by Jenny Lynn
“Ready to face the lions?” he asked offering me his arm.
“I was born ready,” I told him, slipping my arm into his and holding my head high. Together we went into the adjoining ballroom where Nicholas glanced at the seating chart, finding his name then walking over to a table. His sisters and brother in law were already seated.
“Nicholas, there you are!” Evelyn exclaimed, then glanced at me. “Oh, I remember you. We met at the bar. So you’re the mysterious date; Nicholas refused to tell us who he was bringing. I’ve got to warn you Nicholas, Lilly is here and she’s still upset you didn’t escort her.”
“Well, as I said, I have a date this evening so that just wouldn’t be possible,” he said. “You remember Breanne?”
“Nice to see you again Breanne,” Sasha acknowledged. “Did you both get in today?”
“We did,” I told her. “This hotel is beautiful.”
“Did you bring a bathing suit?” Evelyn asked me. “We’re going swimming tomorrow morning, maybe you’d like to join us?”
“Sure, that would be nice,” I told her. I wasn’t sure why Nicholas had felt the need to warn me about his family, they were being warm and friendly towards me.
“Great!” said Evelyn with a smile. “Meet us downstairs by the pool, say ten?”
“What’s happening at ten?” said a woman’s voice from behind me. I turned and recognized Lilly from that night at the bar.
“We’re going swimming, want to join us?” Evelyn asked.
“Are you going, Nicholas?” she asked, placing her arm along the back of his chair.
“I’ll probably have work to do, but we’ll see,” he said.
“Oh, Nicholas,” she sighed. “You’re on vacation, you need to learn to relax. I was just talking to your mother, she’s sitting with the Beaumont’s. She was very surprised to hear you had a date; I think she was waiting for you to arrive so she could come say hi. Of course I let her know you’re here when I saw you walk in.”
“Thanks, Lilly,” Nicholas mumbled.
“Oh, here she comes now,” Lilly smiled brightly. I noticed Mrs. Blackstone approach, Nicholas stood and hugged her.
“Nicholas, I simply don’t understand why we couldn’t all come up together yesterday,” she said in an exasperated tone. She turned her attention and focused on me. “Why don’t you introduce me to your... friend,” she said.
“This is Breanne,” he told her. I smiled warmly.
“Does Breanne not have a last name?” she asked, looking me over.
“It’s Taylor,” I told her. Her expression did not thaw.
“And how do you know my son?” she asked. I started to squirm in my seat, finally understanding what Nicholas meant about his mother.
“Breanne is a student studying Psychology,” Nicholas cut in. “We met at a restaurant and got to talking,” he said.
“I wasn’t asking you dear,” Mrs. Blackstone said, not breaking eye contact with me.
“Nicholas was there for a meeting,” I told her. “I was his waitress.” I didn’t know what else to say other than the truth, but her eyes widened and she looked at her son.
“A waitress? Really Nicholas?” she asked him. I suddenly felt invisible in her presence. She held his arm, looking around the table. “Will you excuse us a moment?” she asked before leading him away. Evelyn and Sasha looked at me sympathetically.
“I’m sorry about my mother,” Evelyn told me. “She’s really protective of Nicholas, even more so after our father died.”
“It’s okay,” I told her. “I’m not ashamed of being a waitress.”
“You shouldn’t be,” Sasha chimed in. “I really respect that you’re able to balance work and school. That can’t be easy.”
I saw Nicholas and his mother over by the bar, she seemed upset. He shook his head and said something to her, then she walked away. He sighed, then turned to the bar.
“So,” Evelyn asked, leaning closer to me. “You met my brother at the restaurant and then he asked you to come away for the weekend? That’s actually really romantic!”
Nicholas returned with a flute of champagne, holding it out to me. “I had a feeling you could use a drink,” he told me. He had a glass with dark liquor in his other hand. When he saw me glance at it he held it out. “Unless you want something stronger?”
