Chapter 16
I wait nervously at the counter, as Chef Ingrid makes her way around the room. This our final assignment for the year — an elaborate eclair with sweet cream, light pastry, and gleaming chocolate ganache.
She finally arrives at my station, and saws off a small piece of the dessert. She gives me a wink as she pops the bite into her mouth and chews thoughtfully.
She rolls her eyes back in exaggeration.
“Oh, Lily,” she says. “Exquisite. Excellent work.” She swallows and then sneaks a second bite, even though that’s not usually something she does.
“Do keep in touch, won’t you, Lily?” she says quietly. “I have a friend who may be looking for an Assistant Pastry Chef. I’d be happy to recommend you.”
My cheeks color and I can’t keep the grin off my face. “Thank you, Chef Ingrid. I definitely will.”
She smiles and moves on to the next student and I do a little happy dance. I can’t wait to tell Jacob about this.
I slip my phone out of my pocket to see if he’s messaged me yet, but there’s nothing. He had promised to take me out to dinner tonight to celebrate my last day of classes — he’s been busy with work lately, trying to rebuild his investment firm, and I’m looking forward to getting to spend a whole uninterrupted evening with him.
There’s no message yet, so instead I send a quick note off to Sarah.
“Officially a pastry school graduate! And maybe have a lead on a job. Drinks tomorrow?”
She writes back immediately.
“Woohoo! Proud of you. And yesssss to drinks. Maybe cheesecake too? Or are you a dessert snob now?”
I laugh to myself and type back.
“Never. All desserts are good desserts.”
I toss my phone in my bag just as Chef Ingrid wraps up with the final student.
“It’s been a pleasure teaching you all,” she says, standing at the front of the room and clasping her hands together. “May your futures all be sweet and light… and flakey.”
We all groan collectively and then cheerfully file out of the room. I’m on cloud nine, and I can’t wait to share my news with Jacob.
I step outside of the building, and see the man in the suit right away. I grin as he makes his way over.
“Hi Kristoff. Did Jacob send you?”
He nods. “Shall we?”
“Sure.”
I follow him towards the car and he holds the back door open for me.
“You know, it’s so much easier driving you around now that you don’t fight with me every time,” he teases.
“Oh, well, if you miss it…”
He shakes his head, laughing, then climbs into the driver’s seat.
“Where are we going, anyway?” I ask, once I realize we’re not heading towards Jacob’s place.
“Midtown,” he says.
“What’s in midtown?”
“You’ll see.”
I know there’s no point in pushing him. If Jacob told him to keep it a surprise, there’s no way he’ll tell me. That man is beyond loyal to Jacob.
We make our way through traffic, in fits and starts, until I finally realize where we’re going.
“That sneaky little…” I mutter under my breath.
“Ma’am?” Kristoff says, but I shake my head and laugh.
He comes to a stop in front of the Empire State Building. I get out of the car and rush into the lobby, turning around in surprise when I find it empty, just like last time. The same velvet rope is cordoning off the elevators, the same tiny little placard says Closed For a Private Event.
The security guards must be expecting me because they wave me through right away. I climb into the elevator and begin the long ride up.
This time, the elevator passes the 86th floor and goes to straight to the 102nd. I look around for Jacob as I make my way into the main observation area. It’s so quiet that my heels click loudly on the polished floors.
As soon as I step into the observation area, my breath catches in my lungs. There are candles everywhere. Hundreds of them. Maybe thousands. They’re spread in semi circles, all around the room. I’m surprised they haven’t set off some sort of fire alarm or sprinkler yet.
Jacob is standing in the middle. His face lights up when he sees me, and a smile passes across his lips. He looks slightly nervous though. His hands are jammed deep in his pockets, something he does when he’s feeling out of sorts.
“What’s going on?” I say. I pick my way past the candles and into the middle of the room, where he’s standing.
“Hi,” he says, running his hands through my hair and kissing me. Even after eight months, his kiss still has the power to buckle my knees. I swoon against him as he tugs gently at my locks.
“Hi yourself,” I manage, when he finally pulls away.
“How was your class? Was your eclair the best of all the eclairs?”
I giggle. “Well, I don’t know if it was the best, but Chef Ingrid seemed happy. She even told me to stay in touch, that she might have a lead on a job for me.”
“What? Babe, that’s amazing! I’m so proud of you.” He kisses me again, and I can’t stop the goofy smile that spreads across my lips.
“Thanks.”
“Have you told your dad yet?”
“Not yet. I’m having lunch with tomorrow.” It took a while for my dad and I to repair our relationship, but we’re definitely on the upswing now. What he did might seem crazy, if you were on the outside looking in. But a part of me understands what he must have felt, and how desperate he would have been. Seeing Jacob try to rebuild bridges with him has made me more determined to make peace with him.
And besides, I can’t be too mad about it — after all, if it wasn’t for his crazy deal, Jacob and I never would have fallen in love. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
“Well,” Jacob says, twisting a lock of my hair around his finger. “Maybe you’ll have more news than that to share with him.”
“What are you talking about?”
Jacob’s hand is back in his pocket and I watch in shock as he drops down to one knee. My heart thuds inside my chest. The entire room seems to fall away — the view outside, the candles around us. All I can see his Jacob, his gorgeous face gazing up at me.
“Lily, these past months with you have been the most amazing of my life…”
“Oh my God,” I murmur.
“You are the sweetest, most delicious woman I’ve ever known…”
“Oh my God,” I murmur again.
“And I don’t want to spend another day of my life without you.”
“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.”
Jacob is grinning now.
“Lily Prescott, will you marry me?”
He presents the ring and I drop to my knees and wrap my arms around his neck. I’m crying into his shoulder, soaking his expensive jacket with my happy tears. I can’t even bring myself to answer, I’m too overcome with emotion.
“Is that a yes?” he finally prods.
I laugh through my tears. “Yes. It’s absolutely a yes.”
I let him slip the ring on my finger and pull my hand back to admire it. It’s a beautiful emerald-cut solitaire… and it’s freaking huge. It glints like a prism in the candlelight.
“Do you like it?” he asks nervously.
I laugh again. “Are you kidding? I love it. It’s absolutely perfect.”
“I’m glad you think so,” he says, relieved. “Because I happen to think you’re absolutely perfect too.”
He kisses me again, and I let myself get lost in his touch.
His absolutely perfect touch.
—