The thought should have brought at least a little relief, but instead all she felt was regret that she hadn’t given him a real chance sooner.
They wandered the space, looking at the tables of items in the silent auction and chatting lightly with the other guests.
Whispers about averydramatic event in the entry hall near the beginning of the evening traveled through the gala like wildfire, with half the guests in absolute awe, and the other half eagerly gossiping and arguing about whether a romance between two very unlikely locals might either be rekindled or doomed.
But Allie could hardly pay attention. She felt like she was in a dream, and her heart ached to know whether Ash felt the same.
At dinner, she sat by his side. The two younger investors, Geraldine and Patrick, sat across from them, alternately whispering to each other and slipping their phones out to tap on them.
Doug, the older investor, sat on Allie’s other side and asked her questions about her greenhouse project.
Complimented that Ash had mentionedit, Allie felt herself coming to life as she described all the benefits the greenhouse would have for the kids.
“I think it’s going to be really memorable for them,” she said at last. “The kind of project they never forget.”
Geraldine looked up from her wine glass at that.
“Unforgettable, huh?” she asked.
“I think so,” Allie said carefully, uncertain if the other woman was making fun of her or actually interested.
“I think it’s lovely,” Doug told her. “You have a wonderful vision, young lady.”
After dinner, the servers hurried to clear up the plates and glasses and the lights faded as the dancing began.
“May I have this dance?” Ash asked as he got to his feet and held out a hand to Allie.
There was such warmth in his eyes that her poor heart began fluttering all over again.
She nodded, afraid that if she spoke she would blush so hard she’d be red all the way to her hairline.
The dance floor had been hung with fresh garlands, with Christmas lights strung among the branches. The high ceiling and shining floors made her feel like a princess in one of the movies her nieces and nephews loved to watch and rewatch.
With mostly just the holiday lighting, and an absolutely enormous Christmas tree glowing in one corner, the ballroom was dimly lit, except for a single spotlight that made a bright circle on the floor right underneath a pretty bouquet of mistletoe with a festive red ribbon around it.
Allie found that the soft lighting somehow made theballroom feel intimate, in spite of the ample space all around them.
Though she had felt a little awkward coming into the ball in her fancy dress, now that she was in Ash’s arms, Allie felt like she belonged.
His eyes seemed to read her soul as he swept her around the ballroom floor as if she were light as air.
“I missed you,” he whispered in her ear as he pulled her closer. “What happened this week?”
“I don’t know,” she heard herself admit. “I was scared.”
“What scared you?” he asked, his voice sad now.
“We’re so different,” she said. “Can this really work?”
“We’re not so different,” he said. “And of course it can work. We’re incredible together, Allie. Can’t you feel it?”
His hot whisper sent a shiver down her spine that she could feel all the way to her toes.
This is the feeling I wanted. This is how it’s supposed to be.
“What are you thinking?” he asked her as they swayed closer to the big Christmas tree in the corner. “Talk to me, baby.”
“I want this to work,” she told him, her heart soaring. “I want us to be together.”
