smile and echoed Judith’s giant grin with one of her own.
When the applause finally died down, Judith clasped her shoulder. “Now, before I can give this to you, Bliss. I’m afraid there’s a stipulation.”
“The judges heard about your wonderful news and want to be invited to the wedding.”
Another roar of applause began but died out when Bliss muttered, “Um… we haven’t even discussed the details yet.”
“Well, we have. As you know, the winner also receives a vacation. We’d like to throw you a destination wedding in…” Again the pause was far too long. Then confetti fell from the rafters and Judith shouted, “Hawaii! Congratulations.”
Bliss almost groaned aloud. She searched the audience and saw cameras focused on her parents’ proud faces. Her mother was openly crying, and her father’s beaming eyes seemed to be a bit watery too.
But where was Drake? The seat next to them was empty.
“She’s speechless, folks. Go on,” Judith said as she gave Bliss a shove. “Go share this moment with your family.”
Bliss trotted down the side stairs, and cameras followed her up the aisle to her parents’ seats. They jumped up and each gave her long hugs and kisses. At last she saw Drake. He had just reentered the room through the double doors at the back.
He smiled when he saw her and jogged down the aisle. “What did I miss?”
Mr. Russo slapped himself on the forehead. “Oh, for the love of God.”
“Hey, I’m sorry. I couldn’t hold it any longer.”
“My future son-in-law will probably disappear from his own Hawaiian wedding.”
“What?”
“Never mind, Drake.” Bliss placed the check in his hand. “We won!”
“You did?”
“
He picked her up, whooped, and whirled her around in a wide arc. “That’s fantastic. But I didn’t do anything, honey. It was all you. Your hard work and talent.”
“No. You just saved my life. That’s all.”
He shrugged one shoulder. “All in a day’s work.” He whispered in her ear, “Speaking of work, there’s a job offer I need to talk to you about when we’re alone.”
Bliss glanced all around at the cameras and the swell of people coming closer to offer congratulations.
“That may have to wait a while. Can you give me a hint?”
He laughed. “No hints. You’ll just have to wait.”
Hmmm… Bliss was intrigued and could hardly wait to hear what her cryptic boyfriend had in mind, but by then, she was being embraced and jostled by one person after another, including her fellow finalists.
Candy hugged her and said sweetly, “I knew you’d win. Your cards are so funny.”
When Dick hugged her, he said, “I’m just glad the little sweetie pie didn’t win. Her cards give me cavities.”
A couple days later, the hoopla had finally died down and Bliss returned from New York by train. Transporting all her stuff was much easier without air travel’s inconvenience of weight restrictions, luggage searches, and pat downs that made her feel like a criminal.
This time when she arrived “home,” she wasn’t quite sure where to go. Her parents’ house?
She called Drake at the fire station. After she chatted briefly with Mike Kelly, he put Drake on the phone. It was so good to hear his voice. She took a chance and said, “Hi, honey, I’m home.”
“Great! I’m off soon. Where are you? Winthrop?”
Bliss snorted. “No. I’m still at South Station. I’m not sure where to go from here. My mother will make a big deal out of everything. The neighbors want to come over and congratulate me on the win my parents weren’t supposed to tell people about yet.”
Drake chuckled. “When does it air?”
“Not until next week. That gives me about a week of relative peace. I don’t want to squander it.”
“Come to my place.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
“Terrific. I’ll come and get you.”
“Aren’t you at work?”
“Yeah, but my shift is almost over. The guys can cover for me for a little while.”
“No. I don’t want to take you away from your job, and I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”
“Are you sure?”
“What… that I can take care of myself?”
He chuckled. “No. I’m completely sure of that. I meant are you sure you don’t want me to come and get you? I have something to tell you, and we’ll need complete privacy.”
“Oh yeah? I have something to say to you in private too—or rather, my body does.”
“I like the sound of that. So, I’ll see you at my place soon?”
“Can’t wait.”
“Me neither.”
They hung up and she hailed a cab. She’d had no time to think for so long. First there was the fire, then Zina, then the other fire, then the competition… It was good to have a little breathing room.
Drake had said Zina was no longer a problem, but he said he’d explain later. His evasive tone left her uneasy, despite assurances that the she-dragon was really out of the picture.
Don’t waste your time thinking about her, she told herself. You have much better things to focus on.
One of those things was Drake’s sort-of proposal. He said he wanted her in his life. That didn’t mean marriage. Bliss didn’t dare ask for clarification with her mother standing there. If he’d meant simply living together, Malinda Russo would have had a fit and her father—good God. Who knew what Romeo Russo would have blurted out?
The judges would have looked like fools too. Why did they have to turn her vacation into a wedding? And why, oh why, did it have to be Hawaii? It was beautiful and everything, but the air travel from Boston was brutal. She had been hoping for the Caribbean or Europe.
Ah, well. It was probably too late to do anything about what the show would air. That didn’t mean she and Drake couldn’t just turn her prize back into a vacation and quietly ask her mother to put away the guest list for a few years.
All the way to Drake’s place, she ruminated over the little things she hadn’t been able to focus on for the past day and a half. Her prize money was going to be eaten up by a new apartment, new furniture, and a new wardrobe. Sheesh. On the other hand, what would she have done without it?
She thought about the stores that catered to her eclectic taste. When her sister had made her weekly phone call from India, of course her mother talked about the “engagement.” Her sister wanted to know if Bliss would like some beautiful bed linens she could buy over there. Next time Bliss spoke to her sister, maybe she’d know what size her bed was and if she was engaged or not.
Bliss finally arrived at Drake’s front door and rang the bell. She didn’t even have a key yet. Their relationship had moved so far, so fast, some basic milestones had fallen by the wayside.
She was just about to ring the bell a second time when Drake opened the door and pulled her into a tight hug. “I just got home. If I’d had more time, I’d have met you with roses.”
Drake inhaled her fragrance and detected the faint scent of lilacs. It was wonderful to hold her in his arms again. She had been either off limits or surrounded by hoopla lately, and this was the moment he’d been looking forward to for days.
