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Thomas drops me back at my place, and then goes to deliver the flowers to her. He knows where she lives becausehe took her home last night, which worked to my benefit. As I am sipping my second cup of coffee on my balcony, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I take it out and read the text from Thomas that says one word.Delivered. Perfect, now it’s time to plan the perfect date. I make a few calls and set everything up. I hope that I’m not going overboard with these details. I barely know Lizzie, but I also feel like my soul already knows her. I have never put this much energy into organizing a date.She’s different, I keep saying to myself. I cannot wait to see her face when she sees where I’m taking her. The excitement I feel in my chest is spilling over into my entire body, and I have this energy that has me unable to sit still. I have hours before I need to get ready, so I must find something to keep my mind occupied until then. I walk toward my office and sit at my desk. Opening the laptop, I see there are dozens of emails that need my attention. So, for the remainder of the afternoon, I work which always keeps my focus.
???
Elizabeth
My hands begin to cramp from typing, and I look out of my bedroom window, realizing the sun is setting. I have been writing for hours. I haven’t gotten this much done, in well, ever. Wow, that spark came out of nowhere. I smile when I look back at my laptop and see how much I’ve accomplished today. The book is still far from being completed, but I finally feel like this is exactly where I need to be and what I need to be doing. I save the file, put my laptop on my nightstand, and scoot down from my vintage cream bedspread. I found this gem when I was thrift shopping, and I had to have it. My whole room has a 19th century feel to it. I love that era. I often think I should have been born in that time period.Would I have become an influential writer if I was from that time? Would I havebeen like Jane Austen?The thought makes me smile. Maybe this book will be a success, and people will know my name. Maybe, someday, I will have some of the impact that Jane Austen did in her day and is still having.
I hear Sarah squeal from the kitchen, and I run out of my room to see what the problem is. However, when I get to the kitchen, she is smiling and jumping up and down. What on Earth? “What are you so giddy about?” I ask, shaking my head.
“Um, hello? Where did these flowers come from?” She looks at me with a wide grin. “Oh, is it the guy from last night? From the club? I told you that you would find a new guy! Tell me everything,” she squeaks.
“Well, if you hadn’t passed out on me last night, then you would know. But since you did, and you have been asleep all day, I haven’t had the chance to fill you in on my... interesting night,” I reply, smiling.
“Do you remember the coffee shop guy I mentioned yesterday?” She nods, looking puzzled. “Well, it turns out we ended up having another surprise meeting… at the club last night. That’s who came up to us at the bar before you went to go dance,” I say matter-of-factly.
“WHAT??” she shrieks. “That was the tall, dark, and handsome man that grabbed your coffee? And he just so happened to be at the same club opening as you? This is fate. FATE! I’m telling you. What is he like?” she asks eagerly for more details. I pause and think over yesterday, what is he like?
“He’s sweet and intelligent. He knows Jane Austen enough to whisper a line in my ear last night. Hang on. Why do you think it’s fate? That’s the same thing he said. There is no such thing,” I object.
She gives me a look that says I’m about to get a lesson. I can’t help but chuckle. “Fate is real, my friend. And the factthat he mentioned it means he believes that, too. He sounds romantic, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s sexy as hell!” As she takes a large gulp of coffee she persists, “So, tell me more!”
“We danced, and then we got a table and talked a little about my book. He also mentioned it was not a coincidence that we met twice in one day. I told him I didn’t really believe that because of my failed relationships. Then you stumbled over to our table, and I had to get you out of there. He helped me get you out of the club and offered us his chauffeur to drive us home. Then he gave me a kiss on the cheek, and I woke up to this delivery this morning,” I say, trying to think if I left anything out. “So, he wants to take me out tonight, but I don’t know. I’m nervous, but I have no way to contact him and tell him no. What do I do?” I ask. She looks at me like I have asked the silliest thing in the world.
“What you are going to do is get in the shower now, and I will go find you a dress and shoes! Makeup and hair next! Don’t look at me like that! Youaregoing on this date! No man has ever gone to this much trouble for a date with either of us. In my opinion, he sounds like Prince Charming. And I don’t want to hear that you’ve sworn off men because this is a whole new situation entirely. He is definitely not in the same league as the rest of those dirtbags you’ve dated in the past. Now, go get in that shower, girl! I’m so excited for you!” she exclaims.
I sigh and smile at the same time. I already knew I was going on this date, but I needed some reassurance from my best friend. She knows me so well and understands my hesitation. However, she is right; I feel like he is different somehow.
“I’m going to take a bath and try to get my nerves under control,” I reply as I head to the bathroom. I love our tub. It’s white porcelain with claw feet. It is one of the features that sold me on this apartment. I start the water and sprinkle in some lavender bath salts. The steam begins to fill the room,and I step out of my robe, then lower myself into the tub. Man, this feels good. I can feel the tension just melting right away. I need to make more time for baths. I think I tell myself that every time I get in here, but I rarely do. I’m always on such a tight schedule that I normally just hop in the shower as quickly as possible. I have some instrumental piano music playing from my phone, and I lay my head back against the tub, then close my eyes.
