Chapter 23
As Cali waited for Minka to take her to the Inn, she applied one of her favorite, velvety red lipsticks in the mirror.
Then she stood back and ran her hands along her hips and the smoothness of the dress, admiring its construction.
Both the library’s and her old corporate dress codes had been all about covering up.
That’s why she’d leaned into making her own clothes in her mid-twenties.
Department stores didn’t sell her style anymore.
She could control everything from the fabric to the fit to the color of the buttons, and every piece gave her joy and body confidence.
Now she was wearing her grandmother’s old knock-out.
She knew she looked amazing, but it was a difficult thought to digest. A part of her felt uncomfortable with so much skin exposed along her shoulders and collarbone.
Not to mention the slit that climbed to her knee on the right side.
Her mind toyed with the idea of putting it back in the closet and picking another outfit like a cat playing with a ball of twine.
Minka’s front headlights pierced the bedroom window, and Cali realized she’d just have to play this off like she was confident.
She slipped into some strappy heels that added another few inches to her frame and grabbed for her coat—another of her grandma’s well-preserved favorites that she’d never had a chance to wear before.
A vintage-inspired red wool coat, richly patterned with tonal swirls and finished with broad lapels and fabric-covered buttons.
Prince seams accentuated the waist. It was a timeless silhouette and matched the dress’s elegance effortlessly.
A knock sounded, and Cali clamored to the door, coat draped over her shoulder.
“Give me a minute to grab my purse. You need anything? Water?”
Minka stood under the floodlight, her mouth agape and eyes bright and wide as they ran down Cali’s satin-draped figure.
“Damn, Cals,” Minka said. “Forget the firefighters. They should be auctioning off a date with you tonight.”
Cali blushed. “It’s too much, isn’t it?”
“More like too little—for what people normally see you in,” she clarified. “But it’s giving me life.”
Cali covered her chest with her hands and pinched the teardrop pendant between two fingers. “Shit. Give me a minute to change. I knew this was a bad idea.”
“No!” Minka demanded, grabbing her by the arm. “Please, look. I need to see you happy tonight. Okay? And if happy means having literally every available guy in Autumn Ridge asking if you’d like another cocktail, then so be it.”
“But you don’t understand, Minka. You’re like the Taylor Swift to my… my …” her voice trailed off in thought.
Minka raised an eyebrow. “Travis? You’re my Travis Kelce? That doesn’t compute, Cals.”
“No, I’m just, well, anyone shorter and not as model-esque as Taylor.
Which I get is, like, most of the world.
But my point is to say you would look great in this, Minka.
You would feel comfortable. This is just me being so distracted with Banned Books Week and the gala prep that I was rummaging through my grandmother’s old clothes last night at midnight.
I didn’t think it through. This dress is not really,” she sighed, desperate to make herself clear, “me.”
Minka blinked twice. “Well, Cals, you know what Taylor Swift would tell you in a moment like this?”
She thought. “Shake it off?” she winced.
Minka placed a hand on her shoulder. “Exactly. Now get your smoking hot ass into my car, and let’s go burn this gala down.”
“But first, my purse,” Cali reminded her. She ran back to grab it, and they were off.
She was thankful for her coat as they walked toward the Old Ridge Inn’s front entrance in the biting evening.
But it was heavier than Cali expected, the rich brocade brushing against her arms with every step.
She tugged it a little closer as the October chill pressed in then loosened her grasp as the warmth of the grand hotel swept over her at the threshold.
A doorman greeted them immediately and sent for a bellhop to escort them back to the ballroom.
The Old Ridge Inn was more glamorous than Cali expected.
She’d driven by the historic hotel several times before, but she’d never had cause to stay there, let alone to see inside of the ballroom.
The inn seemed to inhale with them as they paused to open the large wooden doors at the ballroom entrance.
“Wow,” Minka murmured. “Mrs. E’s friend did us a solid.”
Crystal chandeliers shimmered above the ballroom, scattering slow-moving stars across marble floors. Velvet drapes framed tall windows, their folds catching the whisper of a night breeze that stirred the candle flames. Cinnamon, champagne, and the faintest note of roasted brie perfumed the air.
