The driver, in full uniform including a black hat, opened the back door for her. She got in and slid across the seat. Merryweather climbed in next to her. And off they went. She noticed how Merryweather never gave any directions or an address.
The next thing she knew, they were pulling up to the back door of a theater—the same theater where Merryweather had worked.
“What are we doing here?” Alina asked.
“You’ll soon see, my dear. Come. We don’t have time to waste.”
And so she followed him through the back door. Lights were dimmed and voices could be heard. There was a performance going on. As Alina listened to the voices, she recognized the lines to Scrooge: The Musical.
Merryweather stopped outside a dressing room. A woman approached them. She wore a friendly smile. “I’ll definitely have something to fit her. I’ve also asked Heather to do her hair and Veronica volunteered to do her makeup.”
“Perfect,” Merryweather said. “But remember, we have to hurry.”
“Then we best get to work.”
Alina was ushered into the room. And then things moved in a flurry of activity. She tried to tell them that she couldn’t pay them much but they dismissed her. They said they wouldn’t accept a dime from her.
Dresses were held up to her. Brows scrunched up. There were hems and haws. And then one by one each dress was dismissed. It thoroughly confused Alina because each and every dress was absolutely stunning. But for whatever reason, these women didn’t think they were fitting.
“I know,” the older woman said. “I have the perfect dress. But first, we have to get her ready.”
Alina’s hair was brushed out and redone. Her face was cleaned off and repainted. The women talked among themselves and told her not to worry, they knew what they were doing.
With her hair done in barrel rolls held in place with sparkly pins and her face made up in neutral shades that shimmered in the light, she almost didn’t recognize herself. They helped her out of her stained gown. All it was good for now was the garbage bin.
And then the older woman walked back into the room with a gown in a white protective cover. Alina would be lying if she said she wasn’t anxious to see the chosen gown.
Once the dress was hung on a high hook and the zipper was undone, the protective covering was pulled back to reveal the most magnificent light blue gown. Alina’s mouth gaped. Her gaze took in the spaghetti straps that led to a plunging V-neckline, and a fitted bodice, the tiny crystals sewn to the gown twinkling in the light.
The upper back was bare. The lower back was fitted and would hug her body. And the lower portion had a short train of light blue tulle with sparkles. Alina was speechless. They surely didn’t mean for her to wear that. It was much too fancy for her.
The remaining piece was a sheer shawl that looked as if it was spun of the finest silk. Though it lacked crystals, it still shimmered. Altogether, it was quite a showstopper.
“It’s so beautiful.”
“Almost as beautiful as you,” the older woman said. “Now hurry. We don’t have much time.”
“But I... I can’t wear something this fancy.” All she could think was if she spilled something on it she’d be horrified, not to mention working for the next year—no, make it two years—to pay for it.
“Don’t be silly. This gown was made for you. Now hurry.”
For a moment, Alina wondered if she’d meant the gown was literally made for her. But that was totally impossible. They didn’t even know she’d be showing up until just moments ago. The woman must mean the dress would be flattering on her.
She stepped into the new gown. The women all said it brought out the blue of her eyes. Alina never believed they would have a dress that would fit her, but this dress accentuated her bust, drew in her waist, and the hemline...well, it touched the floor because she was in her bare feet. Surely no one would notice if she were to wear her stained heels, would they?
But before she could retrieve them from next to the makeup chair, Veronica brought over a pair of azure blue heels with rhinestones. They were gorgeous. And they looked so delicate.
“I couldn’t possibly wear those,” Alina said, still unable to take her gaze off them. “They probably won’t fit.”
“But you must. They match the gown.” Heather knelt down to help her put them on.
Seriously, the chances they’d fit were zip, zilch, zero. But what would it hurt to try them on? They were so pretty. The most beautiful shoes Alina had ever seen. And they definitely cost more than her month’s pay and then some.
And yet as Heather slipped the shoes on Alina’s feet, they fit perfectly. How could that be? Tears of happiness blurred Alina’s vision. How was all of this possible?
“Oh, no. You can’t cry now,” the older woman said. “You’ll ruin everything. And Merryweather is waiting just on the other side of that door to whisk you off to the ball.”
“But how can I ever thank you all?” Alina was so touched by the acts of generosity toward her—a perfect stranger.
The older woman smiled. “It’s our Christmas present to you.”
“Now go. Hurry.” Veronica waved her off.
“Yes, go. And have a marvelous time,” Heather said.
Alina hugged each of them before heading for the door. When she swung it open, Merryweather was waiting in the hallway. Her mouth gaped as she took in his transformation. It was as though he was ten years younger and he was now done up in a fine black suit and tie. He looked quite dapper.
“Merryweather, you look downright handsome.”
He blushed. “Well, I couldn’t escort the prettiest belle to the ball in my old suit.” He held out his arm to her. “Shall we go?”
She placed her hand in the crook of his arm. “How will I ever repay you?”
