The Hourglass (25 page)
Authors: K. S. Smith,Megan C. Smith
Jake and Josh acknowledged the hostess, introducing Brooke and
me
in the process. “Will the four of you be taking your usual spot at the bar this evening?” the lovely hostess asked while Josh and Jake glanced at each other Josh
spoke
this time as he tightened his grip around Brooke. “Not tonight,
Elizabeth.
We’d prefer a private room.”
With a nod of
her head,
she led us down a
narrow
hallway and into a private room adorned with extravagant leather furniture and an ornate wooden bar,
which was perfectly situated along the
far
east wall. Pulling the door closed behind her,
she left the four of us alone to enjoy ourselves as Josh popped a
bottle of champagne, the suds spilling over the top before he caught them with the white towel that hung over the ice bucket.
As
he filled our glasses I noticed that the two of them spared no
expense this evening
as I
caught a glimpse of
the gold label that accented the dark bottle,
Dom Pérignon
.
We lifted
our glasses
in salute,
and
Josh began speaking. “A toast to Brooke
and
Savannah,
and
to
our partnership with Hourglass.”
Jake nodded and chimed in. “To beautiful women and the futures that come with them.”
He winked at me,
and Brooke lifted her glass a little higher. “And, most importantly, to twins!”
We all four burst out in laughter as we clinked our glasses together. “Here, here,” I
added, taking a sip, enjoying the bubbles that were popping inside of my throat.
Sipping our champagne Josh and Jake separated the two of us so we were able to have some one-on-one time. Leaning
against
Jake’s massive frame,
I glanced over at Brooke,
who was blissfully caught up in all that was Josh. “He’s a good man, right? That woman is like my sister.
She
doesn’t deserve to be served a platter of crazy twice in a row.”
Jake’s body shook in laughter underneath mine as he leaned in closer. “Neither do you.”
Turning into him I peered into those magnificent eyes. “I’m not worried about me, I know how men work.
I’m worried about her,
so
he’s a good guy, right?” I asked again, anxious to hear Jake’s response. Leaning toward me,
he tightened his arms around my waist and kissed my forehead. “We both are.”
Brooke and I spent an incredible evening with Jake and Josh, getting to know them better and agreeing that we’d definitely take them up on their offer of separate, second dates. After they delivered us back to the Hourglass offices Brooke and I got into my car and headed home, deciding that we were utterly smitten with the Worthington twins as we spent the entire drive home talking about
them
like two young schoolgirls.
As we strolled
into the lobby of our condo, there was no sign that Brooke and I had ever let a man come between our friendship.
It
was as if Luke Wellington had never even existed. Carl greeted us. “Ladies, I am so happy to see you both together again, I was beginning to get a bit concerned.”
We both chuckled lightly, leaning in to embrace Carl in a three-way hug. “Oh Carl, if you ever see Savannah and I meeting the same man in this lobby at different times, please promise us you’ll tell us?” Brooke begged, jokingly.
Carl let out a nervous laugh. “I promise, I’ll have you know you both gave me mini heart attacks with that man, I’m so glad he’s out of your life for good.”
Brooke and I smugly stared at each other and in unison we responded to Carl. “So are we.”
Making our way upstairs in the elevator we hit my floor first.
I
hugged
Brooke. “I love you Brooke
Reid, best friends, forever.”
Brooke squeezed me tight. “Forever, I love you too.
So
much.” Waving, I jumped out of the elevator and watched the doors close, thankful that I had my best friend back and we were finally rid of Luke Wellington, for good.
EPILOGUE
Six Months Later
“CHEERS!” BROOKE TOASTED
boisterously. “To the completion of the Hourglass winter issue, and our amazing partnership with Worthington Squared!”
Glasses clinked together as the celebration began;
the
night was off to an amazing start. Brooke and Savannah smiled at each other, so overjoyed with where their
lives had ended up after the last year. Lucas Wellington could have been the destruction of a lifelong friendship, but in the end, the tables had
turned on him.
Suddenly,
Jake stood up and tapped his butter knife to his crystal champagne flute. “Can I have your attention please?” he loudly asked, quieting the room. All eyes were on him, the men wishing they were him, the women wishing they were with him. Looking down at Savannah,
his eyes were lit with warmth and desire;
it was clear to
everyone
that
he was a man in love.
