Chapter Nine
I slid the emerald earrings Harrison had gotten me for our anniversary into my ear. I had five minutes to get ready before the car would be there to take me to the restaurant.
It had been a day and a half, and I still felt like I had been hit by a truck.
Despite that, Billy had edited a perfect video of Colton’s interview, mixed with parts of his flawless ride, and put it together with the Agri-Corp logo at the end.
I had emailed it to Mr. Sterling that morning, and ten minutes later, he had replied with five smiley faces and twelve exclamation points.
I had to admit that it did lift my spirits to see that.
It was eight o’clock and Harrison was on his way from Miami. I decided not to go to the rodeo tonight; I had way too much work to finish if I wanted to spend Sunday with him. So I hunkered down in my hotel room and worked on my laptop until my vision was blurry.
But I had finally caught up.
I grabbed my purse and hotel key card before sliding on my black stilettos. I checked the full-length mirror on the back of the closet before leaving.
I was wearing the tight black dress that Harrison always raved over.
My heels made me three inches taller than I usually am.
My hair was straightened and lay perfectly on my back.
I had used enough foundation to cover the splatter of freckles on my nose and cheeks.
I looked like Chicago Allegra, my old self.
Sliding into the black car, I gave the driver the address and leaned back.
A notification popped up on my phone. I clicked on it, and my jaw dropped as I read through it.
Fifteen minutes ago, a fight had broken out in the parking lot of the rodeo arena. The fight had gotten heated, and one of the men involved had pulled out a gun. He aimed at the ground and fired, trying to scare the other man. Unfortunately, he missed the ground and hit the man in the foot.
The rodeo was cancelled while the police investigated.
The driver pulled into the Italian restaurant’s parking lot, and I thanked him before getting out. Palm trees loomed over the stucco building. It was mildly packed. I made my way inside, my dress already clinging to me in the heat.
“Welcome,” the young hostess greeted. “Do you have a reservation?”
“Yes, it should be under Ford, but I’m waiting for my date.”
“No problem. I see your reservation here, so as soon as he makes it, just let me know.”
I thanked her and took a seat in the lobby, my leg tapping the tile anxiously as I waited. To say I was overdressed would be an understatement. Everyone here was in t-shirts and jeans or Hawaiian button-ups and shorts.
“Come on, buddy, you deserve a nice meal,” A familiar voice echoed as the door opened.
I whipped my head around to see Dennis Nash, his wife, and four sons coming in. His hands were on Colton’s shoulders, rubbing them. Colton was laughing. “Dad, it’s not a big deal.”
“It’s always a big deal when a relationship ends.”
“And it’s always a big deal when we have a night without a rodeo,” one of the twins added.
The family walked past me, and I was unbelievably grateful to be invisible. Dennis’ wife, Josephine, smiled at the hostess. “Hi! We should have a reservation for Nash. I made it about half an hour ago.”
The hostess looked at her list. “Ah, yes. Give us just a second to clear off a table, and we’ll get you back.”
My heart thumped. They were going to have to come back to the lobby to wait with me. I was on my phone, looking through my emails to try to look busy.
“Well, hey there!”
I prayed their table would be ready before Harrison made it. I put my phone down to see the entire Nash family staring at me. Dennis was grinning as wide as he usually was. Josephine was holding his hand. Jimmy waved, Alan and Dean nodded awkwardly, and Colton . . .
Colton’s eyes were slightly red; he looked tired, but as perfect as ever.
I stood, deciding I was going to be the overly friendly marketing professional Dennis had hired, rather than the family friend who happened to work with them. “Hello! What are you all up to tonight?”
Dennis leaned back and put his hand on Colton’s shoulder, but before he could say anything, Jimmy stepped in. “I’m sure you heard the rodeo got cancelled. We rarely get a Saturday night together, so we decided to go out.”
