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Sam absentmindedly reached for his towel. It happened in slow motion, the smash of glass as his favourite bottle of cologne fell off the counter. He watched as the liquid slowly spread all over the floor, the scent of wood sage and sea salt filling the room.

Not wanting to waste any, he bent down and quickly dabbed some of the pooled liquid onto his skin. He’d only just bought the bottle, and with a sigh, made a mental note to order another one.

Hitching the towel around his waist, he headed for the laundry to grab some paper towels and a dustpan and brush.

It occurred to him as he wandered down the hall that he didn’t feel an ounce of anger. Sam thought back to the time he’d dropped a near full bottle of very expensive scotch in the kitchen. He’d been furious about it for days. Sam raised his eyebrows as the realisation sank in. He cared about the bottle dropping, of course, but it wasn’t the end of the world. It was easily replaceable. His reaction was telling. He’d been in a good mood for the last twenty-four hours because he’d finally told Hazel that he loved her.

And she loved him back.

And, the best part, she’d told him she was staying.

Wondering if it was too soon to buy an engagement ring, Sam bent down to clean up the broken glass. He thought about what type of ring Hazel would like. Gold, he thought. Gold would suit her colouring. He didn’t think she was a diamond girl. A jewellery store in Ben’s hometown specialised in bespoke pieces. Sam had worked on the fit-out of the store, and he knew the owner, who he was sure would help him pick something out.

He dressed and had a moment of hesitation. Was it too soon?

Nah.

He knew. She was the one. The only one.

Checking his watch, he calculated the driving time in his head. If he left now, he’d have enough time to stop by and scope the selections out before he had to meet Ben. Sam grabbed his keys, locked the house behind him and strolled over to his truck.

He wanted to marry her. He’d never been more sure of anything in his life.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Hazel and Molly had spent the remainder of the week finalising everything for the exhibition. Timelines were perfected, catering was confirmed, and any remaining finishing touches to Burst had been completed.

Hazel had also snuck in some time to work on Rosie Wilder. She had applied for a business bank account online, and had allocated some of her savings to it. Josie had been delighted when Hazel had asked her to assist with the graphic design for social media content. The new collection would be called Tides, in honour of her indecisiveness to jump headfirst into a totally new life that she’d chosen for herself. Focusing on colours of the ocean, the gems and crystals were mixtures of aquamarine, navy blues, emerald greens and shades of lavender. She’d even managed to source some charms shaped like shells and sea creatures.

Spending almost every evening at Sam’s, Hazel felt like everything had fallen into place. She relished the mornings spent in his arms, late night kisses, and just generally being together.

The exhibition was to take place that night. Sam had reluctantly bundled Hazel into the car to drop her back to Molly’s before he headed off to work.

Hazel stepped out of Sam’s truck as Bailey ran towards her. She bent down to meet him, and he jumped up energetically, trying to lick her face. Hazel laughed as his tongue covered her cheek.

“He’s been waiting for you,” Molly called from the verandah. Hazel looked up at her mother and smiled.

“He misses you when you’re gone. He was very sad last night.”

“Were you, little guy?” Hazel petted him on the head as Sam walked over and knelt down next to Hazel. He gave Bailey a scratch under his chin. Bailey’s eyes closed in delight, and he pressed his chin further into Sam’s hand. They both stood as Molly padded down the verandah steps.

“Are you excited for tonight?” Hazel asked her mother.

Molly grinned. “Yes, but there’s still so much to do. That reminds me, Sam, are you able to help me pack up my car later? I have to get the pieces to the gallery this afternoon to set it all up. Ideally we would have taken everything over earlier than today, but the gallery had been pre-booked months ago for some other event.”

“Of course,” Sam replied. “I’ll be back later.” He wrapped Hazel up in a hug and kissed her forehead. “Love you,” he whispered.

Hazel grinned up at him. “Love you too.”

He kissed the tip of her nose, lingering for a little while before he reluctantly let her go.

Molly and Hazel waved him off, Bailey at their feet. They then made their way up to the studio to pack the paintings and sculptures for the exhibition.

Sam had returned in the early afternoon and spent over an hour packing the carefully wrapped artworks into the tray of his truck. He went with Molly to drop off the first load to the gallery, then they both headed back to do it all again with the second load.

Hazel was in the middle of printing extra copies of the schedule when her phone rang. She jumped at the sound and was about to decline the call before deciding against it. The number wasn’t familiar to her, but it could be something regarding the exhibition.

She answered, and copies of the schedule fell out of the printer, scattering over the floor. She put the phone on speaker and heard a muffled voice on the other end.