Dropping down to one knee, he produced a pastel blue box from his pocket and opened it with a little click. “Savannah Prescott,” he began as Savannah covered her mouth to muffle a squeal, tears pooling in her eyes. “You are the craziest, most eccentric, and demanding woman I have ever met. These last six months, have been utterly amazing, and I can’t imagine spending a day apart. You make me want to be a better man for you. I promise to love you every day for the rest of your life; will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Yes!”
she screamed out, pulling Jake up and wrapping her arms around him. Letting go of their loving embrace Jake placed the
ring with the
delicate antique setting on her finger, and then dipped her in a passionate kiss.
“To Jake and Savannah!” Josh cheered winking at Brooke. Savannah spun around and hugged her best friend tightly. “I can’t believe it. I’m engaged! Oh,
my
God! Brooke, did you…” pausing as Brooke’s smile grew on her face. “You knew! You evil bitch!
You knew and didn’t tell me, I don’t even have waterproof mascara on.” Savannah wiped her eyes where her mascara had blotted a little.
“I know,” Brooke gave her best friend an apologetic look. “But the surprise of it all was amazing to see. It looks like you and I will be sisters after all!” Bringing her hand up, Brooke flashed a sparkling diamond on her own finger.
Jumping up and down,
the girls were overcome with excitement. “Let’s get out of here,” Josh whispered in Brooke’s ear. Looking to Savannah she nodded in agreement. “Yes let’s go celebrate at my condo. I have a bottle of wine I was saving for a special occasion!”
Walking out four-wide, each girl snuggled tightly to
her
fiancé,
a man
neither had
expected to have to deal with again walked in the glass door. When their eyes met, his filled with remorse, the only emotion either girl ever wanted from the man who nearly destroyed them.
Stepping forward,
he looked to the women with a sincere smile. “Savannah, Brooke. I just wanted to say I am so truly sorry for what I did. It was inexcusable, but you truly each were a piece of exactly what I wanted. I am so glad you both found
men
who can make you as happy as you deserve.”
He paused looking to both Jake and Josh.
“Yes,” the girls agreed.
“Anyways, I’ll let you go, I just wanted to say thank you for teaching me a lesson I so desperately needed to learn.”
Out of nowhere,
a woman came barreling through, running Lucas over.
“Move it,” she demanded bossily, strutting out the glass door without a backward glance at the man who once held
the attention of
every woman within a ten mile radius.
“Wow,” he swore watching her fading figure in awe.
Brooke stepped forward with a smile. “I hope that you can be as happy as we are,
Lucas.
Take care, and good luck with that one.” Walking past the man they
once fought over, the girls were blissfully happy that they had found their way back to one another, and
into
the arms of even more amazing
men.
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
K.S. SMITH
is a twenty seven year old aspiring new author from Tampa, FL. Her debut novel, One Night With Him, hit the Amazon Best Sellers in Contemporary Romance Fiction Top 100 List the very first day it published. When she's not writing she enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends, or with her nose stuck in a book.
MEGAN SMITH
was born and raised in beautiful Tampa, Florida where she spent her days falling in love with fictional characters from a very young age.
After marrying her best friend she relocated to North Carolina to support her husband's career as a U.S. Marine. During her time in North Carolina Megan was blessed with 3 beautiful children who have kept her constantly busy chasing after them and enjoying the daily routine of motherhood.
Most recently Megan and her family have relocated to St. Petersburg, Florida where she has spent the past few months achieving her lifelong dream of publishing her very first novel; as well as continuing to submerge herself in some of her favorite books while appreciating a glass of wine and her favorite, salted pretzel Milanos.
http://authormegansmith.blogspot.com/
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
To Brandon and Jo, thank you for supporting us through this adventure. You’ve never discouraged us from chasing our dreams; even when we give no warning that the two of us are taking over one of our homes for a late night writing session filled with lots of wine and laughter.
To our BETA Girls, thank you for falling in love with Hourglass as much as us and making this story amazing. We couldn’t have done it without you! Y’all are rock stars and we love you!
And finally, to our readers, YOU make living our dreams possible. We cannot begin to express the amount of gratitude that we hold in our hearts for each one of you. Without you, this journey would not be worth it.
K.S. Smith Megan C. Smith
www.bluetulippub.com
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