By the next afternoon, the chirping of a thunderstorm warning crawled along the bottom of Irene’s television screen, and by 8 o’clock that night, when she pulled into Seulgi’s driveway, a severe storm had moved into the area with several more behind it.

She was lucky her cousin lived an hour east and would only catch a tad of what San Diego would get.

It made her feel at least somewhat better about Yuri being away from her in bad weather.

As she killed her ignition, she could barely make out Seulgi’s house just a few feet in front of her in the downpour.

She had a hunch the picnic was off.

Her umbrella hadn’t done her much good that afternoon due to the gusty winds that had eventually flipped the thing inside out entirely.

Deciding just to make a run for it, Irene covered the short distance from the car to Seulgi’s front door in record time.

She was damp, admittedly, but happy to be where she was.

Seulgi answered the door almost instantly at the sound of the bell and pulled Irene in quickly by the hand. “You’re a little wet,” she proclaimed happily, rubbing the sides of Irene’s shoulders with vigor.

“But you’re cute when you’re wet, so there’s that.” Seulgi stepped into her, and placed a delicate hello kiss on her lips.

Instantly, Irene recognized that familiar thrum of her heart.

She grinned. “So I’m here.”

“You are.” Then, seeming to snap herself out of the daze with a smile and little shake of her head, Seulgi gestured toward the living room. “I started a fire once the chill moved in. Why don’t you go have a seat, warm up, and dry off while I check on the food? Be right back.”

Irene sat in front of the beautifully sculpted fireplace, wrapping her arms around herself and enjoying the heat it put out.

Her eyes widened in surprise as a friendly looking dog entered the room and her face in celebration. “Well, hi there.”

The dog laid a paw on Irene’s knee and looked up at her soulfully.

“Okay, that’s pretty adorable.”

“Hyun, meet Walter,” Seulgi said, following not far behind.

At the sound of his name, Walter seemed to spring into action, turning in a circle and wagging his tail eagerly.

“He already knows his name because he’s apparently the smartest dog on the planet.” He blinked back at her in total adoration. “Yes, you are.”

“All right. You just used a doggy voice. You must really like him.”

“Walter’s okay, aren’t you, buddy?”

He whined softly and nuzzled close.

“Yuri will be pleased at the newly forged friendship. She’s mentioned him several times this past week and takes full credit for your union, by the way.”

“You’ll have to bring her by so they can play. He’s pretty good with a tennis ball. Come on, Walter, dinner time for you.”

Walter obediently bounded behind Seulgi into the kitchen where she put up a small pet gate for him in the laundry room.

Beyond its confines, Irene glimpsed an overly fluffy doggy bed and several brand new dog toys.

Someone’s been shopping.

“Sorry about your picnic plans,” she called into the kitchen. “I was looking forward to it.”

“What are you talking about? The picnic is still happening.”

Irene laughed. “No way are you getting me on that beach. It’s torrential out there.”

“Who said anything about the beach?” Seulgi returned to the living room with a white and red plaid blanket, which she fluffed and spread out neatly onto the carpet. “Tada, carpet picnic. Be right back.”

“You never cease to amaze me.”

“I’m an amazer.”

“And you coin new terms. Impressive.” Irene laughed and watched her hurry back into the kitchen. “Can I help?”

“Sure, grab the bubbly and glasses off the counter and meet me on the picnic grounds in 20 seconds with an appetite.”

As they sat across from each other, Irene’s eyes moved appreciatively over the plate of food she was handed. “You made all of this yourself?”

“Guilty. Would you like the rundown?”

“Oh, I think I need to hear the rundown.”

“Okay, here goes. For your dining pleasure, we have pecan crusted salmon, tomato and bean salad with a blue cheese chive dressing, and that on the left is a warm apple tart. All the great picnic foods represented.” Seulgi smiled and there were those damn side dimples and crescent shaped eyes.

Irene loved seeing the excitement she clearly took in this “excursion.”

It was a side of Seulgi she’d only glimpsed up until that point.

She wanted to reach across the blanket and pinch her adorably y cheek.

