It's in His Kiss Holiday Romance Collection by Mary Leo Read Free Book Online

without cleaning one thing in her condo. She barely even cleaned herself, not wanting to get into the shower because of the memories it conjured up. Instead she’d washed up at the sink, and dressed all in black. At the last minute, she slipped on bright red heart earrings in an attempt to look festive.
    The restaurant sparkled with hearts, flowers, and red and pink streamers shimmering from the ceiling. The wait staff seemed excited about their day as they busied themselves making sure the tables were perfectly set, and every minor detail had been addressed.
    She swung by the bar, hoping against hope to see the crystal awash with color, but instead it seemed almost clear now.
    It’s my fault.
    She was sure of it now. It was time to tell her friends what had happened.
    * * *
    After Rose had cleaned up from the somewhat busy lunch crowd, and had begun her prep for dinner, she screwed up her courage and walked back to Jasmine’s office.
    As she approached Jasmine spoke up. “We’ve got a full house booked for tonight,” she told Rose, while sitting at her desk. “Apparently, someone posted on Yelp and Facebook that we had open reservations and the phone has been ringing all through lunch. I had to turn a few reservations down. Go figure.”
    “It won’t last,” Rose said. “The crystal has lost its color.”
    Just then Daisy walked up looking as if she were about to cry.
    “It’s all my fault,” Rose said almost in unison with Jasmine who was busy apologizing.
    Daisy cut in. “I ruined everything.”
    Rose looked at her as if she were delusional. “If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine. I sent Max away two days ago. I’m sorry.”
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jasmine said. “I did everything I could, but it’s just not going to work out. It’s my fault.”
    “You?” Daisy said. “I’m the one who screwed up. I really tried, but it was a complete disaster.”
    Both Jasmine and Daisy admitted what had gone wrong and how sorry they were, with Jasmine ending on a positive note of how they had started from scratch before and could do it again if With a Twist went under. One of the waitresses popped in and said they needed help at the bar and, wiping her tears, Daisy left to get back to work.
    When she was gone, Rose launched into her own sad story, “I told Max I was willing to go with him. To leave this all behind. But when he wanted me to leave today, this morning, on Valentine’s Day, I just knew I couldn’t do it.” She pulled in a deep breath trying not to cry again. “I’m so sorry. He left this morning and the bastard didn’t even send me an email this time.”
    Jasmine’s giggled.
    “How is this funny? I just told you how miserable I am. How I ruined everything and you guys think that’s funny?”
    “Rosie, have you looked in the bar area at all today?” Jasmine asked.
    “Don’t call me by that name. I hate it. And yes, when I first came in. That’s when I saw that pathetic looking crystal.”
    “So, you haven’t been out there since?”
    “No, why?”
    “What are you trying to say?”
    “Max didn’t go to France,” Jasmine said. “He’s been staying with me. We had a long talk and—”
    But Rose didn’t wait to hear the end of the sentence. Elation swept over her in a flood of tears as she ran up the short hallway and then through the empty restaurant. When she rounded the corner and saw Max behind the glistening bar stirring it up with the customers she couldn’t control her happiness and went right for him.
    He caught her approach out of the corner of his eye and picked her up and spun her around in his strong arms, then kissed her to whistles and applause from the customers who now seemed to have multiplied.
    “I thought you were on a plane headed to France,” she said when he finally put her down.
    “Not without you. Besides, Bordeaux is highly overrated. I’m more into martinis.”
    “Then you’ve come to the right place. I hear this is a