Page 14 of A Sudden Romance

“They’re performing at the amphitheater tonight.” The band manager had given Sabastian four passes to the event, but he’d only accepted them as a courtesy. None of his friends wanted to take the tickets off his hands.

“You think they’re sold out?” The intrigue and spark of adventure brightened her brown eyes.

“They’ve given me some tickets—”

“We should go.”

He had plans, but no way would he turn her down. Especially when she asked.

“What time do they play?”

“Eight.”

Her firm nod bounced soft hair around her face. “It’s a plan, then.”

A plan indeed. He turned off the heat from all three burners. The kettle whistled indicating Regina’s tea was ready. If he was going out with Iris tonight, he needed to either cancel his plans to pick up the cat or leave early to make the necessary stop.

By the time Regina walked downstairs, they had everything plated on two serving trays. Iris stared at the slices of avocado, leaflets of spinach, and rounds of tomatoes arranged over the skillet. Then at the glass fruit cups where he’d put a mint leaf in the center of the diced fruit and wedged a kiwi to the rim.

“This is too beautiful to eat.” She nestled a cup of tea on one of the trays. “It looks like something you see on a magazine cover or TV.”

“Presentation is key.”

Something in her eyes buoyed him. “I’m glad I got to be a part of the breakfast-making process.”

Me too. He didn’t feel as intimidated as he’d been earlier. He was definitely promoted from preschool to kindergarten in his Relationship 101 with Iris.

CHAPTER 5

By almost nine, Iris moved around the kitchen, positioning her phone in front of her as she FaceTimed with her friends. Three stunning brown-skinned women she loved and cherished. Tessa a trainer, Liberty a caregiver business owner, and Joy an artist who’d married Iris’s oldest brother, Eric. They were trying to schedule a day to get together before the reunion.

With all three of them married, Iris was the only single in the group. She didn’t feel any pressure since she was the youngest too and happy for her friends—but she’d be lying to say she didn’t long for what they had. They found their happily ever afters.

Forget what Julia thought. There was such a thing as chemistry and sparks. Iris witnessed vibrancy and sparks in her friends’ eyes whenever they saw their husbands or spoke about them and vice versa.

“Why are you standing in the kitchen?” Liberty’s face popped up in the corner of Iris’s screen, her dimple deep as she smiled, her brows lifting in question when Iris closed the top cabinet with her other hand. “Don’t tell me you’re doing dishes.”

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