“There’s nothing to repay. It is I who owes you. You’ve always been there for me when I was lonely and when I was being contrary. You could have given up on me, but you didn’t. Instead you brought me fresh-baked cookies.”
“I... I didn’t know it meant that much.”
“It meant the world. Now there’s one thing you should know about all of this. You have to be back at the theater by midnight. That is when the guard locks up for the night and the dress must be here by then.”
Her heart swelled with love. She stopped walking and turned to him. Happy tears blurred her vision. She blinked them away. And then she leaned forward and pressed a feathery kiss to his freshly shaven cheek. When she pulled back, she said, “Thank you.”
* * *
Where was she?
That’s all that kept going through Graham’s mind as the Snow Ball commenced. This was Alina’s brainchild. Without her, none of this would have been possible.
He’d put off greeting his guests and officially kicking off the party for as long as possible. He checked the time. It was five minutes past seven and the room was crowded. He couldn’t delay any longer.
Graham made his way to the stage. He stepped up to the microphone and waited as silence swept over the room. All the while he searched for Alina’s beautiful face, but she was nowhere to be found.
He cleared his throat. “Thank you all for coming. First, I want to wish you all a merry Christmas. And I want to thank the residents of the Stirling because if it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be here at this wonderful party. I pride myself on setting business goals and surpassing them, but when it came to planning a holiday party, well, I must say that I dropped the ball. And the residents of the Stirling quite literally came to my rescue. Thank you each and every one of you.”
And then his gaze spotted Alina standing at the back of the room. The breath caught in his throat. He forgot that he was giving a speech. All he could think was Wow! His gaze took in her striking beauty from her golden curls to the figure-hugging sky-blue dress that shimmered like it was covered in
jewels.
Suddenly he didn’t care that she was late or that he’d been worried about what might have happened to her. Right then all he wanted to do was to drink in her beauty. She was magnificent. As his gaze rose, he noticed the small smile pulling at her lips. When his gaze once again met hers, there was amusement in her eyes.
He wanted to go to her, but he suddenly recalled that he was still standing on the stage and people were looking at him expectantly to finish his speech.
He swallowed hard. “Please give a hand to Alina Martin and the wonderful people of the Stirling.”
Graham stepped back from the microphone to lead a rousing round of applause. Cheers rose as the joyous sound of appreciation reverberated throughout the room.
He stepped back to the mic and signaled for everyone to quiet down. “There’s some amazing food in the back. Please help yourself because if you don’t, I might eat it all. No, I will eat it all. It’s so good.” Laughter filled the room. “And make sure you dance. You know, it’ll help make room for more of that delicious food.” There was more laughter. “Again, I hope you all have a very merry Christmas.”
He turned to the band and Mr. Jackson beamed as he nodded, and then with his saxophone in hand, he turned back to his band and signaled for them to start playing “White Christmas.”
As the piano started to play, Graham exited the stage. He made a beeline for the back of the room—for the spot where he last saw Alina—but when he got there, she was gone. But that couldn’t be right. He turned in a circle, his gaze searching the crowd.
And then he spotted her. She was surrounded by a group of his associates—his male associates. Intense discomfort came over him as he watched her smile and chat with the men. It took him a second to identify the feeling. It was jealousy—something he’d never experienced where a woman was concerned. But it was most definitely the green-eyed monster.
“You aren’t just going to stand here and let one of them get the first dance, are you?”
Graham glanced over to find Merryweather standing next to him, dressed in a black suit and white dress shirt. He didn’t look anything like the man that had Graham fixing nonexistent leaks and had used a cane to get around. Tonight, there was no cane and the man looked fit as a fiddle. How was that possible?
Graham turned his attention back to Alina as she laughed at something one of the men had leaned in close to say. Graham’s body tensed.
His instinct was to march over there and sweep Alina away from all of them, but did he have the right to do that? Because when it came down to it, he still had a job to do. And Alina wasn’t going to be happy with what his engineers and inspectors had uncovered about the Stirling.
Merryweather said, “Graham, don’t let tomorrow ruin tonight. Sometimes dreams really do happen.”
“I... I don’t know.” All the while Graham couldn’t take his gaze off Alina.
“She didn’t get all fancied up for those men. You’re the one she talked about on the way over here. You’re the one she wanted to impress.”
“She’s certainly done that.”
“Then why are you standing here talking to me instead of her?”
Merryweather had a good point. Why bother with the possibilities of tomorrow when there was tonight to live?
With that thought in mind, Graham headed for Alina. He bypassed people wanting to speak with him, putting them off until later. And then, at last, he was standing in front of her. His group of associates parted.
“Graham, the party is wonderful.” Alina smiled at him, causing a warm fuzzy feeling in his chest. He was certain there was a name for that feeling, too, but he didn’t want to delve too deeply into his feelings. Right now, he just wanted to live in the moment.
“You are absolutely breathtaking.” He couldn’t take his gaze off her. “But you’re missing one thing.”
