by Sara Orwig
“Want to wear them tonight?”
She looked at her suit. “Yes, I’d love to.”
“I tried to get something that you can wear whether it’s day or night—in other words, all the time.”
“I love this necklace and bracelet. I love that you thought of me and wanted to do this,” she said, smiling at him.
“Let me put it on you,” he said, and she nodded.
In seconds he stepped back. “Hold out your wrist.” When she did, he fastened the bracelet on her slender wrist and kissed her lightly. “We’ll celebrate more tonight when we get back home. Stella, a baby is precious. It is a celebration and this is just a tiny token.”
“It’s more than a token and I’ll treasure it always, Aaron. It’s absolutely beautiful,” she said, thrilled that he was that happy about the baby.
“I’m glad you feel that way.”
She nodded. Touched, wishing things were different, she felt her emotions getting out of hand. Tears stung her eyes.
“Ready? Sid’s waiting.”
“Yes,” she answered, turning toward the door. She wanted to wipe her eyes but didn’t want Aaron to know she was crying. If only he loved her—then his gift would hold a deeper meaning for her.
Seven
That evening, Stella really wowed her dinner companions. She gave a talk similar to the one in Lubbock, showing pictures of the devastation in Royal, which she had on her iPad. By the time the evening was over, it looked promising that the oil and gas executives were going to publicize Royal’s need for financial help and make a large donation. As she and Aaron left the restaurant, she breathed a sigh of relief that her efforts for the town were paying off.
Then they went back to Aaron’s house to make love through the night. They were in the big bed in the guest bedroom where she was staying. She wore her necklace and bracelet through the night, but in the morning as Aaron held her in his arms, he touched the necklace lightly. “Put your necklace and bracelet away today. Just leave them here instead of taking them to the salon.”
“Sure,” she answered, smiling at him.
“Sid has the limo waiting,” Aaron said. “Tonight, we’re meeting television executives from here in Dallas. These people can do a lot, Stella. Tomorrow we’ll fly to Austin. You have a lunch, an interview and a dinner there and then we fly back to Dallas for one more interview at noon on Friday.”
“Don’t say another word. You’ll just stir up my nerves more than ever.”
“You’re doing great. I’ll tell you again, relax and enjoy your day at the salon. You better go now. I’m going to the office and I’ll see you tonight. It’ll take all day at the salon and, afterward, Sid will take you to the restaurant. Just call me when you’re on the way. I’ll try to get there before you do. That way we’ll be ahead of the people we’re meeting, so we can just sit and talk until they get there.”
“You’re getting me into more things,” she said, holding a bag with her new dress and clothes that she would wear to dinner. Aaron grinned.
“You’ll look back on all of this and be glad. I promise.” He took her arm and they left, pausing while he locked up.
When they greeted her at the salon, she couldn’t believe her day was turning out this way. It commenced with a massage. As she relaxed, she thought of the contrast with her life the first night after the tornado and how she had fallen into bed about four in the morning and slept two hours to get up and go back to work helping people.
She had her first manicure and first pedicure, which both seemed unnecessary. In the afternoon she had a facial. Following the facial, a salon attendant washed her hair and passed her over to the stylist to cut and blow-dry her hair. By the time she was done, Stella felt like a different woman. Instead of straight brown hair that fell halfway down her back, her hair was now just inches above shoulder length. It fell in a silky curtain that curled under, with slight bangs that were brushed to one side.
Next, a professional did her makeup and took time to show Stella how to apply it herself.
By late afternoon when she looked in the mirror, Stella couldn’t recognize herself. She realized that she had so rarely ever tried makeup and then only lipstick that it gave her an entirely different appearance, although the biggest change was her hair.
The salon women gushed over the transformation that was amazing to her. Finally, she dressed for the evening.
“I really don’t even know myself,” she told the tall blonde named Gretchen at the reception desk.
“You look gorgeous. Perfect. The dress you brought is also perfect. We hope you love everything—your makeup, your hair and your nails.”
She smiled at Gretchen. “I’ll admit that I do,” she said, pleased by the result and wondering what Aaron would think. “I’ve had the same hairdo since I was in college. It became a habit and it was easy. It’s amazing how different I look,” she said, turning slightly to look at herself in the mirror. The red silk dress fit her changing waistline; her old clothes were beginning to feel slightly tight in the waist because of her pregnancy.
She still wore her black wool coat and couldn’t see any reason for a new coat. When she thanked them and left, Sid smiled at her as he held the limo door.
“You look great,” he said appreciatively. “Mr. Nichols isn’t going to know you.”
“Thanks, Sid. I don’t feel quite like me.”
“Might as well make the most of it,” he said, and grinned. “You’ll turn heads tonight.”
“You think? Sid, that would be a first,” she admitted, laughing as she climbed into the limo and he closed the door.
* * *
Midafternoon Aaron went home to shower and change into a charcoal suit, a custom-made white dress shirt and a red tie. He returned to the office to spend the rest of the day catching up on paperwork. Just as he was ready to leave, he was delayed by a phone call. It only took a few minutes, but he guessed he might not get to the restaurant ahead of Stella, so he sent her a text.
