I feel my cheeks getting a little red. “Thank you. Okay, but I can’t stay out too long. I need to rest tonight. Let me see if I have a change of clothes in the office.”
Blake stays rooted in place as I walk down the hall to my office. I check the back of my door and, as I suspected, I have a sundress hanging up.
I yell to him, “I’ll be out in a couple of minutes.”
“Okay.” But he continues talking, “I can’t wait for the grand opening.”
As I get dressed, I think about how great the opening will be. Blake's attendance at the grand opening is part of the community support I’ve added to the event. We have selected ten local businesses to showcase during the event. It will be an event people won’t want to miss.
I stroll out of my office in an emerald green sundress and silver flip-flops. My hair still looks great even though I worked all day.
“I’m excited for you to be there. The spa is a superior project to showcase. Hopefully, your schedule will fill up from the showcase.”
“Wow! You clean up nicely. That would be great for business. I appreciate you thinking that through; it’s a great idea. So, want me to drive?”
“Why don’t we take separate cars, then I can drive straight home after dinner. It’s been a long week, and I have a lot more to do this weekend.”
“Okay, I'll meet you at the restaurant.”
“Did we decide?”
“On the Waterfront work for you?”
“Yes, love it there.”
Double-checking that all the lights are shut off and doors are locked, I finally feel ready to walk away for the night. We walk to our cars and head to the restaurant. I’m looking forward to a good night’s sleep, but thankful for some dinner first.
The restaurant is just a few minutes away, and there’s plenty of parking available. I slip into a spot and walk into the restaurant.
Blake is already there to greet me as I walk in. The hostess asks us if we have reservations, and of course, he had called earlier to make reservations. She guides us through the front of the restaurant, where people are dining inside. Her shoes are clicking on the hardwood floors as we enter the covered deck area overlooking the lake. We have premier seating tucked in the corner with a beautiful view.
We sit down, menus handed to us, and we give our drink order.
“A great way to celebrate—dinner with a view. It’s nice to be out and have adult time.”
“You’re a great dad and deserve some adult time.”
“We are here to celebrate you and all your accomplishments. This was a rewarding project to work on. The grand opening will be a success. You had a vision.” He raises his water glass to me and then takes a few gulps.
“You were the one who brought all my visions to life on this project. I’ll give you glowing recommendations to everyone I know.”
Blake leans back in his chair, looking out at the water, and says, “Looking forward to your referrals. Oh, actually, my next project is at your friend's house, Lane.”
“She hired you. Why hasn’t she told me?” I strum my fingers on the table, trying to remember if she told me, but I've forgotten with all the craziness of the past few weeks.
“We just finalized the kitchen renovation contract today, so maybe she was waiting until it was a done deal.”
“Lane is one of my best friends. You two will work well together. I can’t wait to see what you do with her kitchen. It needs a complete makeover that she has been talking about for a couple of years now.”
“That’s what she was telling me. It’ll be a fun project. She has it all sketched out, so I’m working with her to finalize the design. I’m sure she’ll share it with you.”
“I’m sure she will.”
We order our food and chat about his daughter, Olivia. Before our food is brought out, I excuse myself to use the ladies' room. As I finish up, I look in the mirror while I wash my hands. Drying them off, I leave the ladies' room and almost walk into someone.
“Oh, sorry about that…Always in a hurry.”
As I look up, my mouth drops open. Biting my bottom lip, I stare up at Dane. An intense electrical shock moves through my body as he touches my arm. I’m not even sure how it’s possible to be body-shaken to the core, but I’ve felt nothing like this in my entire life.
