“Where have you three been hiding?” Julian asks and offers me a napkin. “Oh, I see you’ve been at the dessert table.”
“Honestly sis, can’t you keep your face clean for even a minute?” Hailey asks.
“Julian, this restaurant is unbelievable. In fact, I think it’s my new favorite!” I exclaim.
“Thanks, Paige. I’m glad you like it. Hailey did a phenomenal job creating just the right atmosphere. It wouldn’t be the same without you, babe,” he says and winks at Hailey, who appears to blush slightly. I rub my eyes, because I know I must be imagining things. Hailey never blushes!
“Julian, we haven’t seen the terrace, yet. I hear it has a nice view of the town,” Elliott exclaims, smiling peculiarly.
“Right, well then, let me show it to you,” Julian says just as awkwardly.
Julian extends his hand in the direction of the glass doors. Hailey and I walk ahead of the men, and she loops her arm through mine.
“The terrace overlooks the lake, has a gorgeous view, and is one hundred percent my design! It’s my pride and joy!” she exclaims in my ear. “You could say the terrace has somewhat of an Asian influence. I ran my ideas through with the architect, and he loved them.”
I turn around and realize that Elliott and Julian have fallen behind. I watch as they are having a serious discussion about something. I can’t quite make out what they are saying, but Elliott is nudging Julian forward, as if reassuring him of something. What are they talking about?
“Paige, are you coming?” Hailey asks anxiously.
“Look at the guys; there’s something going on here. Have you noticed they are acting a little strange?” I ask, still trying to read their lips.
“Paige, the only person acting strange tonight is you. Now, come on!” she says and tugs on my arm.
We walk through the double doors. A breeze is rustling sheer white curtains; stars sparkle in the sky; white paper lanterns glow and appear as if they are floating magically in the air. Tables are divided by delicate fabrics and bamboo clusters. Each booth is its own oasis, set apart from the rest of the world. How romantic. Elliott and I must have a date here sometime soon.
Aside from soft music playing, I can barely hear a sound.
“Oh Hailey, it’s gorgeous. The best part of the restaurant,” I say admiringly.
“Thanks. Julian gave me free reign out here,” she says, brimming with pride. “You still haven’t seen the view.”
She leads me to the far side of the patio. A reflecting pool cascades over the building’s ledge. When I stand closer, I peer over the side, and I see water is streaming down the building for an entire story. The wall has chiseled blocks that sporadically project out and the interesting design creates a path for the water to follow. Down below, clusters of chairs are surrounded by decorations mirroring the ones from up above. People are down there, how did they get there? I look around and discover that hidden along the sculpted blocks is a staircase leading to the oasis below.
“Wow, Hailey. This is really astounding. Everything in here is absolutely fantastic. You must be incredibly proud,” I say.
“I am. The designs came together pretty easily. It doesn’t hurt to fall in love while working on a massive project,” she says, glowing.
Just then, Elliott and Julian appear out of nowhere.
“Did I just hear you say something about my divine presence inspiring you?” Julian asks, wrapping his arms around her body.
“Ha-ha, something like that,” Hailey says and nuzzles into Julian’s shoulder.
“Everything is perfect,” I say quietly.
“Actually, it’s not perfect, yet. Give me a sec,” Julian says and runs off.
Abruptly, Elliott begins asking Hailey questions about her inspiration for her designs. Since when has he ever been interested in fabric swatches and mood lighting?
“Elliott, what are you and Julian up to?” I ask.
“What do you mean? Nothing, nothing at all,” he says guiltily.
I’m watching him skeptically, when Julian returns.
Julian’s standing with one arm behind his back, watching Hailey with keen interest. It seems as if he’s waiting for something. Hailey’s consumed by her conversation with Elliott and hasn’t noticed. That’s strange. Why did Julian rush over to the bar, if he wasn’t planning to return with a round of drinks or bottle of champagne? I assumed we were going to have our own little celebration; a toast to wish good luck for a successful opening night.
