The grand ballroom is a flurry of activity. Tables are being rolled in and chairs stacked twenty high are lined up against the walls. Waiters and waitresses are busy polishing silverware and pressing table cloths. When the flowers arrive, it feels like things are starting to come together. Chloe’s favorite color is purple, so the entire room is decorated in varying shades of lavender and lilac. It reminds me of Melanie and it makes me miss her terribly.
“Hey, can you come outside and help me with something?” Linda asks as we finish draping the royal purple tablecloth on Chloe’s table.
“Sure thing.”
When we step outside, I’m flabbergasted to see a white stretch limo waiting for us in front of the beautiful water fountain that’s sits majestically in front of the hotel entrance.
Eyeing her suspiciously does nothing to make her crack. She just smirks and pulls me to the limo door, which is being held open for us by the driver. “Good afternoon, ladies,” he addresses us and tips his hat as we slide past him.
“Can you believe this?” Chloe calls out with more excitement than I have ever heard in my life. Bouncing in her seat, she looks like she can barely contain her emotions. She’s dressed in a Cinderella dress-up gown and pretend glass slippers. If it wasn’t for the pale-blue kerchief covering her bald head, you would think she was a regular seven-year-old who hasn’t been battling stage three acute myelogenous leukemia for the last two years.
“Hey, pretty princess.” I open my arms and she slides over to me. The four of us had lunch together the other day to make some decisions about the ball. Chloe kept calling Linda and me her fairy godmothers and I feel utterly blessed to be graced with the task of giving her the perfect day.
“What’s it look like inside? Is it purple like I asked? Are there lights and stars all over, too?”
Her mom, Aimee, sits, smiling ear-to-ear, next to her daughter. She doesn’t say anything and I can’t even begin to imagine how she feels today. As Chloe chatters on and on about how perfect everything will be today, Aimee simply mouths the words “thank you” to Linda and me from behind Chloe.
“It is pretty amazing in there, but I’m not saying a word.” I pretend to zip my lips and throw away the key. “You’re just going to have to be surprised when we walk in. Which reminds me, where are we going anyway?” Confusion filters into my words as I stare over at Linda.
She shrugs her shoulders, and leans in to whisper, “Just relax and enjoy.”
Chloe spends the ten-minute ride to wherever we’re going talking non-stop about her favorite princesses, and I’m so engrossed in listening to her that I’m not even paying attention to where we are.
When the limo stops, I peek out of the window and find that we’re at the poshest salon in a three-town radius. “Did you do this?” I quietly ask Linda, not wanting to make Aimee or Chloe feel like I’m as clueless as I actually am.
“Not entirely, but I did play a part.” Her sly response is accompanied by a knowing smirk. I’ll figure out what she’s up to at some point, but for now, I guess I’ll just have to enjoy a little pampering.
We’re greeted with flutes of champagne as we walk into the salon. There’s even one for Chloe, too—filled with sparkling grape juice of course, but she’s still giddy with happiness at the idea of having a “grown up” drink in her hand.
We’re all seated in a row of pedicure chairs, soaking our feet when Chloe holds up two bottles of nail polish. “Which one should I get, Mommy?” She dangles a pale pink and a deep purple in front of Aimee who pretends to consider the options with extreme care.
“Hmm, well, since it’s your special day, why don’t you get both.” She finally decides, but she winks at me over Chloe’s head.
“Really? Can I?” Chloe clutches the bottles closely to her chest and bounces in her seat.
“Of course you can, baby girl. You can do whatever you want today.” Though she tries to hide it, I hear the wavering of Aimee’s voice. I see the conscious effort it takes on her part not to be consumed by the swelling emotion.
Next is make-up and hair. Chloe is ecstatic to pick out her own lipstick and blush. After her make-up is done, Cherise, the hair stylist, spins her around so that she can’t see anything, telling Chloe that she’ll take good care of her. “But I don’t have any hair,” Chloe mumbles and the reality of today comes crashing back around us as Chloe’s bottom lip quivers with sadness.
