Chapter Twenty
He wasn’t late. It was more that I was ridiculously early.
I’d left work two hours before I actually needed to – as though I’d somehow forgotten how long it took to shower and wash my hair.
And for someone who’d been wearing make-up for over twenty years, my confidence in applying it this evening had been decidedly shaky.
As had my hand, which meant my first two attempts at eyeliner had ended very badly indeed.
I refused to accept I was nervous, despite the irrefutable evidence that I clearly was.
I’d been all fingers and thumbs when pinning up my hair into the loose-tendril updo style I’d chosen to showcase the backless dress.
When I was eventually ready, the woman staring back at me in the full-length bedroom mirror didn’t look entirely like me.
She was more sultry and sexier than the person who normally lived behind the glass, or was that just the dress?
My phone pinged with an incoming message, and I felt my stomach drop away like floors in a plummeting lift as I snatched it up from the bedside table.
He’s cancelling. I have no idea where that thought had come from, or why.
It certainly hadn’t been from Rhys’s last message, sent earlier that afternoon, when he’d let me know what time the cab taking us to the event would get here.
Anyone would think this is your first date, ever, Old Ellie – who knew perfectly well that it wasn’t – interjected scornfully. Terrific, now even my subconscious was calling it a date.
I felt a rush of pure relief when I saw Mel’s name on my phone screen and not Rhys’s.
Are you dressed and ready? Send me a photo.
I shook my head, laughing softly. Mel was taking way too much interest in my evening plans. ‘That’s just what old married people do,’ she’d said, ‘we live vicariously through our single mates’ love lives.’
I could have wasted my breath yet again by reminding her that I currently didn’t have a love life, but I knew this was more about her finding something to distract herself from her fertility struggle. It really wasn’t about Rhys and me at all.
I rattled off a couple of quick selfies and sent them to her and her reply came back almost instantly.
Poor guy. He doesn’t stand a chance. Have fun xx
I was still smiling when the sound of an engine idling in the street below had me hurrying to the window.
Or moving as fast as I could manage in the ridiculously high shoes I’d teamed with my dress.
It was surprising how quickly I’d forgotten how to walk in heels.
And my feet had already warned me they’d be doing some serious protesting over my choice of footwear before the night was over.
I peered through my bedroom window, but my view was hindered by the old sprawling elm in the front garden. Some of the residents claimed it blocked out too much light and wanted it cut down, but I’d always rather liked the way its branches threw lacy shadows into the flat.
The sound of the front door buzzer made me jump and I hurried to the intercom to answer it.
‘It’s me. I’m early. I’m sorry, we can circle the streets for a while, if you want.’
‘No, that’s okay. Come on up,’ I said, pressing the door release and using the sixty seconds or so it would take Rhys to climb the three flights of stairs to erase the stupid grin off my face.
I used to be so much better at playing it cool, I told my reflection in the hallway mirror. Perhaps that was the problem. It was an interesting thought to explore, but not now. Not when I could hear his footsteps on the last few stairs and my heart was already beating way faster than necessary.
‘The traffic was non-existent, and every light was green,’ Rhys led with, before breaking off as I opened the door wider and his eyes took me in. I couldn’t help the frisson of pleasure at the expression I caught in them.
‘You look incredible,’ he said, in a voice that sounded a little huskier than usual.
‘Thank you,’ I said softly.
Something was preventing me from moving, and whatever it was it seemed to be affecting him too, because several seconds ticked by and neither of us said a word or moved away from my open door.
If my appearance had caught him by surprise, then his was just as arresting. Almost every man looks good in a dinner suit, but Rhys took it to another level. It’s just the power of a tux, I told myself, not sure if I entirely believed that.
‘We’ve got plenty of time, but if you’re ready to go?’
I nodded and turned on my heel to pluck up the shimmery wrap I’d left on the hallway table.
As I did, I heard a small, stifled sound, as though Rhys’s next indrawn breath had suddenly got caught in his throat.
Between the tuxedo and the backless dress, we could both be in trouble here.
The thought stayed with me as I followed him down the stairs to the waiting cab.
The venue was impressive and far more grand than I’d been expecting.
