by Simply BWWM
“Dinner? It’s only-” she looked at her watch, shocked. “Oh, wow. It’s already past five. But what about the house?”
“We can decide after dinner, or you can decide when you decide. Trust me, there are plenty of houses in Dallas that are just as nice.”
“Alright,” she said finally. “Let’s walk around the shops and get some dinner. Maybe it will help me clear my head. Who knows, maybe there’ll be an empty storefront just destined to be mine.”
Jake left her in the courtyard, walking out onto the circular drive to talk to Corrine. Deena walked through the first floor again, her heart torn. She wanted this house, but she wanted the salon more. Though Jake had made it clear that they were committed, and that he was happy to pay for all her needs, she just couldn’t sit back and let him buy her a house, pay for a salon, and pay all her bills. She didn’t have it in her.
Being a girlfriend isn’t a solid commitment either, she admonished herself. If he did buy all these things and he decided to walk away, she would be right back where she started and without a job. As much as she loved him, how could she be sure that he loved her forever? He said he would, but was that good enough?
She heard him walk into the courtyard before she saw him, and she quickly straightened up, painting a happy smile on her face before she turned around. She was torn, but now was not the time to talk about it. She needed some fresh air and some time to come down from the high of spending an enchanted week in paradise. Now was not the time to be deciding between a home and a business. She needed to breathe and set her emotions aside.
“Is she going to hold it?”
“No,” he said. “But don’t worry about it.”
“You know what? I’m not going to worry about it. Let’s take a walk. I haven’t walked through the Village in years.” She looked down at her yoga pants and her loose blouse. “I’m not really dressed for Bistro 31.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll stop and make a reservation, and then we can go to Lela Rose and you can pick out a dress.”
When he saw the look on her face he stopped, cupping her cheek and smiling.
“Please, Deena. Let me spoil you.”
“And what do I have to offer you?”
“Something no one else can.”
“And what’s that?”
“You. When I’m with you, I feel like a king. Let me show you how my queen deserves to be treated.” He kissed her tenderly. “Please?”
“You drive a hard bargain.”
“You’re worth fighting for.”
He took her hand, and together, they walked across Douglas Avenue, straight into the heart of Highland Park Village. Jake made their reservation, then whisked her off to Lela Rose, waiting patiently while she perused the dresses, finally settling on a long-sleeved, wool crepe dress in ocean blue.
“It matches your eyes,” she said, smiling at Jake.
“I was hoping you’d pick that one. Try it on.”
She gave her size to the attendant, then went to try on the dress.
When she looked in the mirror, she knew it was the dress. Fitted at the waist with a flaring skirt, it was gorgeous, but not too flashy. She felt beautiful in it.
When she walked out, the slow, crooked smile that spread across his face spoke volumes. He nodded to the attendant, and they charged his account, walking out of the store and going across the way to Hadleigh’s.
“What are we getting here?” she asked.
“I think a new dress calls for new shoes.”
She didn’t bother arguing this time, giving her size to the woman who appeared out of nowhere.
“Would you like me to find something that will go with the dress?”
“Please,” Deena said.
The woman scurried away, returning a few moments later with a beautiful pair of light gray suede pumps. The bows at the end gave them just the right touch. When Deena slipped her feet into them and looked at her reflection in the mirror, she couldn’t help the wide smile that spread across her face.
As quietly as they had in the other store, the attendants charged Jake’s account without him bringing out his wallet. It was definitely a new experience for her, but she had a feeling that Jake intended to get her used to it.
“Thank you,” she said when they left the store. “I feel amazing.”
“You look amazing,” he said. “We still have an hour to kill, so let’s window shop, and if you see anything you like, just say the word.”
*
They’d walked past several shops when one in the corner caught her eye. It had a large front window and was situated next to the high-end makeup store. But that wasn’t what had caught her eye. There was a sign in the window, and the store was clearly empty, even from this far away.
“Is that one for lease?” she asked excitedly, pointing at the store with the sunshades down that was obviously empty.
“I can’t read the sign from this angle,” Jake said. “And I can’t really see into the store with the shades down like that.”
Deena had to force herself to walk at a normal pace; her excitement was overwhelming her. Could she be that lucky? It was even in the perfect location, visible from most of the restaurants, and it was large. It couldn’t have been any more perfect for a salon if-
She stopped, reading the sign as her heart sank.
Coming soon, the sign read. She almost groaned when she got close enough to see the outline of what was inside and realized that what was “coming soon” was a salon. Someone else was living her dream. Somehow, they’d beat her to it.