Stepping to the side of her station, Cherise pulls out a box and hands it to Chloe. “Here. This was delivered for you this morning.”
Cherise steps to the side as Aimee crouches down in front of Chloe. “Go ahead, baby girl. Open it.” She swipes a single tear from Chloe’s cheek and looks like she’s holding back a river of her own.
Chloe squeals with excitement as she yells out the words scrolled across the front of the box, “Locks of Love. Mommy, I have hair now. I’ll be beautiful.” Aimee pulls Chloe into her arms and loses the battle with her tears. Pressing her lips against Chloe’s kerchief-covered head, Aimee mumbles, “Hair or not, baby girl, you will always be the most beautiful princess I know.”
Linda and I watch on, holding each other in a tight embrace though our tears. Cherise spins Chloe around so that she’ll be surprised when she sees the final look. Aimee steps next to us as we gather our emotions off to the side of Cherise and Chloe.
“Thank you, both, so much. We wanted to get her one for so long, but money has been tight with all of her medical bills. We applied for one a few weeks ago, but we didn’t expect to hear anything. I don’t even want to think of the strings you pulled, but I can’t thank you enough.” She wipes at her cheeks with a tissue as she takes a deep breath. “I’ve felt like a failure as a mother because I couldn’t provide her with something as simple as a wig.”
“It’s the least we could do, Aimee. We’re just happy that she likes it,” Linda says, pulling Aimee into her arms for a brief moment before Cherise calls over to us that she’s all done.
“Ta-da,” she chirps, spinning Chloe around in her seat.
Chloe’s new hair is done in soft, ringlet curls that frame her tiny, heart-shaped face beautifully. The look is finished with a sparkling tiara, which Chloe claims makes her look even prettier than the real Cinderella.
Chloe stares into the mirror, mesmerized by her transformation. Cherise keeps her occupied as some other stylists work their magic on Linda, Aimee and me. I decide on a soft up-do of a low, perfectly messy bun. It’s classically elegant and it will help to dress up my simple black cocktail dress—the one I’m just now remembering is back at the hotel, in the backseat of my car.
Stephan, my stylist, sprays a final layer of hair spray before proclaiming I look “magnifique” as he kisses his fingertips to his mouth. Just as I’m about to turn to Linda to ask her if she grabbed our dresses before she tricked me into thinking I needed to help her with something, a UPS deliveryman catches my attention as he walks toward me in my seat.
“Lucy Crane?” he questions as he pulls out the small tablet from his side pocket for me to sign.
“Yes, that’s me,” I respond dumbly. After I sign, he hands me the rather large box and I’m surprised it’s much lighter than I expected.
Linda looks on from the chair beside me, absolutely beside herself with amusement. She pops out of her seat as Cherise walks up to us. “This way, ladies.” She slashes her hand to the side and ushers us into the back of the salon.
The room, which seems to be used as a massage area, is transformed into a dressing room, set up with a few dividers. Chloe and Aimee step out from behind theirs as Linda and I enter the room. Chloe twirls in her powder-blue puffy dress, every bit the princess. “What do you think?”
The room erupts into a loud round of applause and Chloe jumps up and down with happiness. When the noise quiets and Chloe calms down, she points to the box in my hands. “What’s that, Lucy?”
“I have no idea. Let’s take a look.” I place the box on the vanity that’s been wheeled in j
ust for us to primp in front of.
I cut open the plain box outer box and gasp in shock when I reveal the simply but elegantly wrapped box. I peel back the silver paper; as I lift the box top, my heart lurches into my throat.
“Oh, my God,” I gasp, shocked and extremely surprised. “This is gorgeous,” I mumble through my hand-covered mouth. I run my fingers over the satin fabric and pull the dress out of the box entirely. It’s been packaged with such care that there isn’t a wrinkle on it anywhere. Stunning isn’t even a word I would use to describe the navy blue gown in my hands. The one-shoulder design is accentuated with a black sequined applique that sits atop the gathered fabric at the hip. The flared, trumpet-style skirt is sophisticated and classy without being over-the-top. When I catch a glimpse of the Monique Lhuillier designer tag, I can’t even begin to comprehend the price. This dress puts the one I had originally planned to wear to shame.
