I won’t tell him I already do. “I’ll drive down in a couple of days so I can start practicing ahead of time.”
“Good idea. Olivia and I look forward to seeing you.”
After a few more exchanges, I end the call and trudge up the front steps of the porch. The contract folder weighs my hand down like one of the rocks Mom used to edge her rose bed, but I know it’s the best solution for us. And it’s temporary. That’s what I’m telling myself to make the choice more palatable. Once Kins graduates, I can move on to something…
Something.
I guess I could say there’s a silver lining to all this. I won’t have to sell the house. Now, I just have to figure out how to get on the ice without drowning in guilt.
CHAPTER 2
SOPHIE
Iused to think love was the most powerful force on earth.
Until it let me down.
Don’t get me wrong. I haven’t totally given up on love in general. Just…when it applies to me. Three failed relationships are like that saying: fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me; and my addition—fool me three times, shame on love. A girl can only endure so much disappointment in her life, you know?
“Soph?”
I jerk my attention back to my best friend Mia, who, at this very minute, is standing on a platform in front of floor-to-ceiling mirrors, wearing the most beautiful wedding dress I’ve ever seen. The lace, the beading, the drape of the fabric—perfection.
She lifts her finely shaped brows in question. “What do you think?”
I grin more for her benefit than mine. “I don’t know. Do they have it in a different color?”
Mia snorts and scowls all at once. “Seriously? This is like the most important event in my life, and you’re cracking jokes?”
I hold my hands up in innocence. “That’s why you love me so much.”
She rewards me with one of her epic eye rolls. “Save your humor for your articles.”
I hunch my shoulders, but this time, my smile is real. “It’s perfect.”
She meets my gaze in the mirror, her eyes glassy and her voice soft. “It is, isn’t it?”
If you looked up the definition of soulmate, I’m convinced you’d see a reference to Ethan and Mia. They are the epitome of the phrase ‘meant-to-be.’
Not only do the two of them look like they walked off the cover of a fashion magazine, which that alone would make me hate them if I didn’t love them both so much, but they’re also so perfect for each other, it’s nauseating.
But in a good way. A great way. The best way possible.
They’re like Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in the Titanic or Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice—drawn to one another with a longing and passion that sucks everyone in around them.
Including me…especially me, seeing as I’m kind of responsible for their meet cute.
A few months ago, Mia tagged along with me on an assignment to interview the new owner of Florida Sun Kings, based here in Sarabella. While I was interviewing the formidable Rebecca Piedmont, who started out as a sportscaster with a dream of someday owning her own team, Mia fell hard and fast for one of the players.
Their love story turned into a whirlwind, and now I’m helping her plan their wedding.
But this is where the romance ends for me, as a pseudo-matchmaker. And I can live with that. If I can’t have true love of my own, I will find peace in helping others discover theirs. Or write stories about it.
That is if my editor-in-chief buys my idea of a “RomancingSarabella” column. I envision it as a source to find out the best places for things like a first date, a marriage proposal, a cozy, intimate wedding, or even just a sunset picnic on the beach. Followed by a walk, of course.
Sarabella is known for its beaches and the arts. There’s a plethora of material to write about, highlighting the most romantic and creative parts of this somewhat sleepy but growing beach town. Like this boutique bridal shop I talked Mia into trying.
The dream of Tulle by Tulard started ten years ago when Madam Tulard—she insists we call her that—retired to Sarabella. All her years of apprenticing and working in France ached to be shared—her words—so she opened her own shop. I knew it would be the perfect place to find a one-of-a-kind dress for Mia, and I’m convinced readers will flip when they read Madam Tulard’s story. Doesn’t hurt that she’s giving Mia a discount.