“No thank you,” I said, accepting the champagne.
“I already apologized about mother,” Evelyn told him.
“I warned her,” Nicholas said with a chuckle.
“That’s true, you did,” I said while I took a sip. The bubbles fizzed against my lip and I let the cool, sweet liquid roll down my throat. I noticed a man approach a stage and tap his glass, the room grew quiet. It was the father of the groom, and he was starting the speeches while waiters began bringing plates of food. We ate while person after person came to the front, commenting on the happy couple and wishing them all the best in their future together. It all felt a bit odd since I didn’t know anyone, but the food was delicious and Nicholas leaned over to whisper in my ear to tell me who was speaking or give me bits of information about people. It made me feel like I had a sense of the lives of the people in the room, even though I still felt out of my element. Whenever I noticed Mrs. Blackstone out of the corner of my eye she was watching me with a stern expression.
By the time they cleared away our dessert plates I was on my fifth glass of champagne, feeling light and calm. A live band began to play and I recognized one of my favorite pop songs. People were starting to make their way to the dance floor and I turned to Nicholas.
“Dance with me?” I asked, smiling.
“Sure, why not,” he said shrugging his shoulders. We made our way close to the stage and I moved my body to the music, smiling and dancing to the beat. The crowd was all having a great time, the music echoing off the high ceiling of the ballroom. There was a crowd around us, all dancing while the band played. Nicholas took my hand and I spun, laughing, while he smiled down at me. I felt at ease in his presence. The song came to an end and people started to drift away while the next song began, soft and slow.
We stood a moment awkwardly while a few couples held each other around us. Nicholas held his hand out to me. I looked at him, then placed my hand in his. He pulled me close and I placed my arms around his neck while he circled my waist. I could feel my pulse quicken, being so close to him. I looked into his eyes. He was studying me, his expression gentle, and we swayed together to the song. My head dizzy, I rested my forehead against his shoulder closing the distance between us. I could smell the cologne at his neck, his body firm under my arms. The song slowed to a stop and we stood together a moment, neither one of us wanting to pull away first.
“Can I have the next dance?” asked a voice to my left. I turned and saw Lilly staring at us. Nicholas opened his mouth about to speak but I cut him off.
“Of course,” I said pulling away and letting her take my place. Nicholas looked at me in confusion but I turned and walked to the bar. I ordered a glass of champagne then headed out into the courtyard. I looked up to the sky, dotted with stars, and tried to focus. There was nothing between us, this was just a favor to him, I reminded myself. We were from two different worlds, I didn’t stand a chance with someone like Nicholas Blackstone.
“There you are,” said a voice behind me. “You’re here to protect me from girls like Lilly, and you run away? Is something wrong?”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I just needed to clear my head.” Nicholas stood in front of me and I shivered. He slipped out of his jacket and placed it over my shoulders. I looked down, feeling conflicted. “Please don’t,” I told him.
“Don’t what?” he asked.
“Don’t treat this like a date,” I said. He reached forward and tilted my chin up until I was looking him in the eyes.
“Why not?” he asked.
“Because that’s not what this is, it’s not like you’re interested in me,” I said. He tilted his head, searching my eyes
and shook his head.
“You’re not doing that,” he said firmly.
“What?” I asked.
“You don’t get to tell me who I am or am not interested in Breanne. I admit, I needed someone to bring with me this weekend and I thought you could help me with that. But there’s something special about you. You keep surprising me.” He brushed a strand of hair from my cheek, then cradled the back of my head in his hand. We were standing so close to each other, my heart racing as I looked into his pale blue eyes. I could hear the band playing in the ballroom behind me, the hum of muted conversations and the rustle of the wind in the trees. He started to move closer to me and I closed my eyes.
“I was looking everywhere for you,” said a voice behind us. I snapped from my trance and turned to see Mrs. Blackstone approach us. “You still haven’t spoken to Nicole and Charles, tomorrow is their wedding day. Honestly Nicholas, where are your manners this evening?” she said with an exasperated sigh.
