Friends & Fortune Cookies: A Sudden Falls Romance (23 page)

“Consider it an early wedding present.”

I inhaled and choked. Mike whacked me on the back—a little harder than I felt was strictly necessary.

“She hasn’t agreed to that yet.” Hell. I wasn’t even sure if she was speaking to me.

“Maybe because you haven’t asked.” He tilted his head knowingly in my direction.

“You make a good point, sir.”

His only answer was a grin.

“Then I’d like your permission to ask her.”

“I think I can safely speak for Melodie when I say we would both be proud to call you son.”

“Hallelujah!” shouted Alex from in the living room.

#

The first step in asking a girl to spend the rest of her life with you was
locating her
which, in this case, turned out to be more difficult than it sounded. I tried her cell phone once again, but no answer.

“Let me call Melodie,” Mike said. “She might have gone back to the house.”

When Mike confessed what I was up to, Melodie squealed loudly enough that he had to pull his phone away from his ear. “I have to call Katie and Inky!” she said audibly, even though Mike hadn’t turned on the speaker phone.

I tried Gracie’s desk at work, but she didn’t answer. I hit ‘0’ for the operator and was transferred to the receptionist.

“I saw her here a few minutes ago,” she said. “Let me page her.”

I waited on hold. And waited…

… And waited.

Finally, I was tired of waiting. “I’m going to go over to the paper.”

I didn’t have a ring. I didn’t have a romantic plan. But somehow, it seemed vitally important that I settle this. Now. Once and for all.

Mike rode with me to Gracie’s office. Melodie, Inky, and Katherine met us in the parking lot. I wasn’t sure I needed this big an audience, but it was heartening to have Gracie’s entire family’s support.

The entrance to the small brick building barely held us all. I greeted the receptionist. “I called a little bit ago for Grace Mendoza?”

“Oh. She never answered. She might have left.”

This was starting to feel like a conspiracy. About then, a man in his mid-forties came out of the break room. “Dave, have you seen Grace?” the receptionist asked.

“She left a little bit ago,” he said.

“Any idea where she might have gone?” I asked.

Dave hesitated. “We don’t typically give out the whereabouts of our staff.”

Mike spoke up. “I’m Grace’s father. And this is Joe, her future husband, assuming he can ever track her down to ask the question.”

The receptionist squeaked. Several people poked their heads out of their offices and prairie dogged from the cubicles in the middle of the room.

Dave clapped his hands together. “Well, that’s something different, then. She got a call while I was in her office… from Annie, maybe? I think they were headed for The Crooked Nail.”

That was two blocks from here. “I appreciate it.” I shook the man’s hand.

“Good luck!”

Meanwhile, it appeared that everyone in the office decided to call it early for the day. The entire staff of the Sudden Falls Community Press landed on the sidewalk moments after we did.

It was starting to get slightly absurd. I felt like the Grand Marshall of the Sudden Falls “pop-the-question” parade. We passed Zen, and I had a crazy idea.

“I’ll be right back.” I ducked into the restaurant.

Ling had no idea what to make of half the town’s population standing outside her restaurant. I explained what I needed.

“You have perfect timing. They’re making them now,” she said before disappearing into the back.

She came back less than five minutes later and handed me two items. “This one is for her. This is for you.” I offered to pay. “Not a chance. Can I come along?”

What was one more person? I laughed. “The more, the merrier.”

The expression on the face of hostess at The Crooked Nail was priceless. Melodie bumped me aside. “He needs to speak to one of your guests.”

I thought about telling her I could handle it, but I recognized her interruption for the show of support that it was.

I caught sight of Annie immediately. Her bright red hair stood out like a beacon in the cozy pub. Gracie had her back to the door but stopped whatever she was saying when Annie’s face went slack-jawed, and her attention moved over Gracie’s shoulder. Annie pointed, and slowly Gracie turned around.

The nerves in my stomach kicked up like a swarm of rabid butterflies.

Chapter 39 — Grace

“Fortune cookies are best shared with friends
.
”
~ Luddite in Love: A Cautionary Tale of Dating in the Modern Age,
Grace Mendoza

I was in the middle of my tale of woe when Annie’s attention moved over my right shoulder.

“Ohmygod!” She grabbed my hand. “Turn around.”

I turned to find Joe standing with what appeared to be three-quarters of the town behind him. My entire family was there, too, along with most of the staff of the paper. Even Ling and Fifi from Zen were along for the ride.

Before I could ask what in heaven’s name was going on, Joe marched over to our table. “You are a hard woman to track down.”

I checked my watch. “You’re not supposed to be done at work for another couple of—”

He fell to one knee, and the blood rushed out of my head.

“Wha—?”

Joe took my left hand with his left hand, and I became functionally mute.

