Chapter 32
Iwatched myself in the mirror as my fingers twirled the pieces of hair that framed my face this way and that, making sure the soft curls I put in would hold for a while.
I’d finally found a dress this week at my favorite boutique downtown—the one I stopped in so often after dropping Luna off at sailing that they recognized me now.
It was a deep emerald dress in a rayon material that hung like silk down to just below my knees, with a modest slit on one side and a cowl neckline.
It hugged the curves of my hips and my butt just enough that I was proud of them, not insecure about them.
I told myself I didn’t buy it specifically because I hoped Luke would like it, but that was a lie.
After adding gold dangling earrings and scrutinizing my makeup for a little too long, my phone buzzed on the hard surface of the vanity. Incoming call: Luke.
A butterfly fluttered in my belly like it always did when his name popped up on that screen.
“Hi!”
“Hi, Val. So, we have a tiny crisis happening over here, a braid emergency, if you will.”
“Dad!” I heard Luna call from the background, her tone accusatory.
I chuckled. “Luna wants braids in her hair for her playdate, and you can’t do it.”
“Precisely.” I heard a door click in the background before he said in a lower tone, “I know we need to leave for the event in half an hour. Maybe we can pick you up?”
“I can drive over and leave my car, get it tomorrow. Cathy and her husband were going to pick up Mimi and me anyway. I’ll just go with you and meet them there.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind? Do you need more time to get ready?”
I met my eyes in the mirror. “Nope, I’m pretty much ready. I’ll be there shortly.”
“I owe you.”
I grabbed my strappy gold heels and headed for the door.
When I parked in Luke’s driveway a few minutes later, I touched up my lipstick in the car mirror. The front door opened before I got up the steps.
“Val! Thank goodness,” Luna sighed.
“Hi, Luna.” I smiled. Luke appeared behind her but didn’t say anything for a moment. He watched me walk up the stairs, dark brown eyes flitting from my head to my shoes before returning to my face.
“You look really pretty,” he said in a low voice as I squeezed past him into the door.
I pressed my lips together, a fruitless attempt to hide that I was beaming.
My eyes took him in, too, traveling down and back up. Dark navy suit that hugged in all the right places, white shirt, no tie. He didn’t have his shoes on yet, which gave his formal look a dash of fitting humility.
When I turned to face the living room, Luna was already sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the couch, brush in her hands.
Luke puttered listlessly around the kitchen while I wove Luna’s hair into two matching French braids.
We chatted about her plans with Clara and their other friend tonight.
Apparently they were making their own pizzas and watching movies.
Clara’s mom was an innovator on how to entertain little girls.
“Maybe next time we can do it here,” Luna said.
“I’m sure you can talk to your dad about that.” I caught Luke’s eye over my shoulder.
He looked mildly terrified at the concept of entertaining three eight-year-old girls, but he said, “Yes, we can do that. We’ll do make your own…snack mix?”
“Yeah!” Luna agreed.
I giggled. It was a great idea. And a lot easier than pizzas.
When I was about done with Luna’s second braid, she said, “Next time, can you teach my dad how to do the braids? So he can do them after you leave?”
The words hit me like a blow, stealing my breath. My throat constricted. What does she mean, after I leave?
Who told her I’m leaving? I hadn’t talked about leaving since I quit my job a month ago.
“Yes, of course I can show him.” I forced the words out softly.
My hands trembled, threatening to unravel the taut hairstyle. I had to focus ten times harder than usual to finish the braid and tie it off with her little black hair tie.
“All set.” I tapped both her shoulders, hoping she couldn’t hear the emotion in my voice.
I dashed from the couch to the little office off the entryway, closing the door behind me. My heartbeat roared in my ears.
Two raps on the door. “Val?” Luke’s voice floated into the room.
“Yeah,” I choked out. He slipped inside and closed the door behind him, assessing me from head to toe. When he saw the look on my face, he closed the gap between us in an instant.
“Hey, hey.” Luke reached for my face, wiping at the tears I didn’t realize had pooled under my eyes with his thumbs. I tried to steady my breaths, forming an O with my lips.
He pulled me into his strong arms, wrapping me up, his hands stroking my hair gingerly. “Tell me what happened.”
“She said she wants you to learn to braid her hair. For when, when,” my voice quivered, “I leave.”
