Page 51 of Hers to Love
Anywhere but Italy.
Kori licked the sugary drink from her lips. “Robin, I want to thank you.”
“No thanks needed. This was very fun. It can be a hard thing to prove, but I’m glad we were able to and that you have some justice.” Her eyes twinkled with delight. “In the form of a one with alotof zeroes behind it.”
Robin and Kori laughed.
“What are you going to do with all the money?” Robin asked. “You don’t have to answer, of course.”
Kori responded right away. “I’m going to start my own virtual assistant business. Probably take my mother on a cruise somewhere, just the two of us. And…I’m going to giveyoua raise.”
“Cheers to that!”
They clinked glasses.
Chapter 23
Marshall squeezed into Kaye Kakes and marveled at the number of patrons seemingly desperate to get to the front of the line. Business was booming for Kori’s sister Kat, and he hoped there were enough sweets left for him to purchase by the time he got to the front.
Sabrina had given him the wrong address for Kori’s mother. It seemed there were new owners in the home. But he did recall Kori mentioning her sister’s bakery, and it was only a matter of Googling to find its location. It was a long shot finding Kori here, but Marshall was all about taking risks.
He should’ve called, but he felt what he had to say would be best done in person. After leaving Italy, he had visited Sabrina for a few days to catch up with her and apologize. His step-daughter had forgotten how mad she was when she’d first been told about him falling in love with Kori. She gave him her blessing to marry Kori—if she would have him.
When he finally reached the front of the line, he told the register attendant his name and asked if he could please speak to the owner, if she was onsite. Luckily, she was, and after placing an order for a dozen assorted cupcakes, the attendant went into the kitchen.
A tall woman who looked similar to Kori emerged with a hairnet and apron on.She actually bakes the treats herself?He liked that. He’d done a lot of the groundwork himself when he first built his own company. Now that he was doing it again, he wondered why he had ever gotten away from it. He worked best when actually laying the foundation for the vision.
And if the one woman he wanted to see would return to him, then he’d spend as much time as he could laying the foundation for his future life to come.
“Thank you for visiting today. May I help you?”
“Hi. I’m Marshall. I’m looking for—”
“My sister Kori. I’m Katrina.” She smiled and offered her hand.
Marshall shook Katrina’s hand and nodded. “Yes. Yes, I’m looking for Kori.”
Katrina raised her brows, and her smile turned knowing. “You’re in luck. Kori’s in the back helping me out. Follow me.”
Marshall’s heart sped up, and his palms began to sweat. He shoved his hands into his pants pockets to dry them. Kori was feet away. He’d prepared a speech, but what if she said no? What if she had moved on now and didn’t want anything to do with him? The last time a woman had rejected him, he’d lost his marriage. If Kori said no, he’d lose his heart.
He couldn’t come back from that.
He entered the kitchen and scanned the expansive space. He saw several workers in various bright-colored aprons and hairnets. He tried to pick out the tall, brown-skinned goddess he had remembered from Italy. A few backs faced him keeping their identities hidden. Panic started to rise from his gut.
“Kornelia!” Katrina’s singsong voice rang out. “You have a visitor.”
One of the backs straightened and turned.
Marshall’s heart stopped. There she was. There was the woman he had dreamed about since she’d stepped off the plane on the runway in Italy. She looked beautiful in a dusty apron and hairnet, flour smudged on her chin. His tongue felt thick in his mouth, and his feet were cemented to the floor.
“Marshall?”
He willed himself to be a man and speak. “Kornelia.” He still couldn’t move. It was taking a lot of effort.
Kori placed the tube of icing she had in her hands on the counter. She stood still, her lips slightly parted, her eyes full of surprise. Marshall mustered the courage and moved forward.
“If you two want to talk, you can use the break room,” Katrina said, while gesturing to a door off the exit, leading to the back of the store.