Closer to the stage, long tables displayed the town’s generosity under soft beams of light.
Wicker baskets brimmed with gift cards, Freya’s floral displays, handblown ornaments with ribbon bows, and pottery still carrying the scent of clay and glaze.
Each item bore a small handwritten card, looping cursive announcing its donor and the starting bid.
Even the cheapest bid was dressed like an act of love.
Music drifted faintly from the sound check momentarily then paused, and Cali heard glasses clink together in a far corner.
The only other sounds were the soft clicks of waiters’ shoes, the flutter of linen being smoothed, and a server counting canapés beyond the doors.
Beyond the windows, the town’s single clock tower chimed a quarter past six.
It wasn’t just pure small-town magic. It was about to be a money-maker. Cali tried to hold back a squeal of delight.
“Ladies,” Mrs. Ellery said, materializing beside them. “Come in. Come in.” Minka shut the doors behind them. “What do you think? Did Tabitha and I—and our friends at the Inn, of course—pull it off?”
“My brain just shut down from the sight of it,” Minka admitted. “Amazing work, Mrs. E.”
“Marvelous. Let’s put your coats away, yes? The doors will open to the public in fifteen minutes. This way, Cali.”
Cali followed Mrs. Ellery to the coat room and listened to some brief instructions for checking guests coats and collecting their general admission fee, as well as reminders about the open bar tickets, food, and entertainment.
She told Cali to text her if she ran into other questions before the auction started.
Mrs. Ellery promised to have her phone on vibrate all night just in case.
“Now you’ll be managing the door with Ethan, so—”
“Ethan?” Cali’s tone made Mrs. Ellery’s expression tighten.
“Yes, Ethan. Now he’s already listened to my lecture about the process. But he’s still mingling out there with some of the donors. If he’s not back over here in five minutes, I’ll need you to go and find him.”
Cali felt a lump growing in her throat. “But I thought Minka and I were at coat check tonight. That’s why I caught a ride with her.”
Mrs. Ellery looked truly perplexed now. “Didn’t Minka tell you she and Ethan traded?
I swear the cats communicate better than us humans do sometimes.
” She tsked under her breath. “We needed Minka to take photographs, continue the social media craze she started. Ethan was assigned to carrying in auction items, which is obviously done, and breakdown with Leo, but Rosita said the hotel staff will do that. So he’s free to help you. ”
One of the waiters called to Mrs. Ellery from just outside the kitchen, a concerned look on his face. “You have my number,” she reminded Cali, then she turned and strutted off.
Then Cali spotted Ethan from across the ballroom, framed by chandelier light that caught in his wavy, dark hair.
The clean lines of his gray jacket—of course he’d wear gray—pulled across his shoulders just so.
His dark tie was a quiet arrow drawing her eyes to the steady line of his chest. But it wasn’t the suit that stopped her.
It was him. The way he carried himself. That irritating, enviable self-confidence and ease he exuded.
Her breath hitched before she could stop it. She told herself it was the warmth of the hotel ballroom, her wool coat, the candlelight. But when his gaze finally swept across the crowd and found hers, the excuses burned away.
It felt like he’d reached for her without moving an inch.
He was mid-conversation with one of the town council members when their eyes met.
For a second it appeared like he forgot whatever point he’d been making.
His words caught mid-sentence—enough that the councilman gave him a curious look.
Ethan mouthed some excuse she couldn’t make out, then stepped away from the councilman.
By the time he reached her side, her pulse was thrumming.
“Cali,” he said. “You look … " His eyes lingered on her hair and traced down the buttons of the coat to her heels then back up to her face. “Stunning. Can I take your coat?”
“I, uh …” She stared at him, fingers reluctant to let go, as if some part of her needed the armor.
“Practice makes perfect,” he said with a disarming smile. “First time taking coats.”
She cleared her throat and slipped the wool piece from her shoulders. The fabric whispered as it fell away, gold-threaded red against black satin.
“Oh, this, too,” she said, handing him her purse.
