Epilogue
Two months later
"Oh my God, it's so late," Jodie says as they walk along the cobblestone path between the two gardens of the upscale residence where her mother now lives.
They visited her first thing in the morning, and although Amanda didn't recognize her daughter this time, the ordeal wasn't as terrible because she didn't have to go through it alone - Katherine held her hand throughout.
"We have plenty of time," Katherine responds to calm her.
They cross through the enormous entrance gate to the street and find Mike waiting with the back door open. Jodie practically dives inside, startling the chauffeur, who looks at his boss with a puzzled expression.
"Is someone chasing you?" he asks, alert as a hawk, his hand on his gun.
"Just nerves, I guess," Katherine answers with a laugh, "we're opening Magnolis to the public today, and she thinks she's late to the kitchen."
Mike relaxes and gets into the car after his boss.
"I thought you had everything under control, Jodie," Mike says, using the complete trust he now has with her.
"She does," Katherine jumps in, placing a hand on her thigh. Jodie shivers. "But she's a complete perfectionist, and there's nothing we can do about that."
"And here I was thinking that spending the last three weeks tasting dishes would have helped somehow," Mike comments, looking in the rearview mirror to change lanes.
Jodie smiles and runs her fingers through her hair.
"I know everything's fine, but I can't help being nervous. What I don't understand is how you're so calm when the hotel's been open for hours," she says to Katherine.
"I trust the staff I've hired, just like I trust you. You've spent two months organizing the kitchen staff and creating menus, Jodie, relax."
Jodie wishes she had Katherine's confidence, but she can't afford it because she not only wants everything to go well to prove to herself that she hasn't lost her skilled touch in the kitchen, but she also doesn't want to disappoint Katherine Taylor.
When they arrive at the Magnolis hotel, Katherine greets several people before accompanying Jodie to the kitchen.
"Everything will be fine, honey, see you later," she says and kisses her lips.
Jodie turns and crosses the double doors leading to this battlefield she intends to conquer, and Katherine heads to the lobby just in time to see her family enter, including her sister Rachel, the eldest Taylor.
"Oh my God," Katherine says, emotional as she embraces her sister, "I didn't think you'd come."
"Since you all won't come to me, I have to come to you," Rachel fires back like a shot that pierces everyone present.
"I promise Jodie and I will visit as soon as we get a break. With the inauguration, we haven't had time for anything," Katherine assures her with an apologetic expression.
"And I will too, as soon as I inaugurate the new cruise ship and sort out some business, promise," Caroline adds.
Their father raises his hands as if it doesn't concern him.
"They won't let me travel unless one of you accompanies me, so either your sisters take me, or you come get me."
"That's right, Dad," Rachel says and moves closer to kiss his cheek, "let's see when this little one stops kidnapping you," she adds, pointing to Caroline, "and I come get you to spend a few weeks with Ashley and me."
"You say 'little one' because I don't have wrinkles?" Caroline throws back, making her older sister's expression tighten.
"I don't have wrinkles, they're expression lines," Rachel huffs, running her fingers over the line that's crossed her forehead for some time. "Seriously, Dad, you and Mom could have used protection - see, even at a certain age, you can make silly mistakes."
Katherine considers raising a shield to stop the darts between her sisters, but laughter prevents her. The three sisters get along well, however, the age gap between Caroline and Rachel - almost twenty years since Rachel has turned fifty and Caroline is barely thirty-one - is so noticeable that they sometimes seek each other out like teenagers. At forty-two, Katherine sits in a more neutral range and knows how to handle them both.
"Can we go eat?" Warren Taylor asks, offering his arm to Katherine, "I'm getting the urge to send them to their rooms."
"Of course," Katherine says, hanging onto her father's arm to walk toward the private dining room where the family will eat, "and as for visiting Rachel, Mike can take you whenever you want."
"Everything really turned out great, Katherine, congratulations," Rachel compliments her as they take their seats.
"It sure did," Caroline agrees, "I hope the inauguration of my next cruise ship goes half as well as this."
"I'm sure it will," their father says.
"Well, when am I going to meet Jodie?" Rachel asks.
"Later, when all the food is served. Right now she's on the verge of a heart attack, and I don't want to pull her from the kitchen," Katherine responds.
The family spends the next hour chatting mostly about the small concert hall Rachel is building in her bar, which has been delayed due to construction. They savor each course while drinking, and when they're having their after- dinner drinks, Katherine calls for Jodie, who appears a few minutes later with cheeks flushed from the kitchen heat.
Katherine's heart races at the sight of her as if it were the first day, and she wonders when this sensation that usually leaves her looking foolish will disappear. She stands up and approaches to kiss her and take her hand, then introduces her to Rachel.
