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“All I’ve got so far,” Tris says as I sit at the bar next to Lus, “is that ‘they’ were in your dining room tonight and made a big mistake.”
I’d been rambling, so I start again, slightly more composed now that I’ve wiped my face and gotten some measure of control.
“A judge, fromCucina. He was there tonight and totally taken aback at my confusion. He wanted to compliment me on the meal even though, and I quote, ‘I should not be doing so.’”
Tris, his hand lying casually across the back of my barstool as he stands next to me, is obviously as surprised as I was.
“I don’t get it?”
“Neither did I. I told him that. At which point he apologized for the ‘obvious mix-up.’ He promptly excused himself to make a call outside.”
“What the hell?” Lusanne leans forward.
“My sentiments exactly,” I agree. “He must have called someone from the awards committee. A few minutes later, he came back, apologizing profusely. Apparently I did make it to the next round, and that’s why he was there, judging.”
Brax’s thick eyebrows furrow, so I quickly explain.
“They’re not one hundred percent sure what happened or who dropped the ball. But the judge said I was definitely in the semifinal round. They had me marked down as ‘notified,’ which I clearly was not.”
Engulfed in Tris’s arms as he hugs me, his warmth and love like an extra cherry on a big, huge sundae, I breathe in his musky scent and sigh.
“I’m so happy,” he whispers in my ear.
“Congratulations,” both Lusanne and Brax say at the same time.
Lus jumps up from her stool to hug me too, which is when Tris holds out a hand to Brax.
“Hugs from family only,” he teases, even though Brax hadn’t made a move toward me.
“Um,” Lus says, sitting back down, “you two aren’t actually family.”
Tris winks at me. “Yet.”
We haven’t talked about it any more, but there’s no doubt in my mind he’s the one. If Tris asked me to marry him right this second, I’d say yes. Crazy as that might be.
“I’ll tell you what,” he says, walking around the bar. I swivel to face him. “My judge said nothing of the sort. The fact that he broke protocol to commend the meal says a lot, I think.”
Reaching behind him, Tris pulls out a bottle of champagne.
“Is that . . . ?” Lusanne stares at the bottle.
“Yep.”
I squint to see it better but can’t see the label.
“What is it?” I ask.
Brax moves behind the bar with Tris and pulls out four champagne glasses. “That would be the last bottle left from opening night.”
“Soft opening,” Lusanne clarifies. “Just friends and family. Dad brought a case of that, and we did a number on it.”
Tris pours champagne into each of the glasses. “Gian hid this one, apparently. Said something about it being good luck to save it for a special occasion.”
“He has the strangest ideas sometimes.” Lus takes the offered glass from Brax. “Thanks.”
I watch them closely. Brax is a good-looking guy. Lusanne, totally gorgeous. Both of them are single. I wonder . . .
“I can’t believe you opened it,” I say, taking my glass.
