26. Winona
Winona
When I think something nice is going to happen
I seem to fly right up on the wings of anticipation …
~ L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea
Cass has been jittery all morning. When her phone rings around one o’clock, she picks up like it’s going to catch fire if she doesn’t answer it.
I don’t usually pay any attention to who’s calling her. But today, I ask. “Who is it?”
She holds up a finger and walks to the other room. I stand from the couch and follow her. We don’t keep secrets. Okay. Yes. I kept how I felt about Declan a secret—but not for long.
Cass’s back is to me. She says, “Yes. On her way? Okay.” And then she turns around and gasps. “Win. What are you doing? I didn’t see you follow me.”
“Uh-uh,” I say. “The question is what are you doing?”
“Thanks! Bye!” Cass says to whoever is on the phone. She clicks the call off without another word and pockets her cell.
“You’ve been acting weird all morning.”
“Weird?”
“Yes. Like that. Since when do you answer me with a question—and with your voice getting all high and squeaky? Spill it.”
“Can you trust me?”
“I don’t know. Should I?”
“You definitely, definitely should.” Her expression doesn’t match her words. “Trust me. In a half hour I can tell you everything.”
“You’re a horrible liar. Tell your accomplice on the phone that.”
“I will. Believe me. I will. Right after I kill him for making me keep this secret.”
She honestly looks like she’s in pain.
“Wait. Him? Is this Declan?”
“No?”
“Cass. What are you and Declan up to?”
“Nothing?”
“Cass.”
“Win. Please. One day you might marry this man. I want him to like me. He already watched my emotional meltdown in front of Jaxon Pierce. I don’t have a lot of street cred left with Declan. Give me this. Pretend you’re in the dark.”
All I heard her say was One day you might marry this man and then it was like my brain shorted out.
“Are you okay?” she asks.
“I am. But you really think we might get that far?”
“He really likes you.”
“I really like him.”
“You’re going to like him even more …” She slaps her hand over her own mouth and from behind it says, “Shut it, Cass.”
I just laugh.
I walk back to the front room and sit on the couch, where I attempt to read our book club selection. But I’m really glancing out the front windows approximately one thousand times every minute.
A car pulls up in front of our house about a half hour later. Someone I don’t recognize gets out of the driver’s seat. She looks like she could be named Sapphire or Cardamom. Very beautiful. Elegant even though she’s wearing jeans and a sweater that has a belt wrapped around it.
What on earth is going on?
She knocks on the door, but I’m already opening it.
“Hi. I’m Winona. And you are?”
“Hi, Winona. I’m Ann. Nice to meet you.”
“Ann?” I ask.
Ann. Not Marjoram or Emerald.
“Yes. I’m the stylist Declan sent over.”
“Stylist?”
I turn to find Cass practically bouncing in place in the doorway that leads from the hallway into our living room. Her hands are clasped at her chest and her smile is twice as big as usual.
“Surprise!” she shouts.
“Declan wants me to have a new wardrobe?” I’m so confused.
Cass and Ann laugh.
“No,” Ann says. “He wants to be the one to tell you. Call him now that I’m here. Trust me, he’s happy with your wardrobe.”
I walk over to the coffee table and grab my cell.
Declan answers right away.
“Hey, Winona.”
“Declan. Ann is here.”
“Oh, good. Well, I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“Okaaay.”
“I want to take you on a date. Cass said you’re free tonight. And I figure since I’ve been in my boot for over a week, I can manage it well enough to get around. It’s high time I took my girlfriend out.”
“So … Ann is here to help me get dressed?”
“Basically, yes. Is that okay? I wanted to pamper you.”
“You do know most women just pick their nicest dress and curl their own hair, don’t you?”
“Do you hate it? The stylist?”
“Honestly?”
“Yes. I don’t want to mess this up.”
He’s so cute. He has no idea there’s literally no way he could mess this up. His effort alone is everything.
I turn so I’m talking to him instead of staring into the giddy faces of Ann and Cass. “I love it, Declan. I’ve never had anything like this. I wouldn’t want this every day, but it’s kind of fun having someone here to dress me. You’re the sweetest to do this.”
