I could see that. Hell, I could feel it.
“She has a superpower—she learns people; she caters to them in a way I’ve never witnessed before.”
“She’s certainly not doing it for the money. Her husband is one of the top financial advisers in Miami, and her son has more cash than he’ll ever be able to spend.” He kissed the top of my head. “For her, it’s all about the people.”
When we reached the end of the block, pausing at the Stop sign, I asked, “Should we take this back to the hotel to eat?” I glanced down the street, wondering if the SUV was going to come and fetch us.
He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. A sentiment that didn’t go unnoticed. “I thought we could stay around here and eat it by the water.”
My heart throbbed. “I would love that.”
We went across the street and through the park, choosing a bench right along the ocean, immediately greeted by the sound of the waves.
He handed me my box, and we opened them, the scent of the blueberry cake making my eyes close and my mouth water.
“Try this.” He held a piece of the fudge in front of my mouth. “I don’t even like coconut, but I get it every time I’m here.”
I felt his eyes on me as I leaned forward, surrounding the corner with my lips, the sweetness hitting me the moment I bit down. “Wow.”
He was right; the coconut wasn’t gritty. It was just a flavor that was added into the chocolate. And the fudge was creamy, almost light and flaky, a texture I’d never had before.
“This is seriously divine.”
“Now, try the cookie.”
I smiled. “I’ve had half-moon cookies before.”
“Not like this one.” He placed it near my lips. “I can promise you that.”
The cookie was the size of my palm—the base chocolate with a cake texture, the icing on top in both vanilla and chocolate. When I nibbled off the edge, I quickly learned this wasn’t as sweet as the fudge. But it was rich and decadent, the cookie a heavy flavor despite the consistency being light, and the frosting wasn’t sugary, like I had expected.
“My God,” I groaned. “Does this woman make anything that doesn’t taste like heaven?”
“Now, you understand.”
I took out a piece of my cake, popping some into my mouth. It tasted even better than it had in her store. “I can’t get over this.” I checked out the remaining slices in the box, looking for something dazzling on top—fairy dust, diamonds, anything that would explain where this flavor came from.
But it was just ingredients, baked to perfection.
“How often does Brett come here to see her?”
He swallowed and chewed off some cookie. “All the time, but if it were up to her, he would live here again.”
“Again?”
Jenner explained how Brett’s agency had started in Miami and how he’d opened an office in LA when he started dating James. I could understand the desire to relocate if you were dating a Hollywood star, but having lived in both cities, Miami took precedence, in my opinion.
The taste of South Florida just couldn’t be beat.
And Gloria didn’t have a franchise in LA.
“It’s so nice that you make an effort to see her when you’re here.”
“I didn’t visit her last time, and I felt guilty about it.” He laughed. “And Brett gave me a boatload of shit for not stopping in.”
I took out another piece, moaning through the bite. “You made up for it.”
He stared at me, still. “She got to meet you.”
I didn’t know how to respond, so I said nothing. I just let the words hang in the air, listening to them repeat in my mind.
Feeling them move into my heart.
“What did she say to you?” I set the box on my lap. “You know, when she whispered in your ear?”
His eyelids narrowed, his tongue swiping across his bottom lip. “Why don’t you tell me what she said to you?”
I smiled. He was such a lawyer. “How do you know she told me anything at all?”
A chill moved across my body when he said, “Because I know …”
Fifteen
Jenner
“We’re here again,” I said, glancing at Jo across the front seat of her car, parked in the lot of Miami’s private airport.
She took off her seat belt and turned toward me. “I like the picking-up part. Not the dropping-off part.”
The weekend had ended much faster than I’d anticipated, and we’d had a hell of a time together.
Each visit, things got better.
And the truth was, I wasn’t excited about my departure either.
I didn’t know what that meant, but I couldn’t spend too much time focusing on it because there was nothing I could do to change the reality of our situation.
Every time we were together, I saw the potential of what we could be.
Every time I left, it reinforced why this, long-term, would be far too hard to maintain.
“Come on,” I said, squeezing her leg, encouraging her to get out.
I moved over to the trunk, and she hit the button to open it. I grabbed my suitcase, and once the wheels hit the ground, I released the handle and wrapped my arms around her, holding her to my chest. I pressed my lips against her head, breathing her in.
“Is this good-bye?”
I knew what she was asking.
I just didn’t know if I could give her an answer.
So, I gave her the truth. “I hope not.” And I held her face with both hands and kissed her.
We stayed pressed together, her air mixing with mine, until I pulled away. There was emotion in her eyes that I couldn’t miss.
That I didn’t want to see.
That I didn’t want to be the cause of.
Goddamn it.
I couldn’t walk away and have this be the final memory.
I lowered my hands to her neck and tilted her face up. “You’d better eat that last piece of blueberry cake for breakfast.”
A smile tugged at those gorgeous lips, and she giggled.
That was what I needed to see.
To hear.
To feel as her body vibrated against mine.
“Already planning on it.”
“I would be incredibly disappointed otherwise … so would Gloria.”
She shook her head, staring at me. “Jenner …”
When she wrapped her arms around my neck, I hugged her tighter this time, rubbing across her shoulders and down her back.
“I know,” I whispered.
I cupped her cheeks, aiming her face up at mine, allowing me to keep her close, to direct her to my mouth.
To give those stunning lips as much pressure as I wanted.
The moment I pulled away, the war returned to her eyes.
The passion. The hunger. The sadness.
I found her hand and squeezed it, my other fingers now clinging to the handle of my suitcase, and I brought those beautiful black nails up to my lips and kissed them, giving one last brush to the side of her cheek before I took a step back.
And then another.
“You’re not going to say good-bye?”
“Do you want me to?”
She shook her head, pressing her fingers to her heart. “God, no.”