Chapter 53
Chapter Fifty-Three
O nce again, Mitch had gotten them adjoining rooms at the hotel. Harper hadn’t thought he’d do anything else, but it was nice how he always lived up to her expectations.
When they’d checked in, he’d asked for the number to the best local pizza place that delivered. He’d called on the way up to their rooms and ordered a large pepperoni with extra cheese, an order of garlic knots, and two pieces of what was promised to be homemade chocolate cake.
While they waited for it to arrive, they changed into lounging clothes and hit their laptops, taking care of emails and other odds and ends. Mitch looked for the next available flight home, while Harper checked social media, texted her sister that everything was taken care of, and let her know they’d be home soon.
It had been a whirlwind trip, but she’d accomplished what she’d set out to do. She was ready to be home. Well, almost ready. She was looking forward to this night in, as it were. It wasn’t something she and Mitch had ever done.
In all fairness, it wasn’t something she’d done with any man since Ford. Unless she counted Archie, which…she didn’t. Cute as he was.
Mitch came in from his room. “Next available flight is tomorrow at six twenty-five p.m., which means we’ll get in around ten the next morning.”
“I’m all right with that.”
He nodded. “I’ll make the reservation.”
The pizza arrived. Mitch paid the guy and brought all the food to her room. “Have you picked out a movie yet?”
She had the remote aimed at the television and was scrolling through the On Demand options. “What are you in the mood for?”
“I really don’t care. It’s been so long since I’ve seen a new movie that I can pretty much guarantee I won’t have seen whatever you pick.”
“Okay, how about Crosswinds . It’s a spy movie. I think British.” She looked at him. He’d put the food on the small table next to the window and was setting everything up. “It’s got Pierce Brosnan, Jackie Chan, Tilda Swinton, and Simon Pegg. They’re all secret agents who think they’ve been sent to assassinate the other three, only to discover it’s a plot to get rid of them all. They join forces and hilarity ensues.”
He looked skeptical. “Hilarity?”
“Just reading the blurb.”
He shrugged. “Haven’t seen it. Might be good with that cast.”
“All right, I’m buying it.”
“Are we eating at the table?”
She looked over her shoulder. “The bed looks more comfortable and since there are two of them, if we get food on that one, I’ll sleep on the other.” It was a queen double room, just like Mitch’s next door.
He laughed. “As long as you’ve got a plan.”
They settled in on the bed with slices of pizza and garlic knots precariously balanced on the thin paper plates the restaurant had provided.
Harper pressed Play. As the opening started, she took a bite of pizza, the cheese stringing out behind, and glanced at Mitch. Mostly just admiring him and wishing she could find another way to thank him without saying thanks again.
He’d been exactly what she needed.
He looked at her, his cheese stretched out, too. He broke it with his fingers, wiping them on a napkin. He chewed the bite he’d just taken. “What? Do I have sauce on my face?”
“No.” His face was perfect, as usual. “This is nice, huh?”
He smiled. “It is. We should do date nights or something when we get home. Make it a regular thing.”
“I’d like that.”
The movie was better than she expected, or maybe she was just looking for an excuse to laugh. Either way, it was funny and exactly what her soul needed. Laughter, pizza, and Mitch were a very soothing combination.
The chocolate cake, which was delicious, didn’t hurt. She paused the movie, then pointed at the small piece of cake that remained on her plate. “This is really good.”
“It is,” he said. “But you haven’t had Joyce’s chocolate cake. It’ll ruin you for all other chocolate cakes. Although I’m sure Beryl does a good one, too.”
“I love both of them so much. They’re just perfect, aren’t they?”
“They are.” He nodded, forking up another bite of cake. “I owe Joyce a lot. And having Beryl here to help with Ruthie is pretty much an answer to a prayer.”
She looked at him, surprised. “Do you pray?”
“I didn’t for a long time. I was mad and confused and didn’t see any point in it. I’m starting to feel differently now.”
“Funny how things work, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
She glanced at her plate. “Maybe I shouldn’t be saying this, could be all the sugar I’ve just had, but I feel like being with you is exactly how things should be.” She looked up at him again. “Like we fit in a way that I didn’t know was possible.”
Before he could say anything, she shook her head and continued. “I know my emotions are a bit of a mess right now. I shouldn’t be having this conversation, probably, but I can’t help it. I am so filled with gratitude for the help you’ve given me. I don’t really know how to express it, either. Thank you doesn’t come close to how I feel.”
He leaned in so that his shoulder touched hers. “You don’t have to say anything. I know you appreciate it. But I also enjoy doing it. I’m not great at emotional stuff. Working on it, but not there yet. So making flight arrangements and hotel reservations, that’s something I can do. You need help with logistics? I’m your guy.”
“I’m glad you’re my guy.”
He smiled. “I am, too.”
“I’ll tell you something else. You’re a lot better at the emotional stuff than you think you are. Maybe you weren’t before, but since you’ve been through so much, you’ve gotten very good at it.”
