Chapter 15
Chapter 15
FRIDAY NIGHT SEEMED LIKE it took months to come around. I’d spent the week as I always did, working at the café. Only this week, Paige and I were riding high on our catering company success, our optimism filling the air around us.
Finally, after Paige insisted for the third time she and Sophie had everything under control for the Cozy Cottage Jam, I collected my purse, ready to leave.
“Have an amazing time,” Paige said, giving me a hug.
Sophie slouched against the wall. “I wish it was me.”
I couldn’t blame her for having a crush on Ryan. He was handsome and charming, the kind of guy a lot of women wanted to be with.
But he was mine. Or, if he wasn’t yet, he would be very soon.
“Oh, Soph. You’ll find your guy,” Paige said, rubbing her arm.
“Yeah? When? I’ve kissed so many frogs I could ribbit.”
“Ribbit?”
“You know, like a frog,” Sophie replied glumly. “Ribbit, ribbit.”
“You’ll meet someone, honey. All in good time,” Paige replied.
Sophie let out a laugh. “You sound like my mother.”
I laughed, too, shaking my head. “Soph’s right, you kinda do.”
“Well, maybe I just have a feeling about these things? I did about Ryan and Bailey, you know.”
Paige had always been a little quirky, believing in fate and the mystery of the world, the universe, and everything. She believed things happened for a reason—not a view I shared. What was the reason for Dan dying at the age of twenty-nine?
“Maybe you do have a third eye, or whatever they call it, Paige. But right now, I’ve got to go get myself into a rather fabulous dress for my date.”
I couldn’t stop a surge of excitement at the prospect. I’d had Nona’s dress cleaned, and it was good to go, hanging on the door of my closest, the necklace and shoes I’d chosen sitting beside it.
“You’ll look beautiful. You always do,” Sophie said.
“Just be sure to have an amazing time,” Paige added.
“Thanks, ladies. See you tomorrow.”
“I’ll open up in the morning. You get here when you can.”
I pulled the back door open and flashed them a grin. “Thanks.”
At home, I showered and did my makeup, sweeping black liquid eyeliner over my eyelids in keeping with the ’fifties vibe of the dress. I applied my red lipstick and smacked my lips together, studying my reflection. I’d left my long hair loose, taming the curls into waves that framed my face. Nona had always said I looked like screen siren Sofia Loren in her heyday when I got myself dressed up. As I looked at my reflection, I thought she may have been onto something, although I knew I would pale in comparison against the real thing.
I stepped into the dress and pulled it up. I’d loosely attached a piece of ribbon to the zipper so I could zip it up the whole way on my own, and it worked perfectly. I adjusted the dress, did the clasp on my necklace, and slipped my feet into a pair of patent leather black heels. I regarded myself in the mirror, swooshing the dress from side to side.
I was a fairy princess on my way to the ball with my very own Prince Charming.
As if on cue, the doorbell rang and those belly butterflies that always batted their wings when Ryan was around turned up. I collected my silver clutch from the bed and walked down the hall to the front door.
I pulled the door open to see him standing there, dressed in a tux with a crisp white shirt, a grin spread across his handsome face. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of him. If I was a princess tonight, he was most certainly my dashing prince. All we needed was a horse and carriage and perhaps a coachman or two and we’d be living our own personal fairytale.
“Wow, Bailey, you look . . . so beautiful.”
My body tingled as Ryan’s eyes swept over me. I beamed at him. “Thanks. You look amazing in your tux.”
“Why, thank you.” He waggled his eyebrows at me. “Are you ready to go, Mademoiselle ?”
“I sure am.”
“Well, then in that case, your chariot awaits.” He extended his arm and I took it.
I let out a light laugh, lapping up the fairytale atmosphere. I closed and locked the door behind me and we walked down the path, arm in arm.
I stopped in my tracks when I saw the car parked on the side of the street. My eyes widened. “ That’s the chariot? I assumed it’d be your SUV.” I took in the car in the early evening light. It was a fancy, old fashioned looking car, probably a Morgan or a Jag or something—I was no petrol head. Whatever it was, it was classy and oh-so romantic.
“Nothing but the best for you tonight.”
I looked up into Ryan’s eyes, the butterflies doing overtime. “It’s perfect, Ryan. Thank you.”
The driver’s door opened and a man in a suit and driver’s cap stepped out onto the curb.
“Will?” I blinked at him, barely believing my eyes.
“You can call me Jeeves for the night, if you like,” he said with a little bow, flashing us his cheeky grin.
I let out an excited laugh. “All right, Jeeves .”
I looked back at Ryan. “You’re wonderful, you know that?”
He smiled, the skin around his eyes crinkling. “You’re worth it.”
Be still my beating heart!
Ryan was proving to be every inch the man of my dreams tonight. And the evening had only just begun.
Will opened the car door for me and I thanked him and slipped inside, scooting across the seat for Ryan to sit next to me. The interior of the car was just as I’d imagined—tan leather, walnut trim, and old-fashioned window handles. Ryan took my hand in his, and Will drove us downtown to the five-star hotel where the ball was being held.
A short journey later, we arrived at the front door of the hotel. Will “Jeeves” Jordan parked the car and walked around to open my door.
“Thank you, Jeeves,” I said, smiling as I stepped out onto a red carpet leading up the steps into the hotel lobby.
“Certainly, madam.”
He was really getting into this whole chauffeur thing.
