Susan Mallery's Fool's Gold Cookbook: A Love Story Told Through 150 Recipes (Fool's Gold #12.1)

1. In a medium bowl, stir melted butter and both sugars until sugar is dissolved. Stir in flour and salt until mixture forms a thick mass. Using your hands, crumble topping evenly over pears.

2. Place pie on a baking sheet. Bake 50 minutes, until golden brown and fruit is bubbling. Rotate baking sheet once during baking time. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Let the pie cool 2 hours before serving.

CHAPTER 12

Greg’s mouth was soft and tender. She leaned into him, prepared to lose herself in his kiss, only he pulled back and stared into her eyes.

“I have to tell you something.”

What? He wanted to have a conversation now? Wasn’t that just like a man.

“I’m in love with you.”

Ana Raquel felt her mouth drop open. She consciously closed it. “I’m sorry. What did you just say?”

He smiled and touched her cheek. “I’m in love with you. I have been for years.”

No way! It wasn’t possible. She’d just been thinking that and now he was saying it? Was someone playing a trick on her?

“I lost my heart to you when I was seven,” he admitted. “The first time I saw you dressed up as Cinderella. The reason I acted the way I did onstage, overacting, talking over everyone’s lines, I was afraid I was going to blurt out the truth.”

His dark gaze locked with hers. “I only ran for student council president because you were and I thought it would be fun for us to hang out. I never thought I’d win. As for what happened after prom…”

He touched his mouth to hers. “You were my first time, too,” he whispered.

She desperately wanted to believe him, but there were too many questions. “You always had a girlfriend.”

He shrugged. “I was trying to get your attention.”

“You didn’t come after me when I left.”

“We were kids and needed to grow up. And, honestly, after you left so quickly, I thought you didn’t like me. But I kept track of you. Ask your sisters.”

She didn’t have to, she realized. Both Dellina and Fayrene had always teased her about Greg. Now she knew why.

Disbelief battled with a sense of certainty. There was only one reason she’d gotten so worked up whenever she thought about Greg. Only one reason she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him. It was because she’d had feelings, too.

“Back then, it was a crush. But knowing you now… I love you,” he repeated. “I don’t want you here just as my business partner. I want you as my everything partner. I know it’s a lot to take in, but will you at least think about it?”

She tried to speak but couldn’t, then decided the words could wait. She threw herself into his arms and hung on as if she would never let go.

“We can do it all,” he was saying. “The restaurant and your street food. We can even try another cookbook.”

She started to laugh, then realized she was crying. Happy tears, she thought. Because she’d found the man who could be her life partner. Who could understand her dreams because he shared them.

She drew back enough to see his face. “I love you, too. I think I have for a long time.”

“You were mostly pissed at me.”

She laughed. “A little. Sometimes. You can be really annoying.”

“I’ll try to change that.”

“I’d rather you didn’t. I like what we have together. And, yes, let’s do it all. The restaurant and the street food. We’ll use one to promote the other. We’ll be a team.”

He drew her against him and kissed her again. She got lost in the feel of him and how being near him made every part of her tingle.

On the table, the champagne went flat and the dinner cooled, but Ana Raquel didn’t even notice. Greg’s kisses were more delicious than food, more intoxicating than champagne.

They were in love, she thought with a sigh. Fool’s Gold really was the land of happy endings.

Fin