He had received a call from the businessmen who’d had dinner with them last night, and they wanted to donate $20,000 to Royal’s relief efforts, which he thought would be another boost to Stella’s self-confidence. Aaron knew Stella hadn’t faced the fact that she was filling in for the mayor as Royal’s representative to the outside world even if it wasn’t official. She was filling in and getting better at it all the time.
When he arrived at the restaurant, Aaron parked and hurried across the lot. He wanted to see what transformations they had made at the salon. Whatever they had done, he hoped the bun had disappeared for the evening.
The only people in the lobby besides restaurant employees in black uniforms were a couple standing, looking at a picture of a celebrity who had eaten at the restaurant. He didn’t see any sign of Stella. The couple consisted of a tall, black-haired man and a beautiful woman half-turned toward him as she looked at the photograph.
He saw the maître d’ and motioned to him to ask him about Stella. As the maître d’ approached, Aaron glanced again at the woman. The man had walked away, and she was now standing alone. She was stunning in a red dress that ended at her knees, showing shapely long legs and trim ankles in high-heeled red pumps.
“Sir?” the maître d’ asked.
“I’m supposed to meet someone here,” he said. “Ms. Daniels.”
“Aaron?”
He heard Stella’s voice and looked up. The woman in red had turned to face him and he almost looked past her before he realized it was Stella. “She’s here,” he heard himself say to the maître d’. Aaron had expected a change, but not such a transformation that he didn’t recognize her. Desire burst with white heat inside him as he walked over to her.
“I didn’t even recognize you,” he said, astounded and unable to stop staring at her. The temperature around him climbed. He tried to absorb the fact that this was Stella, because she had changed drastically. He was now looking at a stunning beauty.
“I told you long ago you might
need to get your eyes checked,” she said, smiling at him and making him feel weak in the knees. “Aaron, it’s still me.”
“You’re going to knock them dead with your looks,” he said without even thinking about it.
“I hope not,” she said, laughing. “Aaron, you’re staring.”
“Damn straight, I’m staring. I can’t recognize you.”
“Get used to it. I’m really no different. I take it you like what you see,” she prompted.
“Like? I’m bowled over. Stella, do you recognize yourself?”
“I’ll admit it’s quite a change. I have to get accustomed to my hair.”
“You look fantastic. Wait right here,” Aaron said and walked back to the maître d’ to talk to him. After a moment, Aaron came back to take her arm. “Come with me,” he said. The maître d’ smiled at them and turned to lead the way.
“Aaron?” she asked, glancing at him.
“Just a moment, you’ll see,” he answered her unasked question.
The maître d’ stopped to motion them through an open door. They entered an office with a desk covered by papers. The maître d’ closed the door behind them.
“I asked where I could be alone with you for a few minutes. He’s right outside the door should anyone want in this office.”
“What on earth are we doing here?”
“I gave you a necklace and bracelet as a token of a celebration because you’re carrying my baby, Stella. It’s a relatively simple gold necklace and bracelet that you can wear in the daytime and wear often, which is what I wanted. To celebrate our baby, I also want you to have something very special, because this is a unique time in your life and mine. This present you can’t wear as often, but you can wear it tonight,” he said, handing her a flat package tied in another blue ribbon.
“You’ve given me a beautiful present. You didn’t need to do this.” Her blue eyes were wide as she studied him and then accepted the box. She untied the ribbon and opened the velvet box and gasped. “Aaron. Oh, my heavens. This is beautiful. It’s magnificent.”
He picked up a diamond necklace that sparkled in the light. “Turn around and I’ll put it on,” he said.
“I’ve never had anything like this. I feel as if I need a bodyguard to wear it.” She turned and he fastened it around her slender throat, brushing a kiss on her nape, catching a scent that was exotic and new for Stella.
“You’ve got one—me. There,” he said after a moment, turning her to face him, his gaze going over her features. Her blue eyes looked bigger than ever with thick lashes framing them. She didn’t have on heavy makeup, just enough to alter her looks, but her hair was what had thrown him off.
And now her figure showed in the red dress, which fit a waistline that still was tiny. The diamonds glittered on her slender throat.
“You’re beautiful, and that’s an inadequate description. Stunning is more like it.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you’re pleased and thank you for doing this for me.”
“Do you like the change?”
“After your reaction, yes, I do. It takes some getting used to. I sort of don’t recognize myself, either.”
They looked at each other and smiled. “I’d kiss you, but it would mess up that makeup.”
“Wait until later.”
“We better give the guy back his office. I just wanted a private moment to give the necklace to you.”
“It’s dazzling. I’ve never had anything like it.”
He took her arm and they stepped out. “Thanks,” Aaron said, slipping some folded bills to the maître d’. Then he turned to Stella and said, “Let’s go meet your public. You’ll wow them and get a bundle for Royal.”
“Don’t make me jittery,” she said, but she sounded far more sure of herself than she had on that first drive to Lubbock.