She bit back the disappointment, telling herself that she would deal with it when she was alone. Later. Now was not the time. Everything happened for a reason, and this was something that was entirely out of her control. She would find another way to live her dream, and now that someone else was living out Deena’s dream in the location that Deena had dreamed of, she was going to have to find another house. There was no way she could live across the street, even if the house was everything she’d ever wanted in a house and more.
She looked past Jake, checking out the shops across the way so she could avoid the new salon. But the stores were closing, and only the restaurants remained open. There was nothing left to do but walk right by the place and just suck it up.
Woman up, buttercup, she thought. She would have to wait until she could talk to Tamika about it to let her real feelings out. Right now, she was going to focus on the man beside her and everything else that was going right in her life.
One dream at a time, Jake’s words echoed in her head, bringing her some comfort. He was right; she had so much going on right now, she needed to shift her attention. Life was good, and she would find a way to have what she wanted in due time. One success at a time.
She felt a little better, but when the lights turned off in the salon and a woman headed for the door, she panicked. She couldn’t see more than her outline through the sunshade that covered the window, but she could tell it was a woman. At this rate, they were going to walk right by the woman when she came out, and Deena didn’t know if she was quite ready for that.
The woman was carrying something, pushing the door open with her hip so that her back was to them. But she didn’t have to see her face to know exactly who the woman was.
Deena looked at Jake, then back at the woman. She was confused. Nothing was making sense.
When their eyes locked, Tamika smiled at her, and Deena realized that she wasn’t at all surprised to see them.
“I love that dress,” Tamika said, handing a large, thick legal envelope to Jake.
Deena couldn’t be sure, but she thought she saw Tamika put something in Jake’s coat pocket, but she had to be imagining it. The two had never met. Had they?
“What’s going on?” she asked. “Tamika, did you rent this place?”
Tamika laughed.
“I couldn’t afford a month’s rent,” Tamika said.
“Are you quitting and coming here?”
“Ye
s,” Tamika said without hesitation.
“Kenya’s going to be mad.”
Tamika shrugged.
“And? She charges us way too much for chair rental, and she never shows up to open or close the store. If we don’t tell her we quit, I bet she won’t notice for a week.”
“If we quit?”
Tamika looked at Jake, shaking her head.
“He didn’t tell you yet, did he?”
“Tell me what?”
Jake smiled, taking a set of keys out of the pocket where Tamika had put them and handing them to Deena.
“It’s not just any salon that’s coming soon. It’s your salon.”
“Are you kidding?” she whispered.
“I don’t kid.”
“I can’t let you pay for it.”
“You don’t have to.” He leaned forward and spoke quietly. “I’m not charging you rent.”
“You own the store?”
“No. I own the holding company that owns the mall. Well, I do now. I made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. It’s a great investment.”
“It’s my salon?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know what to say,” she said, throwing her arms around him.
He held her for a moment, then she realized that they had an audience. The people milling about and the shopkeepers on their way home had stopped to see what was going on. She whispered in his ear that there were people everywhere, and he set her down, still smiling.
“Is it too late to tell Corrine that we want the house?”
“I already told her,” he said. “I knew you were going to change your mind when I showed you our surprise, and I didn’t want to have someone swoop in and buy it.”
Deena pulled away from Jake, hugging Tamika.
“I can’t believe you two did all this. This is amazing. When did you-”
“When I left early that Friday you went on vacation, he caught me outside the salon and asked me if I would help him. Of course, I couldn’t say no, so I snuck the catalogue we’ve been looking through and ordered the chairs you were lusting after, and everything else I could think of that we could use. It still needs work and a name, but I got the hard stuff done.”
“You can have it opened by this Friday if you want,” Jake offered.
“Is that the work you had to do from the plane?”
“Not all of it, but I can’t reveal all my secrets. At least, not just yet.”
“I don’t know how you kept this a secret, Tamika.”
“You weren’t here,” she laughed. “If you hadn’t been on vacation, it would’ve been hard. I couldn’t let Kenya know what was going on, so I worked during the day, then I supervised the contractor in the evening.”
“They don’t allow contractors in while customers are present anyway,” Jake said. “But Tamika was a huge help, and I had no idea what I was doing. She made sure that everything was done right, and I know you’re going to be thrilled with the results.”
“This is all so amazing. I don’t know what to say, to both of you. I’ve never felt so loved in my life.”
“I’m hoping to change that,” Jake said. “But we set the bar awfully high.”
Jake took her hands, looking into her eyes and leaning closely so that only she could hear him.
