“Neither have I,” Zoe said.
“But you’ve been in long-term relationships before, right?”
Zoe hesitated, then nodded. “Yes, but work always came before my relationships. This is the first time I’d rather drown in love than in work.”
“Drowning in love… I’m with you.” A warm glow settled in Marcy’s core. Zoe was open to the possibility of a future with her; she could sense it in their interaction that was entirely natural now and eternally passionate. Zoe had stopped choosing her words carefully when they talked about their relationship, and she never doubted Marcy anymore. “Do you want to stay in Spain? Long-term, I mean,” she asked. The question had been on her mind for a while. Being an executive chef, Zoe could work anywhere she wanted, and with her restaurant being a huge success, she might eventually get an offer she couldn’t resist.
Zoe smiled and shook her head. “Yes, I want to stay in Spain. My parents are here, I grew up here…” she paused. “And you’re here.”
“You have no idea how happy that makes me.” Marcy pulled Zoe’s legs onto her lap and stroked them. “So you wouldn’t feel limited, workwise?”
“No. I’d like to open my own restaurant one day, but I’m not in a rush and I can do that anywhere so why not do it close to home?”
“Is that your dream? To have your own restaurant?”
Zoe was silent for a moment as she thought about that. “I suppose so. A restaurant that is entirely mine, where the name, the style and the food is all me. And this might sound cocky but as a chef, who wouldn’t dream of a Michelin star?” She rolled her eyes and chuckled. “But that’s unlikely, of course. The competition is killing.”
“Hey, don’t sell yourself short. You’re so good at what you do; I wouldn’t be surprised if you had two stars five years from now.”
“Thank you, that’s sweet of you.” Zoe took Marcy’s hand and laced their fingers together. “But it’s not my only dream.”
“No? What else?” Marcy asked.
“I ehm…” Zoe bit her lip and winced. “Promise me you won’t freak out?”
“I won’t freak out, Zoe. You can tell me anything.”
“Okay, well, lately I’ve had another dream.” Her cheeks flushed an adorable shade of pink as she cleared her throat. “I’ve been thinking about us, and where we’d be years from now, if that’s in the cards for us. I don’t know what it would look like exactly, but I’m hopeful.”
“I’m hopeful too, babe. I’m so excited.” Marcy took a deep breath and decided to ask the next thing that had been on her mind. “Now it’s your turn to promise me you won’t freak out,” she said.
“I won’t.” Zoe kissed her hand and squeezed it.
“Do you want kids?” Having kids wasn’t something Marcy had considered before. She loved kids but she was always convinced it wasn’t for her. Since meeting Zoe, though, everything had changed, and her whole outlook on life had shifted.
“Kids?” Zoe stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. “Yes, I suppose I’d like to have kids one day,” she finally said. “What about you?”
“I’ve been thinking about it,” Marcy admitted. “And I think I’d like that too.” She shrugged. “It’s just something I thought we should discuss. I mean, it’s not a deal breaker for me,” she hastily added. “But it’s good to know where you stand on such an important subject.”
“Yeah, you’re right. It’s no minor detail.” Zoe seemed surprised by the turn their conversation had taken, her expression puzzled. “So, what are your dreams?” She asked. “What do you want for the future? I assume you want to stay where you are, considering you’ve just built your dream home?”
“I’d like to stay in Spain too, and yes, I did build the home with the intention of it being my forever home. I love working with my dad and he wants me to take over the company when he retires.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“It’s a bit daunting, as it’s a big responsibility, but I think I’ve gained enough experience and I would hate to see him sell his life’s work,” Marcy said. “Plus, I love what I do so it would be silly not to. But if I take over, I want to do it on my terms and work in a different way. I’d like to be independent and build to sell or rent, instead of being contracted by big investors. I want each and every project to be something I can be proud of; something that enhances the area instead of those big blocks of flats and boring hotels my father’s been doing for decades.”
“Have you talked about that with him?” Zoe asked.
“He wasn’t too keen on the idea at first; he thought it was too risky and that I wasn’t experienced enough with creative building. But I think he’s slowly starting to change his mind after seeing my house, so I’m hopeful.” Marcy shrugged. “Anyway, he has no plans on retiring any time soon so it’s not something I need to worry about now.”
Zoe took a sip of her wine and nodded. The strap of her dress had slid down her shoulder and all Marcy could think of now was how easy it would be to pull it down. “I like how passionate you are about your work,” she said.
“I like how passionate you are about your work too.” Marcy trailed a finger up Zoe’s thigh, hiking up her dress. “And I like how passionate you are in general. I didn’t see that side to you on the day we first met.”
Zoe arched a brow and shot her a grin. “You haven’t seen anything yet.” She stood up and pulled her dress and cardigan over her head in one, fluid motion, leaving her only in a black, lace thong. “I’ll show you how passionate I can be.”
69