"Finally, I get to meet you," the eldest Taylor says, wrapping her in an affectionate hug that Jodie appreciates.
"Likewise," Jodie responds, returning the embrace before moving to greet the rest of the family.
"Amazing as always, sister-in-law," Caroline throws out with a look both playful and lustful that infuriates Katherine.
It's not because she's jealous, it's because Caroline does it to mess with her, and she's stupid enough to fall for her sister's provocation every time she and Jodie meet.
"Every time you do that, I want to stab you," Katherine mutters as she sits down.
"Don't hold back on my account," Rachel supports her through a laugh.
Caroline sits and clings to her father's arm like when she was little and her two sisters would respond to her silent provocations, always appearing to be the bad ones, just like now.
"Can we have some peace?" Warren Taylor asks, irritated.
"That's rich," Rachel says, shaking her head, still laughing.
"You know, I always wanted a son?" Warren tells Jodie, "and look, three women, all with their mother's strong personality."
The laughter can be heard from outside the private dining room.
"Well, I have to get back to the kitchen, I need to start on tonight's menu," Jodie says, saying goodbye to the whole family.
When the chef leaves the kitchen, she's as tired as if she'd been dragging stones all day, but she's very satisfied.
"Where's Katherine?" she asks Mike when she exits the hotel and sees only the chauffeur in front of the car.
He smiles and pulls out a card.
"On the top floor," he says and hands it to her with a smile, pointing to the highest part of the hotel.
Jodie makes a face while accepting it, unable to prevent her pulse from racing with uncertainty. When the elevator doors open on the top floor of the Magnolis hotel, she heads to the door of one of the six suites that occupy the floor. She swipes the card through the reader and the door unlocks with a click very similar to Katherine's penthouse.
"Kate?" she asks as soon as she enters, but receives no response.
All she hears is soft background music, and Jodie follows the path guided by candlelight. There, she finds Katherine standing next to a table camouflaged under a white tablecloth with two cushioned chairs. In the center, there's a small vase with flowers and more candles, plus two glasses that Katherine is filling with her favorite wine.
"What's this?" Jodie asks as she approaches, overwhelmed.
"A special dinner for a beautiful girl," Katherine responds, offering her the glass before kissing her.
Then she puts down her glass and pulls out Jodie's chair, inviting her to sit.
"Should I be worried?" Jodie asks, nervous and overwhelmed.
"Think I'm going to propose?" Katherine teases with a half-smile that melts Jodie.
"I don't know, but the situation could be perfect for it, because it's the hotel's inauguration with a full house and here you are wasting one of the most expensive rooms to prepare this dinner with me."
"Having dinner with you isn't a waste, not here or anywhere," Katherine clarifies, "but maybe I went overboard with the romance, didn't I?" she asks, making an amused face.
"Maybe, but I like it," Jodie admits.
"Great, because I want to propose something to you, and I want you to be receptive," Katherine says, and Jodie furrows her brow.
"Are you trying to influence my answer?" she asks, trying to hold back her laughter.
"I would never do that," Katherine winks at her.
"Okay, tell me what you need to say because I'm getting really nervous," Jodie demands.
"Alright."
Suddenly, Katherine notices cold sweat invading her hands from nerves. Her composure has vanished, and she's surprised to realize that something as common as what she wants to propose to Jodie feels so important and transcendental to her.
"Well, I know we haven't been dating long, Jodie, but we spend almost every night together, most at my penthouse and others at your place, and it seems absurd to keep doing this," she says and suddenly falls silent, searching for words to continue.
Jodie jumps in.
"Are you asking me to live together? Is that it?" she asks, her heart about to jump onto the table.
Katherine focuses her blue eyes on her and nods.
"Yes, exactly that, but at my penthouse, not at your place," she feels the need to clarify.
Jodie bites her lips to contain the laughter threatening to overtake her.
"Are you implying something?" she asks, and air from her laugh escapes through her nose, infecting the hotel owner.
"Let's say I'm tired of taking cold showers," Katherine shoots back, and they both let the fit of laughter possess them until they relax.
"That was a low blow," Jodie finally says.
"Did it work?" Katherine asks.
Jodie stands up and sits on her girlfriend's lap, wrapping her arms around her neck.
"Can I think about it?"
"Come on, honey, really?" Katherine says, and this time it's Jodie's turn to smile.
"No," she says and gives her a chaste, soft kiss on the lips, "actually, I don't have to think about it. I want to live with you."
Katherine's hands slide across her cheeks, and the blue of her eyes darkens when she focuses on her seriously before kissing her, as if the world were about to end and Jodie were the only thing she needs to keep breathing.