Chapter 28
CHAPTER 28
MEYER
“Pippa, that’s my nipple!”
Tongue caught between her teeth, my best friend doesn’t pay my protests any mind. When she’s focused on a task, nothing can shake her—not even the fact that she caught my nipple with the tape she’s using to keep my dress stuck to my boobs.
“If you’re gonna see me topless, you should at least buy me dinner first,” I mumble.
“ Please ,” she says with a scoff. “I heard about that one homecoming dance. I highly doubt your date bought you dinner before that.”
At this, I grin. “I wasn’t the one who snuck a flask in my purse.”
“Maybe I should rethink letting you babysit Atticus.” She takes a step back, scrutinizing the neckline of my dress. “You’re a bad influence.”
“C’mon, Pip. You know you love me.”
When she moves out of the way, I inspect myself in the full-length mirror. It isn’t often that I have the occasion to be fancy like this. My usual wardrobe is mostly made up of t-shirts and jeans. But it is nice to play dress-up every once in a while.
This annual charity dinner is the one and only time you’ll catch me wearing stilettos, though.
Pippa is usually my date. Every year, she splurges on an evening babysitter, we get dolled up, and then we get drunk. This year, I’ve got a permanent shadow in the shape of my business partner.
“I’m still impressed that Jackson was able to convince them to host the dinner here,” Pippa muses.
I roll my lips into my mouth to stop myself from readily agreeing. The truth is: it is impressive. Many others have tried before, but the organizers always insisted on renting the stuffy, run-down recreation centre. Somehow between charming smiles and smooth words, Jackson managed to sway them.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come?”
Pippa nods. “I’m sure. I think Jackson will look better on your arm than I would.”
It isn’t the optics that I’m worried about. Not our optics anyway. Everyone loves Pippa, and everyone will love Jackson. They both have something about them that assures people. I feel like I have the opposite effect. Everyone likes me well enough, but I always feel like they’re waiting for me to slip up.
A knock on my front door has my stomach tightening with nerves.
Pippa smiles and sets a hand on my arm. “I’ll get the door,” she says. “You take a deep breath and then get ready to kill it tonight.”
When she leaves me alone in my room, I fight the urge to take the dress off and crawl under the covers on my bed. It isn’t the socializing that I have trouble with—that, I thrive on. The pressure of tonight and what it means is what’s getting to me.
I know it’s silly. This night is about raising money for an organization that needs it, but it’s also a chance to show the town how the inn is doing without my mother at the helm. This dinner has no bearing on how successful the inn actually is and will continue to be. But it’s the perception of having made it. Especially after everything that has been going wrong lately, I want the evening to run without a hitch.
As the finishing touch to my outfit, I take the strawberry earrings from the farmer’s market out of my jewellery box and put them on. They don’t exactly fit with the rest of my clothing, but they bring me some much-needed comfort.
I give myself another minute before forcing my feet to move. Each click of my heels on the floor is like the tick of a clock, counting down to my doom. Somewhere in the back of my brain, I realize I’m catastrophizing, but snapping myself out of it is easier said than done. I’m a worrier at heart.
Stepping into the living room, I take Jackson in. His back is to me as he chats with Pippa, allowing me a moment of unobstructed perusal. The suit he has on this evening is nicer than the others, which is saying something, considering how nice his usual suits are. Not that I’ve been paying attention or anything .
“There she is,” Pippa says, drawing me out of my daydreams.
Jackson turns as I cross the room to them. His jaw works, and his honey eyes blaze with heat as they trail from my stilettos to my curled updo, stalling first on my hips and then my plunging neckline. He tries to speak, but a quick clearing of his throat gives him away. He’s flustered.
The amount of satisfaction I feel from Jackson’s reaction is somewhat troubling. Actually, it’s very troubling.
“The way you’re looking at me right now is very inappropriate, Mr. Vaughan,” I tease.
His eyes jump to mine as a smile spreads across his lips. “Just returning the favour, Ms. Ellison.”
I roll my eyes. “In your dreams.”
At this, his grin turns wolfish. “Oh, I dream about a lot of things.” He holds his arm out to me. “Shall we?”
I hesitate, but knowing that I’m liable to break an ankle walking the gravel path from my cottage over to the tent where the dinner is being held, I give in. Looping my arm through Jackson’s, I inhale a fortifying breath. I can do this. I can spend one night pretending I have my shit together.
“Have fun!” Pippa calls after us. “I’ll lock up for you.”
I turn my upper body toward her and blow my friend a kiss. “Love you, Pip! Thank you.”
When I face forward again, I inhale deeply and then release it, hoping some of the tension will bleed away with it. We walk for a moment in silence, which only gives me more time to stew in my thoughts.
“Are you nervous?” Jackson asks .
I purse my lips as I shake my head. “No,” I lie. “Of course not.”
“The bruises on my arm would beg to differ.”
I internally curse when I realize just how tightly I’ve been gripping his arm. I could keep lying to myself and say it was purely for physical stability—these heels are a bitch to walk in—but really, I’m just clinging to anything that will keep me from spiralling.
“Okay, so maybe I’m nervous.”
Jackson pauses, pulling me to a stop beside him. I look up at him quizzically.
“Alright,” he says, “tell me why. Talk it out.”
I shake my head. “You don’t want to know what’s going on inside my brain.”
“On the contrary.” His irises swirl with sincerity. “I want to know everything that goes on in that pretty head of yours.”
