Jackson Caulfield hadn’t become a Hollywood megastar for nothing. Ivy had a feeling he would know exactly how to romance Olivia on set, and she couldn’t wait to see her sister brimming with real happiness again.
‘Hey.’ Brendan stepped up behind Ivy, draping an arm around her shoulders as Holly made a discreet exit. ‘What’s put that grin on your face?’
‘Just thinking about the future.’ She glanced at him, and gasped. ‘Brendan! You’re eating!’
‘So?’ He shrugged, and took another bite of the half-eaten burger in his hand. ‘These are pretty good.’
‘They ought to be,’ Ivy said. ‘I made them for you. See? I’m a fabulous cook too, just like you.’ Smiling, she leaned into him, feeling the last of her tension melt away. Her boyfriend had got his appetite back at last, her grandmother was smiling at her from across the room, and Olivia was well on her way to happiness and the film career she’d always dreamed of.
‘Happy?’ Brendan asked.
‘Pretty good,’ Ivy admitted.
‘Just “pretty good”?’ Brendan laughed, as he dropped a kiss on her hair. ‘Come on, Vega. You may be the toughest of us all, but even you have to admit things couldn’t get much better than this. Franklin Grove’s secrets are safe, your grandmother seems to have forgiven you, your dad’s about to get married again, and you and Olivia are back on track.’
‘You’re right,’ Ivy said. ‘That’s not just good. It’s excellent. And most important of all . . .’ She turned around to face him, grinning.
‘Yeah?’ Brendan grinned back at her and polished off the last of his burger. ‘What could be even better than all that?’
‘After today,’ Ivy said, ‘I never have to see you wearing a button-down shirt again!’
Their laughter mingled as they kissed and, for once, Ivy didn’t even care that everyone at the engagement party could see them together. As they turned, holding hands, to walk back into the thick of the party Ivy couldn’t wait to see what the future held for all of them.
She squeezed Brendan’s fingers, smiling.
Fingers crossed, no garlic !