Change My Mind

by Ali Parker

  “I know. I get it, but trust me. You want to come tonight.”

  That sounded intriguing. “Why? What do you know?”

  “Nothing. Just come. You won’t regret it.”

  “I don’t know,” I groaned. “I would have to drive over there and get a room.”

  “You can stay at the resort,” she said.

  “I think Chase might have something to say about that.”

  “I’ll tell Parker you are going to be staying in your old room tonight.”

  “You are very persistent.”

  She laughed. “You know I am. Hurry up and get your ass here. We have not partied together on New Year’s in a long time. It will be just like old times.”

  “I’ll think about it. I have a lot to do tomorrow and I don’t want to be hungover.”

  “What else are you going to do?”

  “Sit in my apartment, drink champagne, and be in bed by ten. I’ll watch the ball drop on live TV and ring in the New Year with the east coast.”

  “Boring,” she said with a yawn.

  “Responsible,” I shot back.

  “Take a deep breath and pack up your dress and makeup. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

  “I’ll think about it,” I said and hung up.

  The dress was awesome. There was nothing that said I couldn’t put the thing on and hang out at home alone while wearing it. It wasn’t like anyone would see me. A new year was supposed to be a fresh start. It was the clean slate I was looking for. Ringing in the new year with Chase would stain that clean slate. It was better that I stayed away.

  Let him party with his rich, influential friends. They were who he really wanted to be with. Not me. I was his past. He thought he wanted that familiarity, but I knew it was a passing fancy. I could never compete with women like Tawny. She was more his speed.

  “Happy New Year,” I said with a sigh and walked out of the bedroom again.

  If I saw him now, I would lose the days I had under my belt. It would be like quitting a bad habit for a week and then picking it back up. I didn’t want to start my count over.

  Chapter 70

  Chase

  I had butterflies in my stomach. Everything came down to this night. I felt the energy in the air. I knew my future depended on what happened in the next six hours. I checked my watch, speed walking across the lobby of the resort and heading for the ballroom. I walked in and took a deep breath. It was all coming together.

  “Hey,” one of the members of the event team said when she noticed me.

  “Hi. How’s it going? It looks like we might need more stars.”

  She burst into laughter and pointed to a box. “I don’t think there are any paper stars left in Colorado. We still have that box to hang.”

  “Good, good. This looks perfect. I love it. What about the lights?”

  “George is working on those. He’s been hanging them all day.”

  I walked around, looking up at the ceiling that looked much lower than it actually was due to the number of stars and paper lanterns hanging down. They were hanging at different heights, creating the look of a sky. It was all coming together. I had been terrified it was going to look tacky. It probably did look a little tacky, but it looked exactly like it did at our prom.

  “Oh lord,” I heard Cori groan.

  I turned around to see her coming in. “You like it?” I asked with a laugh.

  “It’s just about the tackiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

  “That’s the look I was going for.”

  “Congratulations, you’ve succeeded. I’m so glad no one else is coming. This would be embarrassing.”

  “You don’t think I should include this in the brochure?” I teased.

  “Lord no,” she groaned. “I’m almost embarrassed to be here.”

  “Do you think I should have done something else? This was stupid, huh? I should have given her something better.”

  “It is perfect, and you know it. You said you wanted to go back in time. You’ve done it. You don’t need a time machine. You created one right here.”

  I smiled and looked around at the ballroom. There were shimmering streamers and twinkling lights borrowed from the Christmas decorations hanging from the ceiling. It truly did look like something from a Disney movie. It was cheesy and imperfect which made it perfect.

  “Thanks. I do feel like I’m ten years younger standing in here. I can’t wait until we get the music going. And the moon. They’re working on hanging the moon too.”

  “A Night Under the Stars,” she said on a breath. “I remember that night so well. This is definitely looking very much like that night.”

  “Did the cookies come?” I asked her.

  She groaned. “Yes. Are you seriously going to serve those?”

  “I am. With punch.”

  “No,” she moaned.

  “There will be champagne as well, but I need this to be just like that night.”

  “I think the theme is enough. You don’t have to do the nasty punch and those gross cookies.”

  “Nope, it all has to be like that night. Did you get the DJ that updated list?”

  “Yes. Some of those songs should be illegal.”

  “Guess what else I did?” I teased.

  “I’m afraid to ask.”

  “I’ve got kids coming.”

  “Kids?” she questioned.

  “Yes, kids. Well, not kids. Teens. I want it to be authentic.”

  “Eww.” She wrinkled her nose. “How can we have kids at our party and have alcohol?”

  “They’ll only be here for a short time,” I assured her. “I wanted it to look like it did that night. I can’t have a bunch of old people mucking up the dance floor.”

  “You’re nuts. Absolutely crazy. I hope Harper shows up.”

  I froze. “You don’t think she will?”

  “She will.”

  “You just said you hoped she showed.”

  “She’ll show. Now, did you get the lights rigged?”

  “I didn’t but George did.”

