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I’m here.
She was here. Great. Jesse sent a text directing her to stay in the lobby for a few minutes. Then he grabbed a chair and followed the catering manager to his condo, where they were moving this entire date.
Over the past three months, he’d gotten to know Kimmie better than he’d known anyone. He was sure she’d be touched that he’d put this together, whether or not it was perfect. But that only motivated him to want to make it as perfect as possible. Unfortunately, they had very little time to do so.
“I’ve got the rest,” the catering manager said. “Go get your woman.”
As much as he bristled at those words, Jesse still felt a thrill at knowing people saw him and Kimmie as a couple. Every waking second, he was grateful she’d chosen him.
And now he was ready to make it permanent.
The elevator ticked down the floors, pushing Jesse’s heart rate up a little with every number that flashed on the panel. He had to play it cool. He didn’t want Kimmie to know how nervous he was. But mostly, he didn’t want her to know he had a surprise in store for her.
She was coming to his condo for dinner. That much wasn’t a surprise. But his original goal had been to keep going in the elevator, all the way up to the roof, where he’d whisk her over to the area where the bar was. They’d enjoy a romantic dinner with a heat lamp to keep them warm.
The rain had spoiled all that, but as he stepped out of the elevator, Jesse told himself that she had no idea of his original plans. He could make this the most romantic night ever in his condo. She’d never know the plan had been to go to the roof.
“Hi.”
The elevator doors opened to reveal her standing there, directly in front of the doors. Her smile and greeting sent warmth through his entire body. He wanted to stand there and enjoy it, but her being this close to the elevator was a problem.
He had to delay her.
When he’d rushed out of his condo, the catering manager and his one worker were still setting up the table and two chairs. He needed to buy them a few minutes at least so the two caterers could get the table set and the candles lit.
“Let’s go for a walk.”
His words took her by surprise. She looked down at her feet. Yeah, a walk was probably a bad idea. Those high-heeled shoes looked treacherous.
“It’s raining,” she said, lifting her head to look at him.
Right. He’d forgotten all about that. It was the very reason he was delaying in the first place. He had to think fast.
“Come with me,” he said.
He had no idea where he was taking her. Maybe they’d just walk in circles around the lobby. She’d probably think he’d lost his mind, but it would keep him from blowing the surprise.
Kimmie wasn’t budging, though. He’d taken several steps on his own before he realized she wasn’t behind him.
He turned and doubled back. “What?”
“What are you up to?” She tilted her head and looked at him through narrowed eyes. “You’re stalling. Are you planning a surprise? You know I hate surprises.”
Oops. She’d told him that several times, and he’d just assumed if it was a really good surprise, like a proposal, it wouldn’t count. Nobody wanted to know in advance when someone was about to propose, did they?
Did they?
So, what did he do now? Did he blow the whole thing or only part of it?
Just when he’d made up his mind to tell her about the surprise dinner and nothing else, she spoke again. “Are you planning to propose?”
His jaw dropped. What was he supposed to say now? If he said yes, he wouldn’t get the chance to ask her without having a full-on, unromantic discussion about it.
So he did the first thing that came to mind. He knelt on one knee, right there in front of Elevator Number 5. He took her left hand in his right hand and reached into his pocket to retrieve the ring box. “Will you marry me?”
This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. He’d planned this moment for weeks. But by George, if he had to propose to her in the lobby of his building, that was exactly what he’d do.
He was terrified she’d say no. The elevator door opened, and he was aware that he’d knelt on one knee and was looking up at her. It would be pretty obvious to anyone on the elevator that he was proposing.
