Epilogue
6 months later
EDEN
“Are we all ready to go?”I take in the handful of faces looking back at me from on my laptop screen from their tiny little Zoom boxes.
“We’re ready!” Kayla beams. “It’s so nice to see your face.” She makes a kissy face and I laugh.
“Yeah, we miss you like crazy here in the Pacific Northwest,” Gavin says.
“Aww you guys. It’s only been a month since my last visit,” I say.
“That’s how much we adore you,” Kayla says. “We miss you the moment you leave.”
I blow a kiss back at her.
“Portugal still treating you well?” Ian asks.
“It is. I absolutely love it here.”
It’s been six blissful months of living in Lisbon. I’ve been back to visit everyone in Portland once and plan to go back for another visit in a couple of months.
“How are the pastries in Portugal? Still nothing compared to mine, right?”
I laugh. “They’re amazing, but I dream about your pastries, Ian. You know nothing will ever compare.”
This is how every weekly virtual staff meeting has gone—we always get sidetracked at the very beginning catching up and joking around.
Jamie clears his throat. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but I’ve got a date tonight. Can we get started?”
Gavin rolls his eyes good-naturedly. “Damn, dude. Always such a stickler.”
Jamie makes a disgruntled noise. “Someone’s gotta be responsible, pretty boy.”
I bite back a laugh at their teasing and ribbing. God, I miss my Dream Guys.
“Okay, Jamie’s right,” I say. “We should dive in.”
Every week I hold a staff meeting with Kayla and the experienced Dream Guys Gavin, Ian, and Jamie to get an idea of how the app is performing and the overall vibe from our workforce. In addition to their dream guy dates, Gavin, Ian, and Jamie have been training the new Dream Guys that we’ve hired ever since we’ve expanded.
“We’re still holding strong at a 4.9 rating, which is amazing. Well done, Dream Guys,” I say. “Kayla, how’s our social media presence?”
“Excellent. We’ve hit almost a hundred thousand followers.”
Gavin whistles. “Damn. Way to go, Kayla.”
“Aww thank you.” She smiles sweetly.
I glance over at the agenda on my computer screen. I’m about to make the big announcement, but Ava’s gorgeous face pops onto the screen.
“Hey, guys! So sorry I’m late, I was on a work call for my lifestyle brand.”
“No worries,” Kayla and I say at the same time.
Jamie makes a grumbling noise. “Nice of you to show up. You’re starting a trend aren’t you?”
Ava’s wide smile fades. “Oh, um, what?”
“It seems like you don’t care to come to meetings on time very often.” I don’t miss the way Jamie’s perma-glare etches even deeper as he addresses Ava.
She frowns. “Sorry. It was an important meeting and it ran long.”
“So this isn’t an important meeting?” Jamie says.
Ava stammers. Over the last few months of observing them over Zoom chat, I’ve noticed Jamie has gotten irritated by Ava multiple times. When I asked him about it during a one-on-one meeting weeks ago, he was evasive and said it was nothing. But I can tell something’s up. Jamie’s been my friend for a handful of years and I have a sneaking suspicious that he doesn’t care for Ava because she’s a high high-maintenance rich girl—which I think is ridiculous. But whatever his hang-ups are, I want our work environment to be as peaceful as possible.
“Okay, okay,” I say. “Jamie, you don’t have to hold her feet to the fire. Ava’s a busy woman and we’re happy she could make it today. It’s actually perfect timing because we have an exciting announcement. Ava?”
Her gorgeous smile is back in place. “Yes! We’re expanding the app! We’ll be opening up the Dream Guy position so that women and other genders can apply too! We’re kicking around the idea of calling them Dream Gals and Dream Daters.”
“Oh that’s freaking awesome!” Gavin says.
“Yeah, how cool,” Ian says.
Jamie nods his approval.
Ava moves over slightly and motions for someone off screen to come over. A second later, Liv appears. She smooths a hand over her long, straight black hair. “Hi, everyone. I’m Liv.” She flashes a tight smile before fiddling with the frames of her thick-rimmed glasses.
Everyone says hello.
“Ava and I are bringing Liv on board because she’s a programming genius and will make the expansion as smooth as possible,” I say.
