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He chuckled, “How are you?”

I pulled back and said, “I’m good, how are you?”

His smile was so perfect. “Good.” He then said, “You look great, Baby,” almost causing me to go into cardiac arrest from overstimulation of the heart muscle.

“You do too.”

“Who are you here with?” he asked.

“My family and…” I hesitated, “my boyfriend.”

“You have a boyfriend?”

“Yeah,” I answered with a shy smile.

“I’m happy for you.”

“Preston, listen…” I said, “Can I say something to you?”

“Sure.”

“The thing is…”

“Tell me,” he urged.

I took a deep breath and blurted out, “The thing is, I think I wanted you to fall in love with me.”

Preston gave me a smile that melted me like push up pops in ninety degree weather and then said, “How do you know I didn’t?”

“Because I know you.”

“The truth is,” he said sadly, “I’m not sure if I know how to love somebody.”

I looked at him, and surprisingly I felt sorry for him. He truly was afraid of commitment and love. The good news was, Preston knew himself, and I felt in my heart that when he was ready to help himself deal with his fear of commitment, he would do just that. And I strongly suspected that one day, this man, beautiful both on the outside and in, would eventually find love. And just like me, it would be on his terms, when he was ready.

The sex fiend suddenly switched gears and smiled playfully at me. “You know, if you’re interested, we could sneak into the bathroom and finish what we never finished at
Donatella’s.
”

“We’re finished, Preston,” I said with a sad smile, “And I’m sad about that in a way. But I would never, ever change a thing with you. You were sweet and kind and sexy, and you made me feel amazing.” I kissed his cheek softly. “Thank you.”

Preston gave me a wide grin, “So, your salsa business is really a success, I hear.”

All of a sudden, something clicked, and it dawned on me. Maybe the fact that I’d sold my company and landed a great job wasn’t a coincidence. The story suddenly became very clear. “Oh my God,” I said to him, “You did it, didn’t you? You’re responsible for my buyout and my job at
Winchester
.”

“No.
You
did it,” Preston said with a grin, “All I did was hear from Stacy and John McGowan that you started a salsa business. I knew how good your salsa was, so I bought a few jars and put them on Phil Warren’s desk.”

“Oh my God! You made all of this happen for me!”

“
You
made it happen, Emma.
You.
”

I threw my arms around him. “Thank you!”

Through laughter, he answered, “No problem.”

“Will you come meet everyone and have a drink with us?” I asked him.

“Sure. Let me get my date.”

I arrived back at the table and pulled up two chairs, feeling the strange looks from all my cliquey friends and family. Up walked Preston and his Gwyneth Paltrow looking girlfriend. “Everyone,” I announced, “this is Preston Christiansen.”

I was thoroughly entertained as I watched the man who I once desired to the point of being unable to function shake hands with everyone. Laura was hilarious, bubbly and nervous and very inquisitive, Alice was not surprisingly kind, and so were my parents. When Preston shook hands with Izzie and said, “Nice to see you again,” Izzie’s face lit up and she looked at me and said, “What’s
he
doing here?” Everyone laughed.

It was perhaps Luke’s reaction to meeting Preston that was the funniest. I had never seen Luke jealous. He was jittery, self-conscious, and territorial, making sure his arm was around me constantly.

I would tell Luke later in the night, when we were alone, that there was nothing to feel threatened by when it came to Preston. Yes, he was gorgeous and sexy, and girls had a way of gasping at the sight of the guy, but I had a place in my heart for Preston and it was far, far away from the spot where Luke sat. Preston was my past, Luke my future.

A few minutes later, I heard a cell phone ring. “Someone’s phone is ringing,” I announced.

“It’s yours,” said Laura. Once again, my sister had changed my ring tone. “Money, money, money, money…money…” It was the theme song from
The Apprentice.
Everyone started laughing and when I said hello I was still giggling.

“Hi, is this Emma?” a familiar voice asked.

“Yes it is. Who’s this?”

“This is Bradley Cooper.”

“Ha ha…come on, who is this?”

“This is really Bradley, Bradley Cooper.”

I gasped and the entire table became silent. I knew right then I was speaking to my ultimate celebrity crush. “Hi,” I said.

“Hi,” said Bradley with a chuckle, “I was calling to tell you that I had a chance to taste your
Hotter than Bradley Cooper
salsa, and I really enjoyed it.”

“Thanks!” I gushed. Then I mouthed to my sister, “Bradley Cooper.”

“Oh my God!” she gasped. Then she told everyone at the table and they all just sat there, gazing at me.

“Phil wanted me to call you and let you know I just signed a deal with
Winchester
to endorse your salsa and put my signature on the jar.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Well, thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome. I’ll look forward to meeting you next time I’m in Chicago,” he said.

“Yes, me too!”

After I said good-bye to Bradley, everyone at the table started laughing and talking about Bradley Cooper and his movies. We were interrupted by a couple of waiters who came out of kitchen singing happy birthday to me and carrying a cake with a few lit candles on it.

