“So, what are you ladies wearing?” she asked.
It wasn’t until then that she noticed they all had on raincoats, which was common enough when living in San Francisco. Fear struck when they took them off. What she saw should have been caught by a photographer and submitted to a contest. The women were dressed in a variety of scanty black and red dresses, pants and tiny halter tops made of leather and silk, and accented with chains. A lot of skin showed. Skin covered in tattoos. It would win a prize for content alone. Now she remembered why she never went out with Daphne and her friends for fun. She looked too out of place.
She wasn’t allowed to stare long. They whisked her to the ladies’ room for Daphne’s ministrations. The girl was a genius at putting a look together.
All those years at Neiman Marcus gave her the knowledge, but it was more than that. She had inborn talent. The thought of telling her she wanted to make her a fashion designer for one of the factories to be built made Tasha’s plans for her all the more exciting.
“You look beautiful, Tasha. Now let’s go,” Daphne stated.
Tasha looked at herself in the mirror, the inner fat girl unable to believe what she saw. Her hair had been pulled to one side, letting curls fall seductively over one shoulder. The stunning red dress caressed every curve as if made for her. Even her makeup made her look desirable.
Suddenly self-conscious, she turned her gaze from the mirror and asked, “Is Richard coming?”
“Of course,” said Daphne. “Who do you think is reserving our spot for dinner?”
“That’s good.” At least she’d have someone to talk to. Tonight the longing in her heart for C.J. was twice as bad—she’d have to put off her plan till tomorrow to make things right between them. “Thank you, Daphne. Let me lock the doors and we’ll be off.”
They set off into the cold, foggy night with lots of hoots and hollers.
“SO WHAT ARE WE DOING here?” Tasha asked a few minutes later. The Museum of Modern Art was one of her favorite places. The building alone screamed art. It had a turret, and an oculus for a skylight.
Daphne passed the valet her keys. “Terrance is hosting a party here and invited us ladies for drinks before we head into South Market for dinner.”
Tasha blinked. “I have to hand it to you, Daphne. This is turning into a fun night. I haven’t seen my buddy Terrance since the ball. This must be some swanky party, bringing out the red carpet and all. What room did he get to decorate?” She could barely contain her excitement.
“He about died when he called me about it. I think he was hyperventilating.”
“Ah. That means he’s doing both the Haas Atrium and the Schwab Room. No wonder he was in a tizzy. That would be his dream.” She hugged Daphne. “You’re going to love this place. It’s incredible.”
Daphne looked at her as if she were crazy. “That’s exactly what Terrance said.”
Big band music floated through the air as they made their way through the gift shop to the coat check. Tasha couldn’t help but dance along. She adored the song that was playing. “Daph? Don’t you think it’s weird that there’s no line for the coat check?”
“I think the event started a lot earlier. That’s why Terrance said it was okay to drop in.”
“Then you’d think people would be leaving.”
The party was curtained off so outsiders couldn’t glimpse what was going on. All Tasha could see were the famed rainbow pictures over the drapery.
“Tasha? Do you ever just stop thinking and have fun?” Daphne grabbed her shoulders and gazed at her with a smile. “You look beautiful. Let’s just go in and enjoy ourselves.”
For the first time, she didn’t feel like the ugly duckling around Daphne’s pixie figure and pretty face. She could walk into a room and be proud of how she looked. It hit her at that moment how much her hard work had paid off. She was a new woman. It was time to be that woman. Maybe she’d call C.J. right after the party and see if there was still a chance to start a relationship. Tonight she felt as if anything were possible.
“Hey, Tash, I’ll grab Terrance so he can let us in.”
“I thought you said this was okay.”
“It is. Give me a sec.”
Just when she’d thought tonight could be fun, Tasha decided she didn’t want to crash a party. She could call Richard and find out where they were having dinner and meet him there. Trust Daphne? Ha! Tasha shook her head.
With her mind made up, she started to head back to the coat check.
“Tash, where are you going?”
Tasha turned to see Daphne poking her head around the violet-panels.
“To dinner. I hate crashing parties.”
“Tasha, darling, what party are you crashing?” Terrance’s face popped up above Daphne’s. Then the two of them stepped into full view.
“Daphne said she had to go find you to get us in. I thought—” Tasha put a hand to the side of her head. “You know what? Never mind what I thought. I’m coming.”
“I have to say, my dear, you look ravishing. Just fabulous.”
She returned the compliment. “Terrance, you look so debonair with the new green highlights! And that suit looks very suave. The green shirt pulls it all together.”
Terrance studied her quizically. “Where’s my friend? What did you do to her?”
“Maybe I’ve been hanging around Daphne too long. She’s a vivacious personal shopper.”
Daphne made a mewing sound and they all laughed.
“All right, ladies, shall we go in?”
“By all means,” Daphne purred, opening a fold in the drape to enter first.
The moment Tasha stepped into the room, the music stopped and the lights dimmed. She walked a little farther out onto a dance floor. That was when she realized everyone had rushed to the sides to get out of the way. She turned around, wondering what was going on.
