Letters in the Grove
Page 21
“I know Lisa could help me, but I don’t really want to try and be overly attractive and attract the wrong kind of guy. Not that Lisa does that. I mean, you’re a guy. And I just want to look womanly, I guess. How about you help me instead?”
Wesley shifted. Elizabeth placed a hand on his arm, looked into his eyes, and said, “It’ll be okay.”
Taking a deep breath, he finally answered, “Yeah, I’ll help you. When do you want to do this?”
“When are you free?”
“I don’t have a date with Lisa tonight, so maybe we could meet after work. Say at six. Here in the promenade.”
“Sure. Thanks.”
By now Lisa and LuLu had stopped arguing about society pages and were discussing what they were eating. Lisa was on LuLu about counting her calories so she would eat less; LuLu was on Lisa to count her calories so she would eat more. Wesley and Elizabeth rolled their eyes, sat back and enjoyed their meal, and the brief rest from work.
Elizabeth stared down at her food, thinking. She didn’t know what had possessed her to want to appear more feminine. Surely just looking at a tall, attractive man wouldn’t cause her to just drop this style and change back to what she’d worn before. But she had been looking at herself in the mirror a lot more lately. She knew she wasn’t a beauty queen; she also knew she wasn’t completely ugly. Her family wondered why she wasn’t married yet, and of course she hadn’t told them about her change in appearance. If they knew she’d changed just so she could work as a secretary, they might not have been too happy.
When Elizabeth glanced back up at the man with the black hair, he was watching her. She smiled in his direction, because it felt like the right thing to do. His eyes stayed locked on her. Elizabeth sighed and angled her gaze downward. When she looked down, she noticed her sloppy appearance. A sigh parted her lips. How was she ever going to meet anyone under these circumstances? Who would want to have anything to do with her? Not only did she look terrible, but she was a walking time bomb. She wasn’t safe to be around. The what-ifs continued to swirl through her mind until a headache set up behind her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she wondered, What am I doing to myself?
Chancing a glance at her watch, Elizabeth noticed her lunch break was over. She said good-bye to the group, gathered her things and left. As her feet slapped the shiny tile floor, Elizabeth’s mind wondered. Would Mr. Hampton be upset when he returned from lunch? Had George’s announcement been a pleasant surprise?
As she continued on her way back to the office, she was struck by a flash of color. In the middle of the promenade was a huge round brick planter that was filled with trees, green foliage, and real blooming flowers. Elizabeth directed her feet to their location. On one of the leaves sat an interesting sight. It was a butterfly.
Elizabeth bent over and studied the unique features of the creature. When the wings were shut, they were a drab brown, and when they opened they displayed an intricate design of orange and black, with a hint of blue. Elizabeth placed her hand forward. The butterfly walked onto her waiting palm.
“That’s a very nice specimen. Vanessa cardui, or Painted Lady, I believe.”
His voice was deep and sent chills down her spine, causing Elizabeth to take a swift breath. With the movement, the creature flew away.
Looking into the stranger’s face, the first thing she noticed was his deep blue eyes. He was even more attractive at this range. Her tongue stuck to the top of her mouth, refusing to work.
Bowing her head, Elizabeth barreled toward the elevator, leaving him at the bushes alone. More than ever, she needed Wesley’s help.