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—Macon
My body was already on fire as I started reading the note. By the time I finished the last word, the tingles were blazing through every single part of me.
My God, this man.
Not only had he gotten me another gift and gone to the extra effort to give it to me, but he’d also seen the dress and fantasized about how it would look on me. And now he was somewhere in this hotel, thinking about me wearing red, anticipating the moment when he’d finally see me.
There was nothing hotter—I was positive about that.
And the dress, despite being the loudest color, was absolutely beautiful. A strapless design with a sweetheart neckline, the fabric ending above the knee. But the bottom wasn’t straight across; it was shaped in a V, so it would cut higher toward the center and inner part of my thighs.
I knew by the material that it would be tight and the shape would be overly sexy on me.
I didn’t want any attention this evening. I wanted to blend into the background, like the nights when I went to the club, but this dress was certainly going to earn me some notice.
Just as I was taking it off the hanger, there was a knock at the door.
I set the dress on the bed and tightened the tie of my bathrobe, leaving the bedroom to walk through the living room and kitchen, and I checked the peephole when I arrived at the door.
Jo was standing on the other side of it.
I quickly opened it and smiled. “Hi! It’s so nice to see you.” As I leaned forward to give her a hug, I continued, “Girl, wow, you look beautiful in that dress.”
Jo was in a black dress that had layers of lace and sky-high red heels with a clutch in the same color.
“You’re sweet, thank you, and it’s so great to see you too.” She squeezed back. “You weren’t kidding, Kauai is stunning. I never want to leave.” She froze in my arms. “How dumb of me to say that when we’re dragging you to LA. Oh man, ignore me, please.”
I laughed as I pulled away and held open the door. “Please come in.” Once she stepped inside, I let the door close. “Thank you for coming to help me get dressed. The outfit I’d planned to wear didn’t have a zipper, so I was good on my own, and then Macon surprised me with a new one.”
“That guy”—Jo shook her head—“he’s done such a one-eighty since he met you.”
“I heard he was a bit of a playboy before.”
She laughed. “A bit? Yes. That’s an understatement.” She put her hand on my arm as we headed for the bedroom. “But he’s not even close to the same man anymore. Even during our video calls, I can see the change. He has a permanent smile on his face—something he never wore, he’s always been on the semi-grumpy side—and I know that smile is all because of you. And given everything that’s going on here with the hotel, he should be stressed to the max. I’m positive he is. But he looks like nothing can bother him. He’s just beaming with happiness.” She turned toward me when we reached the bedroom. “I’ve obviously known Macon my whole life, and I’ve never seen him like this.”
I didn’t know that version of Macon. I only knew the sweet, kind, thoughtful, and giving side of him. But to hear how much he’d changed and that most of that was because of me, it made my heart melt.
“You know, I didn’t think I could ever feel this way. I was just so focused on how much I had on my plate and what the future would look like that he completely caught me off guard.”
“Oh, yes, the king of charm. I know—I’m engaged to one just like him.” She grinned.
“And since I didn’t plan for it or wasn’t even looking for it, I didn’t think a relationship like this was even possible. And now …” I swallowed as the emotion came on.
“You can’t imagine your life without him.”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Girl”—she tightened her grip on my arm—“from my experience, I can tell you, it only gets better.”
“But this already feels like such a dream.”
“So far, your lives have been monopolized by the opening of the hotel and your work and school. Just think about what will happen when you guys have more time, like when you move to LA. That’s why I have a suspicion that things are going to get even better.”
“I can’t wait.” I took a deep breath, my eyes briefly closing. “For moving to California, working for Spade Hotels, spending more time with him—all of it.” I glanced down at the dress, knowing this was the perfect introduction to the conversation I’d planned on having with her at some point tonight. “Before I put this dress on, I want to thank you for not telling him about my housekeeping job.”
“Brooklyn, I would never. It wasn’t my story to tell, and you assured me you were going to confess to him. Now, if you hadn’t, I would have said something to him.”
“I just want you to know that I recognize that I put you in the most difficult position. And even though I’m a firm believer in girl code, you didn’t know me, you had zero loyalty to me, Macon is your family, and you still kept the secret from him.” My eyes took in hers. “That means more to me than you’ll ever know.”