“I’m Jo,” Dennis’ wife said, her arms suddenly around me. She had a sturdy, generous figure and carried herself with obvious warmth. I was too surprised to react at first, but finally remembered how to behave and hugged her back. She gave me a tight squeeze before letting me go.
“I’m Allegra, it’s nice to meet you,” I introduced myself as soon as she released me.
She was tall, with brown ringlet curls that brushed her shoulders. Her cheeks were perfectly rosy. Everything about her felt cozy and safe.
She smiled widely, revealing perfect, blinding white teeth.
“Oh, Allegra. I have heard so much about you from all these boys! I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to introduce myself.
We’re so lucky we’ll get the rest of the season to get to know each other!
” Her accent was just as strong as her sons’, making everything she said sound as smooth as butter.
I reached my hand out toward Alan and Dean. “I’ve been wanting to meet you both as well. I’d love to get an interview from both of you sometime if that’s alright!”
Perky corporate Allegra, stay strong. Don’t look at Colton, who looks like he needs a hug…and a kiss…and a-
Dean shook my hand first. “I’m Dean.”
Alan took my hand next. “Alan, good to meet ya.”
“What are you up to tonight, Allegra?” Jo asked.
I took a long breath as I thought of a reasonable reason to be here other than a date, but I was too late. The door opened, and in swept my adoring boyfriend.
He was wearing a brand new black suit with a blue tie. He had his round glasses on, probably because the humidity irritated his eyes enough to take out the contacts. His hair was short; he had gotten a haircut since I’d seen him last. His black shoes were shined enough to see my reflection in.
He walked in without reading the room, and his hands found my waist. Before I could introduce him to the six pairs of eyes on us, his lips were on mine, and his tongue was in my mouth.
I didn’t close my eyes, shocked by his sudden affection.
My face was hot, practically on fire, and I pushed him back.
Harrison didn’t notice my push and smiled at me. “I missed you.”
I gave him a tight smile and threw a glance at the Nashs, who couldn’t seem to take their eyes from the scene he had caused. “Hi, Harrison,” I said quickly. “This is the Nash family.”
He pulled away from me and stood up straight.
“Dennis is on the board of the company that hired me, and his boys are all in the rodeo,” I explained, feeling a pit of guilt in my stomach.
Why did I feel guilty? I hadn’t done anything other than my job.
He held out his hand to Dennis. “Dennis! It’s nice to meet you.” He was doing his perky corporate Harrison act, which suddenly made me hate my own perky corporate Allegra act. “I apologize for that,” he said with a laugh. “You’ll have to forgive me. I haven’t seen Miss Ford in a few weeks.”
“Nash?” The waitress called.
Wonderful timing.
“That’s us!” Jo called, pulling her family away. “Allegra, nice to finally meet you!”
As they followed the waitress away, I noticed Colton glance over his shoulder, catching my wandering gaze. He offered a small smile and turned back to his family.
“Ford?”
I took Harrison’s hand, ignoring the lump in my throat, and we followed the host. He was squeezing my hand over and over again. I looked at him, my normally very calm boyfriend was beaming, practically jumping.
“How was the drive?”
“Too long. I couldn’t wait to see you.”
Maybe we should spend more time apart if it made him this affectionate.
The host led us to a small table for two next to a picturesque window and dropped two menus. “Can we have your finest bottle of wine?” Harrison asked before he had even sat.
The waitress nodded. “Of course. Anything else?”
“That’s all for now, thank you.”
He sat down, still grinning like a chimp.
“My goodness, you’re so happy,” I commented with a laugh.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” He said back.
The host walked away, and my heart sank.
Sitting directly across from us, holding menus and drinking water from wine glasses, was the entire Nash family.
Colton was three feet away, and Harrison was across the table.
It would be an interesting night.
After Harrison had requested the $90 wine, he ordered a steak with a side of lobster. My stomach was in knots, and I asked for a salad, which Harrison changed to pasta as the waitress was walking away.
The Nash family was laughing and talking loudly, not caring who heard them, only caring about each other. I took a few sips of the wine, but mostly twiddled with my napkin.
