The taxi driver stopped and tapped the meter. “Cash or credit?”
Rafe pulled his wallet from his pocket. “Credit.”
“Are you sure we’re at the right place?” she asked the driver.
“Sullivan’s,” he said, casually tossing a gesture toward the unmarked property. “Right there.”
While Rafe paid, Mia stepped out and looked around. The fog was still out over the ocean and a soft, heavenly salty breeze whispered over her skin. Rafe came around the car to her side, and the taxi started down the quiet road. The two of them stood there in the night bathed by the sound of ocean waves in the distance and laughter drifting from behind the ivy privacy barrier.
Mia took a deep breath and let it out, but nerves still buzzed in her belly. Then Rafe’s hand encircled hers, warm and gentle. She looked up at him and found him smiling.
“Welcome to your future, beautiful. Seems pretty damn nice so far.”
Mia filled with so much love, the words almost spilled out. Giddiness replaced her unease. Gripping his lapels, she pushed to her toes, leaned into him, and kissed him. “That’s for chasing me down and being here with me.”
His fingers skimmed her face, his eyes warm and serious. “I could say the same.”
They kissed, and Mia felt that familiar shift inside her again. One that was happening far too often. She lowered and stepped toward the mysterious door. The handle turned easily enough in Rafe’s hand, and he stepped aside, letting Mia go ahead.
Passing through the door felt a little like stepping into another world. White lights were strung between trees and poles. Lanterns lit each patio table. A large outdoor fireplace roared with crackling wood. Waves washed the moonlit beach beyond the restaurant, which sat on a cliff.
Mia felt like she’d walked into a fairy tale.
“There she is.” The excited female voice drew Mia’s attention. Cynthia rushed over to her, arms outstretched, her dark face glowing with a gorgeous smile. “Mia.”
She wrapped Mia in her arms, and they hugged tight, rocking back and forth.
“Oh my God,” Mia said, “you got rid of your dreads.” She pulled back and looked at her friend again. Her black hair, once held in carefully tended dreadlocks to her shoulders, was now a frisky, cropped headful of tiny coils. “God, I love it. You look beautiful.”
She laughed. “So do you. It’s so good to see you. I’m so excited you’re here.” Releasing her, Cynthia slid her hand down Mia’s arm and tugged her forward. “Let me introduce you— Aaron,” she yelled across the patio filled with people. “Mia’s here.”
Mia swore every head turned. She experienced a millisecond of oh shit, until everyone smiled, raised whatever they were drinking, and shouted boisterous rounds of “Mia!”
She was laughing when she reached for Rafe. He was standing back, hands in his pants pockets. And when she hooked her hand through his elbow and met his eyes, she found him smiling. His expression filled with a sweet, raw, real joy. Joy that she was the center of attention.
“Come on. Let me introduce you,” she said. “Cynthia, this is one of my best friends in the world, Rafe.”
Rafe offered his hand and a genuine greeting.
“Rafe,” Cynthia said, “you have good taste in friends.”
“And I have good taste in designers.” The man who came to Cynthia’s side was white, in his midthirties, good-looking, and gregariously friendly. He offered his hand to Mia first, then Rafe. “Aaron. So glad you could make it.”
The gate behind them opened, drawing Aaron’s and Cynthia’s gazes. Mia turned to a well-dressed older couple arriving to a cheering crowd.
“Wouldn’t you know it?” Aaron said to Cynthia, grinning. “Just like Tony and Martha to steal the limelight.” Without waiting for an answer, he turned to Mia and Rafe. “It’s the producer and his wife. Let me just give Tony the costume costs of this episode, and I’ll be right back with you.”
“Of course,” Mia said.
Aaron gripped her shoulders, gave her a little shake, and said, “So glad to have
you, Mia.”
A laugh of surprise popped out of her, making Aaron smile. He released her, told them to help themselves to anything, mingle, and he’d find them again, then moved on.
Cynthia took over, sliding her arm through Mia’s and staying close by her side as she walked her through the patio, all while Rafe hung back. But every time she turned to look for him, he was right there with a reassuring smile.
Mia had lost count of how many people Cynthia introduced her to when she finally stopped and tugged on her friend’s arm. “Uncle. I’m never going to remember everyone’s name, let alone their faces and their positions. I’ve hit my threshold.”