“Why are you so good at everything? It’s a little frustrating. I can’t believe you made fancy salmon. Who even knew it could be fancy? It’s one of my favorite foods, by the way.”

Seulgi seemed to sit a little taller with that information. “Really? I had no idea. I took a shot.”

Irene ate the meal slowly because it honestly tasted just as good as it looked.

“So let’s talk more about what you do when you’re not playing the role of high powered business executive. I know a little already. Cooking, running, no painting, which is a travesty. But there’s bound to be more.”

Seulgi contemplated the question. “There isn’t. I work a lot. Not a ton of down time.”

“Okay, got it. But what do you like to do? If there were all the time in the world.”

“That’s a hard one. I like to read. I wish I had more time for that.”

“What’s your favorite book?”

“It’s juvenile. You’ll laugh.”

“I will not. Tell me.”

“Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.”

Irene covered . “I love that book. I must have read it 17 times.”

“When I read it as a kid, I used to imagine I was one of the sisters and Marmie was my mother. She would oversee my homework and tuck me into bed at night, and I can’t believe I just told you that.” Seulgi shook her head in wonder and stared down at her plate, her cheeks reddening.

“I love that you just told me that.”

“What about you? What’s yours?”

“I like all the great romances. Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, and oh, Gone With the Wind. Love that one. Then there’s the movie version. The scene when Scarlett enters the birthday party in that red gown looking anxious but defiant, I’m so right there.”

“That is a great scene.”

“I dressed up as her once for Halloween. I was a hit.”

“I’m sure you were. How old were you?”

“26.”

Seulgi laughed and Irene reveled in the sound of it.

“So what else do you partake in, Seulgi? Quail hunting, international espionage, synchronized swimming?”

“Nope. I’m utterly boring.”

“You’re not, and believe me, I keep waiting for the moment you are.”

“Well, there’s plenty of time for that, right?”

Irene looked up from her champagne and grinned.

Her tone softened noticeably. “Yeah, I guess there is.”

Irene loved how easy it was to talk to Seulgi.

They’d developed a quick cadence between them that was comfortable and fun.

She enjoyed the humor they shared and even appreciated their different perspectives on things.

Seulgi knew aspects of life she never had a clue about and vice versa.

It was enthralling.

The wind picked up considerably during the meal and Irene felt the house shake periodically from the strength of the gusts.

As they cleared the dishes, she gazed out at the darkness of the angry looking surf. “Are you at all concerned about your windows?” she finally asked. “This house is made of a lot of glass.”

“Not to worry. It’s all been reinforced many times over, a necessity for living where I do. I did tether down the patio furniture before it started to rain though. I hope I did a good enough job or you might see one of the deck chairs fly away to Oz. Other than that, the house is completely secure. Do storms scare you?”

“All the time. I’ve always thought they were kind of scary, but then I’ve never actually been right on the water for one.”

At that, a very loud, ominous clap of thunder struck causing Seulgi to jump noticeably.

Irene raised a speculative eyebrow. “Do they scare you?”

“Not a chance.” Seulgi shrugged quickly and went about busily tidying up the kitchen.

Irene observed for a moment before moving to her and resting her hands on Seulgi’s waist from behind. “Fess up. Do storms freak you out?”

Seulgi turned in Irene’s arms and blew out a breath. “A little. But don’t tell anyone. A CEO who’s afraid of a little thunder could inspire a few jokes at the office.”

“Luckily, I like it when you and I share secrets and would never jeopardize that.”

Seulgi gently fluffed Irene’s hair. “In all fairness, you should have to tell me a secret now.”

“Is that right? That would even things out for you?”

Seulgi smiled and nodded decisively. “It would.”

“Okay. What if I told you that I was nervous?”

“Nervous about what?” Seulgi took a step back to see her better.

“Nervous about us…tonight.”

Seulgi nodded, took Irene’s hand, and kissed the back of it. “Tonight doesn’t have to be anything you don’t want it to be, and I mean that. I just want to spend time with you, Hyun, and be with you in whatever way makes you comfortable. I have Scrabble in the closet, and I don’t want to brag, but I’m really good. We could play until 2 a.m. and I would have the best time in the world because it would be us, together.”

