Page 38 of Smartasses
Epilogue
Six Months Later…
Outlining was no joke. Aubrey had spent the past month while Carter was on the set for what would definitely be his breakout Oscar role plotting every moment in her book. She detailed every moment in the New York to San Francisco road trip Alice Ramsay took in 1909 that put her in the history books as the first woman to drive cross-country. Then last night, she started writing, and her impulsive muse took over, and she had veered off her outline by about a million miles within the first six pages.
“Some things never change,” she muttered to herself with a giggle.
“I hope that counts for how you feel about me.”
Letting out an excited squeal, she jumped up from her desk in the corner of the bakery and sprinted to Carter, jumping up into his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist as she gave him a welcome home kiss. Yes, FaceTime was better than nothing, but it was still a poor substitute for the man himself. By the time she came up for air—remembering just in time before she went for his pants that Mr. Lucas and his coffee crew were at their usual table—her entire body was buzzing with anticipation.
“I take it you missed me?” he asked, lowering her to the ground.
“Like you wouldn’t believe.”
“Good because you’re stuck with me for the next six months until The Admiral starts shooting.”
She sighed with melodramatic gusto and pressed the back of her hand to her forehead. “I guess I’ll have to find a way to live with it.”
He brushed a kiss across her lips. “And you love it.”
“I love you,” she said, her heart filling with the absolute truth of it.
“Just like I love you.” Taking her hand, he started for the door. “Mr. Lucas, can you lock up when you leave?”
“As always,” Mr. Lucas said with a gruff chuckle. “Just you wait until I tell Ruby Sue that—”
Whatever came after that, Aubrey didn’t hear. She was too busy kissing the man she loved who loved her right back—and plotting how to steal every single pair of his pants without any plans on returning them until he had to report back to the set of his next movie.