I must drift off because Sarah comes barging in, startling me. The water is now tepid, and I realize that I did doze off for a bit, but I was so relaxed it was hard not to.
“You have to get out of there if you want to be ready when he gets here!” she says as she throws me a towel. I get out, drain the tub, and follow her to her bedroom to see what she has picked out for me. When I step in, I see the most beautiful cream-colored dress. It has a form-fitting bodice with lace and sporadic little rhinestones. From the bodice, the dress flows out from the waist with a sheer overlay. It has a baby doll neckline with a matching sheer material that drapes over one shoulder. I walk up to the dress and feel the material in my hands.
“Is this new? I have never seen this before,” I whisper, maybe a little in shock of its beauty.
She beams and says, “I got it on clearance the other day when you were at work. I was walking by a shop and saw it in the window. I had to go in and have a closer look and instantly had to have it!”
“You don’t mind if I wear it? This seems like a special occasion dress,” I reply. She takes my shoulders in her hands and looks me in the eyes. “This IS a special occasion. You are putting yourself out there again, and I couldn’t be prouder of you. You need to wear this dress as your suit of armor. The better you feel about yourself, the better you feel about this bigjump you’re making,” she says reassuringly. She always knows just what to say. She’s right. Special occasions call for special outfits. And this date is a new milestone in my life. I can feel it. I slip into the dress and the matching five-inch cream heels with matching rhinestones that she picked out. She works on my hair and makeup, and I’m dressed and ready with five minutes to spare. I get out my wristlet and slide my phone and keys into it. I walk over to the floor length mirror to look at myself. I feel beautiful and confident and not at all nervous. Okay, so that last part isn’t entirely true. I’m super nervous, but I can do this. I take several deep breaths and give myself a mental pep talk.
Then, there’s a knock on the door. I look at Sarah, and she gives me two thumbs up. I walk to the door and peer out of the peephole to make sure it’s him, and it is. I unlock the door and open it. My breath catches in my throat when I see him standing there in my doorway. He is wearing a grey suit that fits him perfectly. I can see the outline of his perfect muscles. He has on a light blue collared shirt without a tie. He looks like he just walked off the runway, again. I become aware that no one has spoken as Sarah comes to the door and holds her hand out.
“Hi. I’m Sarah, Lizzie’s roommate. I know we met last night, but I don’t recall all the details of that, unfortunately. Thank you for getting us home safely.” They both chuckle and shake hands.
“It was no problem at all. Anytime,” he says., He turns his gaze toward me and remarks, “You look stunning!”
I can feel the blush sneaking up into my cheeks; I smile and say, “Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself.”
He chuckles and holds his arm out for me to take. “Are you ready to get this date started?”
I nod, grabbing my bag. “Let me get my coat.” I retrieve itfrom the closet by the door and kiss Sarah on the cheek. “I will be back later. Love you,” I say to her as I put my hand on Miles’ forearm. I hear the door close behind us as we walk toward the stairs. I look up at him, and he is already staring back at me. I smile, too, and turn my gaze back to the stairs so I don’t fall. That would just be my luck. He is even more handsome than I remember.How is that even possible?He places his hand on the small of my back and bolts of electricity shoot through my body.Oh boy, here we go.
Chapter 7
Miles
When Lizzie opens the door to her apartment, I feel momentarily paralyzed. It’s as if all the breath in my lungs has been sucked out of me. She’s even more stunning than I remember. My eyes sweep over her body of their own accord. The cream dress compliments her gorgeous olive complexion. Her silky black hair, curled loosely, runs over her shoulders and down her back. She has one side pulled up with a silver flower pinning it in place. We stare into each other’s eyes for a moment without either one of us speaking. I only break my gaze when her roommate comes over to reintroduce herself. I offer my arm to Elizabeth, and she takes it after she gets her coat. She closes the door, and I walk her toward the stairs. I can’t keep my gaze from looking her over. She is the most intoxicating woman I have ever laid eyes on. I move my hand down the backless part of her dress to the small of her back and feel the goosebumps erupt over her skin as it did last night when I touched her. I sense she feels this connection like I do, even if she is scared to jump in this with me. I don’t even take in my surroundings until I realize that we have reached my car. I open the passenger door for her, and she smiles, sliding in and giving me a small thank you. I make sure she’s settled before I close the door, and then jog to my side of the car.
I thought tonight would be a good chance to take my own car. I wanted her alone and not uncomfortable, having Thomas drive us around. Once inside, I look back over to her.She is studying my car, her eyes wide. “So, where are you taking me tonight?” she asks as she glances at me.
