Chapter 26
AVERY
Kimberly and I ate our combined weight in sweets.
Somehow, the sugar rush also brought on a bout of creativity.
Now I was suddenly sketching. Kimberly was pacing around as we talked about everything and nothing.
She was mostly bashing her last boyfriend, who'd also happened to be her boss back in Paris.
In between, she kept asking me stuff about Chicago, which I thought was a bit weird.
I mean, she'd been away for a few years, but surely she knew the city better than I did.
I'd been gone since graduating high school.
“So if there's one thing you would absolutely love to do tonight, what would it be?" she asked all of a sudden while I finalized the clasp.
"I'd love to go on a boat out on the lake. I've never been," I said, turning around the sketch for her to see.
A huge smile lit up her face, and she stood straighter. That was a very enthusiastic reaction to my sketch. I approved.
"I love that!" she exclaimed. "Oh, you've got such a way with jewelry. I like the shape of the pendant.” I'd drawn in a straight column but added a spiral on it so it gave the appearance of a fluid image. "And boats, huh? That's interesting to know."
I frowned. "Is it really?"
She nodded. "Oh yeah. Let me just send this text message."
"You want to share the sketch with Reese?"
Kimberly's eyes widened. "Sure," she said in a tone that told me that wasn't at all what she was doing.
But she snapped a picture of the sketch before sending the message.
Still smiling, she came and sat on the couch next to me, stretching out her hand.
I gave her the drawing, and she inspected it carefully.
"You know, I heard from Sam that you’re missing your old business, but I have to say, I think you're meant to do what you’re doing."
"Oh, I think so too," I said. "I never realized how much heart I can put into this, especially the custom orders. I've got a few more ideas just for you. Let me get to work."
“Please do."
I was so lost in my sketching that I didn't even realize my phone was beeping twenty minutes later.
"Earth to Avery," Kimberly said, sounding overly enthusiastic. "The phone."
"Oh yeah, right." I’d been sitting on it. As I grabbed it from under my ass, I nearly dropped it on the floor. "I've got a message from Sam."
"I know."
"You do?"
Kimberly blushed. "I mean, I assumed it would be from him."
Sam: Babe, I'm coming home. I'm whisking you away and making up for the past few days.
I squealed, turning it around so Kimberly could see.
She nodded her approval. "Short and sweet. Let's get you ready. You need a gorgeous dress."
I was about to reply to Sam when her words registered. I looked up at her. "What are you talking about? I don't even know where I'm going."
The corners of her mouth tipped up. "I do."
"Wait, what? What is happening right now?"
"You're in the midst of a Maxwell… Hmm, what shall we call it? Intervention? Tornado? Whatever, girl. Just go with it. Trust me."
"I haven't finished your sketch."
She smiled sweetly. "You can do it another time. He didn't say when he's coming, huh?"
"No, I was about to text him and ask."
"Yeah, you do that.”
Avery: What do you mean, whisking me away? When should I be ready? And why does Kimberly know?
Sam: She told you she knows? I'm not telling Kimberly a thing ever again. I'll be home in about an hour.
Avery: What makes you so sure I want to go with you? I mean, you’ve been gone for two days.
Sam: I know, babe. And I plan to make up for every moment I missed, I promise.
I was too excited to play coy, and my stomach was somersaulting. I had a gazillion butterflies in it.
I turned to Kimberly. "Okay, let's go to my room, and I'll show you all my clothes."
Forty minutes later, I looked like a doll. I was wearing a mid-calf red velvet dress. I'd forgotten I even owned it, but Kimberly found it at the back of my closet. She'd done my hair in an interesting style off to the side. The top part was a braid, but it was loose over my shoulder.
"Is this a French look?" I asked, glancing in the mirror and twirling around. "I feel French."
"Let's call it a fusion look. I wouldn't say my hairdos are French, but they're inspired by them."
After Kimberly and I went back in the living room, she checked her phone. "Time for me to disappear."
"Why?" I asked.
"I don't want to be a cockblocker, to quote Travis."
"Well, I mean, you know, I don’t think we’ll…" I stammered. “Travis? What does he know?” Now I was all confused.
She grinned. "Never mind. Whatever you do or don't do is between the two of you. I've done my part. Just don’t cry or you’ll ruin your makeup."
She'd taken her sweet time with that. She blew me an air kiss before disappearing out the door.
I felt like everything was happening too fast for me to process. Had she come here today specifically for this? That couldn't be. Then again, the Maxwell family group worked in mysterious ways. They’d been like this even when we were kids.
