The snake pit of nerves had increased in size, volume, and activity by the time Hallie emerged from her apartment and shuffled heavily along the sidewalk to reach her car, parked several blocks away. Already, the temperature was climbing and the humidity level increasing. Although the skies remained hazy with summer heat, a few clouds were sailing lazily overhead to lessen some of the sun’s brilliant light.

Hallie paid no attention. She was focused on the task at hand. In an hour’s time, the confession would be finished, Karim would have heard the terrible news of Chip Griffin’s perfidy, and she could slither away in disgrace. Back to work. Back to routine.

Sighing, she climbed into her car and started the engine. Its air-conditioning unit desperately needed to be replaced, but she hoped she could coax enough energy out of it to keep her from becoming a sweaty mess until she arrived at Café Mud.

Which she did, of course, in good time. Traffic flow had moved smoothly along—luckily, no accidents, no pile-ups, no delays. Even the synchronization of green lights had cooperated. She was a few minutes early for their ten o’clock appointment when she pulled into a parking space at the lot located nearby.

She had dressed carefully. She had packed just as carefully, putting what was needed in a sunny summer tote bag.

“Ah, Hallie, you’re here.”

Karim was waiting for her at an outside table, in the shade of the restaurant’s canopy. Ever the gentleman, he rose to greet her as she approached.

“Yes, as you see, I am—” She stopped, blinking, almost blank with astonishment. “Karim, for heaven’s sake, what has happened to you?”

“Ah. This?” Smiling almost roguishly, he twirled the cane in his hand like an old-fashioned villain about to seduce the village maiden. The cane, she supposed, was in aid of the cast-boot that snugly wrapped his left foot and ankle.

“Of course, that,” she said impatiently, moving closer. “What have you gone and done?”

His gaze encompassed her, taking her in and drinking her up as if he were delighted to see her again. As if he were cocooning her in a soft, warm blanket, safe from harm.

I’ll soon be fixing that, the wayward thought skittered through her brain. Just give me a few minutes to relay the news, and you’ll be off and running as fast as that injured leg can take ya.

“You recall my telling you that, when you tried reaching me, I was unavailable?”

“I do. But you didn’t go into detail.”

He waved his free hand.

“There was no point, when we were meeting today and I could tell you in person. Well.” His expression, as they stood there chatting in the canopy’s welcome shadows, became slightly sheepish. “I had a minor accident.”

His own fault, really, he explained perfunctorily. He could not remember ever being such “a klutz, I believe you say?” But his mind was not working properly. Instead of taking care of what his feet were doing, his head was in the clouds, “Having other important things to think about.”

Having been distracted by his thoughts while at the gym, he had gotten his headphones tangled up in the treadmill and promptly fallen off, spraining his ankle. He had—as it turned out, upon a full examination at a nearby emergency room—twisted his ankle badly enough to have broken several small bones. He had needed a walking cast (hence, the unwieldy boot), and complete rest and recuperation.

“I was given medication to help me sleep and reduce the pain. Thus, when you called, I was unavailable. The pills were quite strong,” he added thoughtfully.

Shocked, Hallie instinctively fired off all the medical questions a qualified LPN could think of. Prognosis? Discomfort? Return visit? Prescription for how long? Refills?

“No, no, no.” He brushed off her concern. “I’m feeling all right, believe me. But I do seem to tire easily. Perhaps a residual effect from whatever I’ve been taking? At any rate, shall we go inside now? To sit on a chair at some corner table would be most welcome.”

While he hobbled toward the back of the large room, and the aforementioned table, Hallie took care of ordering their two cups of coffee and a plate of small, sugar-dusted cookies. A conversation ensued at the counter between another customer and the barista who explained the special of the week—some sort of latte involving espresso, steamed milk, caramel flavoring, cinnamon, and whipped cream.

“You wanted just plain coffee, right?” she asked, returning to join Karim in his corner. “No cream, no sugar?”

“I did, thank you. At the moment, I need nothing more than caffeine. And you have—?” He eyed the cup she was carrying with something close to wariness.

“Oh, I got the special of the day.” Hallie’s tongue flicked out to lick a dollop of whipped cream from the top of her drink. “Might as well live dangerously, right?”

Even as she lightly spoke the words, that pit of snakes inside her reared up to hiss and writhe. Live dangerously, all right. How soon could she get up the courage to confess that, thanks to her inopportune appearance (albeit in a place she was expected to be), Karim’s dreams had just died an untimely death?

“You seem troubled, Hallie,” he observed, then, after a couple sips of his brew. “Is all not well?”

All right. Take the bull by the horns. Blow the whistle. Whatever other happy proverbs might be floating about.

Inhaling a deep breath, she dragged the tote bag closer to delve into its contents.