“Also, I didn’t tell you. I got a text from the guys last night. They’re sending a check to the Royal storm recovery fund for $20,000.”
She turned to gaze at him with wide eyes. “Mercy, Aaron. That’s a big amount.”
“You just wait and see what you can do for your hometown.” He glanced at the maître d’. “We’re ready for our table now and you can show the others in when they arrive.”
* * *
Aaron introduced her to two men and a woman, all executives of a television station. Through salads and dinner Stella told them stories of people affected by the storm. Over dessert, and after-dinner drinks for everyone except Stella, she showed them her presentation on her iPad.
“Stella has suggested a Christmas drive,” Aaron said, “to get presents for those who lost everything, for families with children and people still in the hospital.”
“That’s a wonderful idea,” the woman, Molly Vandergrift, said. “I think that would be a great general-interest story. Would you like to appear on our news show and talk about this?”
“I’d love to,” Stella replied, meaning it, realizing she was losing the butterflies in her stomach. Along with the change in her appearance and the money that she had already raised, she was gaining more confidence in her ability to talk to people about Royal. And tonight, the three television executives were so friendly, enthusiastic and receptive that she felt even better.
“We’re going to try to tie it into the Texas Cattleman’s Club Christmas festival in Royal this year,” she added.
“That’ll be good to have on a show. I know Lars West with the Dallas TCC. We could get him to come on, too, with Stella. Are the TCC here doing anything?”
“They will,” Aaron replied. “I’ve just started talking to them.”
“I’m sure the sooner you can do this, the better. I’ll send a text now,” Molly said, “and see if we can get you on the Friday show.”
“That would be grand,” Stella answered. “Everyone in Royal will appreciate what you’re doing to help.” She was aware Aaron had been quieter all evening than he had been in Lubbock, letting her do most of the talking. When she glanced at him, he looked pleased.
Excitement hummed in her because she was going to get so much support for Royal. As the evening wore on, she was even more pleased with her makeover, relieved that she could begin to relax talking to people and enjoy meeting them.
They didn’t break up until after ten o’clock. She and Aaron told them goodbye outside as valets brought the cars to the door.
Finally she was alone in Aaron’s car with him. He drove out of the lot, but on the drive back, he pulled off the road slightly, put the car in Park and turned to kiss and hug her. Then he leaned away. “You were fantastic tonight. No butterflies either—right?”
“I think they’re gone,” she said.
“They’ll never come back, either. Awesome evening. You did a whiz-bang job. Watch. The television show will be wonderful for Royal.”
“I think so, too,” she said, feeling bubbly and excited. “Thanks, Aaron, for all you’ve done for me. And thank you again for this fabulous necklace that I was aware of all evening.”
“You’re welcome. Stella, you’ll be able to do more and more for Royal.”
“I hope so.” As he drove home they discussed the evening and what they would do Friday.
The minute they were in the kitchen of his house, Aaron turned her. “You take my breath away,” he said.
Her heart skipped a beat as she gazed at him. “Thank you again for the diamonds. They’re beautiful.”
“That’s why I didn’t want you to take your gold necklace for tonight. I had something else in mind.” He slipped his arms around her and kissed her, his tongue thrusting deeply as he held her. After a while he raised his head. “Go with me to the TCC Christmas festival. Will you?”
“I’d be delighted, thank you,” she replied.
He kissed her again, picking her up to carry her to the guest bedroom where she was staying. Still kissing her, he stood her on her feet by the bed. “I can’t stop looking at you,” he whispered. He drew her to him to kiss her. When he released her, h
e slid the zipper down the back of her dress and pushed it off her shoulders. As it fell around her feet, he leaned back to look at her. “You changed everything,” he said.
“I bought the underwear when I purchased the dress,” she said as he unfastened the clasp of the lacy red bra that was a wisp of material and so different from her usual practical cotton underwear.
He placed his hands on her hips and inhaled deeply. “You’re gorgeous,” he whispered, his eyes raking over her lacy panties down to her thigh-high stockings. She was still in her red pumps.
As he looked at her she unfastened the buttons of his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders. Her hands worked to loosen his belt and then his suit trousers and finally they fell away and she pushed down his briefs to free him.
She stroked him lightly and he inhaled, picking her up. She kicked off her pumps, and he placed her on the bed, switching on a small bedside light before kneeling beside her to shower her with kisses.
As she wound her arms around his neck, she rose up slightly, pulling him to her to kiss him. “Aaron, this is so good,” she whispered.
He moved over her, kissing her passionately while she clung to him.
Later, she lay in his arms, held closely against him. “Aaron, you’re changing my life.”
He shifted on his side to face her, toying with locks of her hair. “You’re changing mine, too, you know.”
“I suppose,” she said, gazing solemnly into his eyes. “I hadn’t thought about that, but I guess a baby will change both of us. Even just knowing we’ll have a baby will bring changes. I was talking about this week and my makeover, my new clothes, meeting so many people and persuading them to help. Of course, I have the pictures and figures to persuade them.”
