Page 50 of Ideal Life

Well, mostly not.

But maybe that was because she knew Sam wasn’t serious about Kayla. They just went out every now and then. Whereas he had been so excited when Chloe Quinn’s name appeared on The Grid. Talia hadn’t seen Sam want something—the book tour stop—so badly since he’d bought Lighthouse Books.

Ideal Life Queen Elizabeth: I am again detecting a slight increase in the activity in your—

Talia whipped off her Omni 3Ds and crammed them into her purse.

“Everything okay?” Sam asked, eyeing her purse.

“Totally. I just realized I don’t need them right now. It’s Sunday, and you always say no tech for Sunday Lunch.”

He smiled. “Yeah, sorry we’re missing that today. But thanks for being here even though there aren’t any tacos.”

Talia laughed. “I’ll order double next weekend.”

“Fine by me. Next weekend is your turn to pay anyway.”

She socked him lightly in the arm, and they were their old selves again.

The origami-folding workshop was a success, with the artist teaching everyone three kinds of origami—a rowboat made out of a dollar bill, a classic Japanese crane, and of course, a paper rose.

Chloe Quinn arrived on time, as promised, along with her fiancé, Oliver, who acted as both Biggest Fan and assistant, writing down reader names on Post-its while they waited in the signing line so that Chloe wouldn’t have to ask them how to spell their names. He and Chloe shot each other quick, adoring looks throughout the entire event, and Talia’s jealous flash did not have reason to return.

Mostly, though, she noticed how alive Sam seemed, happy to be the generous but almost invisible hand behind the scenes orchestrating the event.

In Talia’s friendship with him, she’d always been the one leading. Not that he was a mindless follower. It’s just that it could be hard for two CEO types to have such a long and close relationship. But Sam was smart yet not an alpha personality, so it worked really well. Neither Talia nor Sam stepped on the other’s ambitions.

Still, she had always defined success as something external—valedictorian, fancy university degree, selling your startup to a company like Google or Omni. But watching Sam be himself and thriving in his cozy, not-famous business made her think that maybe success could look different for different people. He didn’t need to be popular on social media or in the news headlines. He was happiest when he could just do the things he loved.

When the last book was signed and Sam had sent Chloe and Oliver off to a local restaurant with an ocean view, Kenneth closed out the register and flipped the sign on the door to CLOSED.

“Need me for anything else?” he asked.

“No,” Sam said. “You’ve done more than enough for a weekend, Kenneth. Thanks so much.”

Kenneth saluted and pulled out a joint as he left. He lived just a ten-minute walk from the lighthouse and would presumably unwind with a smoke on the way.

Kayla was cleaning up the long table where she’d had her snacks and cocktails on display.

Sam crossed to the other side of the floor where Talia waited.

“Congrats,” she said. “That was such a cool event!”

“Even better than I could have hoped.”

His face glowed, still on the high of how well it had gone. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. And the way he looked at her, all soft and warm, suddenly made her joints go loose and tingly at the same time.

She hadn’t felt this way about anyone at the singles mixer Thursday night. She’d played the numbers game, and she’d come up empty.

But maybe that’s because she’d already won a long time ago?

Was Sam the one she was meant to be with?

Talia’s breath caught in her throat.

He’d been there all this time. On the other end of every text. At every important event in her life. And without fail, at Taco Bell with her every Sunday.

How had she failed to recognize it? Ideal Life Queen Elizabeth had even pointed out Talia’s spikes of happiness whenever she was about to see Sam, but Talia had chalked it up to being excited to spend time with her best friend.