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“Yes, I’m fine.” Waverly hoped her he believed her lie. “So tell me what you thought of the pageant as a whole.”
“Ridiculous.”
Heart sinking, Waverly resisted gaping. A warmth of embarrassment touched her cheeks. Dominic did not respect her. She felt silly for putting too much faith in thinking he understood her life. His perception was exactly why Waverly hated letting outsiders into her life. “You’d rather tinker with cars?”
“Cars, I understand.” Dominic reached for his glass of water and gulped it halfway down. “Don’t get me wrong—you were the prettiest by far—but at least when I restore a vehicle that brings in a hefty commission, the other cars’ self-esteems don’t deflate and they are not dramatic and catty.”
“Uh—” Waverly paused “—Alisha told me you have a desk made out of half a car. That’s not dramatic?”
Dominic shook his head no. “Because of a woman. See? Dramatic. You can’t have high emotions and expensive cars around.”
“Makes sense,” Waverly said with a shrug.
“You’ll see more when I take you around town.”
“I beg your pardon?” Waverly leaned closer to hear better.
“Since I’m sponsoring you in this pageant and you’re representing the Crowne name, what better way to reiterate that than by arriving at all your functions in one of my restored vehicles?”
Waverly’s eyes narrowed on his large frame. Her lip curled with the idea of being a hood ornament. “Ugh,” she moaned with an eye roll. “Why do I get the feeling you’re benefiting from this pageant bet we made?”
“I’m always three steps ahead, sweetheart.” Dominic winked. The simple ges
ture spread fire in the pit of her belly.
“We can’t...” Her words trailed off; she was hating herself for dampening the moment. Waverly’s eyes darted around, as she was half expecting to find the other patrons of Duvernay’s staring at them. No one paid them any attention. But still not wanting to risk her chance at the Miss Georgia title, Waverly leaned close. “We can’t allow anything to go any further than what happened the other night.”
Dominic sat back in his seat. His beefy right hand covered his heart. “What kind of man do you take me for?” he teased with a lopsided grin. “I’m kidding. Waverly, I respect your goals. Your morality clause doesn’t mean I can’t still help you. I promise I will control myself. The question is, can you?”
An imaginary angel appeared on Waverly’s right shoulder, wearing a sparkly tiara and offering Waverly a pageant wave. On the other shoulder, a red version of herself appeared, shooing Waverly off with the back of her hand while an imaginary devil image of Dominic dipped her back for a deep kiss.
Waverly blinked back into focus. “Um, sure, of course I can.”
* * *
In a matter of eight weeks after being dethroned, Waverly found herself comfortable as the new Miss Southwood. She already visited the senior citizen centers for Southwood and the surrounding cities of Peachville, Black Wolf Creek and Samaritan. Anson, the mayor of Southwood, was kind enough to send a car for Waverly’s travels, as well as stay in attendance with her, though she could have walked. She needed to walk. Though the days of drowning her sorrows in cupcakes and pizza were over, they had taken their toll on her curvy frame. Thank God for the slow pageant wave; otherwise her underarms would jiggle.
Waverly arrived at city hall’s meeting room for the Christmas Advisory Council meeting. She wore her Miss Southwood tiara and sash over her pearl gray A-line dress. Unlike the other places she’d visited, like the elementary schools and nearby restaurants, no one here seemed to care for her presence. Four dozen chairs split the room in two rows. A wooden podium stood at the front and in the center. Tiptoeing in her pearl gray stilettos, Waverly found a seat by herself toward the back. Other people turned to greet her, but considering how new she was to Southwood, she didn’t have the same connection as some of the other ladies gathered in groups, exchanging recipes and secrets. The few minutes she planned to leave early would give her the chance to walk through town and be alone with her thoughts. Before heading inside city hall, she glanced down the street toward Crowne’s Garage. The shop closed early and Waverly hoped she’d see Dominic at the meeting. After the pageant he’d made a point to Anson about participating.
Waverly kept her head down and focused on today’s agenda. Christmas seemed so far away. Lexi’s name popped out at the top of the page with the announcement of the Christmas pageant. Lexi had proposed a plan to open her studios for the children who wanted to participate, clients or not. Waverly made a mental note to make sure she offered her help. Lexi would have her hands full with the baby over the holidays.
Sad, Waverly sighed. This would be the first year she wouldn’t be with her parents at Christmas. She hadn’t even spoken to her mother about winning Miss Southwood. Jillian managed to avoid the topic of pageants, probably still ashamed to have a dethroned daughter. Waverly wanted to wait until she secured her place on the platform for Miss Georgia before getting her mother’s hopes up again.
The sound of metal clanged as people opened the oversize door. Each time, the group of ladies in front of Waverly would glance up and then return to their conversations. On one occasion, the ladies glanced up but then elbowed each other. Waverly adjusted herself in her seat, sitting upright and moving forward to watch their reactions. One woman in a leopard-print dress and pink belt licked her glossy lips. Another woman in all gray fluffed her natural curls, while a third woman sucked in her stomach and arched her back.
Without a doubt, Dominic was there.
Only that man’s sexual prowess could turn ordinarily smart-looking women into a gaggle of giggling girls. But as the thrill of excitement set in, it was accompanied by a visible set of goose bumps. Waverly knew she wasn’t immune.
Waverly bit the insides of her cheeks to keep from grinning. Thank God her will stayed strong and she resisted the urge to turn around.
“Hey,” Dominic said.
He found her. Waverly glanced upward. Tonight Dominic wore a pair of khaki chinos and a green striped polo that complemented his light eyes. For a second she was transported back to her freshman dance when her boarding school had invited students from the military academy. No one danced the first few songs until the popular cadet Howard Gilmore, who was known for dating local girls and getting into fights, came over and asked her to dance. She was the belle of the ball. At least now, in this dank conference room, Waverly was the envy of the others. The women in the front stared at her with their lips curled.
Heat from his closeness warmed her shoulder. Waverly blinked several times, feigning that she didn’t recognize him. “Hello?”
With a tight-lipped smile, Dominic nodded and took the empty seat beside her. “Funny.”