Fortunately, he had no such problem. His eyes met mine with laser-like focus. and his voice was strong and sure and steady. “Grace Eleanor Mendoza, you have been my very best friend since the first grade. I think I have loved you every day since I met you, but it wasn’t until recently that I realized how vital a part of my life you are.”

His bright blue gaze swallowed me up. I couldn’t have looked away if a bomb went off beside us.

He pulled something from behind his back, and for about half a second, I thought I’d see a ring box. Then he handed me a fortune cookie, keeping one for himself.

I almost laughed. I wasn’t sure what
this
was, but clearly it
wasn’t
a proposal.

“What’s this?” I lifted the cookie.

“Just open it.”

I cracked it open and read the fortune three times for the words to make sense.

WILL YOU MARRY ME?

OhMyGod
! It
was
a proposal.

I nodded as a sob tumbled out of my throat.

The crowd behind him cheered. Annie sniffed beside me.

Without further ado, he stood and pulled me into my arms. “I’m so sorry about our argument earlier,” he whispered in my ear.

“Me, too. It was mostly my fault. I was freaking out about you leaving.”

“Same here.”

He brushed a few errant curls out of my face and then tucked them behind my ears before leaning in to kiss me gently.

A couple of wolf whistles exploded behind us, and I pulled back before things got out of hand.

“I’m going to move back to Sudden Falls as soon as the house sells.”

I thought about everything that had happened since our fight this morning… losing the syndication deal… the extremely positive response on my book… this moment. “I have a better idea. Why don’t I come to Denver for the next year? You can finish out your contract while I finish my book. And
then
we can move back.”

“You’d do that?”

I nodded. “I love you, too, you know. Probably since you punched Robbie Fenton in the nose defending my honor.”

Joe chuckled as he let me go and took a seat at our table. Meanwhile, the crowd at the door milled their way into the bar. It would only be a matter of moments until they descended to offer their congratulations.

“So what’s with the second cookie?” Annie asked.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Ling gave it to me, and I didn’t question it.”

“Well, open it,” I suggested.

IN FRIENDS AND LIFE, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.

I gave him a knowing look. “Between the sheets.”

More from Sudden Falls

If you liked
Friends & Fortune Cookies
, you're certain to love the rest of the books in the Sudden Falls series!

Love & Oreos

Katherine Mendoza is curvy PR exec whose passion for Oreos is tempered only by her workaholic lifestyle. But when an invitation to her high school reunion lands on her doorstep the same day she takes on the obscenely attractive owner of a chain of fitness centers as a client, she decides it’s a sign from the gods. Who better to get her backside into shape than the guy whose backside she’s about to save?

Fitness-master Quinn Mitchell is more than happy to help Katherine slim down, but keeping his hands off her curves is proving to be the bigger challenge. Unfortunately, he’s got oversized problems of his own: his fitness centers are coming under fire from a reporter with a vendetta, he’s behind schedule and losing backers, and his business partner insists that being seen with anyone who’s not model-thin is bad for business.

In an epic clash of wits, wagers–and Oreos–Katherine and Quinn put everything on the line to succeed… but can they win it all without losing their hearts?

Buy the Book

Read an Excerpt

Friends and Fortune Cookies

When columnist Grace Mendoza is handed the dream assignment of a “Dating for Dummies” series, she knows it’s her ticket to national syndication. Too bad that when it comes to dating, she’s the biggest dummy of all. Jilted at the altar, abandoned by her best guy friend, Grace is about to hang up her keyboard for good until said best-friend lands back in town. He OWES her, and she’s determined to collect.

Rehabber Joe Baker is good at fixing things, but he can’t fix his emotions for Grace. When he realized he’d fallen for the quirky columnist right around the time he’d had to give her the bad news about her bastard of a bridegroom, he knew he had to split town, fast. Now he’s back and stuck on a job that may make or break his business. He can’t escape—especially when Grace demands that he tag along as a watch-dog for one disastrous date after another, all in the name of giving her avid readers what they want. Joe may be Grace’s biggest fan, but all he wants… is a second chance with her.

Buy the Book

Read an Excerpt

Promises & Pina Coladas

It was a promise made for piña coladas

Back in college, Annie never wanted to settle down, while Ben dreamed of making it big. But one celebratory night, a pact made over a particularly wicked pitcher of piña coladas caught them both by surprise: if either of them needed anything, (anytime, anywhere) the other would be there. It was the kind of thing best friends say, never expecting the words to matter. Only now, a decade later, that promise is coming due.

And now it’s the perfect plan

Ben has everything he wants: he’s a top exec with a New York financial firm, he just received a promotion that will take him halfway around the world, and he has all of the money and security a guy would ever need. Only—he’s never met the girl of his dreams. And Annie, a free spirit following her dreams as a radio dejay and social activist, is still missing one critical piece in the puzzle of her life—her heart. Then Ben is assigned to Annie’s hometown for a brief stint before his newest career move. Will love finally get a second chance to make the perfect match?