“She’s been working for me for years, helping me build the website for my lifestyle brand,” Ava says. “You guys are gonna love her!”
I take in Liv’s unblinking stare and how her pale cheeks go rosy. She’s an introvert to the max and I can tell this Zoom meeting is wreaking havoc on her nerves.
“I, uh, am looking forward to working with you all.” Her smile goes even tighter. I notice how Gavin’s blue-eyed gaze has gone dazed when Liv appears on the screen. Interesting.
“I should get back to work,” Liv says before darting out of view.
“Okay so next on the agenda?—”
Just then the door in the room of Ava’s family villa that I’m using as an office swings open. In walks Danny covered in paint.
I beam at the sight of my hot artist boyfriend. It’s been six months of us living together in Ava’s Lisbon villa and working together, and it’s been a dream come true.
Yeah, that sounds like such a cliché. But I don’t care. I’ve never been happier than I am now building my business, living with my boyfriend, and watching his career as an artist take off. He still works for Dream Guy but it’s part-time now that he’s devoting so much of his time to painting.
“Danny!” everyone shouts.
He crouches down next to me, then greets everyone. He turns to me, that playful smile I love pulling at his lips. And then he leads me in a hot and teasing kiss that has everyone whistling.
“Sorry,” he murmurs to me, licking his lips. “I couldn’t help it. You’re irresistible.”
My heart thuds in my chest. This. This man, this life, this work. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. And it’s perfect.
“Don’t ever be sorry for kissing me,” I before I press my lips to his.
DANNY
“Guys, this is a work meeting,” Jamie says. “Can you keep it in your pants for the next fifteen minutes?”
Eden and I break our kiss.
“Finally, the artist makes an appearance,” Gavin teases. “And we thought you got too big for us Dream Guys.”
“I could never.”
“How’d your gallery showing go?” Ian asks.
What I’m sure is a goofy-as-hell smile splits my face. “It went okay.”
“Okay?” I catch Eden rolling her eyes and smiling. “He’s being modest. It was a huge success. He sold out the first night. And the art class he’s teaching at the local school sold out too.”
“Holy crap, man. Well done,” Gavin says.
“Yeah, that’s awesome,” Jamie says.
“He’s the hottest new thing in the Lisbon art scene, you guys,” Eden says. “The gallery owner already booked him for another show in two months.”
I feel like I could fly. My brilliant and beautiful girlfriend is talking me up with so much excitement in her voice. She’s so proud of me, I can feel it. She believes in me. She supports me and my dreams, and it means more than she’ll ever know.
I slink my hand around her waist and hug her.
“If you guys want to go to Danny’s next show, I’ll fly you on my plane out here,” Ava says.
I’m sputtering. “Wow, Ava. That’s so generous of you.”
“Oh hell yeah, I’m in!”
Gavin and Ian chime in right after Kayla and say they’re in too. Jamie grumbles a “sure.”
“Ava! You’re so generous,” Eden says. “First you let us live at your villa and now you’re flying everyone in for Danny’s show?”
Ava waves a hand. “It’s my pleasure. Truly.” She looks at me. “Just don’t sell out before I can buy a piece of your artwork this time.” She winks at me.
“Well, maybe if you show up on time,” Jamie grumbles.
“Okay, let’s get back on track,” Eden quickly says.
I tell everyone bye and head to the bathroom to take a shower. When I finish, I head to the kitchen and get started on dinner. By the time Eden walks out of her office an hour and a half later, I’ve set the table and am in the middle of pouring us glasses of Barolo.
She walks up to me and I hand her a glass. She slinks an arm around me and beams up at me. I relish the way her body sinks into mine, how she looks so completely content.
“You made dinner?”
I nod. “Roasted chicken with vegetables.”
“Sounds heavenly.”
We sip our wine. I catch her staring at me.
“What?” I say with a chuckle.
“You’re sweet. You’re hot. You’re an artist. And you cook me dinner every night. You really are a dream guy. My dream guy. ”
I kiss her. “Only the best for my dream girl.”
Want a spicy bonus scene with Danny and Eden?
Eden surprises Danny with a fun new toy for their first anniversary…