Very carefully, Cherise takes the dress from me and hangs it on the frame of the makeshift dressing room divider. When a sheet of the tissue paper cascades to the floor, I notice a card that must have been hidden in there. Evan’s familiar handwriting graces the paper.
Lucy,
No matter what you wear tonight, you’ll be the most beautiful woman there. But, I wanted you to have this because, well, because I wanted to do it for you. Katie helped so I hope everything fits.
I hope you, Linda, Aimee and Chloe are enjoying your pampering.
I can’t wait to see you tonight.
Evan xx
Clutching the letter to my chest, I have to fight back the few tears of happiness that threaten to fall. Linda looks over my shoulder and whispers, “See? I had nothing to do with today, at all.”
She moves away from me telling Chloe that she thinks she saw some more champagne up front. Aimee follows along, saying that they’ll give me some privacy as I get ready.
The second they’re out of the room, I call him immediately.
“Hey, love.” His voice is gruff and sexy.
“Hey, yourself.” Happiness permeates my soft words.
“You sound happy,” he mutters, sounding like he’s trying to catch his breath.
“I sure am. I’ve been whisked away to a posh salon and I just got a gorgeous gown delivered to me. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
He chuckles through the line. “Maybe,” he feigns cluelessness, but I can tell he most certainly had something to do with all of this.
I sink down into the chair and call his bluff. “Yeah, well the note signed ‘Evan’ is more than suspicious, don’t you think?”
He laughs and finally concedes, “Fine, I might have had a little something to do with it.”
I smile at his playfulness. “It’s really stunning. I can’t thank you enough.”
“I know tonight is important to you, so that means it’s important to me.” I want to respond that I have the most thoughtful boyfriend in the world, but we haven’t defined our relationship—though if this doesn’t put a stamp on what we are, I’m not sure what will.
Not knowing exactly how to react to my own thoughts, I offer up an oh-so-eloquent, “So . . .” and let it hang in the air between us. “Then what are you going to do today?” I’m totally digging for more information, hoping that he’ll own up to whatever else he’s worked out with Linda today.
“I just got in from a run, and then the rest of my afternoon is classified.” Getting more out of him is obviously, not going to happen.
“Fine, you win. I’ll see you tonight then, yeah?” I flop back into my chair, slightly frustrated that I couldn’t get anything out of him, but mainly, I feel overwhelmed by his loving kindness.
“I wouldn’t miss tonight for the world. Have a good day, love.”
“Bye, Ev.”
The box that Linda brought with her does not have a dress for Chloe in it. Linda smirks as she hands it to me. “Okay, I admit, I played a small part in helping him out today.” Pinching together two fingers in front of her face so there’s no space between them, she chuckles as she hands me the box.
I open it, shaking my head in disbelief. Inside there are black, sparkly shoes that match the design on the hip of the dress and a small black clutch to match the ensemble. “Did you help him with these?”
“Of course I did. He was really sweet about asking for help too. I think you got yourself a keeper there, girl.” Linda smiles broadly before applying a final dab of lip gloss. “You look absolutely beautiful.” She links her arm through mine and we walk out into the front of the salon where Aimee and Chloe are waiting for us.
Everything about this day—the dress, the hair and make-up, Evan’s sweet surprises—makes me feel like I’m floating on a cloud. The feeling of being taken care of is something I’ve denied myself for so long, and today I feel more than pampered; I feel loved.
“Wow!” Chloe gasps and runs up to me. With her arms tightly banded around my waist, she looks up at me with stars in her eyes. “This is the most magical day ever!”
“It sure is, baby girl. Now, let’s get going. Your party is about to start.” Aimee wraps an arm around my shoulders as she whispers one last “Thank you” to me.
We’re all dazzled one last time as we step outside. If we thought the limo that picked us up from the hotel was fancy, well, this limo puts it to shame. It’s big enough to fit at least ten people. Sleek and sophisticated, this is the exact thing I was looking for when I started searching a few weeks ago. The few local companies had nothing more than the standard—nothing special. But this stretch Bentley is more than I could have ever planned for. I look over to Linda. “Did you?”