  She nodded as we began walking around the ballroom. It felt like we were missing something. There were round tables set up just like they had been at our prom.

  “Candles!” she shrieked. “Did you get candles?”

  “Shit, no.”

  “We have to have those ugly candles we had on our tables. Do you remember? They had like burlap or something wrapped around the jar.”

  “Where are we going to get those on such short notice?”

  She put her hand on my shoulder. “Relax. I’ll handle it.”

  “I ordered those ugly napkins, but they couldn’t print the theme on them on such short notice,” I complained. “Do you think she’ll notice?”

  “No. It’s going to be fine.”

  I hoped so. I wished the idea would have come to me earlier. I could have made it perfect. Unfortunately, I only had a few very short days to plan and it showed. I was trying to remember that night, but ten years was a long time ago.

  “Shit,” I muttered, snapping my fingers.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Pictures. How could I forget the picture backdrop?”

  “Did you get the little star flashlight things?” she asked.

  I slapped my hand against my forehead. “Shit. No.”

  “I still have mine,” she announced.

  “No, you don’t.”

  “I do. It’s with my prom picture.”

  “I don’t even know where my prom pictures are,” I told her.

  Just then, I spotted Jake and Parker coming in. They were carrying boxes and smiling at each other. They were exactly who I needed to see. I turned to Cori. “Can you make sure the DJ is set up?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m going to get them on the other stuff,” I told her.

  Truthfully, I wanted to talk to them. Cori walked away. Jake took one look at me and groaned. “Now what?”

  “Can you come with me?” I aske
d.

  “I’ll get this,” Parker said.

  “No, you too. Both of you. I need to talk to you both.”

  They looked worried. I walked out of the ballroom and into a back hallway that was deserted. I needed to get something off my chest and I didn’t want the entire world to hear it. I was a little embarrassed.

  I stopped walking and faced them.

  “What’s going on?” Jake asked. “This is very cloak and dagger.”

  “I wanted to apologize.”

  “What?” they asked at the same time.

  “I know I said I was sorry before, but I have had a new understanding about just what it is I did. I’m sorry for using my position to get information out of you that was not my business. I abused my position and, ultimately, abused the two of you. It wasn’t right, and I am really sorry.”

  “Hey, it’s fine,” Jake said.

  “No, it isn’t fine. What’s worse is I didn’t even realize I was doing it. That’s how arrogant I am—was. How I was. I promise I will not let it happen again. I never meant to cause problems between the two of you.”

  “It’s really okay,” Jake said again.

  I looked at him, really looked at him, and let him see how sincere I was. “It wasn’t. I traded on our friendship and that caused problems for you. I promise it won’t happen again. Parker, you’re a good friend to Harper and I’m glad she has you. You are loyal and that’s a good thing to be. I promise I will not put you in that position again.”

  “Thank you for the apology. I appreciate it and I am loyal to her. I respect you as my boss, but to be frank, her friendship is more important to me than this job.”

  I smiled at her honesty. “Thank you. I’m glad she has you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Now that we have that out of the way, there is something else I need.”

  “What would that be?” Jake asked.

  “I need one of those plastic backdrop things with the night sky on it.”

  They both looked at me like I was crazy. “A backdrop?”

  I nodded. “Yes. I forgot about the requisite prom pictures. If we can’t get one, we’ll have to put one together.”

  Parker raised her hand. “Honestly, it would be faster and easier for me to just make one. I can make it look better than a plastic one.”

  “Could you really?” I asked excitedly.

  “Absolutely.”

  “Thank you. I also need candles. The kind that are in jars with burlap.”

  Parker nodded. “That’s easy. I think we can find what we need at one of the big box stores.”

  “Thank god. Thank you. You’re a lifesaver.”

  “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make Harper happy. I’m glad to know you are willing to step up and be the man she deserves. But you better be serious. If you aren’t, I’m not going to be very happy with you.”

  I grinned and nodded. “I promise I am going to spend the rest of my life trying to be the man Harper deserves. I’m probably going to fail now and again but I am damn sure going to try.”

  She smiled before looking at Jake. “Let’s go. We’ve got a lot to do.”

  She grabbed his arm and dragged him down the hall. I felt much better about everything. The thing with Parker and Jake had been weighing heavily on my shoulders ever since my tea run-in with Tawny. I did not want people to think I was anything like her. I wasn’t. I refused to be that way.

  “That was very humble of you,” Cori said.

  I spun around, surprised to see her. “What are you doing here?”

  “I saw you dragging them back here and thought I better make sure you weren’t making an escape. I heard what you said to them. That was very big of you.”

  “Thanks. I owed it to them.”

  “You did and now you’ve said it. Do you feel better?”

  “I do. Much better.”

  She launched herself at me, throwing her arms around me. “You’re a good man. I’m so proud of you. I’m so happy to see this new side of you. Harper is going to be impressed as well.”

  “Assuming she is going to show up.”

  “She will.”

  “I don’t even know what I’m going to say,” I told her.