“I did a terrible thing, Karim,” she finally admitted. From across the small, round table, her steady green gaze met his and tried not to flinch. “It wasn’t on purpose. Dear Lord, never in a thousand years would it have been on purpose. But—it happened. I was there. I couldn’t help it. And things just went…haywire.”

Kind. He had always been kind to her. Settling his warm hand atop her restless fingers, he leaned forward a few inches.

“It cannot be as bad as all that, Hallie. Please tell me what you’re talking about. If something is wrong, we shall fix it, you and I.”

“Oh, no,” she protested miserably. “It can’t be fixed. I’ve wrecked it. The old Evil Star of Fate has followed me and sought me out, and now it’s caught you up in its evilness, too.”

“Hallie, I am at a loss. Pause, if you will, and order your thoughts.”

She swallowed. “Yes. All right. Fine.”

After a moment, during which she considered how and at what point to start, a few words of the monologue trickled out on their own, and then more, tumbling along almost in a frenzy to be freed. Her extra hours put into the late shift at Cranston; the chaos following admission of the bus accident victims; the discovery that her next patient, suffering from a possible heart attack, had turned out to be no one other than Chip Griffin.

“He came right after me, Karim. As sick and suffering as he was, Mr. Griffin went a little berserk. Of course, he recognized me instantly, and realized that I had—that we had—well, that we’d put something over on him. And he was furious.”

Which had led to his denunciation of both Hallie Jameson and Karim Al Ahsan, she explained, along with his refusal to honor the contract of sale of Griffin Oceanic, which he had already signed.

“He had the right of rescission, he told me,” said Hallie, feeling weepy and looking about ready to dissolve in tears. “He was calling everything off, and he wouldn’t calm down so I could even talk to him. I just—well, I had to get out of the room, immediately. I was afraid he might really have a heart attack, from all the stress. And that’s where it was left.”

Karim’s intent gaze was focused on the coffee stirrer he was turning over and over in his fingers. The secrets of the universe might be held in that unsuspecting strip of plastic with the way he was pondering it.

“Oh, Karim, say something. Say anything. Make me out to be an idiot, or a bumbling fool, or whatever you want. But, please, please, don’t just sit there.”

He looked up, then, without any expression at all on his face, and spoke without any expression at all in his voice. Blank. Empty.

“And was he?”

“Was he what?”

“Was Mr. Griffin having a heart attack? Was this a serious episode that has jeopardized his health?”

“Oh. No. I found out later that it was a combination of indigestion and stress, just as we thought it might be. No, he’s fine now; he’s been released to the care of his own doctor, and is home recovering.”

Still that deathly quiet, as if they both had been caught up under the dome of a giant bell jar, separate and secluded from all the normal chatter and fuss of a busy coffee shop.

“Was Annemarie with him?”

Distress now battled with impatience. What did any of that matter now? She wanted him to blow up, berate her, and let her finish this once and for all so she could escape.

Biting her lip, she took a few long, slow breaths to calm the erratic beating of her heart.

“I didn’t see her at all. But I was told that she was on her way.”

“Pity.” His neutral gaze had shifted to the glass windows, shaded on the eastern side from the hot morning sun. “His wife seems to have a tranquilizing effect upon him. She might have prevented him from such rash behavior.”

“Rash behavior?” She could only stare at him in disbelief. “Karim, are you listening to me? Do you understand what I am saying? I screwed up your deal. It’s gone, all gone. It’s over.”

“Yes. I am listening. And I believe I understand what you are saying.”

Her lips tightened; her eyes blazed a froth of green fire. She wanted to grab hold of those nicely muscled shoulders and give the man a good hard shake. Come back to reality!

Overcome, she pulled forth from her tote bag the small package she had put together earlier.

“Here,” she said roughly, shoving it across the table to him. “Take it. I’ve failed. It’s rightfully yours, and I’m returning it to you.”

His brows arched as he pulled open the flap. Out tumbled the small velvet box which contained the diamond pendant and earrings he had gifted her, on a much happier occasion. Beneath that lay the check with which he had paid for her services: unendorsed, uncashed. Merely a white rectangle of paper, with no meaning attached until approved and endowed by a bank.

“I see. You had no intention of ever cashing this, did you?” he asked gravely.

Distracted, she had let her gaze wander past his solemn face to the wall opposite, where framed prints of an earlier Philadelphia were hung.

“What? Oh.” One shoulder lifted in resignation. “Sure, I toyed with the idea. That money would have meant a lot to me. And to my parents. But—well, I found out I couldn’t. See, I guess I have some scruples, after all. It just wasn’t mine to accept.”

Without a word in dispute, he pulled forth a personal checkbook and a pen from inside his jacket’s breast pocket, opened and clicked, and began to write.

“What in the world are you doing now?” she demanded, baffled by his attitude and his restraint.

He looked up at her with a sweet smile. It was as if an angel had appeared, all golden shining light, in a Florentine Renaissance painting, and her insides suddenly warmed and flowed together in the glow of such radiance. Pit of snakes, begone!