I sigh. “I feel like no one in this town takes me seriously. I mean, you were there when Louis called me little lady , like I’m a kid playing pretend at this whole thing.” I cast my gaze to the side, too chicken to look at Jackson. “Everyone loved and respected my mom in this role. And I guess I worry I’m…not enough.”
Jackson reaches out and tips my chin up, forcing my gaze to his. The fire in his eyes makes my pulse jump.
“You, Meyer Ellison, are more than enough,” he says. “I’ve never seen someone so well-suited for a job they also happen to love. That’s rare. If this town is too small-minded to see that, then fuck ‘em. Your success will be the only proof you need. ”
“But what if I fail?” I whisper.
He shakes his head. “You won’t,” he replies. He sounds so confident , and I wish, not for the first time, I could steal some of it and bottle it up for myself. “But if you did, you sure as hell wouldn’t be the first. Or the last. And most importantly, you wouldn’t be in it alone. Your name isn’t the only one on that paperwork.”
My lips quirk slightly. “The prospect of watching you go down with me does soften the blow a little.”
Jackson grins. “Of course. Despite her best efforts, I have come to learn a thing or two about my business partner.” He tucks a loose curl behind my ear. “There’s no shame in giving something your all, Meyer. Even if it doesn’t work out in the end.”
His words twist around my heart, settling there. I have a feeling he isn’t just talking about the inn. But right now, I don’t have time to examine them and pick them apart, as I like to do. Right now, we have a dinner to host.
Inhaling deeply, I nod. “Alright, Vaughan. Let’s go show them what we can do.”
We somehow managed to pull it off. Our staff did us proud, working to ensure everything went smoothly, and the dinner organizers were pleased.
My nerves didn’t entirely go away, but I was able to ease into things and relax partway through the evening. I was worried that someone would bring up the vandalism or the fire, and the dinner would derail from there, but no one brought any attention to our bad luck.
“This evening was lovely,” Mayor Danby says as she walks up to me and Jackson. “This tent really suits the space out here. I’ve always had a soft spot for this place, and for Beatrice, but I’m excited to see where you take things, Meyer.”
I smile, letting the utter relief flow through me. “Thank you. That truly means so much to me.”
“Do you do weddings?” she asks. “My daughter is getting married in August and her venue just cancelled on her. She has been looking for a replacement, and this seems like it would be right up her alley.”
I glances over my shoulder at Jackson, then back to the mayor. “We…don’t.”
“But we would love to,” Jackson interjects, stepping up to take his place beside me. “We’ve been looking to expand, and that is an excellent idea. Have your daughter contact me and we can set up a time for a tour. Work out some details.”
Mayor Danby grins. “Splendid!” She reaches out and shakes Jackson’s hand, then does the same to me. “We’ll be in touch. Have a good night, you two.”
I watch her walk away. As soon as she’s out of earshot, I whirl on my business partner. “What was that? Since when do we host weddings?”
He shrugs. “That’s business.”
“ That came out of nowhere,” I argue. “We haven’t even had time to figure out if tonight was a success.”
“In my experience, conducting business is a lot like performing improv,” he says .
“Because when you do something stupid, people laugh at you?”
He chuckles. “No. It’s the whole yes, and thing. You obviously have to take stock of the risks, but generally being open to opportunities that fall in your lap is smart.”
“So now we host weddings,” I say.
“So we do.” He studies me. “Not that I’m complaining, but you don’t seem to be protesting the idea.”
“Lucky for you, I actually don’t…hate it.”
Admitting to liking any of the changes Jackson pushes for when it comes to the inn has become easier over time. And this one, in particular, seems promising.
Jackson grins. “That must have been really hard for you to say.”
I nod, mock serious. “Oh, you have no idea.”
He chuckles. “I’m flattered.”
I glance over my shoulder, watching as our employees begin to break down the setup under the tent. Then I turn back to him. “We should probably help,” I say.
He nods. “I’ll get the chairs stacked up.”
While Jackson is busy with that, I decide to help the catering staff clean up their stations. When everything has been packed up and the staff have finished clearing out, we find each other.
“Walk me back?” I ask.
Jackson nods. “Lead the way.”
The walk to my cottage is quiet. Peaceful. It’s a nice night, the sky clear enough to see all the stars.
“Bet you don’t miss all that light pollution,” I say, breaking the silence. Because I was beginning to feel too comfortable, and that made me feel un comfortable.
He glances up at the sky and then over at me. “No,” he says, “I can’t say that I do. Can’t say that I miss a lot about the city, to tell you the truth.”
Stupid words roll to the tip of my tongue. Questions like, does that mean you want to stay? But I don’t voice them.
We make it to my front door sooner than I would have liked. As surprising as it is, I actually enjoy Jackson’s company. Not that I’d tell him that. His ego truly doesn’t need the boost.
“Did you have a good night?” he asks.
“I did.” My hands wring nervously in front of me. “Thank you for talking me off the ledge earlier.”
He smiles, and those goddamn dimples appear again. “That’s what I’m here for. Goodnight, Ellison. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Wait.” I take a step closer, reaching for him. “I decided I’m taking your advice.”
His eyes sparkle in the moonlight. “Yeah? What advice is that?”
“Taking stock of the risks,” I reply as I fist his lapel, “and being open to opportunities that fall in my lap.”
I wait for him to stop me. But when he doesn’t, I waste no time dragging his mouth to mine.