“How did the resort turn out?”
Harrison wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin. “Those chumps. They paid us for four weeks of work, so we knocked it out in two.”
“Wow.”
The waitress brought our food and asked if we needed anything else.
Across from us, Dean was telling a story, using his hands to animate every detail. They were all laughing.
What a happy family. I wondered if I had grown up with parents like them and loud, loving siblings, if I would’ve turned out the way I was. Probably not.
Colton looked over his left shoulder, catching my eye. He started to offer a smile, but I shot my gaze back down to my food.
“Hey,” Harrison said. He slid his hand across the table and caught mine. “You’ve been quiet tonight.”
He was right, I was not focusing on my wonderful date in front of me. I was thinking about horses, “Ally,” and the dusty cardboard box in my closet. I smiled and brought his hand to my lips. “Sorry. I am not used to traveling like this. I think it’s draining me.”
“It’s a big assignment, Allegra. You should be proud of yourself. Once you get this done, you’ll have that corner office and never have to leave Chicago again.” He was so confident, so excited. It made me feel better that he knew exactly what I wanted.
I took a bite of pasta. Maybe I was just hungry. I couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten a good meal.
“Allegra?”
Harrison and I snapped our heads toward my name.
Jo Nash, Dennis’s wife, was waving at us.
“Sorry to interrupt y’all, but I had to tell you how much I loved that little video of Jimmy and Colton!
” She was practically shouting even though we were a few feet apart.
“My boys hate being filmed, but you made them look so charming!”
I couldn’t help but give her a real smile. That meant a lot coming from the mother of the two boys I had turned into a commercial. “Oh, thank you, Mrs. Nash! It truly was thanks to my videographer; she’s a master behind the camera.”
Harrison cleared his throat. “Right, that Ag-Core campaign? Yeah, I watched that on the plane. It was really…great.”
I shot him a look, not wanting to call out his lie in the middle of a conversation, but needing him to know it stung. I was proud of that campaign, and he didn’t even know the name of the company I was representing.
Dean leaned forward. “We didn’t get a video!”
I laughed. “Oh, don’t worry, you will. I ran out of time and storage this rodeo, but be ready next weekend!”
Harrison squeezed my thigh, signaling me that he was tired of this conversation. “So, Allegra-”
“Next time, could you make me lose thirty pounds?” Jimmy asked, grinning at me. “That camera made me look like I ate someone.”
“No, you just always look like that,” Alan said.
“Hey, brotherly love,” Dennis said with a teasing smile.
Harrison let out a long sigh. “Allegra-”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Colton joined in. “I looked really good.”
“Allegra!” Harrison shouted.
The restaurant fell silent.
I turned my attention toward him, surprised by his sudden outburst. He was red in the face, whether from embarrassment or anger, I wasn’t sure.
He swallowed hard and plastered a smile on his face. “Allegra, I really missed you.”
We had been apart from each other much longer than this before, so I wasn’t sure why he kept saying that. “I missed you too,” I lied.
“We’ve been together a long time,” he said, his gaze strong on me.
“Three years now.”
He nodded. “For three years we’ve been building our careers, our life together. It’s been everything I could ever ask for. Now, as you’re on the brink of your corner office in Chicago, we’re going to be unstoppable.”
I couldn’t help but notice the restaurant was still silent, only the piano playing quietly in the corner.
“So, I can’t think of a reason to wait any longer.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box.
My heart practically stopped.
“Allegra.” He opened the box.
It was exactly what I thought it was.
Josephine gasped.
“Marry me, Allegra.”
The diamond was enormous, an icy, glittering fortress throwing light across the white tablecloth and directly into my eyes.
It wasn’t a question. He was telling me.
Instead of looking at Harrison, my eyes went to Colton instinctively.
Colton looked as shocked as I felt.
Then I finally turned to Harrison, who had a mix of surprise, expectancy, and anger all mixed into a weird frown.
What had I done?