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Forcing a smile, she said, "For kicking Robert out, of course. If you'd kept him, I might never have met the love of my life. So, I owe you one."
Carol let out a soft laugh. "That was my intention when I kicked him out. I knew that I was doing both of us a favor, and I hoped Robert would find a wonderful mate who would love him and appreciate him, and that was precisely what happened. You two are perfect for each other, and I found my perfect match as well."
"I love happy endings," Eva said. "What's your poison, Sharon?"
Sharon glanced at the array of bottles lined up on the bar. "Surprise me. You know what I like."
"That I do." Eva clapped Sharon on her back.
"As do I." Ella took Sharon's hand and led her to the table. "I infiltrated the kitchen and made your favorite delights."
Sharon's eyes widened. "Marzipan and mascarpone cake with summer fruit, chocolate, and marzipan croissants, and chocolate-dipped plums with Armagnac marzipan." She turned to her friend. "Did you really make these?"
Ella was a great cook, but this was on a different level.
"My mom helped. We joined a class in the sanctuary about working with marzipan, and knowing how much you loved it, we brought two pounds of it on the trip. The rest of the ingredients were supplied by the cruise kitchen."
Tears prickled Sharon's eyes. Ella had noticed and remembered that she loved marzipan, and she'd gone to all that effort to make her celebration sweet.
"Taste one," Ella prompted.
"Just one? I'm going to taste all of them."
"Then you'll need a drink to wash them down." Eva handed her a glass with orange-colored liquid and black cherries floating around.
"What's that?"
"It's called whiskey sour, but it's not sour at all. It's sweet and tangy."
"Just how I love it." Sharon took a sip.
Eva raised her own glass. "To Sharon, who is finally ready to tie the knot with Robert in the midst of our clan's season of love."
As everyone raised their glasses, Sharon clinked hers with Eva and Ella, then with Tessa, Nathalie, and Ruth. Carol was the last one.
"To love," Carol said.
As the music started playing in the background, and her friends sat on the couch and armchairs, the doorbell rang.
"That must be Amanda." Eva walked over to open the door. "It wouldn't be a proper bachelorette party without the matchmaker who made it happen, right?"
Sharon grinned. "I wondered where she was."
Amanda walked in, dressed to the nines as usual, in a dark blue tuxedo jumpsuit and four-inch heels, and with Kri behind her, wearing jeans and sneakers.
"Hello, darlings. I'm sorry for being late."
"No, you are not." Sharon hugged her. "You just like to make an entrance." She moved to hug Kri. "Did she make you wait outside?"
"Actually, it was my fault. I was playing poker with Jasmine and didn't notice that it was getting late. Amanda came to get me."
"I was curious about the woman, so I used getting Kri as an excuse, and it was good that I did. Jasmine was killing her."
Eva frowned. "Really? A human was beating you at poker? How is that possible?"
"I couldn't smell her." Kri snatched one of the marzipan delights and straddled a chair. "We were snacking on Doritos, and they have such a strong smell that they overpower the delicate emotional scents."
"What about her tells?" Sharon asked.
