29. Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Beck
“Leo!” Dallas leans in to pat him on the back when he arrives at the mansion with his date.
His group of friends file in behind them, all in beautiful formal clothing. They look nice, but I do not miss being in high school.
“Cool suit,” I say to Leo as I extend my hand to his date. “I’m Beck Billingsley.”
She shakes it and smiles. She looks like she can’t be older than fifteen.
“Beck, this is Valentina.” Leo gestures to the girl by his side who’s wearing a bright purple dress. He’s beaming and it’s because of her—I’d recognize that look anywhere.
Leo’s resilient, I’ll give him that. To turn things around and ask someone else so quickly after getting dumped is impressive. I should take a page from his book.
“Nice to meet you.” I step back and glance over the small crowd of eight. “Welcome to Willow Wood. Come on in.”
Dallas and I lead the way to the kitchen, where foil pans full of food dropped off by their parents sit on the counter. Earlier, we set out candlesticks and long, tapered candles, white tablecloths, as well as several bouquets of flowers around the dining area.
And when I say “we,” I mean that it was Dallas’s vision. I only helped execute it.
“This place is amazing!” one of Leo’s friends says.
“Beck’s done a great job, don’t you think?” Dallas is looking at me and I melt at her expression. We get the kids squared away, and Leo keeps trying to get my attention. His look says Okay. You’ve done your duty. Now get.
I place my hand on the small of Dallas’s back as she’s finished telling Valentina how much she loves her dress.
I like what Dallas is wearing, a dark pinkish-orange flared dress that hits just above the knee. As I stand behind her, I steal a drag of her citrus scent.
She turns and tilts her face to me. “You ready to finish up the bride’s room?”
I’m tired, but I can’t stop now. This room is important to Dallas, so therefore, it’s important to me. And Mayor Dobbs and the rest of the wedding party are going to love it.
I give Leo a look of my own before leaving the kitchen with Dallas. I’m hoping he gets that my look is blaring You all behave!
We walk up the stairs and make our way to the library. “How did you…?” I’m stunned when I enter. “It looks like a completely different room.”
“Shhh. Wait.” She goes to one of the built-ins and clicks a button. Makeup lights lining the edges of the vanity mirrors illuminate the glass. “Now you can say what you think.”
I point to the walls. “Wallpaper?” There’s a paisley print in shades of light blues and greens. “How did you hang wallpaper?” I scratch my head and take in the large, heavy mirrors on stands flanking the pedestal. “How did you do all this on zero budget? And almost no time?”
“I managed. I always do.” She tucks her hair behind one ear, steps onto the pedestal, and does a slow turn, following her likeness in the mirror. “Lila Dobbs is going to love this.” She stops when she notices my expression. “Are you upset?”
“Not upset.” I glance around the room again. “Confused. Wallpaper?”
She hops off the pedestal and goes to the wall to my left. “It’s only one wall since the built-ins take up the others. And it’s removable paper. It’s not glued on. Easy to install and easy to remove, if the mayor decides to do something different.” She chews on her lip. “I wanted to surprise her and Lila. I wanted to surprise you.”
“I’m surprised.” I let out a short breath. “We were already over budget as it was—”
“Which is why I used my own money. I told you I would,” she insists. “I told you it was my wedding present to the happy couple.”
But she doesn’t look happy.
I step to her, taking her hand in mine. “I think it looks great. They’re going to be amazed. I just—you didn’t have to, and I’m worried about you spending this much.”
She squeezes my hand with hers, but then pulls away. “It’s fine. I wanted it to be special. It’s my first wedding in Willow Cove. We had to go big with this one, so I went big. And it didn’t cost too much, truly. Some of the things—” she points to the baskets on the shelves. “—were even free at a yard sale. I arrived when they were cleaning up and the woman said I could just have them.”
“All good things. But how did you manage to do all this? When I told my crew to help you with whatever you needed, I wasn’t picturing this.”
“We just vamped it up. Nothing structural. All quick cosmetic fixes. Besides, I got Portia to help me.”
“Portia?”
“Beck, she was my saving grace with this project. That woman knows her way around a scrub brush. She cleaned the shelves and walls so well we didn’t need a drop of paint in here.”
“Not a single drop, huh?” I feel a smile coming on.
“And she loves your brother so much. I think you’re being unfair because they’re such a great couple. She told me the story of how they met. I’ve heard hundreds of couple origin stories the last five years, but theirs is one of the best. Did you know they met when he defended her on public transit when someone tried to steal her bag?”
“Really? I never heard that.” But had I ever asked him for details on how they met or anything about them? No, I hadn’t.
“Elliott was probably being modest and that’s why he didn’t tell you. But yeah, he got the bag back from the guy and called the police for her, too.” She fans her face. “So sweet.”
“What is this? You’re sentimental about somebody’s meet-cute?”
Her smile brands itself in my brain forever. “Maybe. Maybe I’ve come a long way.” She leans closer to me, pulling me down so she can whisper in my ear. “And maybe it’s because of you.”
I tug her close, wrapping my arms around her. I kiss her cheek, the warmth of her skin making me linger there. “There are a lot of things that are different about me now, because of you.” I kiss her once. Twice. “I think I haven’t given Elliott enough credit. I want to take the time to talk with him more about Portia and I guess just give them a chance. The benefit of the doubt instead of pessimism.”
“That sounds like a plan.”
“Like a five-year plan?” I ask. I shouldn’t ask about her future goals right now, except they’ve been on my mind, a lot.
Her expression grows serious. “The five-year plan is…well, there may be some wiggle room for things.”
“I like the sound of that.” What she might mean, I can only guess. But I hope it involves me in some capacity. She kisses me again, thoroughly, the kind of kiss a person never forgets.
Then I remember where we are and how there are eight teens just downstairs. “You said you needed some help up here. Was that just a ruse to get me here and away from those kids?”
She puts a hand on her heart. “Leo and his friends are so cute. But no, it wasn’t a ruse. I need help with all the things, Beck.” She pulls away from me and walks to the bottom shelf of the built-ins. I’m disappointed there was no ruse happening. And I’m disappointed we’ve stopped kissing.
Suddenly, Dallas is in wedding planner mode. “There’s a lightbulb out in the overhead fixture.” She rummages around and finds a box of lightbulbs to hand to me. “And we need to clean. Oh! And I found a couple of chairs at Good Will. They’re in my car.”
The expression she’s giving me is Please help me with all the things?
“That car of yours is Aladdin’s Cave of Wonders.”
She giggles and goes on her tiptoes so she can envelop me in a big hug. “You’re my Cave of Wonders, Beck.”
I laugh. “I guess that’s a compliment?”
She presses a light kiss on my mouth, pulling away too soon. “Of the highest order.”
I kiss her again, more deeply this time. It feels good to get lost in the sensations of all that she is and everything about her that I love.
Until a thud and a scream from downstairs punctuate the air.