by Rachel Hanna
"Oh, hey, Dixie."
"I wanted you to meet Harry." Dixie beamed with pride as she watched Harry shake Janine’s hand.
"So nice to meet you. I've heard nothing but wonderful things about you."
Harry smiled. "It's great to meet you. Dixie absolutely adores you and your sister."
"Well, I hope you two enjoy this romantic night," Janine said, smiling. She really was happy for Dixie.
As she walked across the floor, she ran into Colleen and Tucker first. They were slow dancing, staring into each others eye’s. Janine missed that feeling.
No. No, she was not going there. Tonight was a new night, a new beginning. She was going to be open to whatever the universe had for her.
Then she saw Meg, Christian and the baby sitting on the rock wall near the edge of the deck, watching everyone dance. They were cuddling with Vivi, watching her coo and smile. Janine wanted to see Vivi, but she didn't want to interrupt the precious family moment. Meg was doing so much better than she had been a few weeks ago, and it was heartwarming to watch her become a real mother.
Then she turned to see Dawson and Julie standing at the edge of the dance floor, feeding each other stuffed mushrooms and laughing. Her sister had never been happier than right now, and she was so excited for her. But still, she felt let down. Hollow. Left behind.
How was it that everyone had found love, and she was standing here alone? She thought she had it, and then it slipped right through her fingers.
Just as she was about to go back in the house and go upstairs to hide away from everyone, someone tapped her on the back. It was a man, dressed in a tuxedo, his full mask pulled down over most of his face. He kind of reminded her of the Phantom of the Opera.
"Yes?" She didn't recognize him, so she figured he was going to ask her where the bathroom was or something.
"Sorry if I'm being too forward," he said, his British accent catching her by surprise. "But I was wondering if you might like to dance with me?"
For a moment, she thought about saying no. She wasn't really in the mood, to be honest. She wanted to go raid Dawson's refrigerator and hide upstairs until everyone left.
"Sure. I would be delighted," she heard herself saying. The man, who was wearing gloves, took her hand and pulled her out to the dance floor.
She slipped her hands around his neck as he slid his arms around her waist, and they begin to sway back-and-forth to the music. Almost immediately, she felt comfortable with him. She couldn't see his face, and she could only smell his cologne, but for some reason she didn't feel at all weird about dancing with a stranger. Maybe she would be good at this whole new beginning thing.
"What's your name?" she asked, rather loudly, over the music.
"Chester."
Chester? What kind of romantic name was Chester? She decided maybe that was a common British name, although she didn't think so. He certainly wouldn’t be the lead in a romance novel with a name like Chester, though.
"I'm Janine. Do you live around here?"
"Actually, no. I just got to town today."
She continued swaying to the music, confused by his answer but enjoying the fact that anyone wanted to dance with her.
Of course, for all she knew, she could be dancing with a serial killer, so she would definitely stay in a public space with him.
In a way, he reminded her of William. They were about the same height, but this guy was quite a bit… chubbier… than her William. As soon as she thought it, she mentally slapped herself. How was she ever going to get over him if she kept comparing every guy to William?
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course," she said.
"How is it that a beautiful woman like yourself was out there standing alone on the dance floor?"
She smiled. "I recently went through a break up."
"Somebody broke up with you? He must be an idiot."
She laughed. "Not really. We just wanted different things."
"And what do you want?"
"I want to stay here with my family and friends and build the life of my dreams."
"Seems reasonable. And what did this gentleman want?"
“He wanted… something else. I really don't want to talk about it, especially with a stranger. No offense."
"None taken."
The song changed, but he didn't make any move to break apart. Instead, they continued dancing, both of them being quiet as they just enjoyed the moment. Maybe he would ask her on a date, and maybe she would say yes. She wasn't really sure. Until he took his mask off, she didn't even know who this guy was.
“Can I ask you another question?"
"Sure," she said.
"What if the idiot came back? Would you be with him again?”
She thought for a long moment. "That's kind of personal."
"We’re just getting to know each other. I promise I won't tell anyone," he said, chuckling.