“We should head back inside,” I said to Nicholas, taking a step back. He looked at me, the moment shattered, and we all started to head back into the ballroom. I walked over to the bar and asked for a glass of water. I needed to remind myself what this weekend really was, and not forget that there could never be a future between Nicholas and I. After the wedding tomorrow, I probably would never even see him again.
7
I woke up with a slight headache, remembering the last few hours of the night. I had talked some more with Nicholas’ sisters, promising them I would meet them at the pool. They were warm and welcoming to me, a stark contrast to Lilly and Mrs. Blackstone who continued to watch me throughout the night, making me feel awkward. When Nicholas had finally walked me to my room he lingered a moment before clearing his throat and telling me goodnight, not attempting to kiss me again. He had clearly come to his senses and remembered why I was there; I was a scarecrow to keep away the socialites who saw him as an eligible bachelor to sink their claws into.
I got dressed into my bathing suit and picked up a towel, figuring I could skip breakfast the way my stomach was feeling. Downstairs I noticed Evelyn and Sasha on lounge chairs talking to each other and walked over.
“Good morning,” I said with a wave.
“Breanne! Good morning, we saved you a seat,” said Evelyn patting the seat of a lounge chair on her other side.
“Thank you,” I said placing down my towel and reclining. The sun felt good against my skin. “Do you think Nicholas is going to join us?” I asked.
Evelyn and Sasha laughed. “He’s probably doing work, yelling at someone on his phone. He doesn’t seem to have an off button lately,” Sasha said. “He’s become obsessed with work.”
“Who’s obsessed with work?” asked a familiar voice approaching us. I looked over my sunglasses and saw Nicholas walking towards us. My pulse started to race at the sight of him shirtless, in swim trunks. His chest and arms were toned, his shorts hanging low on his hips. He had a gorgeous body. I stared straight ahead at the pool, suddenly feeling flushed and warm.
“I think I’m going to take a dip,” I told the group as I stood up and moved over to the crystal clear water.
“I’ll join you,” Nicholas said, tossing his towel onto a chair. I swallowed hard as I lowered myself into the cool water, pushing off the wall and swimming into the middle of the pool. Nicholas dove in, then popped up beside me.
“How are you feeling?” he asked me.
“Fine,” I told him. “This place is gorgeous.”
“I’m really sorry about my mother and Lilly,” he told me. “But if it’s worth anything you’re holding your own really well.”
“I feel like such an outsider,” I admitted quietly.
“That’s not a bad thing,” he told me. “Most of these people never had to work as hard as you have for what they wanted. You have ambitions and goals. That’s something to be proud of.”
“You work hard,” I told him. “You’re running a company. That can’t be easy.”
“I’m pretty disciplined when I put my mind to something. Speaking of, I want to show you something later this morning.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“It’s a surprise,” he said, before dipping under the water and swimming away. I shook my head, he could be so hard to read sometimes. Still, my curiosity was definitely piqued. I went over to the ladder and climbed out of the pool, water beading on my skin.
“You’re finished swimming already?” Evelyn asked me.
“I just wanted a quick dip to cool off,” I told her, spreading out my towel and reclining on the lounge chair. I tilted my face up to the sky, the sun beaming down and warming my skin. I lay there, listening to Sasha and Evelyn talk about people from the rehearsal dinner I didn’t know when a shadow fell over me. I turned my head, Nicholas was at my side. Framed with the light behind him, his skin was glistening.
“If you’re just going to lie there, you should go get changed and we can head out,” he told me.
“You still haven’t told me what we’re doing,” I said.
“If I did, then it wouldn’t be a surprise,” he told me with a wink.
“You have a point,” I said, then pushed myself up and stood beside him. “Just give me a few minutes to get changed and I’ll meet you out front.”