While they sang to me, I looked around the table at all my loved ones. There was Izzie, my beautiful angel, who was so brave, dealing with life without a father. She had a look of excitement on her face that only a child gets in response to a cake with lit candles on it. Then there were my happy parents, two amazing people who had dealt with and survived infidelity. And my sweet, sweet sister, who by being my roommate had offered the beauty of seeing things from a different perspective. I giggled, thinking about the fact that she had actually picked up the guy who sold her a TV. And Alice, the woman who I’d kissed, and the woman who with one look could inspire me to no end. She looked so beautiful. I wasn’t sure if she would ever know how much she helped me in life.

Then there was Preston, the gorgeous heartthrob, who had redefined me sexually, gotten me pregnant, fell off the face of the earth, and then turned my business into a gold mine. He had ultimately served a purpose in my life that was truly unexpected.

And Luke, of course, the man who I’d met while lying on the ground after I’d just fallen on my face. The man who’d physically and mentally picked me up and helped me heal by offering his friendship initially, and then his love. For all these wonderful people surrounding me, I felt blessed beyond belief.

“Make a wish,” shouted Izzie.

I looked up and with tears in my eyes I announced, “But I already have everything I want.”

I looked back at my daughter, and then I looked down at the burning candles, closed my eyes, and thought of the perfect wish. I wished for Isabelle to be as lucky as I was, in giving and receiving love, and I wished that she would find as much joy out of life as she possibly could, just like I had. Then I drew in a big, deep breath, and blew out my candles.

The End

Enjoy these Great Salsa Recipes!!!

.

Black Bean Watermelon Salsa

Provided by: Linda Anderson

Four cups diced watermelon
One cup chopped Vidalia onion
One clove minced garlic
One tsp. chopped jalapeño pepper
½ cup chopped cilantro
Two cans black beans (drained)

Mix together and chill in fridge for two hours

.

Pineapple Mango Salsa

Provided by: Lynn Bruno

2 large ripe mangoes, cored and diced
1 firm avocado, pitted and diced (overly ripe avocado won’t stand up)
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced (optional)
½ of a ripened pineapple, peeled, cored, and diced
1 small red onion, diced
1 small bunch of cilantro leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:

¼ to ½ cup olive oil2-4 tbsp. white wine or cider vinegar
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp honey

Combine all diced items in a bowl and toss to combine. Add a bit of fresh ground pepper and sea salt to the mix to taste. Wisk dressing ingredients in a small bowl, or combine them in a sealed jar and shake until mixed. Pour dressing over fruit/vegetables and toss to combine. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for ½ hour for flavors to meld together. Enjoy over fish, chicken, pork, or all by itself!

.

Kiwi Strawberry Peach Salsa

Provided by: Stephanie Hodges

1 peach ~ peeled, pitted, and diced into small pieces
1 kiwi ~ peeled and diced into small pieces
6 strawberries ~ diced into small pieces
1 jalapeno pepper ~ seeded and diced into small pieces (use as much as you’d like. I use sometimes use 2. You can use 1/2 if you don’t like it too spicy)

1 tablespoon lime juice
1 green onion ~ diced into small pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1 pinch salt

Mix all ingredients together. The longer it sits, the better the flavors come together. I try to make it a day or two in advance, but I’ve also made it and used it right away.

.

Cranberry Salsa

Provided by: Pauline Levy

12 oz package fresh cranberries, stems removed
2 finely diced large celery stalks
1 diced small white onion
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (may substitute banana pepper)

¼ cup chopped, fresh cilantro (more if you prefer)

½ tsp kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp fresh lime juice

Process cranberries in food processor until coarsely chopped. Transfer cranberries to medium bowl and then add remaining ingredients. Stir well. Transfer to serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. For spicier salsa, include seeds from jalapeño.

.

Fresh Salsa: Always Healthy!

Provided by: Missy Vacala

(Use organic ingredients if possible)

1 ½ cup tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp finely diced white onion
2 tbsp finely chopped red bell pepper
2 tbsp finely chopped yellow bell pepper
1 tbsp fresh chopped or 1tsp dried cilantro
1 tsp fresh lime juice
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and white ribs removed, minced
1 tsp minced, sautéed or pressed garlic
1/8 tsp minced or powdered ginger
Sea salt to taste

Combine all ingredients thoroughly in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve. If you’d prefer, season with a dash of onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, turmeric powder, celery seeds or cumin, whatever you like! I add the sea salt just before eating, since it draws out the tomato juices.

(For corn salsa, add ½ cup corn kernels cut off the cob. For mango salsa, add ½ cup diced mango. For pineapple salsa, add ½ cup diced pineapple. For avocado salsa, add ¾ cup diced avocado)

.

Bean Salsa

Provided by: Ruby Kang

Bean salsa
1 can navy beans
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 medium sweet onion diced small
1 orange sweet bell pepper diced
1 bunch cilantro roughly chopped

Envelope of Good Seasonings salad dressing mixed as directed on packet. Drain and rinse beans, drain corn and tomatoes. Add all ingredients in large bowl and mix together. Serve as a side dish or with tortilla chips as a dip.

.

Mango Salsa

Provided by: Susan Palkovic

Ingredients:

2 ripe mangos, peeled & chopped
1 medium red onion chopped
1/4 c fresh cilantro leaves
4 fresh jalapenos chopped
1 Lime juiced, (about 2 tbsp.)with rind grated dash of salt

Mix together and let chill for at least an hour.