Irene was touched.

The truth was that she hadn’t been nervous until somewhere in the midst of dinner.

She knew she wanted Seulgi, but the logistics had her head spinning a tad.

It had been a while since she’d been with anyone, and it was possible she was suffering from a little stage fright.

But now, hearing the gentle tone in Seulgi’s voice was enough to cause a physical ache in , and it was all the reassurance she needed.

She moved into Seulgi’s arms and stayed there, wondering how she’d gone so long without Seulgi in her life.

She pulled back and met Seulgi’s eyes with a very serious stare. “While Scrabble sounds like a blast, I think I’ll take a rain check.” A long pause. “Did you catch that? Rain…check?”

At Seulgi’s burst of laughter and subsequent poke in the ribs, Irene scampered away gleefully to sit by the fire, snatching up her champagne glass as she went.

Seulgi refilled her own glass and joined Irene on the floor in front of the fireplace a short time later. “Speaking of rain, I’m not sure you ever completely dried out.”

She ran a hand across the back of Irene’s damp green plaid button up shirt. “I guess I should have offered earlier, but would you like to borrow some clothes?”

“I’m not sure we wear the same size, but I’ll take a shirt from you if you’ve got one.”

Seulgi returned from her upstairs bedroom with a Stanford sweatshirt in hand.

She hadn’t hit the bottom step when a clap of thunder hit and the lights went out.

Silence. “Well, that makes things a little ominous.”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry, you’re safe. Head back over to the fire. All is well over here.”

Seulgi made her way back to Irene through the now darkened living room and handed her the sweatshirt.

It was impossible to not watch Irene the damp blouse she wore and let it fall loosely from her shoulders.

Seulgi couldn’t have turned away if she’d wanted to.

The firelight danced across the smooth expanse of porcelain skin as Irene lifted her arms and pulled the sweatshirt over her head.

The red bra Seulgi glimpsed and tops of full s just about did her in.

Swallowing hard in an attempt to control her body’s visceral reaction to the sight, she excused herself into the kitchen to dig up a few candles.

Irene waited patiently for Seulgi to return, very much enjoying the warm, comfortable sweatshirt that smelled exactly like Seulgi did.

Hugging it to her, she was already plotting a way to keep it.

When Seulgi did return, she took a moment to light a few votive candles and place them at different spots throughout the room.

Their warm, gentle glow gave the space a very romantic look and feel that Irene simply could not let go to waste. “Come sit with me. Let’s watch the fire.”

She reached out and took Seulgi’s hand, pulling her gently onto the floor and scooting herself in front, so she could rest her back against Seulgi’s chest.

Seulgi’s arms wrapped around her snuggly from behind and she sighed with contentment.

They sat in silence, watching the fire’s unpredictable dance and listening to the sound of the rain pelt the shingles.

Irene couldn’t imagine anywhere she’d rather be. “How’s Walter?”

“Amazingly enough, sound asleep. I think he’s just happy not to be out in this. You should see him. He’s doing his Super Dog pose. Sleeping on his back with all four paws in the air. It’s impressive.”

“He has so much personality. It’s a nice thing you did, taking him in. So I guess you’re going to keep him?”

“If no one comes forward to claim him. I took a photo and had my assistant post it on a few lost dog websites as well as the home owner’s association page. I never thought I’d be a dog owner.”

“You’re more of a softy than you let on, you know.”

“Don’t tell anyone.”

“I would never. It’s kind of nice though. Seeing you branch out a bit. You’re hanging out with kids, adopting dogs, watching mindless movies.” Her tone slid into sincerity then. “One day, I hope you paint again.”

They watched the fire.

“Hyun, I need to tell you something.”

“Okay.”

Seulgi felt noticeable tension creep into Irene’s body, prompting her to rub back and forth with her hands across her forearms in reassurance.

“Everything you just said is true. My life has been noticeably different since you’ve been a part of it, and it’s wonderful in a way I never could have imagined. What I need to tell you is that the more we’re together, the more I feel for you, and I don’t really see that pattern ending anytime soon, if ever, if we’re being