How did I get here?How can fate be both debilitating and invigorating?His cologne smells earthy and warm.What if I’d refused to let Calvin leave?Is it true that someone can feel this good?God, can it really feel this good?
Images flashed in her mind, each one centered on Jay.Sitting together near the piano.Their first lunch date after months of silence.Snuggled up watching an old movie.Nothing about their time together seemed especially grand or extraordinary.They hadn’t traveled the world or witnessed miracles.They hadn’t even slept together.And yet, somewhere inside those small, fleeting moments, she’d finally found herself.
“I’m sure there are a million places you’d rather be than here in the rain, listening to me ramble on,” she said.
Expecting one of his famously clever quips, she found herself caught off guard by the seriousness in his reply.His lips lingered just above her ear, and his whisper reached a place deep inside her she hadn’t even known existed.
“I only need to be in one place … and that’s with you.”He touched her chin, turning her face to his.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
CLAIRE
Claire turned slowly in front of the mirror, studying herself from every angle.Dresses lay scattered across the guest suite as she struggled to choose between them.She’d already spent half an hour changing outfits, searching for the perfect look to celebrate Hamish’s birth.Her father had raised a questioning eyebrow at the sight of her bulging travel bag moments before Jay arrived to pick them up.All this for one night in the country,he’d asked, knowing full-well that the selection of a particular frock had little to do with the impending soiree and everything to do with a tall, handsome man.
After exhausting every option, she finally settled on a navy beaded sheath dress.She’d bought it for a Hollywood fundraising dinner she never ended up attending.The dress had never left the hanger, and the tags still clung to the sleeve.She laughed softly when she noticed the dangling price tag, having completely forgotten how expensive it was.Calvin had paid for it since the gala had been one of his events.The memory pulled her back to the moment she’d modeled the dress for him—tasteful, elegant, and far too conservative for his liking.She could still picture the disappointment in his eyes.
"That's it?All day on Rodeo and that's the best you can do?"
"You don't like it?"she asked, turning around.
"Well, you look gorgeous in it, but I just don't think it'll work for this particular event."
"Why not?"
"Surely you can show a bit more skin than that."
"It's a children's charity dinner, Cally.I don't think skin is on the list."
"Your skin is always on my list."
With a final fluff of her hair, she turned to make her way downstairs.She opened the door of her suite, surprised to find her father standing on the other side.
"You look stunning."Harry smiled.
"Thank you."Claire reached and tweaked his bowtie."And you look so handsome."
"May I?"He offered his elbow.
"I'd be honored."She linked her arm through his.
Guests began to arrive, and the estate buzzed as the event staff put on a show of their own.Parking cars.Collecting outerwear.Presenting silver trays filled with champagne flutes and bite-sized culinary treats.Claire reintroduced herself to some of Hamish's associates while Harry shook hands with several long-lost friends.She casually moved her eyes around the grand foyer, filling with hordes of smart-suited men and coiffed, bejeweled women.She had yet to make contact with a particular pair of bespeckled brown eyes.
She and Jay had taken their time returning to the house, exploring more of the vast estate after the rain ended.Once inside, they’d spent the afternoon hours in Hamish's library—she on one sofa and he on another.Facing each other, they talked and read a selection of magazine articles aloud.Later, they laughed hysterically as Jay read excerpts from a dusty old novel entitledSatisfying the Mature Man,by one Jarvis Ridley.At one point, she looked over and found his eyes closed, so she watched him for several minutes.He'd made no mention of their conversation at the hilltop hideaway, which Claire appreciated, and he’d reacted exactly as she expected.While she hadn’t shared everything about Calvin, she'd made big progress.She'd tell him everything eventually.By the feelings growing inside her, she guessed sooner rather than later.
Those peaceful thoughts caused her own eyes to grow heavy, and she fell into a deep sleep.Jay woke her an hour later with a gentle nudge.His arm around her waist, they moved through the manor and climbed the staircase together.At the top, he placed a kiss on her forehead with a promise to meet her downstairs later.
Still on Harry’s arm, she spotted Molly greeting guests, as though the role of hostess had become her life's work.The two women exchanged knowing nods.Harry leaned in and whispered in his daughter's ear.
"I’m going to miss having you on my arm."
"Dad, I’m not going anywhere.”
Harry looked over her shoulder.Jay walked toward them, moving quickly through the crowd of guests.Claire gave her father a gentle pat then slipped her arm free, her smile widening with each step she took toward Jay.
"That's what I thought," Harry said.
Tiny white lights sparkled in the trees like a thousand shimmering diamonds.The rain, while brief, had been a welcome blessing, giving the grounds a sparkle and making everything appear fresh and new.The band played all of Hamish's favorites, many of which had become favorites of Claire's by default.Spending summer nights dancing barefoot on the patio had helped to create a certain picture in her then teenaged mind.A picture that Jay now brought to life.
