Page 123 of No Place Like Home
“I bet you tell that to all the girls.” Delia rolled her eyes.
Cade grinned. “Just the ones I like.”
The front door opened with a chime. Cade did a double take as Rosalyn slipped inside, her hair long and loose. His heart spiked. She looked stunning, wearing a simple pink sundress in lieu of her usual workout gear, dainty gold sandals covering tan feet.
Mama D cleared her throat. “Your mouth is open.” Then she winked before merging into the crowd.
Cade tried not to stare as Rosalyn wove through the group. But she’d never be able to blend into a crowd. She was a star.
Maybe it was too much to expect her to ever come down.
Then her eyes landed on him and her face lit, shooting sparks straight through his heart.
Or maybe there was always reason to hope.
“Hi.” Breathless, she landed at his side. Citrus wafted over him.
“Hi yourself.” He edged them over to the side of the room, out of the flow of traffic lining up for cupcakes.
“Sorry I’m late. What’d I miss?” She looked up at him, hair flowing around her shoulders, all beauty and grace.
“Oh, not much. Just my concession speech, which occurredafterI got lovingly fired from attempting to run in the first place. And a town-wide effort to help save the Bay now that the movie crew isn’t coming.” He snapped his fingers. “Oh! And Noah proposed to Elisa.”
“Is that all?” Rosalyn laughed, holding up a piece of folded paper. “Mom’s printer is on the fritz, so I had to run by the library.”
He took the paper, wondering if he could take her into his arms too or?—
“Read it.” She was practically bouncing.
He unfolded the slip. A confirmation letter? He skimmed the words.Congratulations on signing up for the Louisiana bar exam.Followed by a paid-in-full receipt.
What?
The question must have been in his eyes, because she tucked her hair behind her ears, words spilling from glossed lips. “This was my first order of business after getting some of my money back.”
“Rosalyn—”
She held up one hand. “I worked with a well-known industry lawyer a lot of entertainers in my circuit use, and he was great. Everything is sorted. I’m safe. The debts are repaid, and Blaine is being held without bail.” She met his eyes. “But I realized that moving forward, there’s only one man I really trust with my career…and my heart.”
Cade nodded soberly. “Owen Dubois.”
She snorted. “You.” Her eyes shone with…love? “I want you on my team—in every way.”
His heart swelled. Oh, he wanted that too. Except—he frowned. “You realize if we’re together, then my representing you is a conflict of interest?”
“No, I didn’t.” She laughed. “See? You’re good at this already.”
Joy and need and gratitude filled his lungs. “I’m good at something else too. Come here.”
And she did, willingly, their lips dancing as he breathed in her scent, his fingers tangling into her hair, his heart full to bursting. She believed in him. She didn’t need him—but she wanted him.
She was home.
The room burst into applause, and it took several moments and a quick breath for him to realize they were clapping for them. Still, he didn’t want to pull away.
“See?” Noah’s triumphant voice rose above the crowd. “Toldyou they were in love back during that whole volcano thing.”
Cade grinned against Rosalyn’s lips.