Still, she wanted to stamp her foot with exasperation.

“Karim! What is going on?”

Finished, he put down his sleek silver pen and closed the leather checkbook cover.

“I know all about what happened with Chip Griffin last night,” he told her quietly.

“Of course you do. I just told you.”

“No. He called me this morning.”

Hallie suddenly felt like a balloon that had been filled with air, expanded until it could expand no more, popped, and was now just fizzling away as the rubber deflated.

“He called you.” Dull, defeated, she slumped in her chair and simply stared, unseeing, at the table top.

With the hands of the clock moving closer to lunch time, business was picking up. A steady stream of customers had moved in, with the front door jangling, the easy chatting and placing of orders, and the scraping of seats as those who had been served got settled either singly or in groups. They ignored the silent couple in the corner, as the couple ignored them. Life went on.

“Hallie, the buyout of Griffin Oceanic was important to me. You knew that, and I appreciate how involved you have been. However—” He took gentle hold of her hand, his thumb rubbing slowly back and forth across the open palm. “—it is not the end of the world that the arrangement has fallen through. I shall continue and persevere. In this economy, many, many businesses are available to buy—if the price is right—and I have no doubt I can find another.”

Her eyes searched his face. “But it meant so much to you. It’s—this has to be a—a crushing disappointment, to have the finished contract snatched away at the last minute.”

“It did. It is.” He shrugged. “But the trajectory of one’s life can turn on a dime, as you know. So many small things can happen that affect the overall picture of what is planned, what is hoped for. And we humans must be flexible to make whatever changes are necessary, don’t you think?”

“I—I suppose so…”

“Exactly. After Chip’s call to me, I sat in contemplation for quite some time. I needed to think about many details—all that has come into and gone out of my life—and finally, I came to a momentous conclusion.”

“Momentous?” Hallie’s throat felt dry as dust, almost painfully so. She reached for the cup of lukewarm coffee and sipped.

“Momentous, indeed. Though it has taken me a good while, I have finally realized what is most vital to me. What I absolutely cannot proceed without. And it is neither Al Ahsan Enterprises, nor is it Griffin Oceanic. It is, my dear Hallie Jameson, you.”

She blinked. “Wait. Me?”

“Yes, you. Well—and Aaron, as well. With that in mind, I would appreciate your taking this.”

Another rectangular scrap of paper, pushed across past both cardboard cups so that she could read it. Which she did, brow furrowed in perplexity.

“But, Karim—I don’t understand. It’s for the same amount. The $20,000 that I returned to you. What can you possibly—”

“Ah. And in whose name?”

The beautiful green eyes, as she raised them to meet his, were clouded. “You’ve written it out to Frank and Joanne Jameson. But why would you—”

Grinning hugely, he tilted his head slightly to consider her.

“I love you, Hallie. You have enriched my life beyond measure, and I want—I need—you to be a part of it, from this day on. I understand that you do not want to take the check, but it would be a wonderful gift for your parents. They deserve it, after all they’ve done to help you and Aaron. Plus, you won’t ever need to worry about money again as my girlfriend. If you’ll have me, that is.”

She felt dazed, confused, overwhelmed—a little dizzy, as if she might faint; a little separated from reality. The room, buzzing like a small hive of bees, receded around her.

“Hallie?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Hallie, are you with me? I’m saying we should move in together. I want to build a life with you.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Hallie, are you okay?”

“Uh-huh.”

Abruptly, she blinked again, coming back to consciousness. Like a princess awakened by the prince. How apt.

Her gaze centered upon the man so few inches away, and sharpened. The man whose sterling qualities had won her heart. His goodness, his kindness, his patience, his gentleness—how long since she had been treated with such care? Exactly never. She had never been half of a couple, especially one that expected to march on together into the future through a strong, dependable relationship.

Not to mention that he was really great in bed.

She almost giggled. A tiny smile tucked into the dimples she rarely showed.

“Hmm. I do believe I’d like to think this proposition over, if you don’t mind. I may get a better offer.”

A look of actual distress crossed his face. “If you think you—”

“Oh, Jaali!” she cried. “Of course, you silly goose!”

Their conversation had starting attracting attention from other customers. Now, in an astonishing display they would be talking about and chuckling over for the rest of the day (especially those delighted to witness romance in the making), Hallie shoved back her chair with a great deal of noise and flung herself onto Karim’s lap.

Heedless of the cast boot that hindered his movement, she proceeded to rain kisses upon his upturned face, his cheek, his temple, his jaw. Until, finally, laughing, he got hold of her long enough to capture her mouth and partake of a lengthy, sumptuous, sensuous kiss.

It was a five-star kiss. A movie finale kiss.

Onlookers applauded. A few whistled.

It was the highlight of the day at Café Mud.