On top of a cliff, by the side of a street that led down a winding road, Carmen stopped at the edge and took a moment to herself. Directly below, children, parents and hippies frolicked on the smooth sands of the Santa Monica beach. The ocean breeze swept across Carmen's face, and she reached a hand up to brush her hair out of her eyes. The cliff faced the Pacific Ocean, the horizon seemingly endless and vast. Carmen stared out into the horizon and filled her lungs with fresh, salty air - a smile edged on her lips.

The sun dipped, and Carmen realized it was resting on the line between land and water. Reluctantly, she turned away, torn between wanting to watch the sun set, and having to return to the shop.

She crossed the road, glancing back at the sun, hoping to catch that moment when the sun dipped below the horizon. But that was at least a half hour away. Of course, Carmen knew that, she watched it every other day.

Across the road, a row of shops of mostly quaint boutiques lined the street. Carmen ignored them all, and made her way to the third shop from the left. It was painted completely grey, with blue trimmings and a dark blue door. On top of the door, a big bold embossed sign that read, "A Sweet Affair" sparkled and shined with the glow of the setting sun.

Carmen Morales, the former F&B manager of the Hotel Sovereign, pushed open the door, and the tinkle of the bell announced her arrival. She looked around, greeting the regulars she recognized, smiling at the new faces she didn't know, and nodding at the waiting staff.

"Carmen…" A willowy old lady held out a hand to her.

Carmen grasped her hand with her own and returned the greeting warmly, "Mrs. Jones, are you trying the peach pudding today?"

Mrs. Jones nodded enthusiastically, and gestured to the pudding, "Shane was such a dear, she made it sugar free, especially for me… Would you thank her for me, love?"

Carmen smiled, nothing pleased her more than when someone praised her girlfriend, the former Chief Pastry Chef of the Hotel Sovereign, now the current owner of A Sweet Affair. Shane procured this quaint little shop shortly after quitting at the hotel - ignoring all the offers from major hotels - she had decided to be her own boss. It was not what Carmen expected of Shane, and yet, it was everything and more. Assertive Shane, ambitious Shane, Shane being Shane without having to compromise herself.

Shane, who baked with her heart, and hoped that her customers feel joy when eating her cakes, had fulfilled everything she had set out to achieve. Mrs. Jones was a living testimony.

"Thank you for your kind words, Mrs. Jones, I'll be sure to let her know…" Carmen smiled as she noticed an older gentleman walked through the door. "Look who it is. The usual, sir?"

Mr. Jones leaned in and planted a kiss on his wife's cheek, he gave Carmen a friendly wink, and Carmen retreated with a smile.

Carmen made her way behind the counter, and gently tapped Felicia, the barista, and said, "Please get Mr. Jones his mocha the way he likes it, and throw in a chocolate cake." Felicia nodded her acknowledgement and whispered into Carmen's ear, "Shane's fuming, 'cause you're late."

Felicia was an amazing barista that Shane had found through Jenny Schecter. Turned out, Jenny gave up kitchen work and went on to become a food critic. She wrote under the pen name of 'Once Bitten', and it was during one of her food trips that she met Felicia. And there was nothing shy about how it was love at first sight.

"Just fuming, or really really fuming?" Carmen enquired deeper.

Felicia gave it some thought, and grinned, "Fuming enough for Alice to call her a pussybear."

Carmen chuckled and thanked Felicia, reminding her about Mr. Jones' coffee, and proceeded to the kitchen.

Like in the big hotel, there was a heavy door separating the kitchen and the dining hall. The only difference this time, Carmen could walk through it as Shane McCutcheon's girlfriend, and not as a complete stranger.

Before she entered though, Alice Piezsecki stormed out, "Oh good, you are here. Take care of pussybear here… she is throwing a hissy fit." Alice gestured wildly at Shane, rolling her eyes as she attempted to exit the kitchen.

"Where the hell are you going?" Shane called out from across the small kitchen.

Alice waved a hand behind her as she said, "Meeting Dana at the Hotel, we are going to rent a room in a motel and fuck our brains out."

"You live together! And who says you can get off work?" Shane shouted.

Alice glared back at Shane, "I'm off work, pussybear… and here's your girlfriend to lick your wounds." Alice grabbed a laughing Carmen and shoved her into the kitchen, hoping to escape before Shane had a chance to stop her again.

Alice and her girlfriend, Dana Fairbanks, the F&B Manager of Hotel Sovereign, had been dating for a while now. Dana used to be Carmen's assistant of sorts and - at Carmen's recommendation - was promoted to replace Carmen. Alice, who was Shane's assistant, was also offered Shane's position when it was vacated. But instead of taking up that offer, she chose to go into partnership with Shane. She was no longer afraid of Shane. They were equals now.

