And in the middle of the room, pardoning her way through the sea of seated guests, was Cher. What in the world was she doing?
She looked up and saw him standing there. That sunshine smile of hers spread across her face, her eyes shining with such a radiant glow his heart nearly stopped at the sheer beauty of her. That smile was for him. Because of him. And suddenly he knew, knew, that he’d just found his future.
She pulled up the hem of her dress and pushed her way through the crowded seats. He barreled toward her, meeting her halfway. She opened her arms and he wrapped his around her waist, sweeping her off her feet. Their lips met and he kissed her for all he was worth. Her hands clutched at him like she couldn’t believe he was really there. She pulled away, laughing, then kissed him again.
Oz put Cher back on her feet but kept his arms firmly around her. He stroked a hand down her cheek.
“I didn’t get the job.”
She pulled away so she could look full into his face. “I don’t care.”
The hope smoldering in his chest burned a little brighter. He smiled down at her. “You don’t?”
“Not in the slightest. I just want you to be happy.”
“Hmm,” he said, running a thumb along her bottom lip. “I can think of a few things that might accomplish that.”
She rubbed against him. “Hmm, I’m sure you can.” She leaned in like she wanted to tell him a secret. “I applied for the mba program at unc Chapel Hill. That’s near you, isn’t it?”
His heart was a burning blaze now. “You did what?”
She shrugged, a sly smile on her lips. “I’m going to get my business degree and open my own center for disadvantaged women.”
What the hell was she talking about? “Center for disadvantaged women, what?”
“Yes, like I told you about. An expansion on what DressHer does.”
DressHer? He’d heard of that place. It helped women who were reentering the workforce. A lot of them were either single moms, or women leaving abusive relationships. Some ladies just needed to find something better but hadn’t had the chance before. DressHer helped them with appropriate clothing, setting up job interviews, all kinds of things. Suddenly, all the comments Cher had made about her job made sense. “That’s where you work?”
“Yes.”
He wrapped his arms around her even tighter. “Personal shopper, my ass.”
He felt her shrug but didn’t let go.
“It’s sort of a personal shopper.”
He leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose. “What does your family think?”
“To hell with my family. I’m finally going after what I want. And Oz…I want you.”
Before he could question her again, she rose on her toes and pressed her lips to his. His hands cupped her face and he poured every ounce of joy coursing through him into his kiss.
To his surprise, a few of the guests around them started to clap. Cher looked around and laughed. Eventually the whole tent’s inhabitants, minus her parents, of course, were cheering. Elliot whooped loudly from his spot back at the family’s table.
“Let’s get out of here,” she said.
“You sure about that?”
She gazed right into his eyes. “More sure than I’ve ever been about anything in my life.” She took his hand. “What do you say, Oz? Will you date me?”
He laughed and scooped her into his arms. “It would be my pleasure Ms. Debusshere.”
Epilogue
Oz’s deep belly-laugh rang out again and Cher smiled. Really, the man could start a party no matter where they were. She moved forward a few feet, her anxiety kicking up a few notches. They were late. Again. But at least they were finally within a few feet of the security check point. Cher checked her watch.
“We’re going to miss our flight.”
Oz excused himself from the conversation he was having with an older gentleman behind them and came to stand beside her. He checked his own watch.
“Ah. We’ll make it. Your watch is fast.”
“It is not.”
“Yes it is. You always set it ten minutes ahead so we aren’t late.”
She huffed, but the smile tugging at her lips sort of ruined the effect. “Well, that didn’t work today, did it?”
“No. But that wasn’t my fault. You set the alarm for the wrong time.”
She opened her mouth to argue but shut it again with a grumble. She hated it when he was right. “I had the time right. I just had the a.m./p.m. setting wrong. Could happen to anyone.”
“Sure. But it happens to you at least twice a week. If you didn’t own your own shop you would have been fired by now.”
“Oh shut up. It’s easy for you to say. You get to work from home on your articles all day. I’m the one that has to actually leave the house.”