She shakes her head and points to the opening back door. My breath hitches in my throat as a very dapper Evan steps out. Dressed in a classic black tuxedo, he looks absolutely delicious. Knowing the lickability of everything that’s under that tux makes him look even more edible.
I walk up to him and he takes my hand in his, softly kissing my knuckles. “Hi, love.” His words falter just a little before he asks, “I hope it’s okay that I did this. You’re not mad, are you?”
I stroke his stubbled jaw tenderly, loving the scratchy feel of it on my fingertips. “Mad? More like in awe. This is just too much. I don’t know what to say.”
He presses his lips to my cheek. “Then don’t say anything. Let’s enjoy the night. You look beautiful by the way.” He looks me over from head to toe, wide-eyed and more than a little hungry.
I run my hands down the front of my gown. “Oh, this old thing,” I joke and we share a laugh.
Turning back to the Bentley, I see Aimee filling her husband Chad in on all of the details from our afternoon. Chloe absentmindedly twirls her full skirt off to the side of the adults—alone. Evan notices too and walks over to her.
“Hey, Chloe. I brought something extra special for you today.” She beams with excitement as he walks over to the limo. He pulls out a simple rose corsage for her and slips it on her wrist.
“Thank you,” she bubbles as she inhales the roses. “Daddy, look!” She barrels into Chad and he effortlessly lifts her up into the air. “Isn’t my hair pretty?”
“Prettier than anything I’ve ever seen, baby girl.”
She coils her arms around his neck, basking in his compliments. “Can we go now? Please, please, please!”
“Sure, thing, Chloe. Let’s get you to your ball.” Aimee and Chad slide into the limo behind her and Linda, Evan and I follow. Of course, no one can get a word in on the ride back to the hotel as Chloe fills Chad in on her ‘princess day’ at the salon. I’m more than happy to just sit next to Evan and enjoy the feel of his fingers tracing lightly over my exposed shoulder.
When we arrive at the hotel, Chloe is thrumming with excitement. The door opens from the outside. Expecting to see the limo driver, I’m more than surprised to see Reid there—tux and all.
“Princess Chloe.” He extends his hand to help her from the limo and she looks up at him with awe.
“I’m Prince Charming. Are you ready for your ball?” he asks sweetly and all Chloe can manage is an eager nod.
Reid winks at me as he escorts Chloe into the hotel, looking like she’s walking on a cloud. “Okay, so Katie helped me with more than the dress.” Evan answers my unasked question. “You said Chloe wanted a Prince Charming and she doesn’t know Reid, so I thought he wouldn’t mind helping. He was actually quite willing, which surprised me.”
“It doesn’t surprise me one bit.” I stretch up on my toes and pop a kiss to Evan’s cheek. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank you for everything you’ve done today. And not just for me, but for Chloe and her family.” My emotion swells when I think about the real meaning behind this event. This will more than likely be Chloe’s only ball—no prom, or wedding or anything like that. Her life won’t turn out like other little girls’ lives, but pushing down the sadness, I choose to focus on the happiness that today will provide for her, Aimee and Chad.
“There’s nothing to repay, love. Just having someone to do all of this for is payment enough.” Tucking my arm into his, we walk into the magical fairyland of the hotel ballroom where cancer and sadness cease to exist, where the only thing that matters is the happily ever after—at least for the night.
When the limo drops Evan and me back off at my house, it’s well past midnight—time for the carriage to turn back into a pumpkin.
“You’re really great with kids, Evan. I’ve never seen anything more adorable that you dancing with Chloe stepping on your feet.”
We walk into the living room and I notice that Evan is more than comfortable here—hanging his coat on the rack, sliding his shoes off and lining them up with another pair he’s left here. A huge smile spreads across my face knowing he is a part of my life and that he feels like he belongs here.
“I hope she had a good night,” he says as we walk up the stairs, the skirt of my dress rustling noisily with each step.
The Love Series Complete Box Set Page 102