Golden Crown Literary Society Debut Award winner, and her second book, The Butterfly Whisperer, won a 2018 GCLS Award.
Lisa has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Midwestern State Univer
sity, Texas, and has completed an indefinitely large number of creative writing courses at Santa Monica College, California. She lives in Los Angeles for the ocean, mountains and totally awesome weather and only occasionally thinks about moving when she feels an earthquake tremble.
Lisa can be reached at www.LisaMoreauWriter.com.
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