“You wouldn’t quit,” Sam said.
Darcy smiled. “Try me.” She patted her father’s cheek. “You think about it for a day or two. I have to go pack now.”
“Where are you going?” Sam asked.
“San Francisco.”
“When will you be back?”
“I don’t know,” Darcy said as she hurried to the elevator. “Tomorrow? Next week?” She pressed the button, and when the elevator doors didn’t open, she pressed it again. Glancing at her watch, she calculated the time it would take to get into the city. Thank goodness, she’d have a ninety-minute ride to figure out what she was going to say to Kel.
This was crazy. She’d always thought love ought to be rational and deliberate and well-considered. That once she found it, it would follow a very precise calendar. But it wasn’t that way at all. It completely messed up all her plans-and she really didn’t care.
“Darcy?”
At first she thought she’d imagined his voice, that her excitement had gotten the better of her. But then, he spoke again. She froze, fighting back a whirl of emotion.
“Darcy, please look at me.”
She slowly turned to find Kel standing a few feet away, his bags at his feet. Her heart skipped and her knees felt weak. He’d only been gone for fifteen minutes, but she’d already missed him so much.
“You came back,” she murmured.
Kel nodded. “I couldn’t leave. I got into town and I turned around. We’re not finished yet, Darcy. I’m not sure what comes next, but there has to be something.”
“There is,” she agreed. “I know that now.”
“Really?”
She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out the tiny pieces of paper, then handed them to him.
“What’re these?” he asked as he unfolded them.
“They’re from the inside of our chocolate heart halves from Sinfully Sweet. Remember, she gave you a heart, too. They’re a match.”
He frowned. “So? What does that mean? We win a prize?”
“Don’t you see?” Darcy cried. “This explains it all. We’re supposed to be together. The fates are conspiring against us. Or in our favor. That’s why I couldn’t forget you after that night in San Francisco and why we ran into each other at the candy store. Do you realize all the different twists of fate it took for those events to happen? And now, look at this. We had matching messages. It’s a sign.”
“And now you believe we might have a future, because of some silly message inside a chocolate wrapper?”
“Yes,” Darcy said. “It’s fate.” Why couldn’t he understand? This made all the difference in the world. It was as if she suddenly had permission to feel the way she did. She couldn’t control this, she just had to embrace it, and that freed her in a way that felt so good.
“You believe in fate, but you don’t believe in me?” Kel cursed softly. “God, I feel like I’m going crazy here. Darcy, I came back here because I want to be with you. I’m in love with you. And it doesn’t have anything to do with chocolate.”
The sound of the words, the simple admission of his feelings, brought a fresh round of tears. He loved her. “I do believe in you. In us,” Darcy finally said. “I was coming to tell you that. I was going to drive to San Francisco. And I’ve fallen in love with you too, Kel.”
A slow grin softened his tense expression and his gaze filled with affection. “You’ve fallen in love with me?”
“Yes,” Darcy said, slipping her arms around his waist.
He chuckled softly, then pulled her into a long, deep kiss. Warmth rushed through her bloodstream and her heart pounded. Darcy concentrated on the taste of him, trying to commit it to memory. It was only after he drew away, that she realized she’d never have to search for memories of him again. She’d only have to look into his eyes or touch his hand or listen to his voice. He would always be with her.
“I was hoping things might work out like this,” Kel murmured, his breath tickling her ear.
“And why is that?” she asked as he kissed her neck.
“I bought a house out on Crystal Lake.”
Darcy drew back, stunned by his admission. “When did you do this?”
“They accepted my offer yesterday. You’ll love it. It’s right on the water and it’s this huge, rambling place with a boathouse and a Victorian gazebo and a terrace that overlooks the water. You’ll love it.”
Darcy stared at him. “West Blueberry Lane?” she asked.
“How did you know?”
It was another sign, not that she needed one more. “I will love it,” she said. “But how are you going to live there if you have to move to Atlanta?”
“I’m not moving to Atlanta, Darcy. I’m ready to start the rest of my life and I’m going to do that here, with you. And I don’t care what it takes-we’ll prove to your father that you can run his hotels and love me at the same time.”
“I gave him an ultimatum,” Darcy said. “Either I’m going to have a seat on the board by tomorrow morning or I’m going to be out of a job.” She toyed with a strand of his hair. “Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. I could take some time off and spend every spare moment pleasing you.”
Kel chuckled. “I know you, Darcy. You’re not the type to spend your days looking after my needs. So maybe I ought to look after you. I can be in charge of the pleasing,” he said. He glanced around the lobby. “So do you think my room is still available?”
Darcy looked over her shoulder to find Amanda, Olivia and her father watching them from the reception desk. “The maid is cleaning it now. But I have nice soft bed in my room with expensive French sheets that feel really good on naked skin.”
Kel grabbed her hand and dragged her across the lobby. Darcy laughed as they began to run, as desperate as he was to have a moment alone with him. She’d never really considered herself a romantic. “Who would have thought that chocolate could have changed my mind about romance?” she said.
As Kel pulled her into his arms again and kissed her, Darcy made a mental note to order another box of chocolates from Sinfully Sweet.
“I think we should place a standing order for chocolate just to make sure this feeling never ends.”
“This feeling will definitely never end,” Darcy said softly, staring up into his gaze. “It lasted five years without us seeing each other. If we’re together, it’s bound to last a lifetime.”
Epilogue
BROWN PAPER COVERED the plate-glass windows of Sinfully Sweet, softening the midday sunlight that usually streamed into the shop. Inside, the glass cases, usually filled with delectable chocolate treats, were empty.
Ellie Fairbanks stood behind the counter, packing a box of cash register tapes. She paused and took a long look around the shop. Boxes were stacked up against one wall and everything that could be packed was now tucked inside crumpled newspaper and foam peanuts. In an hour or two, the movers would arrive and haul everything out to their truck.
“I really loved this store,” she murmured. “There are times that I think we should settle in one place and stay awhile.”
Her husband came up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist, drawing her back against his body. Resting his chin on her shoulder, Marcus placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “You always get a bit sentimental when we close up shop. But you know that as soon as we find another location, you’re going to get excited again.”
Ellie turned around in his arms and stared up at Marcus’s handsome face. As long as he was with her, it didn’t matter where they lived or what they did. He was her home, her touchstone, her reason for living. “Maybe so.”
