EPILOGUE
“Isthat what I think it is?” Grant opened the door to the Darcy & Elizabeth room, eyes on the cardboard box I was holding.
I smiled saucily at him as I passed through. It was almost 6:30 in the evening, and only a few straggler employees were left.
“Itiswhat I think it is,” Grant said. “I can smell it. Are we breaking the rules, or is this a special occasion?”
We’d had to put restrictions on how often we were allowed maple bars because things had been, quite frankly, getting out of control.
I opened the box, revealing a half-dozen in two neat rows. “The second thing.”
His hand, which had been reaching for one, paused. “Wait. Is it…?”
I couldn’t have stopped my goofy expression if I’d tried. “I just got off the phone with Lauren. Stratus is officially funding Matchify.”
Grant grabbed the box from my hands, set it on the floor, then pulled me in for a lip-smashing kiss.
He pulled back almost as quickly as he came in. “That’s incredible. And so deserved.”
After all the drama with Vantive and the media frenzy and everything, I couldn’t disagree with him. It felt amazingly good to know my employees would be taken care of and Matchify would continue to grow.
“I couldn’t have done it without you,” I said.
His brow cocked. “That’s a stretch, but I’ll take it.” He smiledat me, eyes glowing with tenderness. “So proud of you.” He came in for a kiss again, the same intensity but wreathed in gentleness.
I couldn’t believe I’d ever let 12% get in the way of loving Grant and being loved by him. Loved like this.
It wasn’t that I’d lost my confidence in statistics; I just recognized better now that they weren’t everything. Sometimes, taking a chance was the way to go.
We pulled back slowly, and something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye.
Grant followed my line of sight and chuckled.
“Can you…put him outside or something? I don’t feel comfortable being watched.”
Grant let go of me, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “He’s cardboard.”
“It’s still weird.”
“Come on, bud,” Grant said, picking up Cam Carter. He took him out to the Love Pit and faced him away from us while I grabbed our donut box and got comfortable in one of the Affection Puffs.
“Scoot over,” Grant said when he came back.
“They’re really meant for only one person.” I made room despite that, the box perched on the shelf I made with my legs.
He half-sat on me, but it only took a few seconds to get cozy and dig into the maple bars in the sort of satisfying silence only possible with someone you’re perfectly comfortable with.
A knock on the door pulled our focus after a couple of minutes, and Brooke stepped in, holding Cam.
“Nope,” I said, shaking my head. “We just got rid of him.”
“Did you, though?” Brooke’s face was full of news as she set Cam firmly on the floor so that he was creepily ogling us.
I stared at her for a few seconds.
She nodded, her bright optimism on full display. “Cam has agreed to come help with the Chancify rollout.”
“Wait,” Grant said. “Cam Carter is helping you?”