“Where are you two going?” Evelyn asked, looking at us over her sunglasses.
“Don’t worry about it,” Nicholas told her, walking back towards the hotel. I shrugged my shoulders and followed him inside where we went into the elevator. We were standing in the enclosed space, wearing our bathing suits, and I tried to keep my eyes on the door. I felt my heart beating quickly and thought back to last night in the garden. He had almost kissed me, I was sure of it, but did it mean anything? The doors opened on our floor and Nicholas headed for his room.
“I’ll meet you downstairs in fifteen,” he told me. I nodded then headed into my room. In my luggage I pulled out a floral sundress Tabitha had lent me. I let my hair down and it spilled over my shoulders in soft waves. I grabbed my bag and sunglasses, ready in five minutes. Realizing I had extra time I checked my phone and saw that I had a missed call from Tabitha. I dialed her back and felt relieved when I heard her answer.
“Breanne, I’ve been dying to hear from you. What’s it like there, how is it going?”
“It’s interesting,” I told her. “Nicholas’ mother is a bit much. You should have seen her reaction when she found out I was a waitress and met her son at a restaurant.”
“Yikes, that sounds rough. Are you having fun at least?”
“Honestly, I am. But here’s the thing, I think Nicholas might be flirting with me.”
“Why would that be a bad thing? He’s gorgeous and from what you told me he’s been nothing but respectful of you.”
“That’s not what this weekend was supposed to be,” I told her.
“Things change, you need to be a bit more adaptable, Breanne. Just go with it and see where it takes you. Who knows, this could be the start of something.”
“I don’t think I have it in me to navigate the kind of challenges that would come along with dating Nicholas Blackstone, Tabitha,” I said.
“I think you’re making excuses for yourself, and you called me because you hoped I’d agree with you. Well I don’t. And anyway what are you doing hiding in your room? Shouldn’t you be Nicholas’ date to something?”
“The wedding isn’t until later. I was swimming and I came to my room to change, I’m meeting him downstairs in a few minutes and we’re going out.”
“Going out where?” she asked.
“I have no idea, he said it was a surprise.”
Tabitha laughed. “You keep telling yourself that there’s nothing between you two, but I think he likes you and he has since he first met you. You’re both going to drive yourselves crazy pretending otherwise. Now stop overthinking it and go spend time with him.”
Before I could say another word she hung up on me. I sighed,
tucking my phone in my bag. My life was too busy for anything complicated, but I couldn’t lie to Tabitha and I couldn’t lie to myself. A part of me was interested in Nicholas. I left my room and headed downstairs, he was already there waiting for me.
“Ready to go?” he asked.
“I think I am, but then again I have no idea what we’re doing,” I told him. We went out the front doors where a car was waiting for us. The valet handed Nicholas the keys and held the door open for me. I slid inside onto the soft, pale leather seat, and we pulled away with a roar. He wove smoothly through the streets, the radio playing softly, until we arrived at a large lot with a hangar. I looked at my surroundings until I realized where we were, and what we were probably doing there.
“No, no way Nicholas,” I told him shaking my head.
“Oh come on, Breanne,” he said with a grin, getting out of the car and opening my door. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”
I glanced at the helicopter in front of me, goosebumps cascaded across my skin. “You saw how nervous I was in the plane, I can’t do this. I’ve never been in a helicopter before.”
“Once you saw the view, your body relaxed and your expression completely changed,” he told me. “I won’t ask you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable Breanne. All I’m asking is for you to trust me, even if you’re scared.” He held his hand out to me and I looked at him, he seemed so sincere. I pulled in a deep breath and placed my hand in his.
“I’m going to regret this,” I told him.
“You won’t,” he assured me, leading me towards the small aircraft. With shaking legs I climbed into the front seat and he handed me a headset, placing one on himself. He spoke to a man for a few minutes, then nodded and headed to the other seat beside me. I stared at the other man while he walked away.