She thought for a moment, wanting to choose her words carefully. "I guess that would depend on why he came back. I don't want to be anyone's second choice."
Suddenly, the music stopped and the DJ started speaking.
“Okay, everybody, it's that time of the night where those wearing masks will reveal themselves! On the count of three, take off your mask!"
Janine didn't know if this was a normal part of a masquerade ball since she had never been to one, but she reached up as the DJ counted down and slowly peeled off the mask that was covering the upper half of her face.
But the man she was dancing with just stood there, not moving. It was obvious he hadn't been prepared for that announcement.
"Are you going to remove your mask?" she said to him quietly as everyone stared.
"I didn't plan on it," he said.
"I think everyone is waiting for you," she whispered.
"Let's give him some encouragement! Take off your mask!" The DJ said, clapping as everyone repeated the chant.
Instead of taking off the mask, the man trotted towards the house. Thankfully, the DJ, a questioning look on his face, let it go. He returned to playing the music while everyone got back to dancing.
Janine stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. Obviously she didn't know this guy, but she felt bad that he ran off.
Against her better judgment, she walked quickly towards the house, looking around outside to see if she could find him. Finally, she realized he had gone into the inn.
She opened the door and walked into the living room to find him standing there, facing the fireplace.
"You know, I've seen Phantom of the Opera. This is feeling a little bit like that."
Still facing the fireplace, he reached up and started to remove the mask from his face. When he turned around, she almost fainted.
"William?"
"Hey, Janine."
She shook her head, her eyebrows furrowed together. "I don't understand. You have a British accent. How are you standing here?"
He smiled. "One of my best friends from high school was British. He taught me well."
“And you’re…”
“Fatter? Yeah, I padded my suit so you wouldn’t know it was me.”
"Why are you here? You're supposed to be in Texas."
“No I'm not. I'm supposed to be here. With you."
She stood there, stunned. "But what about your job?"
“I needed to go and see if I could do it. Turns out, I could. I just didn't want to."
"I don't understand…"
William walked a couple of steps closer. "I love you. I just had to see if I was missing out on something."
"And were you?"
“No. Everything I will ever want or need is standing right here in front of me. It just took me being a giant horses butt to realize it."
"What about Tina?"
He tilted his head. "Tina? She was my boss."
"I saw her picture."
"Yeah. She does look a little bit like a Barbie doll or a high school cheerleader, but she's not my type."
He walked closer, taking both of her hands. "Nobody compares to you, Janine."
"What about your job? What are you going to do?"
"I resigned. Gave up my apartment. Snuck back into town overnight. My mom doesn't even know I'm here."
Janine smiled. "So you're back? For good?"
"I am. And I'll need your support opening my own company. That is, if you're willing to try this again?"
Janine paused. “I don’t know.” She turned and sat down on the sofa.
“You don’t know?”
“You left, William. I felt like I didn’t even matter to you.”
He joined her on the sofa, only a few feet between them. “You do matter to me, Janine, or else I wouldn’t be here right now. Almost as soon as my feet hit the ground in Texas, I knew I’d made a mistake. Nothing felt right.”
“I get that, but the fact that you left in the first place still hurts. Your job mattered more to you than I did. How do I know that won’t happen again? What if some other great opportunity comes along? What if you suddenly decide you don’t want to live here anymore?”
He took both of her hands. “I was never leaving you. I just needed to see if I could do it. I had never been offered such a big opportunity before, and selfishly, I took it. Now I know that my future is sitting right here on the couch with me. Wherever you are is where I’ll be. I can build my business right here in Seagrove, and now I know I don’t need some boss or company giving me praise. I just need you.”
A tear rolled down her cheek. “You’re sure?”
He smiled. “I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.”
Janine lunged forward and hugged him tightly. “I missed you so much!”
“I’m never going anywhere again,” he said, pressing his lips into her curly hair.
She pulled back and looked at him. “Good, because I’m stealing your luggage.”
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Copyright © 2020 by Rachel Hanna
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