“Thanks.” He leaned a little more, just enough to kiss her forehead. “We’re going to have some time before the flight tomorrow. Unless we leave here late. But if we leave early, we could wander around in Vegas for a bit. If you want. You mentioned food and shopping. Caesars Palace, maybe? Or one of the other big casinos?”
“You wouldn’t find that boring?”
“Nah. Not if it makes you happy. Plus, there’s always people-watching, which is pretty much how I build new characters.”
She smiled. “All right. Sounds fun.”
He stabbed the last piece of his cake. “That’s our plan then.”
The next morning was a repeat of the previous morning, just a little quicker. They ate in the hotel restaurant, then packed up and got on the road.
Ninety minutes and much conversation later, they arrived back in Las Vegas. Mitch navigated to Caesars Palace, following the GPS directions right to valet parking.
He handed the keys to an attendant, got a claim ticket, and they headed inside. Mitch took Harper’s hand as they walked into the well-air-conditioned shopping center. She smiled, enjoying the feel of his strong hand holding hers.
She couldn’t stop looking around. The mall was really something. The ceiling was painted to look like a blue sky with scattered clouds and there were architectural details everywhere to give it the feel of ancient Roman splendor. There were even benches that looked like marble columns that had fallen over.
The lights were changing as they walked, turning the blue sky to the soft purple of evening. She took it all in, trying to save the memory. “This is cool.”
“Have you been here before?”
“Not here, no.”
“Then that makes two of us.”
“How’d you know to come here then?”
“I’ve been to Vegas before, for a convention, actually. All the women talked about was shopping at Caesars, so I figured it was a good bet.”
“You figured right. Would it be super touristy if I took pictures?”
He shook his head. “Go for it. I’ll probably take some, too.”
They went into a souvenir shop and picked up T-shirts for Kyle, Ruthie, Willa, and Frankie. Joyce and Beryl got fridge magnets. They also found an almost reasonably priced suitcase to hold her mom’s things. Harper insisted on paying for that.
“All right,” she said as they walked out of the shop. He wheeled the suitcase behind them. “That’s taken care of. Where to now?”
Mitch looked around. “I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking about food.”
The aroma of garlic, meat, and red sauce drifted past as they approached a restaurant with an eating area set up outside. It was obviously not outside, as they were in the mall, but it was designed to look that way.
She nodded at it. “You want Italian again? I know we just had pizza, but it smells good.”
“It does. Let’s go.”
They had a quick lunch. She had an antipasto salad, he had a lunch portion of spaghetti and meatballs. Then they went back to walking around, hand in hand, him rolling the new luggage.
It was funny to be so happy after being so sad. Her grief hadn’t gone away. It was sharing space with her happiness, but the happiness was front and center, letting her enjoy the time with Mitch. Amazing what the emotions were capable of.
They stopped to look in the window of a high-end jewelers, Mitch’s gaze caught by a display of watches in the window.
“You’d look good in any of those,” Harper said.
He nodded at the one in the center. It was a dive watch with a cobalt blue face and matching bezel. Against the stainless-steel case and bracelet, it was a beautiful contrast. “I like that one.”
“Why don’t you try it on?”
He smiled. “Maybe I will.”
They went in and were immediately greeted by a sales associate. In a matter of minutes, Mitch had the watch on his wrist.
Harper nodded. “It’s really sharp. It looks great on you.”
He looked at himself in one of the shop’s mirrors. He nodded. “It does, doesn’t it?” He looked at the sales associate. “I’ll take it.”
While he took care of payment, she looked in the display cases. They had a lot of diamonds, big ones. The kind celebrities borrowed for the red carpet.
“See something you want to try on?” Mitch asked.
She shook her head. “I’m happy just to look.”
He pointed through the glass. “That one’s nice.”
The one he was pointing at was a large oval diamond flanked by two triangular sapphires in a deep blue. She nodded. “It’s very nice.” It was more than nice, it was beautiful. The kind of ring royalty would wear.
“Try it on.”
She gave him a curious look. “That’s an engagement ring.”
“I know. So what?” He gestured to the sales associate.
Before Harper could say another word, the ring was on her finger. She really didn’t know if Mitch was up to something or just having fun. She wasn’t ready for this. Was she?
He looked at the sales associate. “What ring size is that?”
“Six, sir.”
He looked at Harper. “Fits well.”
She nodded, but she’d also caught a glimpse of the heart-stopping price tag. “It does, but it’s crazy expensive. Also crazy beautiful.” She held her hand out, admiring the jewels. It was stunning. “I’m not sure people would believe it was real.”
Mitch took her hand, inspecting the ring. “You like it?”
“I love it.” She took it off and handed it back to the salesclerk. “What woman wouldn’t? It’s big and sparkly.”
“Do you think…someday…” He glanced at her, his gaze filled with an earnest intensity that cut right through her. “I know this isn’t the right time or the right place, but down the road, would you consider—”
“Yes.” She knew what he was asking. “Down the road. But this is…too much.”
“Why? I can afford it. And you certainly deserve it.”
She took a breath. It was hard to argue with a statement like that.
“Do you like the style?”
“I do,” she said, realizing the two words she’d just spoken had so much more significance.
Would she someday be saying them to him in a different context?