  “Speak from your heart,” she said. “Just tell her how you feel. Stop trying to beat around the bush. Just put it out there.”

  “Easier said than done.”

  She put her hands on my shoulders and gave me a hard shake. “Go upstairs, take a shower, put on your tux, and get your head straight. Take a minute to catch your breath. Relax and enjoy your night. You’ve worked very hard putting this together. You should try and enjoy it.”

  “I’m nervous,” I confessed.

  “I know you are, but you have to relax, or you’re never going to get this right.”

  She was right. I nodded before giving her another hug. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  I left the hall and took the back stairs up to my suite. My tux was laid out on the bed. It wasn’t my usual tux. I wanted to try and make this authentic. I felt like everything in my life hinged on tonight. I wasn’t sure how I would move forward if she rejected me.

  The planning and the decorations and the music were all just small parts of tonight. The most important piece of the puzzle was her. If I didn’t say the right things and she walked away, it would all be for nothing. Somehow, I just knew this was my last chance. If I didn’t say the right things and get my feelings for her out in the open, I wouldn’t get another chance to do it. She would truly be out of my reach.

  I thought about trying to be smooth. I thought about starting with a story from one of our nights together. Then I decided that was too risky. Every time I tried to tell her, my time was cut short. I didn’t care if I had to shout it in front of the entire party. I was going to tell her how I felt.

  Chapter 71

  Harper

  The moment I put the dress on back at my place, I started my journey back in time. I remembered getting ready for prom at my house. Cori had come by to help me with my hair. I couldn’t afford to go to a salon like the other kids. Cori claimed she preferred to do her own hair and would be happy to help me as well. Tonight, I was leaving my hair down. I didn’t know what tonight was all about, but I wanted to look good.

  I put on the silver strappy heels I still had from my high-school prom. I had only worn them a handful of times since that night, but they cost me over a hundred dollars, and I wasn’t about to get rid of them. I was glad I held on to them. They were perfect with the dress.

  I debated what to accessorize the dress with and made a last-minute decision to go with the emeralds. They added a splash of color to the silver gown and were just a little on the fancy side. I imagined I was going to be rubbing elbows with Vail’s upper class once again and I didn’t want to feel like the poor girl.

  If and when I ran into Tawny, I wanted to look good. When I looked good, I could be confident. I wanted to hold my head high and look down my nose at her. The heels would help me accomplish that.

  It wasn’t a big surprise she never called me after that day in the tea shop. I wasn’t sure what happened between her and Chase and I didn’t want to know. I wanted to walk through those doors looking confident and sexy as hell. I wanted her to see she didn’t break me.

  Now that I was actually at the resort and prepared to come face to face with Chase and his likely girlfriend, my confidence was slipping a bit. I was trying not to be nervous. I put on a brave face as I walked inside like I owned the place.

  The lobby was remarkably quiet for a big New Year’s Eve party being thrown in the ballroom. I smiled at the people I recognized and headed for the ballroom. I was carrying my invitation thinking I would need to present it to get in. Judging by the lack of a crowd, I had a feeling it wasn’t needed.

  I stopped and smoothed down the dress, adjusting the straps before tightening the sheer shawl I was wearing to cover my shoulders. The gown was gorgeous. When I put it on, that was w
hen I made up my mind to come. I wore the corsage on my wrist, but walking through here with the thing, I was beginning to feel very foolish. I prayed it wasn’t a prank. It would be a very cruel joke to have me showing up like this.

  I could hear music coming from the ballroom. So there was a party. I just wasn’t sure it was an actual grown-up party. Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance was bumping along. I smiled at the fond memories the song brought back.

  I turned the corner, walking through the double doors and into stars. There were stars everywhere. They were on the floor in large cutouts and hanging from the ceiling. It was like I just stepped back in time.

  I wondered if I stepped through some time warp. It was eerily similar to my prom, right down to the stars hanging from the sky and the music.

  I looked around the place and was convinced I was in the wrong place. There were teenagers everywhere. Some were dancing, some were sipping red punch from clear plastic glasses, and the usual wallflowers were watching everyone else. I used my left hand to pinch my right arm. Yep, I was awake.

  “You came!” I heard Cori squeal as she rushed toward me.

  She was wearing a slinky black gown that showed off her beautiful figure. She too was wearing a corsage on her wrist.

  “What are we doing here?” I asked over the loud music.

  “We’re having a party.”

  “Cori, this is not like any party I’ve been to, at least not since I graduated high school. Is this a theme party? Are we supposed to be having some flashback?”

  That was when it hit me. Cori was wearing a dress almost identical to what she wore to our senior prom and her hair was styled in the same updo. I must have been dreaming. This was one of those dreams that took you back in time to a pivotal moment in your life. I was going to relive the horror of Chase leaving me. It wasn’t like I hadn’t relived it many times before. It just never quite looked like this.

  “You have to talk to my brother,” she said.

  The music changed, and an old classic song came on over the speakers. Nick appeared, wearing a tux with a black cummerbund and black bowtie that perfectly matched Cori’s dress.