I’d imagined our destination would be a typical city hotel, so the elite former private members’ club took me by surprise.
The sun was low in the sky, its rays bouncing off the building’s many windows, making it look as though a score of fires blazed from within.
While Rhys paid the cab, I stood on the pavement, admiring the building’s exterior.
I was pretty good at dating architecture, and I put this one to be somewhere around the late 1800s.
I was eager to see inside, yet part of me wanted to freeze the moment.
The night had yet to unfold; we were poised on its threshold, and a feeling of anticipation was already fizzing inside me.
The orange light from the sunlit windows reflected for a moment in Rhys’s eyes. Amber flames burning in fathomless green pools. I shook my head, but the fanciful imagery refused to be evicted.
‘All set?’ Rhys asked, offering me his arm. I took it gratefully. Cobblestones and heels are a dangerous combo at the best of times, and tonight absolutely nothing about me felt steady or sure-footed, literally or metaphorically.
The entrance foyer was as breathtaking as the exterior.
A small table had been set up to one side of an enormous, sweeping flight of red-carpeted stairs.
It was the kind Cinderella ran down at midnight or Rhett climbed with Scarlett in his arms. After giving his name to the woman at the welcome table, we were directed to a huge reception room bordered on each side by enormous columns covered in gold leaf.
Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, redundant for now as golden sunlight still flooded through the room’s floor-to-ceiling French windows.
We were so early the guests were outnumbered by the catering staff, who immediately swooped on us with trays of champagne and canapés.
‘Thank you for a wonderful evening, Rhys,’ I said, clinking my long-stemmed flute against his in a toast.
His eyebrows rose in amusement. ‘Aren’t you meant to say that at the end of the night?’
I gave an easy shrug. ‘Well, you know what my memory is like these days. I might forget.’
He smiled. ‘Then you’re welcome.’
My eyes toured the room, which was still empty enough to appreciate the intricately decorated panelling. ‘It’s spectacular, isn’t it?’ I murmured.
‘Wait until you see the library where they present the awards – it’s even more impressive.’
‘You’ve been here before?’
‘Yes. We were shortlisted a couple of years ago but lost out to a much bigger company. Maybe this time you’ll bring us luck.’
‘Never thought of myself as particularly lucky. I grew up being told you had to make your own luck.’
His frown spoke volumes.
I wondered if Annalise had been standing in my place on that previous awards night, but I think I already knew the answer to that one. Just when I thought I recognised the ground we were standing on, it slipped away again beneath my feet.
‘Does it feel strange being back in the corporate world?’ I asked, surveying the rapidly filling room. ‘Do you miss it?’
If Rhys was surprised that I’d steered us back onto neutral territory, he hid it well.
‘I’ve always liked being part of a team.’ His words were careful, as though he wasn’t entirely sure if he was being secretly tested. ‘When you’re with the right people, it can be really fulfilling and inspiring.’
More double meanings.
‘I’m not sure I agree with you there. I kind of like being a lone wolf.’
Rhys gave a quick smile. ‘That’s something I’d already guessed about you. But even wolves need a pack, Ellie.’ Were we still talking about business, or something more personal? He held my gaze with his kryptonite green eyes, and I’ve never been so happy to be interrupted in my whole life.
‘Rhys. You beat us here.’ I looked up to see the watch-tapping colleague from the bar standing beside us. He clapped a weighty hand on Rhys’s shoulder.
‘Charlie, this is Ellie. Ellie, Charlie.’
A large damp hand was held out for me to shake, which I did, proud of the way I didn’t grimace or wipe my now decidedly sticky palm on the side of my dress.
‘Charlie and I have worked together on several projects,’ Rhys explained.
Charlie, who was busily scanning the room for new arrivals, had his head turned away from us, and Rhys used the moment to subtly pass me a couple of serviettes from one of the canapé trays to dry my hand.
His eyes were dancing with amusement and mine couldn’t help but join in.
The look we shared felt so easy, so right, as though out of all the pairs of eyes in the world, his were the only ones I ever wanted to look into, to laugh with.
And just like that, we were back in the game of emotional snakes and ladders, and I’d slithered right back down to square one all over again.