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Kevin hummed and curled a hand around her neck, then pulled her close, his lips caressing hers. “You’re so beautiful, Jessica. I can’t help it.” Then he kissed her, and most definitely took it too far, slipping his tongue into her mouth and curling his free hand around her backside.
“Is this how it feels around me and Calvin?” she heard Melanie ask.
“Yes,” everyone said in unison.
Jess and Kevin laughed as they turned to face the group. Calvin gave his girlfriend a bashful smile, curling his pinky finger with hers as he bent down and whispered something in her ear. She flushed.
“All right, y’all are making me sick,” Jay teased, pulling his phone out of his back pocket. He tapped on the screen a couple times, then music blasted through the speaker.
They danced to the tunes as they placed greasy slices of pizza on paper plates and popped open cans of soda. There were tears and hugs and lots of laughter, because even if Jess knew these people would always have a place in her heart, it was the end of an era, and the start of something new. Something even more beautiful than the countless frosted ice cream cakes of her past, or the ice cream sundaes piled high with hot fudge and jimmies and bright red cherries.
Yes, they would always have Scoops. They would always have one another through thick and thin, because they’d been through so much. Together.
But this new life in front of her, full of endless possibility and hope? It felt like gold. The kind of gold from the rising sun of a new day. The sugary gold of a kanelbullar fresh out of the oven. The soft golden fur of a sleeping pup. Or the shining golden boy with dazzling hazel eyes that felt like home.
Epilogue
Four years later
Jess unlocked the door of the eggshell-blue house on Cherry Lane, the smell of freshly brewed coffee making her groan as she flicked off her shoes and went into the kitchen. “You better have saved some of that for me!”
Kevin smiled at her, peering up from his laptop. “My dear Jessica, how dare you think I wouldn’t save you a cup of coffee. It’s like you don’t know me at all.”
She smirked and leaned over to him, planting a soft kiss on his lips.
“Mmmm,” he hummed. “You smell like fish.”
“I was clamming for two hours.”
“Kinky.”
She rolled her eyes and made her way to the sealed carafe on the counter, then poured herself a cup, the coffee steaming hot. “Where’s Honey?”
“Still sleeping in bed. I think we’re going to have to start setting an alarm for her.”
She took a sip of her coffee and sighed, the taste making her feel all warm and tingly. She smiled, unable to contain her joy. It was a good morning. She’s had a lot of good mornings lately.
She watched as Kevin’s brow furrowed, concentrating on whatever new spreadsheet he was working on. “What are you looking at over there?”
“Figuring out how I can afford building a new storage space for the bikes,” he said. “We’re running out of room.”
“Good thing you’re selling them fast.” She winked.
He sighed. “Yes, well, that won’t be the case this winter. Plus, I don’t want to take up more space than I have to in the café. It’s always so slammed in there.”
“Is the new patio situation helping at all?”
Kevin cocked a brow. “I don’t know, boss. You tell me.”
She grinned. “The café’s daily revenue is up by thirty percent. Dad said they aren’t turning away as many people now that they have more tables to work with. So I think yes, it’s helping.”
He chuckled, then glanced at the clock on the microwave above her head. “Speaking of alarms…”
Jess took one last sip of her coffee, then set the empty cup in the sink. “Yep, on it. I’ll be ready in fifteen, it will be a quick shower.”
He wiggled his brow. “Want me to join you?”
“Kev, emphasis on quick. Remember last time?”