The way he stared at her then almost made her want to take off the dress, too. She smoothed the neckline of her gown and centered the pendant, willing her pulse to settle. By the time she looked up, Ethan had disappeared into the coatroom and returned with a ticket she suddenly had nowhere to keep.
“It’s okay. I’ll hold onto it for you. It’s not like anyone’s going to forget that coat.”
She could almost hear him thinking the words Or that dress. He dragged a finger along his jaw, the way he always did when he was trying not to stare.
Leo came through the front doors then, dressed in a blue blazer and pants. His black hair was sharply parted, faded on one side with a long, modern comb-over that brushed against his lashes.
“Well if it isn’t the man of the hour,” Ethan teased. “You look like you’re ready to make some money.”
“Or cause a fight,” Cali chuckled.
Leo did a double take at her. “Holy shit, Cali. I barely recognized you.”
Cali blushed. “Is that a bad thing?”
“No,” Leo said. “You look …” His gaze flitted to Ethan for a moment.
“Amazing. She looks amazing, doesn’t she?” Ethan said.
Leo just gave a low whistle and gestured his hands as if his mind had blown up. Then he asked if they’d seen Lynne.
“She’s manning the open bar they set up,” Ethan said, gesturing toward the opposite end of the ballroom. “Arrived hours ago.”
“Right, right, right,” Leo whispered, still searching the room for Lynne.
“Well, I think I’ll go see what she’s up to before Chief Bob pulls us up on stage.
Catch you later.” Then he turned his head toward them again.
“Oh, and Ethan, no bidding on me tonight, man. Okay? I know you’re obsessed.
But can we just focus on the strays for once? ” His dark eyes glistened.
Ethan chortled and lifted his hands in surrender. “Promise I’ll behave.”
Leo winked at them both and disappeared toward the bar.
Once he was out of earshot, Ethan leaned toward Cali and whispered, “Okay, I was sworn to not tell anyone this. But you’re not just anyone.” He inhaled sharply. “Leo’s got it bad for Lynne.”
Cali’s skin tingled at the feel of his breath against it, but she shrugged off his comment. “Everyone in Autumn Ridge knows that. But did you also know that Lynne and Leo’s older brother were high school sweethearts?”
Ethan’s eyes grew wide. “No. Leo failed to mention that little detail during our fishing trip.”
“And,” Cali added. “Lynne used to babysit Leo.”
Minka rushed up toward them then with her phone positioned in front of her face. “Say cheese, guys! This one’s going live in five.”
“Video or photo?” Ethan asked.
“Just photos for now. I’ll do video later. But I’ll give you a warning.”
Cali and Ethan stood a foot from each other, Cali’s hands folded across her chest. They both smiled, but Minka frowned at them.
“Closer,” she instructed from behind the phone.
Cali shifted toward Ethan, but not too close.
“Closer,” Minka repeated. Ethan shifted toward her until his suit grazed her bare skin and covered it in goosebumps.
“Now turn toward each other,” Minka said. “That’s it, a little closer.”
Cali felt heady, enveloped by Ethan’s scent. So warm and full of spice. And then she felt one of his hands slip around her waist and linger at her hipbone. The blood climbed into her cheeks.
He leaned close enough so only she could hear. “You’re going to make it impossible to think about stray cats tonight,” he murmured, his voice low and a little rougher than he intended.
Her mouth curved in that small, knowing smile. And just as she was about to offer a witty remark, the camera light flashed.
“Got it,” Minka said cheerily. “Okay, see ya!”
She started backing away from them, but Cali saw the wet, dreamy glow in her eyes. She mouthed Traitor at Minka, which only made Minka’s grin widen.
Ethan released her hip and glanced down at her. “Remind me,” he said lightly, playfully, his lips mere inches from hers, “are you here to help the cats or ruin every man who gets within ten feet of you?”
Cali laughed nervously. “So I wanted to go look at some of the things up for auction. I’ll be back before the doors open.
” She turned and dashed off, pretending she didn’t feel his gaze tracing her every step.
She wasn’t sure which unnerved her more—that he was watching or that she didn’t want him to stop.