Now that I was alone in the enormous loft, I started to get nervous again. What if Sam reiterated that he was staying here for me? How could I express that what I wanted was for him to be happy without him getting the wrong idea again? The butterflies in my belly turned to stone.
A knock at the door took me out of my thoughts, and I went straight toward it. It opened before I got there, and Sam was standing in the doorway, grinning from ear to ear.
"Why did you knock?" I asked as he closed the door behind him.
"I wanted to give you a heads-up."
He was wearing a suit. It was dark blue with a white shirt underneath, and it fit him perfectly.
"Where did you get that suit? All your clothes are here."
"Yeah, but there are plenty of shops in the city, and shopping was faster."
He stepped over to me, taking my hands. I felt warm all of a sudden. He kissed my right hand and then my left one.
"Avery, I'm sorry about the past few days. There have been a lot of flu cases at the hospital, and I had to move a few shifts. And I won't lie. I wasn't sure where to pick up our conversation."
"And now you are?" I asked. My heart was in my throat.
"Hell yes, babe. I know where to start. I love you. I love you with my whole heart, and I can't believe I’m lucky enough to have you."
Yep, I'd started to melt. "I love you too. So much," I murmured.
He kissed my right hand again, raining kisses up my arm until he reached the inside of my elbow. My skin turned to goose bumps.
He straightened, looking at me with a serious expression. "Come on. We need to go."
"Now?" I practically screamed. I was looking forward to some of that activity Kimberly didn't want to block.
He touched my cheek. "Yeah, we're on a schedule, but I promise it'll be worth it."
"You've already promised that, like, three times tonight."
"Trust me, babe."
He took my coat from the hanger, holding it out for me, and I put it on, tying it around my waist. "Where are we going?"
"You'll see. Kimberly didn't spoil that too?" he asked sharply.
"No, she didn't."
"Good, because I want it to be a surprise."
"What are we doing here?" I asked when we stepped out of the Uber half an hour later. We were on the shore of the lake. When I’d seen the address on the Uber’s GPS, I thought we might go to dinner somewhere on the harbor, but now I wasn’t so sure.
There weren’t any fancy restaurants in the vicinity.
Sam caught my eye and smiled. "I heard you've always wanted to go on a romantic boat ride. I thought this might be the time for it."
"Oh my God. I'd love to. Kimberly did a fabulous job today, didn’t she?"
“She did.” Taking my right hand, he kissed the back of it, bringing me closer to him. "I've been a fool these past few days, Avery, and I'm very sorry for that.”
“I was just concerned about you. I didn’t want you to miss out on an opportunity in Maine because of me."
“Babe, don’t even think that.” He pressed his lips to my cheek, giving me a chaste kiss before saying, "Come on. Let's go get on board."
"Okay." I was giddy with excitement.
He led me to something that looked more like a yacht than a boat.
It had a large outdoor deck, but we went directly inside.
Once we were indoors, I realized no one else was there, and that someone must have prepared it for us, because it was warm and cozy.
There were three seats in the front, then a dining table and a couch in the back.
"Do you know how to drive this?"
"Yeah. All of us Maxwell kids received a safety course and got our license as a graduation gift."
"Nice thinking from your parents."
"They figured since Lake Michigan is at our doorstep, we should make the most of it. Are you comfortable?" Sam asked as we sat down in front.
"Yes, this is wonderful Sam. Are we going somewhere special?"
"Not really. I thought we’d go out until we don’t see the shoreline, and then we can decide from there."
"That is a great plan." I couldn't help but look around as the boat sped up and the city blurred in the distance. It was already dark outside, so once the light went behind us, I couldn't see anything at all around us.
I tugged at his sleeve and said, "Let's stop here."
He nodded, flashing me that charming smile I loved so much. He went to the dashboard, pressing a few buttons. The boat stopped a few seconds later.
"It feels like we're out in the middle of the ocean, doesn't it?" I asked.
"Yeah, it kind of does. You look so elegant."
"So do you.”
Taking my hand, he led me toward the couch in the back, and we both sat down. He cleared his throat.
I kept glancing around. “Is dinner going to pop out of nowhere?”
“No, that’s waiting for us back at home. Avery, I wanted to bring you here because I wanted tonight to be special. I want to make you a few promises, and this seemed fitting.”
“Besides, I can't run away, can I?"
We both start laughing.
"That crossed my mind," Sam said.
"Genius as always," I replied.
He caressed the back of my hand with his thumb and then tugged at my hand, pointing at his lap. I immediately rose from the bench, but instead of sitting like a lady would on his lap, I picked up the hem of my dress and straddled him.
He grinned. "That's my woman."
"This is more comfortable," I said.