“I’ve thought a lot about everything we’ve talked about, and I know that you feel as strongly as I do about us. I’m not saying that this has to happen anytime soon. We can wait a year or five. I just want you to know that my love for you and my commitment to you is forever. The house and the salon are in your name.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I think it’s important. I know you; you’re an independent woman who owns her life, and I don’t want you to ever feel that I have leverage over you. If I’m not treating you like the queen you are, I don’t want you to second-guess anything.”
“Oh, Jake,” she whispered, eyes welling up with tears. “I’m in it for the long haul too. I can’t even remember what life was like without you, but I know that I’ve never been happier.”
“Like I said, I’m hoping to make you eat those words.”
His tone was almost wicked, and her body responded to him like it always did. He was up to something, but Deena couldn’t even begin to figure out what it could be. He’d already given her a car, bought her a house, and given her a space to start her high-end salon in. The only thing left was-
Her eyes grew wide, and she knew before he lowered himself to one knee that was exactly what he meant. Still, she couldn’t believe she wasn’t dreaming.
The crowd had gone silent, except for the quiet murmur of the people in the crowd who recognized Dallas’ most eligible billionaire. A few wondered who she was, but she didn’t care. She was focused on Jake and the tiny, black velvet box in his hand.
“Jake, what’s going on?”
“I think you know,” he said. “I know we talked about this, but you deserve to have it done right.”
He opened the box, revealing a large, four-carat diamond on a platinum band.
“Is that a Blue Nile Grandeur?” someone whispered loudly from the crowd.
Her hands went to her mouth, and she held her breath. She wanted to remember this moment for the rest of her life. Jake, the salon, Tamika and even the people that circled around them.
“When you know, you know,” he said, smiling. “Deena Harris, will you make me the happiest man in the world and be my wife?”
The crowd collectively held their breath, waiting for her to respond. She held out her hand, eyes locked with his and said the only thing that she could say.
“Yes.”
*
Epilogue
Deena saw the last of the designers out the door, so glad to be done. Finally. The house was furnished and decorated, so beautiful and put together that it looked like a page from a magazine. She looked around at the subtle pops of color that tied in the crisp décor and wondered again at how quickly things were done in Jake’s world.
And without Deena lifting a finger.
“The house looks great, Deena. I’m so happy for you.”
“The offer still stands, you know,” she said. “The guest room is completely self-contained, and it’s bigger than your apartment.”
But Tamika was already shaking her head.
“I’ve got this. The grand opening is tonight, and I know we’re going to book tons of clients for next week. Plus, without a chair rental, I can afford to move into a nicer apartment closer to work.”
“But until then-”
“No,” Tamika laughed. “Now come on, let’s get going.”
“Jake’s already there, making sure the caterer has everything set up just right. I can’t believe he got everything organized so quickly.”
“Money talks,” Tamika said, following Deena out the door.
“It sure does.”
“I can’t believe he got the sign made that quick.”
“Do you like the name?”
“I do. It fits the vibe of the Village.”
“The Cut,” Deena said, testing the name again.
The more she said it, the more she liked it. It was simple and to the point. There was no clever play on words, no lengthy, cutesy name to remember. Everyone would know what the business was, and that was the most important.
As they were walking, the voices of the people attending the grand opening could be heard even before they crossed Douglas Avenue.
“Oh wow, do you see all those people?”
“Tamika, they’re not all going to fit in the salon.”
“I know,” Tamika laughed, hurrying with Deena through the door on the street side.
Jake was in the salon, directing the caterers and looking completely in his element, giving orders and making sure everything was perfect. When he saw Deena, he beamed.
“It’s a big crowd.”
“I see that.”
“You’re going to have to hire more hairdresse
rs.”
“I’ve hired one for every chair and two to cover days off and vacations.”
“I should have known you had it handled.”
“Everything looks beautiful, Jake. This is perfect.”
“No, you’re perfect. And I sent the caterers to get more food. Are you ready?”
“I am.”
They stood hand in hand, and Tamika went to the door. When Deena nodded, Tamika opened the door, and the crowd filed in one by one, signing the guestbook and leaving their number if they wanted an appointment. Deena greeted each guest personally with Jake by her side the entire night. He made it clear with his presence and his support that they were in this together.
Because when you know, you just know.
THANKS FOR READING!
This book is part of a bestselling series called “United States Of Billionaires”. Every book features a different billionaire in a different city and very soon we could be coming to your home town!
Below are all the books currently available, is a city you love in there? Download now and check it out. (Be warned, all these books are extra STEAMY!)
Book 1 – The Billionaire From San Diego
Book 2 – The Billionaire From Atlanta
Collect the whole series!
Peace, love and high heels!
Lena & The Simply BWWM Team
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