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“No,” she answers resolutely. “I can’t imagine there’s a single thing I need that isn’t on this bench right now.”
In a moment of bravery, I reach up to touch her cheek with the back of my hand…and she closes her eyes to savor it. She looks like a miracle as her lashes fold down to curtain her face. I run my thumb along the extraordinary curve of her dark eyebrow, and she slowly opens her eyes and levels all the way into me.
“Did you imagine it would be like this?” she asks under her breath.
“I knew that it would,” I tell her in honesty. Her perfect lips part ever so slightly, and she releases a long sigh.
An unknown passage of time escapes us as we hold each other’s gaze in perfect silence and calm. At long last my heart feels like it’s really alive, and I thank the heavens in every moment that Fiona seems to feel it too.
“Oh,” she unexpectedly starts in, “I’ve abandoned Maxine in there…my employee I brought with me. She’ll do fine on her own, but I should probably check on her before she leaves for our room.”
Sensing Fiona’s slight onslaught of nerves, I rise with her and take her arm in mine again. We stroll slowly back into the building as though we hadn’t any care in the world. Standing at the edge of the now thinning crowd, she spots her friend and gently breaks our hold.
“Please excuse me just for a minute.”
As I watch Fiona stride away, I notice her perfect posture and proud bearing. Her simple, golden-brown dress matches her skin and cinches her delicate waist with a sash. Her absolute elegance takes my breath away. She has a brief exchange with a young lady in a pink dress and then heads back my way.
“She’s good. I didn’t think she’d have a hard time socializing and she’s going to bed soon anyway. So I’m off the hook.”
I look past Fiona to find the lady in pink checking me out. I nod to her and usher Fiona back out of the crowd.
“On second thought, how about that refill?” Fiona asks, as she grabs my hand and pulls me to the punch table.
“As long as you keep holdin my hand.”
“Deal,” she says with a smile, ladling up a new drink for each of us.
She then hands me my glass, grabs hers up, and clasps her free hand in mine, pulling me playfully through the crowd. She seems to be tryin to rush me back out of here, and I’m more than fine with that.
“Fiona!” another gal calls out, waving us over. Fiona looks back at me with an eye roll, then reluctantly pulls me toward the woman. “Hey, how’s everything with you?” the lady asks.
“Couldn’t be better,” Fiona replies in a tone that strikes me as phony. “The store is booming, I’ve got a fantastic new designer, and my ex husband is stalking me while I sleep. How are you?”
I almost laugh at Fiona’s audacity, as the woman struggles to answer, but suddenly I’m hot under the collar at the mention of an ex-husband who oversteps his boundaries. That ain’t the sorta thing that goes over too well with me.
“Uh…great, great,” the lady answers. “Yeah, everything’s going good with business this year.” An awkward silence ensues as Fiona stands with her phony grin plastered on, waitin to be released. “Well it was nice to see you Fiona, enjoy your weekend.”
“You too Eva,” Fiona throws over her shoulder as she speeds away with my hand.
I can’t even hide what her prickly personality does to me. Something tells me I’m in for a wild ride, and every inch of me is up for it. We’re almost to the doors when we pass by Fiona’s pink employee; they exchange a polite wave and we’re out of there, dashing back down the carpeted hall.
“Oops!” my lady exclaims as a quarter of her champagne sloshes over the edge.
“Someone’s in an awful big hurry to get me out of here.” That comment earns me a sharp look, followed by girlish laughter, as Fiona flings open the door to the gardens and drags me along. And never was there a more willing captive.
“So, what made you decide to come to the conference this year?”
She’s goin straight for the kill now. Will it be overbearing if I answer honestly? I’m bettin Fiona can handle about anything.
“Are we playin truth or dare?” I tease.
“We’re not playing at all,” she answers in a way that floors me. “I want the truth and nothing but.”
She’s stopped along the path and angled herself in front of me, still holding my hand. Being in the line of her direct gaze is so stunning, I almost can’t catch my breath enough to answer.
“I came because I wanted to meet you,” I answer without flinching.
She gives me the coyest look, then drops my hand and turns to head down the path in front of me…laughing. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into, Bo. I am not an easy woman, and my life is not flowery.”