“I am?”
He smiled as he withdrew a small velvet box from his pocket. “Here.”
When her gaze zeroed in on the box, her eyes widened. “Graham, what have you done?”
“It’s just a little something that made me think of you.” He held it closer to her. “Go ahead and take it. I promise it won’t bite.”
He just hoped she’d like it. The salesclerk in the jewelry store assured him that any woman would love it. He hoped she was right.
Alina accepted the box and opened it. She gasped as she stared at the necklace. “It’s beautiful.” Then she closed the box and tried to hand it back to him. “I can’t accept this. It’s too extravagant.”
He moved his hands behind his back. “But you have to take it. There’s a no-return policy.”
“I’m sure the jeweler will make an exception.”
He shook his head. “I mean, I have a no-return policy. I really want you to have it.”
Her eyes shimmered. She blinked repeatedly. Then she once again opened the box. “It’s so beautiful.” She ran her finger over the diamond-encrusted snowball suspended on a white-gold box chain. “I’ll never forget this night.”
“Let me help you put it on.”
She carefully took it out of the box and handed it to him. And then she turned her back to him. She swept her long golden curls off to the side. It took him a few tries but at last he had it fastened.
When she turned around, he said, “Beautiful.”
“It certainly is.”
“No.” His gaze met hers. “I meant you.”
Her cheeks pinkened. “Thank you.”
“May I have this dance?” he asked, wanting a chance to talk to her without a rapt audience.
“I’d like that.”
There was an audible groan from the men as they turned and moved off. A smile lifted Graham’s lips. He got the girl—the most beautiful girl in the room. Lucky for him, it was a slower song and he was able to hold her in his arms as they made their way around the dance floor.
“Thank you,” he said.
She arched a fine brow. “For dancing with you?”
His smile broadened. “Well, that, too. But I meant for tonight. This entire event was your vision. You really pulled it off. Everyone is impressed.”
She glanced around, taking in the smiling people. “They do seem to be enjoying themselves. But I can’t take any credit. It took a village to create this evening.”
“And I owe you all a debt of gratitude.”
“Does that mean you’ll reconsider tearing down the apartment building?” Hope shone in her eyes.
“I’ve given it a lot of thought, but now isn’t the time to discuss it.”
The sparkle in her eyes disappeared in a blink. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“There’s no reason to be sorry. I know how much the building and its residents mean to you.”
They continued moving around the dance floor. He loved holding her close.
His gaze met hers and it was as though the world moved slightly off its axis. He couldn’t quite explain what had happened in that moment, but he knew nothing in his life would ever be the same. He also realized that imagining anything more than this moment was a fool’s errand. But it didn’t keep him from hoping there would be some sort of Christmas miracle.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
SHE FELT LIKE a princess.
And Graham was her prince.
His hand felt natural pressed to the small of her back. Her hand fit within his other hand. It was though they were dancing among the clouds. She never even felt her feet touch the floor.
If this was a dream, she never wanted it to end. His warm smile made her heart trip over itself. How did she get so lucky to be here with him?
And to think she’d almost missed out on it all if it hadn’t been for Merryweather. She still had questions for her dear friend. She wanted to know how he made all of this possible. But those questions would have to wait unt
il later.
When she glanced over his shoulder, she noticed they were the only ones now dancing. What in the world? But the music continued to play and they continued to move to the beat.
Their audience had formed a circle. And then she caught sight of her stepmother. If looks could kill, Alina would be nothing more than a little sooty spot on the floor. On each side of Dorian were Alina’s stepsisters, who looked as though they’d each sucked on a lemon. She never understood how people could live their lives being so nasty.
But tonight, nothing could ruin her good mood. Nothing at all. She was on cloud nine and she had no interest in coming back to earth. Tomorrow would come soon enough.
She leaned closer to Graham. “We have an audience.”
He glanced up. “So we do.”
“Maybe we should stop. I don’t feel right taking up the whole dance floor.”
“I agree about stopping, but how about we give them something to look at first...” Graham stopped dancing but he kept his arms around her.
What is he doing? Her heart pounded.
He bent his head and captured her lips with his own. Her breath hitched in her throat.
Oh, I know exactly what he’s doing.
Suddenly it didn’t matter who was watching, she was quite content right here in his strong, capable arms. His kiss was light and tender, but oh so stirring.
And she knew she shouldn’t let herself fall for him. But it was too late. She’d fallen hard. It was as though they were fated to meet and she couldn’t imagine her life without him in it.
When the music stopped, Graham stepped back. He lowered his arms and she immediately missed the warmth of his touch. She didn’t want to let him go so soon.
But it was as if the spell had been lifted and she glanced around at all of the curious onlookers. Some people had their phones held up as though they’d been filming them. Others whispered back and forth. What in the world had gotten into them to put on such a public display of affection? Heat swirled in her chest and rushed up her neck, setting her cheeks ablaze.
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