"Hi, baby…" Carmen tried to pass her unfinished laughter off as an I-really-missed-you grin. She crossed the room and slung her arms around Shane's neck, leaning in close to kiss, but not closing the gap.

Shane appeared to be pouting, and held off kissing the lips presented in front of her, but only long enough to say, "You're late."

They kissed, a slow and languished kiss. A kiss that only couples – strong in their love, sure of themselves, and comfortable in their surroundings – could kiss. They alternated between pecking and teasing, a kiss thoroughly enjoyed by two people in love.

After they broke off the kiss, Carmen rested her temple on Shane's shoulder, transferring her arms down to squeeze Shane's waist. "Mmm… I missed you so so so much."

Shane gave a half-hearted push on Carmen's shoulder, but did not protest when Carmen held on tighter. She leaned back on the counter, locking her arms so that Carmen could rest her entire weight on her.

"You're late." She said again.

Carmen sighed, "I know, I know… Things just got a little crazy."

"I haven't seen you in five days, and right after you get back, you disappeared back to work." Shane couldn't keep the accusation out of her voice.

While trying to formulate a reason other than 'I'm a workaholic', Carmen played with the black button on Shane's blue top. She whirled and twirled the button, and chuckled when Shane swallowed hard.

"Don't be mad, pussybear…" Carmen cooed.

Shane pulled away with an exaggerated gasp, "Pussybear?"

Carmen chuckled and placed a kiss on the underside of Shane's chin. "Darling, I had so many things to finish up at the office. But I'm all yours today," Carmen jabbed Shane's heart gently, "Tomorrow, and the day after. I'm all yours."

Carmen smiled at the up-down motion of Shane's throat as she swallowed hard again. She pulled away from Shane and changed the topic altogether, "By the way, Mrs. Jones thanks you for the pudding."

But the words seemed to bypass Shane's ears, "You are free the next few days?"

Knowing that if she did not make herself clear, Shane would not let the subject go, Carmen went on to explain her schedule.

Bette Potter, a head-hunter hired by the Casa Del Mar, was not only interested in Shane McCutcheon, a world renowned pastry chef, she was also interested in Carmen Morales, a competent and promising young manager that the Hotel Sovereign did not appreciate. Immediately after hearing about the press conference, Bette contacted Carmen and offered her the position of F&B Manager at the Casa Del Mar. Carmen had initial reservations, but Bette assured her that it was not a scam, and there were no strings attached. She even presented a contract to Carmen, stating the terms clearly and in bold.

Carmen had no reason to refuse. She was getting a 40% pay increase. She thought she would be out of work for a long time, what with a tarnished reputation. It was a dream job, with a world-class five-star hotel. This job had allowed her the space to use her talents, allowed her to travel the world, and allowed her the freedom to plan her own schedule.

Which took a huge amount of discipline – and a lot of nagging from Shane – not to bury herself in the never ending challenges at work. She had just returned from a five-day trip from Honolulu, visiting with a renowned chef specializing in Hawaiian recipes. She was to invite said chef to create a special menu for one of the cafes.

With the successful engagement of Mr. Hiram Barrese, she couldn't wait to convey the good news to her team. And thus, she spent the next 8 hours after she landed at LAX typing up her report and instructions at the Casa Del Mar.

Shane expected her to drop by the shop – seeing that it was a Saturday - after she landed, just like she promised. And she had appeared only now, a little before sunset.

The good news was, Carmen had finished all that she needed to finish, and so for the next 3 days, was able to spend well-needed time with Shane.

"I'll wait in the office while you pack up in here, okay?" Carmen flashed a gum bearing smile that she knew Shane couldn't refuse.

She entered an adjacent room from the kitchen, which Shane had used for her accounts and paperwork. Settling down on the table, she casually picked up a folder and looked through the accounts. Carmen couldn't help it, she was a workaholic, and it didn't make a difference whether she was at work, or at her girlfriend's work.

When Shane walked in a little while later, Carmen pointed to a line on a document, "The lease said that the shop space on the left is available, if we could…"

"No." Shane stated bluntly.

Carmen pouted and continued, "But…"

With a wave of a hand, Shane crossed the room to pack her bag, "Carmen, I want a bakery and café, I do not want a full-on restaurant. Maybe sometime in the future, but not now, not while I really enjoy what I do."

Carmen placed the folder back onto the table. "Okay, okay… Thank goodness we decided we couldn't work together."

Shane stopped what she was doing, and leaned in to peck Carmen's lips. "I wanted you as my manager, you refused…"

"And I think that was for the best…" Carmen gestured at the documents, punctuating her statement with the issue just discussed.

Shane grinned, and held out a hand to Carmen, slinging her bag with her other arm, "Come on, let's go enjoy our weekend."

Carmen took her hand, giving it a little squeeze.

Carmen and Shane - a couple that had worked through their problems, stick through their troubles - strolled out into the sunset hand in hand.

A bittersweet affair that they had perfected.