“Well, good. I’m so glad you’re happy. Have fun and call when you’re ready. I’ll have the car bring me to pick you up.”
“The car?”
“This time, I’m driving. But since I can’t actually drive yet … Well, I’m having us driven.”
My stomach feels all fluttery and I can’t stop smiling.
“Is this how Cinderella felt when the fairy godmother came to make her a dress?” I ask.
“You’re no Cinderella,” is his answer. “You’re so much more.”
He pauses and I just want to skip the makeover and drive to his house to order pizza. But another part of me doesn’t want to miss whatever he has planned.
“Call me,” he says. “I can’t wait to see you.”
“Me either. I can’t wait to see you, Declan.”
I hang up and look at Ann. “Okay. Well, I don’t know what he has in mind … I mean, I don’t know where we’re going to eat. The Fork and Fiddle is probably the nicest restaurant in town. I have a few dresses we can go through.”
Ann smiles. Cass lets out this excited little squeak.
“You’re not going to the Fork and Fiddle,” Ann says. “And I have dresses in my car. Give me a minute.”
She leaves, and next thing I know, she’s tugging a foldable wagon and a rolling suitcase, both filled with clothes. Once she’s inside, she takes a few poles and assembles a hanging rack.
“Do you need help?” I ask her.
“No. No. Don’t you fret. Besides, you’re going to need to save your energy for the fittings.”
Cass helps Ann while I dutifully step back and watch them unload dresses onto hangers.
Then the frenzy begins. We draw the front curtains and I try on dress after dress. Eventually, we narrow it down to three.
“I’m going with the espresso one,” Cass says. “That asymmetrical neckline. And the fabric. It’s perfect.”
“I love that one,” Ann says.
“Sold,” I say, suddenly realizing Ann is not a volunteer. “Wait. Am I buying this dress?”
“It’s a high-end rental. When a client calls, I gather what I think might work from our warehouse in Nashville and bring it out for them to try on.
“Declan flew me and my garments up this morning. You’re not buying or renting. Declan covered everything.”
“Wait. What?” I am in shock.
Cass just beams.
“You knew about all of this?” I ask her.
“Yep.”
“I … don’t know what to say.”
“Tell me which dress you like,” Ann says.
“I like the dark brown one too. It feels so glamorous, but not over the top.”
“It was stunning on you,” Ann says. “Declan’s going to lose his mind when he sees you.”
“Well,” I say, still stunned. “Thank you.”
“We’re not finished,” Ann says. “I have a coat to go with it and shoes. And we’re going to do your hair and makeup—if that’s alright.”
“Alright? You really are a fairy godmother.”
“Maybe I’ll rename my business,” Ann jokes.
A few hours later, I’m standing in the living room while Ann packs up.
I’m in a sleek, long dress made of matte silk crepe.
The one-shoulder neckline sweeps diagonally across my collarbone and chest. The dress clings to my figure, but not in a way that makes me feel exposed.
The skirt grazes the floor, revealing only the pointed toe of my espresso leather pumps with each step.
Ann gave me a deep brown cashmere coat with faux mink lapels to go over it.
Ever since Ann finished sweeping my hair up into a low chignon, my fingers have been drifting up to the few tendrils she left framing my face as if they’re trying to figure out what happened to my usual hairstyle.
I catch my reflection in our hall mirror and have to do a double take. Ann did a smoky eyeshadow look combined with some dark red lipstick. It’s a lot more than my usual quick swipe of mascara and lip gloss. I stare at myself and smile, imagining Declan’s face when he sees me all dressed up.
Cass comes up behind me, smiling over my shoulder. I look at her through the mirror and say, “I feel like a princess.”
“You look like one too. No. Scratch that. You look like a queen.”
I walk over to Ann. “This is the nicest thing I’ve ever worn. Thank you, again.”
“You look incredible. It was a pleasure working with you. I’m guessing I’ll see you again.”
