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“What’s a grand gesture?” George asks loudly.

Everyone cracks up, but no one as loudly as Audrey and me. My laughter is nerves, giddiness, hope, all wrapped together.

“Shh, it’s a romance novel thing.”

“Like Outlander,” George says again. “You love Outlander, Gwen.”

“Shh, George, you’re ruining it,” someone—probably Gwen—says.

Audrey and I are laughing, but we haven’t moved, or taken our eyes off each other. There are two couches, a coffee table, a chair, and ten very invested onlookers between us. I shrug slightly and raise my eyebrows.

Audrey shakes her head and laughs. “In for a penny, in for a pound.”

“Oh, this is so going on TikTok,” the young woman says.

“No, it’s not,” Kaia says. “Let’s head to the restaurant.”

There’s some mild grumbling and good-natured jokes about missing the best part of the Hallmark movie, but Kaia manages to herd them all out of the lobby. “You know where we’re going, yeah?” she asks me.

I nod and tell her I’ll see her there soon.

Finally, Audrey and I are alone.

Audrey closes her eyes, inhales, and exhales. When her eyes open again, there’s a hint of sadness in them. “I am so sorry I hurt you. I wish I could say I didn’t mean to, but I did. It was the only way I knew to protect myself, to push you away so you wouldn’t come back. I’d learned my lesson about not being clear enough, or not being listened to, and didn’t want to make that mistake again.

“But then you didn’t come back, and I wasn’t prepared for the huge gaping hole you left in my life. In my heart. You weren’t there physically, but everywhere I turned something reminded me of you, or someone was talking about you, telling a story, or missing you at the office. No one missed you as much as I did. I missed seeing you sitting on the edge of someone’s desk, giving them your undivided attention, making them laugh, putting a smile on their face. I missed the way you tease Greta and she pretends to get irritated about it. I missed catching you looking at me with those gorgeous eyes of yours, grinning, and sticking your tongue out at me so maybe I wouldn’t see what you were feeling. You are the sweetest, kindest, most selfless woman I’ve ever known and I think I fell in love with you the first night we were together but I was too messed up and too scared and too belligerent to see it. To open up my heart to you. These last two months have shown me what my life is like without you and I hate it. There’s no joy, no passion, no fun, no laughter. So, I flew eight thousand miles, with two thousand dollars’ worth of useless gear, to tell you how much I love you, ask your forgiveness, and hope you’ll give me another chance. And to go hiking with you.”

Audrey has inched her way across the room and stands close enough to me that I can see the smudges of mascara under her eyes. I could pull her into my arms if I wanted to.

I’m searching her face, taking her all in, seeing our future together spool out in front of us. I’m enjoying my fantasy of long walks, and snuggling on the couch, and cooking dinners together, but to Audrey, I’m merely silent.

She swallows. “Toni? Say something. Please.”

I pull her into my arms. Audrey releases a little “oh” of surprise, then settles against me. A perfect fit. She wraps her arms around my neck and grins mischievously.

I cup her jaw and say, “You had me at I’m here.”

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