Luke continued to hold me, rubbing soothing circles into my bare shoulder blades. After over a month of pondering and weighing my options, what I wanted was suddenly clear. “I don’t want to,” I added after a moment.
Luke took a half step back and gripped my shoulders. He bent slightly to look at me through the curtain of my hair before he tucked it behind my ears. The empathy, and the longing, in his eyes were plain as day.
“I don’t want to go back,” I whispered. Not to corporate law. Not to New York or any other city. Not to anywhere that wasn’t here.
He nodded, swallowing. “So don’t.”
“But what will I—”
“Stay.”
I gaped at him.
“Stay, Val. Just stay. You’re happy here.”
My panic converted to curiosity; my tears stopped in their tracks. I opened my mouth to inquire further. What do you mean by stay? In what capacity? As your nanny, or…something more?
Before I could voice my thoughts, Luna knocked on the door.
“What are you guys doing in there? Don’t we have to go? I don’t want to be late.” She opened the door, and Luke and I broke apart. Caught.
“Yeah, Luns. Let’s get going.” He gave me a meaningful look before we left the room.
I nodded, letting him know I was ready to go.
I took a deep breath, straightened my dress, and followed them out. He held the door open for me. His hand reached for mine, giving it a squeeze. A gesture of reassurance. An underscore to his words.
A silent promise.
The event was breathtaking. Live music, a clear tent strung with spheres of light, bright floral centerpieces on white-clothed tables set up across the lawn. Smartly dressed adults mingled, enjoying a dinner of heavy appetizers and serving stations.
The first couple Luke and I talked to asked what I did for work after introductions and appropriate accolades to Luke for winning the project and organizing the fundraiser. My pulse thrummed and words eluded me. I didn’t know how to answer this question anymore.
Luke noticed my hesitation and brushed his knuckles against mine before saying, “She’s a lawyer-turned-writer.”
I stole a glance at his face. His eyes gleamed with enthusiasm and my chest ached with a feeling I’d definitely never felt before.
Luke and I stayed close for a while after that, but I knew he needed to work the room and thank everyone for their generosity, so I tried not to be a barnacle.
I sat with Mimi, Cathy, her husband, and another woman Mimi was friends with a bit later to eat. Then I found Francesca and Jeremiah on the lawn at the edge of the tent. I told Francesca how amazing the event was.
“It’s tough because I want to mingle with Jeremiah but I’m also working,” she said.
“I’m good, babe,” he said, pulling her toward him by her waist and kissing her temple, a look of pride on his face. “Do what you need to do.”
I recalled the story Francesa told me at lunch about how she and Jeremiah met. He really did clean up well in a suit. Just like his business partner.
“Ok!” She squeezed his arm. “I need to go check that we’re on schedule for the speech.” In a flash of red, she was gone.
I scanned the crowd under the tent for Luke. Jeremiah planned to go up there with him, but Luke would do the talking. I knew he was nervous about it.
“I went into construction for a reason,” Luke had said earlier that week when he practiced his speech for me. “No public speaking.”
“Just think of it as a client dinner where a client has asked you about this project,” I’d suggested. His speech was great; he just needed to get up there and get it done.
My eyes found him near the entrance. His back was to me, but his full dark hair, large frame, and blue suit were unmistakable.
Moments later Francesca tapped him on the shoulder.
Then she turned and nodded in our direction.
Jeremiah said, “That’s my cue,” and made his way to the side of the tent where the band was playing.
The music paused, and I gingerly maneuvered through the crowd to a better vantage point.
I looked to my left and my right as conversation quieted and people turned their attention to the man with the microphone. A head of sandy brown hair snagged my attention. Max.
Shoot. I hadn’t seen him since our breakup, somehow.
Why was he here? But then I noticed his parents standing next to him.
Of course, they’re exactly the type of people we hoped would come to this event.
People with deep pockets, a deep attachment to the island, and an annual charitable giving goal set by their financial advisors.
As if he could feel me watching, Max turned in my direction and caught my eye before I could look away.
The floor was nearly silent now, Luke would be speaking any second.
I nodded, acknowledging him, hoping my facial expression didn’t reveal the tension I felt in my gut.
He nodded back, eyes widening before he turned away.
I shifted my stance so Max and his parents were no longer in my periphery and focused all my attention on Luke.