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“She does know we just met, right? That this is a blind date?” Cassie whispers under her breath, but when she snuggles closer and looks up at me through lowered lashes, I’d swear it feels like a lot longer.
I lean closer. “Do you think she’s ever been on a blind date?”
Cassie giggles and the reverberations ripple against my chest. “If she has, I’d like to know how it went.”
“Definitely not as good as this one.”
A tiny V appears in between her brows as if she doesn’t believe what I said, but after a minute it melts away and she nods. “Today turned out to be… not at all what I expected.”
“Same.”
I’m rewarded with the sexiest curl of her lip, which, along with a glimmer of heat in her eyes, sets my blood on fire.
The music starts again, and this time we make it through an entire song.
Derek was right. I do owe him.
Minutes later, our lesson is over. And, technically, our blind date. TheRise and Shinecameraman steps over to capture whatever is going to happen between us and a microphone, fortunately not present while we were dancing, now hangs over our heads.
“The two of you move together so nicely. The perfect compliment. Please come again. Next time you dance the Tango,” our instructor says, with a dramatic flourish of her hand as she spins away.
I help Cassie into her coat and shrug my blazer back on.
“Thanks for everyth— ” Cassie says, at the same time I also speak.
“Are you hungry? There’s a litt— ”
She presses her lips together and glances down at her phone. “I’m sorry, I can’t.”
My chin dips as the crush of rejection hits. My ability to read people, honed by years of working with patients, is usually strong. Though today, apparently not as strong as I thought.
Her hand darts out and settles on my arm.
“I’d love to, really, but I have to get to work.”
And then it clicks. “Right, Valentine’s Day is tomorrow and you’re a florist.”
“I’ve got to make sure everything’s perfect for the special day.”
I clear my throat as a plan forms in my mind. “Of course. I’ll see you in the morning, then.”
She glances over at the camera and then back at me with a look akin to regret clouding her baby blue eyes. “Yes, see you in the morning.”
4
Cassie
In the last twelve hours I’ve been whacked in the forehead, decorated sugar cookies, taken a ballroom dance lesson, appeared on national TV, and —most importantly— gone on a blind date with a man who’s funny and thoughtful and handsome, definitely handsome.
So, here I am, at ten p.m. and, because of all of that, still at work. Even so, I’m going to have to go with worth it.
I sink into one of the banquet chairs, careful not to pull the white chair covering tied with a thick blush pink satin bow askew, and pull out my earbuds, turning off my ‘Get Shit Done’ playlist.
I roll my neck, drain the last of my Diet Coke, and heave a sigh, stretching my aching fingers. My stomach is growling. Too bad I couldn’t go to lunch with Chris and had to settle for the smushed granola bar in my purse instead.
The hotel event staff and tech crew finished up over an hour ago, and left me alone, but I’m staring down another hour, if not two, of work before The Grand Ballroom will be finished. Decorated to perfection with thousands of lush, fragrant white,pink, and red roses. Ready to go for tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day luncheon wedding reception.
It could be worse. After all, Veronica, in a rare thoughtful move likely thanks to the promise of national press rather than any inherent kindness, had some of the other designers finish the sixty-foot strands of flowers now strung above the dance floor at the studio earlier. And I’m grateful. Otherwise, I’d be here until midnight, which would be a train wreck because that’s exactly what I’d look like in the morning.
