He took a step forward and offered his hand. ‘Actually, it’s just Greg.’
‘I’m—’
‘I know who you are, Holly.’ The look he gave her sent a warm flush along her cheeks. ‘And I understand that you have been looking for me.’
As she took in Greg’s fine features, his broad shoulders, warm chocolate eyes and dark hair that was practically pleading for fingers to be run through it, Holly thought:Remember Holly, he’s not looking for you – he’s looking for the bracelet.She nodded. ‘Well, I didn’t know it was you, but yes, I have.’
Reluctantly she dropped her gaze to the clutch, and opening the bag she put her hand inside it, feeling for the bracelet. Pulling it out in one swoop, she smiled and handed it to Greg. ‘I think this belongs to you,’ she laughed, ‘or rather, your girlfriend or wife or … ’ Her eyes danced around quickly, looking for any sign of the woman who not only owned the beautiful bracelet, but was also lucky enough to have laid claim to this gorgeous man’s heart.
‘Actually, it’s my mother’s,’ he clarified and she felt her heart lift a little. ‘Holly, thank you so much.’ He picked up the bracelet and studied it, running his fingers along the individual charms. His eyes seemed to glisten as he did so, and she guessed she wasn’t quite getting the whole story. ‘You don’t know how much this means. Really. This is so important to our family. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. My dad’s here and I know he’ll want to thank you too.’
She smiled kindly. ‘It was my pleasure.’
For a moment the two of them stood there, unsure of what to say.
‘Well … I probably should be going.’
‘Actually, would you like to go get a drink?’ Greg asked quickly. ‘I feel I owe you that much at least, especially since I know you’ve gone to a lot of trouble to get this back to us.’
‘You don’t know the half of it … ’ Holly smiled and self-consciously put a hand up to push a stray hair out of her face. ‘But it was no trouble really.’
‘Hey, you’ve got one too.’ Greg noticed the bracelet on Holly’s wrist and he put a gentle hand under her arm. A surge of electricity shot through her and her mind whirled. What was going on? Who was this man? ‘It’s beautiful. If it’s anything like my mom’s, I’m assuming all of these charms, they mean something too?’
She nodded, trying her utmost not to betray how she was feeling. ‘You assume right.’
‘So that’s why you tried so hard to get it back,’ Greg said. ‘I was wondering about that.’
‘This bracelet – it’s the story of my life really.’
Greg smiled. ‘Well then it gives you an unfair advantage.’
‘How so?’ she asked, curious about his meaning.
‘Well, you already know a lot of the stories behind the charms on my mother’s bracelet … so I’m thinking you should let me buy you that drink, right now, and tell me your stories so we have a level playing field.’
He looked expectantly at her but Holly had already fallen under his spell. . She knew she wasn’t supposed to be here sharing drinks and stories with handsome men, she was supposed to be working. But she couldn’t resist the idea that something - and not just the bracelet – had drawn her here, to Greg. Almost as if to reiterate this, right then, the music changed, and recognising the song she gave a little laugh.
‘What’s so funny?’ Greg asked.
‘That song – it’s my favourite song in the whole world, and I’m just thinking about what my son said about it the last time I heard it.’
‘What did he say?’
‘He said it was a song about pizza,’ she smiled, as the sound of Dean Martin’s ‘Amore’ filled the room.
‘Well, I suppose he’s right in a way,’ Greg said, chuckling. ‘He sounds like a sensible guy.’
‘Sensible, Danny?’ Holly scoffed at the thought.
‘Well, OK then, if you won’t let me buy you a drink, then let me have this dance. Seeing as it’s your favourite song … ’
Holly looked around at these people, the beautifully dressed women and rich, handsome men. Never in a million years did she think she’d be amongst people like these in a place like this. Wearing a dress like this. With a gorgeous man who wanted to dance with her.
‘Just say yes,’ Greg said, closing the space between them and reaching for her hand. This wasn’t her world and would never be her world, but maybe like Carole said, the dress deserved another great memory?
And as a matter of fact, so did she.
Feeling impulsive, (and unable to resist Greg’s smile) Holly held out her hand. ‘OK.’
