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Chapter Ten
Piper was officiallyCinderella. Strangely, she’d never dreamed of being Cinderella. As a child, she’d liked the idea of Rapunzel better with her long hair and climbing down from a high tower. It had seemed kind of daring.
Or, there was always Red Riding Hood. The adventure into the forest had seemed more fun, than the simple act of losing a slipper.
But fate had decided that Piper Davis was to be Cinderella. And who was she to argue with fate?
She spun in front of her mirror. The burgundy dress was three-quarter length, a simple sweetheart neckline with a spattering of silver and burgundy sequins and beads which made it sparkle no matter what way she turned. She piled her hair on her head and wore no jewelry. The dress was everything and looked perfect with the silver jeweled sandals.
Who had picked it? The dress had a definite Christmas feel about it, and Piper sadly knew that Margaret Smith had died six months before. So, it couldn’t have been her. But whoever it had been, it was like they’d looked at Piper and found her the perfect dress.
When she’d called her sister to let her know, both Leila and Alanna had rushed over to her house andoohedandaahedat the beautiful dress. Alanna had helped with her hair, giving her a kiss on the cheek as she’d left to take Leila to a school party.
That had given Piper a few moments to herself to finish her makeup and grab a dark coat. The invitation had been slid into her small bag, and now she wondered if she should have had a few sips of wine for courage before leaving.
A silver car pulled up outside, and before the driver could jump out, Dawson was already taking long strides toward her door.
She opened the door and couldn’t help the smile that spread from ear to ear. If the world thought Dawson McLeod looked handsome on TV, then they’d never seen him in a tuxedo. He should be on the front page of every magazine.
She almost wanted to say it out loud—but that would be entirely uncool. But before she got a chance to say anything, Dawson got in there first. “Piper, you look amazing.”
“Thank you,” she said feeling strangely embarrassed.
He took her coat from her arms and held it out, so she could slide her arms in.
When she turned back around, she took a deep breath. “Looking good in the tux, Dawson.” It seemed light-hearted, which actually described how she was feeling right now.
He gave a self-conscious tug at his shirt. “Isn’t it odd how whoever sent the clothes seemed to know what would be a perfect fit? Even the shoes.” He gestured down to the highly polished shoes on his feet.
Piper realized how strange that was. “My dress was a perfect fit, too,” she said, “and the shoes.”
Dawson held the door and she walked outside, moving over toward the car as he pulled her door closed for her.
The ride to the hotel was short. The doorman greeted them both and waved away their invitations. “Take the elevator to the second floor. The Children’s Charity Christmas Ball is that way.”
It was clear a number of guests in the hotel were also headed to ball. They were instantly surrounded by ladies in ball gowns and men in suits. The ballroom was decked out in white and gold, a band at one end, and round tables surrounding the dance floor.
Piper and Dawson were shown to their table as a waiter appeared with glasses of champagne.
The hotel was unusual and set on a hill, meaning although they’d come up one floor, the back of the ballroom had glass doors that opened out to gardens that were lit up with twinkling Christmas lights. The whole gardens were dusted with snow making it look like something from a children’s story.
“What are we doing here?” Piper whispered into Dawson’s ear, as other grand-looking people sat down at their table.
“Just keep smiling,” he said. It only took a few moments for her to feel complete relief at being with Dawson. The rest of the guests at the table introduced themselves. Some were from old Chicago founding families; some were successful business men and women. One owned one of the sports stadiums and instantly recognized Dawson, greeting him with a warm handshake and a laugh. No one asked why they were there. And Piper assumed they thought that she and Dawson had bought their tickets like everyone else.
“I feel a bit self-conscious,” she said in a low voice as the first course was served.
“Why?”
“Because I think all these other people might have donated thousands of dollars to be here.”
Dawson looked around, scanning the room. He recognized a few more faces than she did. “Okay, I can see three football players and their wives, seven baseball players, and six basketball players. There are managers, other shareholders, and a few faces I recognize from the news.” He kept smiling as he said. “You could be right.”
One of the women at the table started talking to Piper, asking her about her job, then proceeding to ask dozens of questions about plants and flowers. She was clearly knowledgeable about her garden and Piper started to relax. She gave her advice on why some plants weren’t thriving, and suggestions to improve or replace them if required. The stadium owner hadn’t needed to introduce Dawson as most of the others at the table recognized him and were busy asking him for insider tips for upcoming games, or asking what certain sports stars were like behind the scenes. Dawson was gracious with every question. He was clearly a people person and was taking all this in his stride.
When dinner was finished and the lights went down again, a compere appeared on stage. A short video of the Children’s Charity was shown, along with all the work they’d done in the city. It finished by paying tribute to the founding member who had left part of her legacy to the charity—Margaret Smith.
Piper let out a little gasp as she heard how Margaret and her late husband had funded school projects, day care, libraries, health clinics, and supported learning for children all around the city.