Tasha searched for a friendly face, but to her horror a spotlight stopped her in her tracks. She kept trying to breathe for fear of passing out, but stood tall and smiled, not wanting to look foolish while she waited for something to happen.
Seconds later she heard the song “Just the Way You Are.” It was from Glee, the one TV show these days that Tasha made a point of catching. She watched as beams of violet, purple, yellow and cream flashed on the left marble pillar next to the grand staircase. Soon light spilled onto a sconce on the floor so it could light all the others around the room. It happened in a ripple effect to the music, creating a dreamy ambience that drew oohs and ahhs from the audience.
She couldn’t believe this was happening. Very few people knew her love for Glee and purple. She suddenly realized this was all for her. She thought her heart was going to burst….
When the last sconce was lit, both pillars took the viewer on an electrical light show that climbed up the grand staircase. Soon the lights had everyone staring at the aerial bridge, decked out in purple linens. The wind blowers came on, shooting colored streamers ever higher.
On the periphery she could see people were dancing. She hadn’t realized she was swaying to the music herself, for the lights just continued to draw her into the show. They didn’t allow her to think long as they continued climbing the turret past all walkways. They finally came to a shiny disco ball that started to spin, flashing on the crowd below. At the same time the wind blowers shot streamers and flecks of silver and purple metallic paper in to the audience, which fell like a soft shower of rain.
Then Tasha heard, “One, two, three. Happy Birthday!”
My birthday.
She’d forgotten. Again. Tasha had a tendency to block out things that drew attention to her. But now she didn’t mind. In fact, she was thrilled. Who’d done all this?
She turned and stared at the smiling people singing to her. She stared up at the grand staircase, where a purple light flashed Happy Birthday Natasha!
She could see her parents and the McGinnises up there, saluting her with their champagne flutes. She was overcome by her p
arents’ generosity and thoughtfulness. “Thank you, Mom and Dad,” she called.
They both blew kisses.
Terrance walked over to her with a microphone. “Ladies and gentleman, are we ready for Tasha to get her birthday present?”
The whole audience went wild. Tasha grabbed the mic out of his hand. “Do you guys know something I don’t?”
Laughter went from corner to corner and spread. He pulled the microphone back. “Let’s just say this is your night.” At the snap of his fingers, a stool appeared. “Natasha, my love, prepare yourself for Firefighters for the Conchords.”
She was utterly confused, embarrassed, and couldn’t believe this was happening to her. This only happened to other girls.
There was the strum of a guitar and a curtain lifted from the other side of the room. Two firemen in formal dress uniforms stood there, faces hidden in shadow. One was playing a bass accompaniment to the guitar. As the room went wild the lights went up, and the bass player spoke into the microphone.
Her heart almost stopped. It was C.J.
“Happy Birthday, Benny. Hope you’re having fun. I wanted to give you a present that meant something, so I thought I’d dedicate our favorite song by Flight of the Conchords to the woman I love. Yes, Natasha. I mean you.”
She put hands to her hot cheeks amid the hoots and wolf whistles. She had no idea what to do except sit on her stool and try not to reveal how hard she was shaking.
He really did love her. That handsome man up there loved her, and this was really happening to her. The ice encasing around her heart began to melt very quickly.
C.J. and the firefighter on guitar began to play “The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room.” It was amazing, like a blanket wrapping her in C.J.’s love. She’d never been so touched. He’d even managed to get her family involved.
Tasha stared at him as he performed. She’d never known he was such a talented singer, and musician. At the end of the song, C.J. slung his base over his shoulder, walked over to her, pulled her close and kissed her senseless.
The audience went wild once again.
Then C.J. started talking into the microphone. “I’d really like to thank Natasha’s parents and friends for helping me to pull off this surprise party.”
Everyone clapped, and to her astonishment Natasha’s parents walked onstage. George took the microphone from C.J. Natasha feared what her father was going to say. She edged closer to C.J., who put his arms around her.
George drew Genevieve close to him. Her stunning mom wore a long black taffeta skirt with a crisp linen shirt. Her hair was in a perfect chignon. They both gazed warmly at Tasha.
“We want to thank you all who’ve come to celebrate our Natasha’s twenty-eighth birthday,” George began. “When Captain Powell, or C.J. as most of us know him, came to us with the idea of a surprise party, we were thrilled. Genevieve, Gina, Terrance and C.J. have had the greatest time planning the party.”
The audience laughed.
“I know I was surprised to find a firefighter wanting to be so involved in the party planning, but he had his ideas.”
More laughter.
“I have to say this has turned out to be a fantastic night. C.J., I’m curious to know if your duo is available for hire on another occasion?”
C.J. nodded. “Absolutely, George.”
“As most of you in here know, our Natasha is so busy serving others she often forgets herself. So tonight is for you, little Tasha. Your mother and I have a special gift for you. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to put it on you.”
Natasha was dumbstruck. She walked over to where he was standing. He pulled a little turquoise-blue box from his suit pocket. Inside was a gorgeous Cartier watch.
“It’s beautiful.” She looked up, her eyes glittering with tears.
Her father put it on her wrist. “It’s nothing compared to you. Please make us this promise.”