Cass hasn’t stopped smiling since Ann came through the door.
She thanks Ann again, and then she tells me, “Okay, call him.”
“I am,” I say. “I should feel spoiled, right? Like this is too much?”
“You should feel so adored and special. And beautiful.”
“I do,” I say, my voice practically a whisper. “I really do.”
I call Declan. His voice runs through me like a sip of something warm when he answers. “Hey, Winona? How’d it go?”
“Ann is amazing. I’m ready.”
“I’ll be there in a few minutes. The driver is here, waiting for me.”
“He’s already there?”
“I wanted to be ready when you were.”
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going now?”
“Still a surprise.”
“I feel overdressed for most places in town, but I really couldn’t care less. I love this dress.”
Declan doesn’t give me any clue. He simply says, “I’m glad. See you in a few minutes.”
Cass gives me a careful hug and says, “I hope you have the time of your life tonight. I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks,” I tell her. “I’ll see you when I get home.”
She lets out another little excited squeak and then she runs upstairs, leaving me alone for the last few minutes before Declan arrives. I reapply my lipstick, like Ann told me to do, and then I stand by the door, blowing out a long breath to try to release the nervous knots in my stomach.
A sleek black SUV pulls up and a man in a suit steps out of the driver’s seat. He walks up to my door and I open it before he can even knock.
“Miss Winona?” he says.
“I’m Winona,” I tell him.
“Declan is in the car.”
He holds the door open for me.
I shout up to Cass. “Leaving! See you later!” as if I’m wearing tennis shoes and sweats, not a glamorous gown.
I step out past the driver, onto my porch and down the steps.
My eyes catch on Declan. He’s in the back seat, the window down despite the chill, watching me approach.
I smile at him and spin in a circle. When I finish my twirl, I look for his reaction and he does not disappoint.
His eyes scan me in my dress and land back on my face with a look I want to capture and place in a frame next to my bed so it’s the first thing I see every morning.
The driver passes me and opens the door to the back bench seat.
He gives me a hand and I step up into the car.
When the door shuts behind me, Declan lets out a low whistle. “Wow. You look incredible.”
“Ann’s a genius,” I tell him.
“She’s good. With or without her, you’re beautiful.”
He leans over and places a kiss on my cheek.
The window raises. The driver pulls out of my neighborhood and I settle into my seat.
“Who styled you?” I ask.
Declan’s in a black suit with a black tie, but there’s a dark brown pattern through the tie, the same color as my dress. He’s wearing a spicy, warm cologne that makes me want to lean in and steal another kiss.
“No one styled me,” he says with a soft laugh. “Men have it easy. Pick out the tie that matches her dress and pick a suit that matches the tie.”
“So, it didn’t take you three hours with an imported assistant to get ready?”
“No,” he chuckles again. “But the way you look tonight? Worth every minute.”
“I agree,” I tell him. “She made me feel amazing.”
“You’re beautiful in jeans curled up on a chair in my living room, don’t get me wrong,” Declan says.
The driver turns to head out one of the roads leading out of town.
“Declan?”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t know of any restaurants out this way.”
I catch the driver’s eye in the rearview. He smiles a conspiratorial smile.
“We are eating dinner, aren’t we?”
“Yes. We’re eating.” Declan reaches across the bench seat and folds my hand into his. “You’ll see.”
I give him the privilege he very much earned. If he wants to surprise me, I’m going to let him, even though I’m dying to know what he has planned. We drive out past town and my curiosity grows with each passing mile.
“If I recall,” I say, lightly squeezing his hand. “You don’t like surprises.”
“I do not. But I love being the one to surprise someone else.”
“Mmm. Control issues?” I tease.
“They aren’t issues. I just like being in control,” he says with a wink and a smile that would put me six feet under if it were a loaded weapon.
I lower my voice so the driver doesn’t hear me. “I’ve never seen anyone look as good in a suit.”
“You think I look good?” Declan asks, not lowering his voice at all.
The driver smiles into the rearview. And then he pulls into a parking lot.