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Pepper elbowed him. He cleared his throat. “I’m glad you could make it on short notice.”
“I’ll always make time for my family.” His mother turned to Pepper. “I’ll be seeing you again soon, at the wedding.”
“Wedding?” Pepper sent him a distressed look. She was just as appalled at the thought of marriage as he was, which made him all the more certain that what he had planned for that evening was for the best.
“Mother—”
Before he could say more, a reporter made a beeline for them.
“Gotta go, darling.” His mother blew him a kiss and then conveniently slipped out to the waiting car and rode away.
He was jealous of his mother. He wanted to slip away from this crowd with Pepper, but he couldn’t do that. This was his brainchild and now he had to see that it was a success. And so he put on his best smile and did his best to dodge any personal questions, while attempting to keep the interview focused on the new store.
By the time he finished with the one reporter, there was another lined up. With the temperatures dipping, they moved inside. Simon looked around for Pepper but didn’t see her anywhere. He wondered where she’d gone off to. They had things to discuss.
* * *
What had just happened?
Pepper entered the penthouse with Daisy in her arms. “Did you hear that, Daisy? You have a charity named after you! That’s pretty cool, right?”
Arff!
Pepper smiled. She loved how Daisy tried to have a conversation with her.
“This means other puppies and kitties that are still looking for their ‘fur-ever’ homes will have funds for food, blankets and stuffed animals.”
Daisy appeared to be done with the chat, squirming in Pepper’s arms, wanting to be put down. She released the leash from Daisy’s collar and then placed the puppy on the floor. Daisy took off toward the bedroom as though on a mission.
Pepper headed for the kitchen. Her thoughts were all about Simon and how he hadn’t acted any different since they’d made love the other night. She thought it would have changed things between them. It’d changed everything for her. She couldn’t hide from the truth any longer.
I love Simon.
The breath hitched in her throat as she acknowledged this truth. If it wasn’t for the baby opening up her heart again to love, she didn’t know if she’d ever have had the courage to admit her feelings for Simon to herself or anyone else.
And she wanted him to love her too. But as more time passed and he acted like they were nothing more than roommates, she worried that he didn’t feel the same way. Or maybe she was just letting her nerves get to her.
She moved around the kitchen, placing the sponge cake layers on the island to frost with mascarpone frosting. She wasn’t sure when Simon would make it home, but when he did, she’d planned a small celebration. She just hoped it wouldn’t be too small.
She whipped the mascarpone cheese and then added the powdered sugar a little at a time. This was one of her favorite frostings, as it was so light and delicate. It was sweet without being overpowering. It enhanced the cake without taking over.
Daisy, dragging her teddy bear, entered the kitchen. Placing the teddy bear next to Pepper’s feet, she lay down. In just a few moments, Daisy’s eyes drifted closed. It’d been a big day for all of them.
As Pepper added the frosting to the top of each of the four layers, she thought about how things had changed between her and Simon. He’d come to accept Daisy, in fact, she’d caught them having a conversation the other morning when Simon thought she was still in bed.
He got up early and
took Daisy for her morning walk. He even fed her breakfast so Pepper could sleep in. For a man who didn’t like dogs, he was wrapped around Daisy’s tail.
Was this the beginning of the family that she’d always wanted? Her heart swelled with hope. After losing her family one by one, she was finally ready to build a new family. Her hand pressed to her slowly growing midsection.
With the cake completed, she positioned it on the kitchen island. And then she retrieved the card she’d picked up. It was a Christmas card, but she’d written him a note on the inside. And then to make the scene complete, she added two champagne flutes and an ice bucket with some sparkling grape juice.
She moved to the living room. Pepper turned on the tree lights and that was all. She loved the soft glow that filled the room. It’d grown dark even earlier than normal.
She moved to the tall window that gave an amazing view of downtown. The overcast sky led her to believe that there was more snow on the way. As if in acknowledgment, a lone snowflake fluttered past the window. She hoped Simon made it home before it got bad out.
She’d just curled up on the couch and turned on the remainder of An Affair to Remember when the front door opened.