“Yes?”
“That you’ll always shine, just like this watch.” Then he took her in his arms and hugged her.
Her own father was hugging her in public. She had to fight to keep her tears from falling.
Then her mother hugged her. “Happy birthday, darling. I hope you’re enjoying tonight.”
Tasha pulled back and was shocked to see tears in her eyes. “I’m having a lovely time, Mom. Thank you.”
Genevieve hugged her again. “Wonderful. Now you go and enjoy your evening. You’re as pretty as a picture. It’s a joy to see you so happy.”
George took the microphone again. “Thanks for letting us take this moment of your time. The rest of the evening is on us. Enjoy the wonderful food, drinks and the band we brought in for a fun night of dancing.”
The next hour passed in a blur as she and C.J. talked and danced with some of her cousins, a few old college roommates, friends from the station that had the night off, and Terrance, Daphne and Richard. Tasha couldn’t remember having this much fun in years. Maybe ever.
A SLOW SONG CAME ON and C.J. was finally able to get Tasha all to himself for the first time. “At last I have you alone.”
She dared a glance at him, nervous of his reaction. “After the way I treated you two weeks ago, I’m surprised you’d even want to see me. I—”
He interrupted her. “I have something I’ve been dying to say. I realize that I put you on the spot tonight, but I was desperate. I listened to what you said at the villa. I read your note. It made me feel so terrible I drove straight to your parents’ house.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Somehow I was lucky enough to have the Benningtons of San Francisco welcome me in for a Sunday brunch on the patio.” She’d never heard him sound so serious. “I told them I was crazy in love with you.”
She stared at him. “You didn’t.”
“I did.” His tone was steel-like. “I went on to explain that I needed to prove to you how much I love you, and that you were a hard nut to crack. In short, I asked them for help.”
“You did that for me?” She brushed a tear away. “What did they say?”
“They were thrilled. Your mom called Gina McGinnis and she drove over minutes later. Somebody must have phoned Terrance, because we planned the party that day.”
Tasha smiled. “You spent an entire day planning a surprise birthday party for me?”
“Yes.”
“You know, Captain Powell, you look so damn sexy in that uniform I can barely keep my eyes off you.”
He shook his head. “Don’t distract me. I have something else I want to say.”
“You’ve made my wildest dreams come true tonight,” she declared. “What else is there to say?”
“This.” He pulled her against his body, splaying his hands over her back as he spoke. “I know you. You’re kind and you have an amazing tenacity to fight for those less fortunate. Your resolute battle against cancer is inspiring. Your brainchild, the Tim McGinnis Foundation, will help hundreds of people in the Bay area and beyond.”
She chopped her forehead against his lapel to hide her emotions. But he wasn’t finished.
“I wanted to plan this party to prove that you had brought me back to life. Tash, you’ve got to understand something. We both lost a dear friend a year ago, and because of that, I let my life just drift—unlike you, who went about building charities and running around the countryside to help IAs keep their families together.”
“That’s not true,” Tasha whispered. “You became captain and have saved homes and lives. You’re a hero.” She grabbed his face and looked directly into his eyes. “We both coped with his death the way we could. I just threw myself into a different type of work than you. But I believe we’ve brought each other back to the world of the living.”
C.J. kissed her fiercely before he said, “Unfortunately, there’s a code of brotherhood that says you don’t take out another man’s girl. I’m sorry I let you slip out of my life back then. But I brought you here tonight to prove that I love you. To me you were and are the most beau
tiful girl in the room. I love you, Natasha. Will you believe me?”
“I do.” she slipped her arms around him as they swayed to the music. “Thank you for this party. It’s the most wonderful thing anyone has ever done for me.”
He silenced her with another kiss. “Would you like to get out of here?”
“Can we do that?”
“It’s your party. You can do what you want.”
“I’d like to be alone with you.” She looked up at him. “I’d also like to get out of these heels.”
“Is that an invitation?” His eyes lit up.
“Let’s just say I’d like to head up to Yountville and see what happens.”
C.J. hugged her hard; she knew her answer had pleased him. “Let’s go,” he whispered into her hair. Then he dropped his hand to the small of her back and guided her out of the building to his car.
Chapter Seven
“You’re an angel for doing this.”
“No, I’m nuts about you, that’s what.” C.J. brought his sleek Mustang to a halt in front of Tasha’s office building. “Now explain to me why we can’t go up to your office together?”
“Time. It takes forever to park. I’ll run up the three flights, grab my briefcase and be right back down.”
“Do you always go up stairwells alone?”
“No. Security won’t let me.”
“You’re sad because they won’t let beautiful women go into dark stairwells alone at night?” The mirth in his voice was infectious.
“No. They won’t let me alone in them ever. The other tenants hate me and demand that I’m watched at all times.”
He grinned. “So you’re public enemy number one in your building?”
“Let’s just say they don’t like all my clients. And the lease I wrote is very good. Not even my father’s lawyers can find a loophole.”
“Why are they looking for one?”
“That’s the beauty of it. He owns the building.”
“Your dad has been trying to kick you out for helping IAs?”
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