All of a sudden, a woman joins the string quartet and begins to sing At Last, by Ella Fitzgerald. Oh, how nice.
As if on cue, Julian approaches Hailey, a red rose in his hand. Ah, that is sooo sweet. Wait a minute! Is there something shiny in there? What is that? Julian’s face is consumed by a huge grin. What’s going on here?
Actually, I think he’s about to . . . he’s about to . . .
“Hailey,” he says and reaches for her hand.
She stops talking with Elliott and shifts her attention toward Julian. Elliott is wearing a goofy grin. He must be in on this little scene.
“For a while there, I was scared to death of losing you forever to someone else. I’m fortunate that I’ve been given a second chance. I don’t want a day to go by that I don’t get to spend at least a moment with you in my arms. I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you,” he says, handing her the red rose. “Please tell me you feel the same. Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
I look up from the rose and watch Hailey’s reaction. Are those actual tears in her eyes? Now I think I’m going to cry. She reaches for the rose and peers down. From the petals, she retrieves the most gorgeous ring I’ve ever seen.
Julian goes down onto one knee and places the ring on her finger. Hailey nods her head vigorously, up and down, while covering her mouth with her right hand.
“Hailey, you haven’t actually answered yet. I’m not going to take my knee off of your foot until you say yes,” he says and his smile is so large I can see his teeth sparkle.
“Yes, Julian! Of course, yes!” she exclaims and wipes a tear from her cheek.
He stands, and the two circle their arms around each other. I try to give them a moment before rushing over. I wait and wait. They are still hugging. How long are they going to embrace? I can’t wait any longer and am ready to leap towards Hailey, but Elliott grabs my arm and steadies me in my place.
“Give them another minute, Paige,” Elliott whispers.
I may narrow my eyes at him, but I agree and wait some more. After what seems like forever, the happy couple move away from each other. I lunge forward and squeeze my sister for all I’m worth. When I pull away, we bounce like little girls!
"Hailey let me see the ring!"
Proudly, she dangles her fingers, showing off her new finery. There’s a round diamond, with the most unusual design in platinum, wrapping itself around the setting. It’s very stylish and modern, just like my sister. And this time around, I’m not going to try it on for size.
Elliott approaches Julian, pats him on the back, and shakes his hand. “Welcome to the family. Good luck. You’ll need it with these women."
I want to send Elliott a dirty look, but I can’t stop beaming. Everyone seems so happy!
“Don’t tell me I missed it,” I hear that same southern voice appear out of nowhere, and my chest tightens.
“Sorry, I couldn’t wait any longer,” Julian says and hugs Delilah.
“Congratulations to you both!” Delilah says, reaching for Hailey’s hand and admiring the ring. “It’s beautiful, and this is so exciting! When Julian told me how he was gonna pop the question at the opening of the restaurant, I said I just had to witness it for myself. I can’t believe I was held up in the kitchen. Enjoy the moment, darlin’. You’ll remember this day for the rest of your life.”
“What was it like for you on the day Mr. B proposed?” Hailey asks.
“Well,” Delilah says with a sigh. “William proposed to me
as we were sitting on a picnic blanket, right underneath the Washington Monument. It was very sweet, but I could tell he was rattled with nerves.”
“You married William Berringer!” I shout a little too overzealously.
Delilah is wearing the oddest expression of confusion, and Hailey has her hand on her face, shaking her head.
“Yes, we married some time ago. Let’s see, it’s been about fifteen years now. Only, we met quiet some time before that,” Delilah offers with a gleam in her eyes.
“You met while you worked at The Greenbrier Resort!” I say excitedly.
“Yes, we did. It started off as a summer romance. Thank goodness, he found me a few years later and swept me off my feet. In fact, he was instrumental in my opening up the first restaurant. He encouraged me to do it, he even drew up the designs,” she says, smiling sweetly.
“He became an architect?” I ask, realizing I should settle down, only I can’t control myself.
“Yes, he is an architect. How do you know so much about us?” she asks suspiciously.
