The Sweetest Revenge (15 page)

I was considering a Tuscan villa
when Stacey buzzed me and said a strange man had walked by her desk
headed my way. “He said he needs to see Ms. Sullivan,” Stacey
said excitedly. “I couldn’t stop him. Should I call security?”

I heard my office door open and I
turned around. A man with a full beard stood in my doorway. He wore
jeans and a brown jacket. Not the kind of person we saw around our
offices every day. No wonder Stacey was worried.

His silvery eyes gave him away.
My heart leaped. I loved him so much I wanted to run into his arms.
But I managed to maintain my composure.

“
I know what I did wrong,”
Keith said.

“
What did you do wrong?” I
asked as calmly as I could. My heart was beating so fast. I felt
breathless to be in his presence again.

“
I asked you to give up
everything you had to be with me. I knew what you’d gone through
with your divorce, and I didn’t even offer you a guarantee. I was
stupid.”

I got up from my desk then,
though my legs were shaky. I couldn’t stay away from him a second
longer. When I got close to him, he grabbed me and wrapped his arms
around me. Desire and love swept through me. I needed to be with him,
guarantee or not. I had learned there were no guarantees.

“
I’ve missed you so much,”
I said against his chest.

He put his face close to mine,
moving his lips to my lips, softly pressing on them until I opened my
mouth for him. And then he pulled away from me and held me at arm’s
length.

“
What I did wrong,” he said
softly. “Was not offering you something permanent. I can’t be
happy without you. I’ve been miserable.”

“
Me too,” I said.

“
I’m asking you now to marry
me. Will you live with me if you’re married to me?”

I laughed. “Of course I will.”

Keith kissed me. “And I won’t
ask you to sign a prenup,” he said.

“
And I wouldn’t sign one,”
I said.

It was his turn to laugh. “I
know that,” he said. “If it doesn’t work out, you can take me
for everything I’ve got.”

“
And I won’t sell my house or
quit my job until we’re legally married,” I said.

“
Right,” he said, chuckling.

“
And I want to work in your
business, but not as an employee, as a partner.”

“
I wouldn’t have it any other
way,” he said smiling.

“
And I want children,” I
said.”

“
Can we have a honeymoon
first?” he asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

I reached up to kiss him. I
wanted to take him on the floor, right there in my office. When we
stopped kissing, I realized we were still standing in my doorway. I
glanced out into the hall. Carly and Blond Ambition were standing
there staring at us. Both had big smiles on their faces. Blond
Ambition, as icy as she could be sometimes, had tears streaming from
her eyes.

Epilogue

It gave me great pleasure to send
Jim an email telling him I was getting married again. I told him I
was marrying Keith Richmond—I knew he’d know who that was—and
that I would be leaving town.

“
Congratulations,” he wrote
back. “I hope you’ll be very happy. You should know that I’m
going to be a father. Kimberly’s pregnant. I didn’t plan on this,
but I’m happy about it.”

Wouldn’t you know it? Just when
I was rubbing Jim’s face in it, he tells me that. But I didn’t
let it dampen my spirits. I wrote him back and told him I hoped he
would be happy. Besides, I didn’t really feel angry anymore. I
already had the sweetest revenge. I had found love again. My story
with Jim was over.

***************

Midnight spent two days under a
bed at Keith’s house when we first moved in. Rosa finally coaxed
her out with a special treat of baked chicken liver. By the day of
the wedding, Midnight and Rosa were best friends. It would be all
right.

Keith and I got married in the
mountains, at the little church where his mother’s funeral had
been. And then we boarded a plane, first class, to Italy. The land of
love.

And oh how Keith loved me. We
visited several cities on our trip, and christened each hotel room as
soon as we walked in. My desire for him was boundless. I loved him
with abandon.

We dined in fine restaurants and
country inns, savoring pastas and breads and fresh vegetables grown
in whatever area of Italy we found ourselves in. We sat around little
tables at outdoor cafes on narrow streets, drinking espresso as we
planned our next outing. We floated on the canals in Venice. We
viewed the world’s finest art in museums and cathedrals—art so
beautiful it brought tears to my eyes. We threw coins in every
fountain we came across, and there were many. We lit candles in
cathedrals and knelt and prayed for our future together.

And then, the time came to leave
Italy. We were sad to leave the magical place that had brought our
love to full fruition. We vowed to make it an annual trip.

“
Even after we have a baby,”
Keith said on our last night. “We’ve got to always come back
here.”

“
Yes,” I said kissing him.
“But this honeymoon’s not over yet.”

“
I don’t think it’ll ever
be over,” he said taking me into his arms.

Other
Jennifer Ransom Books You May Enjoy