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Cinderella to the Ball
Thenextweekwas a blur of activity. Thanks to Maggie and Sofia’s work on advertising to local businesses, they had several business breakfasts and lunches held at Common Grounds that week. She and JT also put in long evening hours planning out a couple of event catering projects they had taken on as they were wanting to expand their catering work. Farm to table wedding rehearsal dinners and engagement parties were getting more and more popular and Maggie had seized on the events, on and off site, as a way to grow their little cafe. With her mother in semi-retirement, she didn’t need her catering and equipment and table wear very often so Maggie and JT could save a lot of money by using them. Tricia Wade believed in her children being self-sufficient so there was a small rental fee involved but, even with the fees, Maggie knew they’d never have been able to afford to buy all the equipment outright by themselves and was grateful, though somewhat grudgingly, for the help. Before she knew it, the day of the gala had arrived.
“I can’t thank you enough for trading your Saturday off, Sofia,” Maggie told her waitress. “Are you sure you’ll be able to handle everything yourself?”
Sofia gave her a little push toward the door. “Boss, go! JT and I will be fine! We’ll be more than fine. Everything will be perfect. You go and get ready for your party and I’ll see you Monday.”
“If you’re really sure...”
“Go, already!” Just as Sofia opened her mouth to call JT from the kitchen to help get his sister out of the door, Dani appeared in the doorway.
“C’mon girl! We’re going to be late for our spa appointment and Beauty and Bliss doesn’t play! You’re five minutes late and you can kiss your mani/pedi good-bye!” She grabbed Maggie by the arm and pulled her out the door toward Pearl. Maggie gave Sofia another worried look but let herself be dragged to the car.
“Let me just double check we’ve got everything. You didn’t take anything out of the car since last night, did you?” Maggie asked worriedly, turning to look in the backseat where she had placed everything she would need to get ready for the event at Zane’s place. He hadn’t been able to get off work in time to come out to Gladewater and pick her up in time to make it back to the gala, so she and Dani were treating themselves to a spa day in Dallas and Maggie was going to get ready at Zane’s condo. He would bring her home after.
Dani rolled her eyes. “Why, exactly, would I have taken any of your stuff out of the car and risk the wrath of Maggie? Give me a little credit here.”
“You’re right. That was stupid. I’m just so nervous!” Maggie confessed and soon they were racing down I-45. “I just want to make a good impression. I’ve never met any of his friends before. Other than you, of course.”
“Everyone is going to love you to death! You’ll see!” Dani said, giving her friend a big grin. “You’d be surprised how awkward some of these ‘important’ doctors are in social situations. They can dig around in people’s bodies but try to make cocktail conversation? Nope!”
Maggie twisted her ever present pearls. “I worry I won’t know what they’re talking about. I’m not in medicine, obviously. What if I don’t have anything to say? They’re going to think I’m just some country bumpkin.”
“Am I going to have to stop this car on the side of the highway and do affirmations with you again, young lady?” Dani threatened playfully. “Trust me. I’ve been to about a zillion of these things. You are as smart as any of them. A bunch of them may know more than you about medicine but that’s all they know. All those years of medical school don’t leave time to learn much of anything else. Just be your charming self and you will have everyone eating out of your hand.”
“I don’t know...”
“And, the most important thing is you already have Zane completely smitten. And when he sees what we got at that shop I took you to...” Dani waggled her eyebrows suggestively and Maggie could feel the heat creeping up her neck.
“Ok, ok. I get it! I’ll just do my best,” Maggie assented. She was still nervous about the gala, but she was pretty positive Zane would like the lingerie Dani had talked her into buying on their last trip to the city. If he got to see it. She felt like she was being pretty presumptuous, but Dani had insisted. And after their afternoon in the glade...She was hoping she wouldn’t be going back to Gladewater until tomorrow instead of late tonight.
“Wow!” Maggie exclaimed looking across the living room to the wall of windows across Zane’s high-rise condo as Dani closed the door behind them. He had left the key for them with the building concierge so Maggie could get ready there. “This place is amazing.”
“Yeah, he has good taste,” Dani agreed. “Almost as good as yours.”
Maggie took in the space. The golden sunset light was casting a dreamlike glow over the open plan living room and kitchen. It was all masculine leather, wood and chrome but made homey with thick, Turkish carpets framing the different living spaces. She passed an extra-long apothecary style coffee table flanked by a trendy mid-century leather couch. She wandered over to an area in the corner that she could see was a reading nook. A low wooden bookshelf filled with medical tomes, a large, overstuffed leather chair with matching ottoman, and tall reading lamp created the space. An e-reader, a coffee cup that hadn’t made it to the dishwasher and a pair of glasses sat on the mission style side table. The table was obviously something he’d had for some time as well, covered in little nicks and even a watermark or two, and not something straight out of a catalogue. She liked the space even more for all that. The e-reader must be where his more personal reading was kept. She really wanted to peek and see what books he had in there. You could tell a lot about a person by what they read.
“Mags, come on,” Dani called. “The guest room is over here. We don’t have a lot of time to make the magic happen! Or you don’t. I’m obviously just along for zipping and snapping!” She laughed. Maggie was the make-over maven, just another one of her many skills. Dani was lucky to get mascara and lip gloss on in the morning.
Maggie reluctantly left her perusal of Zane’s space and followed her friend down the hall. She wished she had more time to explore. She wanted to know everything about this man. Following Dani’s voice down the hall, she glanced at the pictures hanging there. She recognized Zane in several of them. Family or friends? She didn’t have time to study them, unfortunately. When she got to the door of the room, she took in the quirk of Dani’s mouth. “What?” Dani’s eyes directed hers across the room. On the table next to the bed was a beautiful arrangement of Stargazer lilies and pink roses. A card with her name on it was propped to the side. Maggie crossed to the arrangement and took the card carefully in her hand, opening it slowly.
“Sorry I have to meet you there. Make yourself at home. The car will pick you up at 7. I’m sure you’ll be even more beautiful than these flowers. Can’t wait to see you! Zane.”
Maggie clutched the card to her chest. She gave her friend a tremulous smile. “Oh, Dani! He can’t be this wonderful, can he? You have to pinch me. This can’t be real.”
Dani held her hand out and Maggie reluctantly let go of the card so she could read the note. Dani smiled warmly at her friend. “Honestly, I didn’t know he had it in him. I knew he was a great guy, and friend, but never saw him as a romantic. I told you he was treating you differently than all the Barbie bimbos he’s dated in the past.”
Maggie took the card back and carefully tucked it into the side pocket of one of her bags. Her spine straightened and a smile she thought may be stuck on her lips forever bloomed on her face. “Well, then. Time to get ready.”
Forty-five minutes later, Maggie stood in front of the large picture windows backlit by stars in her pink dress and the heels that still gave her palpitations about walking in them. Her hair was pulled back into a French twist and her only jewelry was a gold lariat chain with a large pearl that nestled right above her cleavage. Dani nodded at her appreciatively. “Amazing! You’re going to put all the other women to shame.”
Maggie ducked her head, always uncomfortable with compliments. She had to admit she did feel like a princess. “Thanks for all your help and chauffeuring me out here and everything, Dani.”
Dani threw a hand up dismissing Maggie’s thanks. “After all you’ve done for me and Levi? This was nothing. C’mon. The car is probably waiting for you downstairs. Let’s get Cinderella to the ball.”
