I wave him off. “Goodbye, Dean.”
“Mark my words. You’ll be wondering what it is.”
His question weighs on me the rest of the workday. Not what good luck charm Dean gives to his husband, but the other one.
Why am I going for it now?
As I replay the scavenger hunt earlier today, my answer to why now? lies in something unexpected. I want her to know, so I send a text in the afternoon, choosing directness.
Leo: Do you want to know what changed for me?
Lulu: Of course.
Leo: Noah.
Lulu: What does Noah have to do with anything?
Leo: When he grabbed the backpack and took off running. He just went for it.
Lulu: Am I the backpack?
Leo: I think you might be the backpack, Lulu.
Lulu: Are you going to go for me?
Leo: Yes.
I set my phone to silent and power through the rest of the workday. When I turn it back on, I find a missed call from Tripp’s mom.
My finger hovers over her contact info, and I’m this close to returning her call. But it can wait till tomorrow. I don’t want to be in that world tonight.
When I return to my place to shower, I walk past a picture of Tripp and me at his restaurant, some random night, and make a choice—to put him out of my mind.
Tonight, I choose not to think about that promise I made.
28LULU
The scent of truffles enrobes me. Sensual and rich, the aroma floods my nostrils as I craft a new batch to take to Kingsley tomorrow. Flavors of caramel, vanilla, and pistachios float through the air. Corinne Bailey Rae plays on my phone, drifting through the closed shop.
The door creaks open, and I nearly shriek when I see a familiar face—warm crinkles against dark blue eyes, dark-blond hair curling at the ends, and a grin just for me. I drop my tools on the counter and rush over to throw my arms around my best friend. Emotion slams into me all at once.
“You’re here!”
“Whoa! Did you forget I was coming back to town?”
“I just missed you.”
“My flight arrived early from Chicago,” he says, mentioning the site of his most recent hotel meeting. “Figured I should at least stop by and see my business partner before I go out on a hot date tonight.”
I let go of him to check out his shoes. Black loafers. “And you’re not wearing Crocs tonight.”
“Did I say I was wearing my loafers on my date? I have a brand-new pair of Birkenstocks I’ll be slipping into. Did I tell you I’m switching to Birkenstocks for the ladies?”
I cover his mouth. “You didn’t say that. We will never speak of your footwear again.”
“Flip-flops?” He tries to speak around my hand, and I shake my head.
“How about those foot gloves with the rubber-covered toes?”
I slump dramatically to the floor like the Wicked Witch melting, fitting since I’m wearing a green dress. “I can’t go on.”
Laughing, he offers me a hand, tugs me up, then whispers, “Confession: I’m wearing the loafers tonight. All because of you.”
“Praise the Lord!” I thrust my arms into the air. “Also, it’s so good to see you again. Business is going great here. The shop manager is awesome, and I’ve been trying to spend as much time as I can here, all while handling Heavenly stuff. But let’s talk about how awesome you are. Sounds like you were a rock star in Miami, and in Vegas, and in Chicago?”
“I sealed the deal with the hotel in Florida. Paperwork is all done. They want to carry Lulu’s Chocolates in their swank, chichi lobby shop. Flamingo-shaped chocolate for the win. And things are looking good with the Vegas hotel too, and the Chicago one.”
I grab his cheeks and kiss his forehead. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”
“And I love you. But I’m only here for a few minutes.”
“Who’s your hot date with? When I saw you in Miami last week, you mentioned a mystery woman. Is there a mystery woman in New York too?”
“Please. I am a one-woman man.”
“And a one mystery-woman man?”
