Page 43 of The Bear's Perfect Mate
“Wonderful!” Cassia clapped her hands.
“I don’t know how long I’m staying,” Sophie said.
Forever,Nero’s bear roared.
There was a hushed silence around the table, but then Cassia said, “We could feature it this weekend, maybe even pair it with a tasting event.”
“This weekend?” Sophie said breathlessly.
“Yes.” Cassia nodded. “You said you came up with these dishes in the last couple of days. So I have faith that you can design the dishes, and we can source the local ingredients in time. We only have a small number of covers for any onesitting, but this one is more intimate because it’s a celebration of Norman and Hilda’s fiftieth anniversary.”
“It is?” Sophie asked.
“I believe that’s just sealed the deal,” Nero said, catching Sophie’s eye.
“I believe it has,” Sophie agreed.
“Then let’s have a toast,” Cassia said, raising her glass. “To Sophie.”
“To Sophie,” they all chorused.
And in that moment, Nero knew tonight would be the night he would reveal all.
Yes!His bear roared.
Chapter Sixteen – Sophie
What a wonderful day!
As they drove back to The Lookout, Sophie could not remember the last time she’d felt this happy. She glanced sideways at Nero in the driver’s seat and smiled. The afternoon with his family had been nothing short of magical. The way they’d welcomed her, the vineyard tour, and Cassia’s excitement about Sophie creating a guest menu.
It all felt like the beginning of something extraordinary.
“You’re quiet,” she said, studying his profile as the winding road climbed toward the house.
Nero’s hands flexed on the steering wheel. “Just thinking.”
“Good thoughts, I hope?”
“The best,” he replied, glancing at her with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
They pulled up to The Lookout just as the evening sun cast golden light across the land. Sophie stepped out and stretched, only to find Nero standing by the hood of the car, his expression unreadable.
“Is everything all right?” she asked, noting the tension in his shoulders.
He hesitated, then took a breath. “Can I show you something?”
The sudden request caught her off guard. “Now?”
“Please,” he said, his voice unusually solemn. “It’s important.”
Sophie studied his face. Whatever this was, it mattered to him. So how could she refuse him?
“All right.”
Nero led her around the side of the house, past the kitchen garden where they’d gathered herbs that morning…
Was it really only that morning? So much had happened since then. It was as if there had been a seismic shift inside her.