Hailey quickly interjects, “Oh, you know, Julian can’t stop talking about Mr. B, you, and the restaurant.”
“Is Mr. B here tonight?” I ask anxiously.
“Not yet, but he will be. He had to drive in from Palm Beach tonight. He had an important meeting he just couldn’t miss,” Delilah offers.
Hailey exclaims over-eagerly, “I can’t wait to finally meet him in person! I love his designs. I studied some of them in college!”
“Well darlin’, I’ll most certainly introduce you to him when he arrives. If you’ll excuse me, I have to make sure the kitchen hasn’t burned down to the ground yet,” Delilah says and heads across the restaurant.
Hailey and I are left staring at each other. Simultaneously we burst out in laughter. Elliott and Julian peer over and see us keeling over, clenching our stomachs.
“See what I mean? These two are tough to read, and their mother—forget it,” Elliott offers, and I swat his arm. “What?”
“You love me and you know it,” I say playfully.
Elliott inches closer and softly touches his lips to mine. “I love everything about you, Paige. Even the nutty parts,” he says sweetly (I think). “I saw you talking with Delilah. How’d it go?”
“It was fine. I may have appeared a little clairvoyant though. Hailey helped me out a bit,” I offer.
Hailey interrupts, “A bit? If you had continued rambling nonsense to Mrs. B, she would have thought you were a stalker or something.”
“That I’m a stalker? What about your obsessive need to meet her architect husband?” I shoot back.
“You’re right. She probably thinks we’re both completely mad,” Hailey says, rubbing her hand on the side of her cheek.
“I can’t imagine either one of you could possibly say anything that bad. I’m sure she adores you both,” Julian says, sliding his arm around Hailey’s back and squeezing her closer to him.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Elliott mumbles, barely holding back a chuckle.
“You think you are so funny, don’t you,” I say and narrow my eyes.
“Hailey, here’s your chance to meet William for yourself,” Julian says, peering behind me.
Swiftly, Hailey, Elliott, and I search for William. I don’t see him yet. Where is he? All of a sudden, I realize a very illustrious looking man is approaching.
“Julian, there you are. I was just in the kitchen greeting my lovely wife. She mentioned you were over here,” William says, shaking Julian’s hand.
When Julian introduces William to Hailey, she beams from ear-to-ear. William’s features are just as striking as I remember; his dark hair has begun to grey, making him look even more distinguished. In a way, he resembles his father. I wonder what ever happened to his parents. How does Delilah get along with his ice-queen mother? I’m just dying to ask, but decide to keep my mouth shut.
“Paige, Elliott, this is William Berringer, part owner and architect,” Julian says and turns to William. “Paige is Hailey’s sister.”
“It’s great to meet you both. I just heard the good news about Hailey accepting Julian’s proposal. I suppose that makes us practically family,” William offers.
Did he just say family? Heat rushes to my head. I’m dizzy. The thought of sitting across the Thanksgiving table from him and Delilah is overwhelming. Thank goodness Elliott is now chatting with Mr. Berringer, I mean William.
After a few minutes of listening to Elliott and William’s conversation, I begin to feel confident enough to join in. Actually, it’s as if I’ve known William for years (in a way, I suppose I have). It’s strange to see how William and Delilah have aged. I remember them as teens. Today, they are only a about ten years older than I am. I wonder if we could be friends. What do we have in common? I know Delilah likes to cook, as do I. Maybe Elliott and I could have a dinner party and invite them over. Maybe they have kids. Our kids could play together. That would be so sweet.
I’m imagining all of the good times we’ll have together, when I notice Elliott is staring at me. He winks playfully then returns back to his conversation with William.
I shift my attention away long enough to take in the surrounding atmosphere. The quartet is playing a sweet melody. I am surrounded by people sipping their cocktails, their voices rising and falling spontaneously. Elliott and Julian are laughing about something or another. My sister is explaining to William an idea she has for one of her new clients. He is staring thoughtfully at the floor, with his hand resting on his chin. I’ve seen him do that before, he must be interested in her ideas.