Ryan offered me his arm once more, and we walked up the steps and into the hotel. I looked back at Will and waved. He winked at me then got into the car and slowly drove away.
“How did you talk Will into doing that for us?”
“I bumped into him at the suit hire place. He was getting his tux for his wedding, and he asked me what I needed one for. When I told him, he offered to help out. Apparently, Paige and Cassie had been talking about us.”
“Hmm, I bet. I never had Will Jordan pegged as a romantic, though.” I shook my head. Cassie was a lucky girl.
I glanced at Ryan. Not as lucky as me, though. “And the car?”
“That belongs to my parents’ wealthy neighbor. I have to get it back to him tomorrow in one piece on pain of death.”
“Let’s hope Will doesn’t do anything silly, then.”
We walked down a wide corridor to double wooden doors, the words “Renoir Suite” above the entrance in gold lettering. Music was floating out, and I could hear the muffled sounds of chatter and laughter from behind the doors.
“We’re here.” Ryan pulled one of the doors open for me and I stepped inside.
It was a large room, with a band playing ’forties swing music on a stage at the far end, massive crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. There was a dance floor, empty right now, and people were dressed in ball gowns and tuxes, chatting and laughing together.
“This is . . . perfect,” I murmured, more to myself than anyone else.
Ryan slid his arm around my waist and leant in toward me. “ You’re perfect.”
I looked up at him and blushed. “No, not at all. But this?” I gazed around the room.
“It’s going to be a fun night. Come on, let’s get a drink. Champagne?”
I nodded. “Oh, yes.”
What other drink could we possibly have on a night like this?
We got our drinks and Ryan spotted some people he knew over by one of the tables. He introduced me, and I ended up chatting to one of the women about Italian food and how important it was to use fresh tomatoes in sauces, not canned. Something Nona taught me, naturally.
After a while, dinner was announced, and we found our table, sitting with some of Ryan’s colleagues. I didn’t know anyone, but people were friendly. I watched Ryan, relaxed and easy-going, chatting and laughing with everyone.
Dinner was a delicious hot smoked salmon salad followed by tuna steaks, and then an emcee announced the awards portion of the evening.
“Are you nominated for anything?” I asked Ryan.
“Not this year, although my firm won ‘Best New Design’ last year for a project I co-led.”
“That’s amazing. Maybe next year, huh?”
He squeezed my hand under the table. “Maybe next year. Actually, we found out today we’ve just won some business. I’m going to be part of a team designing a new building for national art treasures.”
“That’s wonderful!”
“We’re breaking ground in about a month, on the twenty-sixth, actually. It’s a bit of thing, you know? The owners, the media. I might even be in the news.”
“Really?” I tapped my foot against my chair leg.
“If you’d like to come, we could go for a late lunch afterwards?”
“Sounds great.” I feigned a smile.
The twenty-sixth of next month had particular meaning for me, too. It was the anniversary of Dan’s death. Three years. I swallowed, trying to concentrate on the speeches. I couldn’t think about that now, not on such an enchanted evening as this.
The awards ceremony went on for quite some time, and I swear my hands grew numb through clapping. The final award had been announced, and the band started up once more, people pouring onto the dancefloor.
“Are you going to ask me to dance?” I said to Ryan.
“Are you going to say yes if I do?”
“Yes.”
“Then, yes. Bailey, will you dance with me?” He stood up and offered his hand.
I took it with a smile, and we walked to the dancefloor where Ryan held me in his arms. It felt nice. More than nice. He twirled and dipped me, making my head spin—although that could have been from the champagne, too. I was definitely a cheap drunk, the two glasses I’d had over dinner more than enough to make me a little tipsy.
The music changed to a slower song, and Ryan pulled me in closer, his big hands pressed into the small of my back. I breathed in his delicious Ryan scent, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“Are you having fun?”
“I’m having the best time.” I looked up into his eyes.
“Good.” He bent his head down and kissed me lightly on the lips. “Me too,” he murmured in my ear, his breath warm on my neck.
I let out a sigh. I wanted this, I needed this.
We swayed to the music, our bodies as one. I couldn’t imagine the night being any more perfect than it was.
The tempo of the next song changed back again, and I suggested we sit this one out. My shoes may be gorgeous, but they were killing my toes.
We sat down at our table, all the chairs around us empty but for a couple all cozied up on the other side. Ryan raised his chin at them in greeting and we took our seats.
He leaned in to me, his elbows on his knees. “Bailey, I need to tell you something.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“You know that thing I said about wanting to kiss you for so long and not doing anything about it?”
A smile curved my lips. “Oh, that.”
“I thought I should tell you why.”
I sat up in my seat. “Okay.”
“I guess it was because . . . well, I was still working through some stuff, you know, after my break-up.”
I nodded, recalling the shell of a man he was when I’d first met him.
“I know this is going to feel a bit sappy, but I guess I didn’t want you to be a rebound girl.”
My heart rate kicked up. “You didn’t?”
He shook his head. “No.” He placed his fingers under my chin and leaned in and kissed me once more. It was soft and sweet, full of the promise of what could be between us.
We leant our foreheads against one another.
“I want you to be more than just that.”
I pulled away to look him in the eyes. “Because this feels big.”
He nodded, pressing his lips together. “It does to me.”
I put my hands on his chest and looked into his eyes. “You know what? You’re worth waiting for, Ryan Jones.”
And I knew he was.