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“Everything.”
I laughed softly. “I don’t know if there’s that much to tell. I grew up in Tilikum. My dad owns a construction company and my mom is an artist. I’m an only child. After high school, I went to beauty school and eventually opened my own salon. What about you?”
“It’s all pretty generic. I grew up in the Chicago area. Divorced parents, both remarried. My father is a physician, which is probably why I went to law school.”
“He wanted you to follow in his footsteps?”
He shrugged. “I wouldn’t have made a good doctor anyway. So, small-town girl turned salon owner. What else?”
I hesitated, searching for something halfway interesting to say. “I love to read. I guess I’ve always been a bookworm. And I spend a lot of time with my friends and their families.”
“They have kids?”
“Two of them do. Another is getting married soon. I also love weddings, but I don’t want to scare you off on the first date.”
He met my eyes again. “You’re not going to scare me.”
“Weddings are just so lovely. I love it all. The flowers and the dresses and what it all symbolizes. I’m kind of in love with love, and weddings are like the biggest celebration of love we have. Sometimes I think I missed my calling as a wedding planner. But I’ve basically planned all my friends’ weddings, so I get to indulge my passion.”
“Are you passionate about your salon?”
“Oh, yes. This probably sounds silly, but doing hair is like creating art that my clients get to wear every day. I especially love it when I can make someone feel great about how they look. You see it in the way they carry themselves when they walk out the door.”
“That doesn’t sound silly. That’s beautiful.”
Did he mean that or was this just his first date persona? I didn’t know him well enough to be sure, but he seemed genuine. At least he actually seemed interested in getting to know me. The last first date I’d been on, the guy had talked about himself the entire time.
He hadn’t gotten a second date.
As our conversation continued, Preston asked more questions and his interest in my answers never waned. He really did seem to want to know everything about me.
More than anything else about our date so far—the suit and tie, the helicopter, the small romantic gestures—his attention was intoxicating.
The sun was setting as the city came into view and the result was stunning. City lights twinkled to life below us, set against a color-stained sky.
“We’re almost there,” Preston said. “Enjoying yourself so far?”
“So much. The sunset is incredible.”
“I hoped you’d like it. We’re lucky the weather over here cooperated. It could easily have been socked in with clouds.”
“I guess it was meant to be.”
He stroked my hand with his thumb again. “I like to think so.”
Looking out over the skyscrapers and traffic, a little thrill ran through me as I saw we were going to land on the top of a building. I leaned closer to the window so I could watch our descent. The pilot clearly knew what he was doing. The entire ride had been surprisingly smooth and the landing was no exception.
The perimeter of the circular landing site was surrounded by lights, making it easy to see. We touched down with a little bump, and a moment later, the muffled whir of the engine quieted.
Preston got out and offered me his hand. The outside air was cold and the wind whipped my hair around my face. With his hand on the small of my back, he guided me to a circular staircase that led below the landing site, where another man in a black suit waited for us.
Without a word, he turned, and we followed him into an elevator. The doors opened onto a parking garage where a black Escalade waited.
“I’ve got it,” Preston said to the driver and opened the door for me before going around to the other side and getting in.
The driver took us out of the parking garage and into the city. I’d forgotten how tiny I felt among the skyscrapers. From ground level, they towered above us, rising into the sky like modern castles of light and glass.
I was probably gaping at the view like a country bumpkin. I made sure my mouth was closed and tried to pretend I wasn’t awed by the experience.