A loud sigh of contentment escapes from my mouth and a smile plasters my face. All of a sudden, I feel a hand rest carefully on my shoulder. I glance to my right and see Delilah looking ahead at the group.
“I hope you aren’t sighing from boredom,” she says.
“No, I’m enjoying this moment more than you’ll ever know,” I say and lift my glass to offer her a toast. “Here’s to following your heart, doing what you love, and overflowing with success.”
“I’ll definitely drink to that!” she says excitedly and our glasses meet.
Epilogue
“Mom, can we take Maggie to Magic Kingdom, please?” Liam asks, joining me in our kitchen.
“Sure. Elle and I would really enjoy that,” I respond, flipping over a grilled cheese sandwich and appreciating the golden surface of the buttered bread.
“You know, maybe you guys could go to a different park. How about Animal Kingdom?” he offers hopefully, raising his eyebrows up and down.
“I’ll tell you what, we’ll stay far away from you little love birds. Besides, don’t you think you’re a little too young to go on dates?”
“Mom, Maggie and I are just friends! And don’t you remember that I just turned eight?”
“Sorry, I forgot,” I say while stirring a pinch of oregano into the tomato bisque. “Make sure Maggie asks her mom if it’s okay.”
He nods his head in agreement and walks away, punching numbers into the phone.
Thank goodness for theme parks. Since we have annual passes, much of our summer vacation will be spent there. Before the kids were finished with the school year, I filled my calendar with fun activities for us to do. Most of my brilliant ideas are working out great; however, I had to scratch ‘Mom’s Art Projects’ after a little incident involving some handmade play dough. I may have many new talents, but arts and crafts are not one of them.
My children’s laughter comes at me from all directions of my house, and I'll miss it when they're at camp next week. At least there, they’ll be challenged creatively, unlike with me, where I’m just creatively challenged. I’m not sure what I’ll do with myself while they’re away. I’ll probably use that time to catch up around the house. Oh who am I kidding, I’ll waste away in front of the computer shopping on eBay.
Last week, I bid on a gorgeous Marc Jacobs bag. I watched my computer screen eagerly, waiting to see if the ba
g would be mine. In the end, I am delighted to say I reigned victorious!
“Liam just said we’re going to Disney!” Elle exclaims, bounding into the kitchen, wearing her new homemade fairy outfit.
“It looks that way,” I pause and watch as the tulle of her dress swishes. “How do you like your new costume?”
“I love it! Thanks, Mom. Can you make me another one? Maybe in white, I can be a snow fairy,” she says, waving her wand.
“Sure, maybe we can stop by the fabric store tomorrow.”
“That would be great! I want sparkly glitter on it, too,” she says and dances out of the room.
“Elle, please change into something more comfortable, before we leave!” I holler in her direction, but with her selective hearing, I doubt she will.
I watch as she leaves, still admiring my handiwork. I’m pretty good at this sewing thing. Who knew? I surely had no idea I could make anything look that good. Strange, I have been doing a lot of things better lately.
Maybe I've gotten my new flair for cooking and sewing through my glimmers. Maybe they unleashed a hidden potential from deep within me. I can’t believe I didn’t realize this before! Now I really want to have another glimmer. I’d love to learn how to paint, or play an instrument, or fly a plane! If only I could find just the right object to help me leap into the life of a musician. I should buy a used piano! Maybe if I touch just the right key, I could have another glimmer! It would be so cool to find myself playing a concerto in front of an adoring crowd.
I may not have a piano or an airplane handy, but I know I have a paintbrush somewhere.
“There you are,” I say to the fuzzy little tool.
All right, bring on another glimmer. I pull out some paints and paper. I’m going to paint like Picasso . . . . All right, this looks more like preschool art. This is ridiculous. I begin to rinse off the bristles, feeling a little silly. Even with the help of having a glimmer, I doubt I could ever learn how to paint or play an instrument. It’s absurd to think I’ve gained a talent through having a glimmer. I could cook and sew all along; I must have just chosen not to until now.
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