He surrendered with good humour, wearing his coat the same way I did—one arm in, the other draped loosely over his shoulder.
“Gloves, ma’am?” the waiter asked, holding out a pair of elegant, fur-lined gloves. “The fur is sustainably sourced from New Zealand.”
I let him help me into them while Caleb managed his own, both of us trying not to wrestle for control of our shared wrists. The gloves were absurdly warm, like slipping my hands into a purring cat.
“Ready?” Caleb asked. “No hat?”
I touched a gloved palm to my still-perfect chignon. “If you saw the number of pins Lakshmi used to create this?—”
“And it’s beautiful,” he paused, swallowing. “You are amazingly beautiful. I’m honestly pinching myself that you chose to spend Valentine’s Day with me.”
“You’re looking very handsome yourself,” I replied. For a heartbeat, it felt like this might be it—our moment, our first kiss, framed by falling snow and anticipation. But the moment passed before I could lean into it. I masked the loss with movement, tugging the loose side of his coat across his chest. “And I’m deeply jealous that you achieved it without two hours of prep and a team of four.”
He laughed, sliding the door open, and together we stepped outinto the cold. The barman, bundled and gloved, handed us snifters of cognac. The terrace was covered and dry, snow swirling just beyond the railing like something conjured for effect.
A couple in their thirties sat close together on a settee nearby. The man lifted his glass toward us. “Hail, fellow winter travellers. Will you join us?”
We ventured over, synchronizing our movements instinctively, and settled onto the settee opposite them.
They introduced themselves as Ginny and Paul MacDonald. “I see you received the gift,” Ginny said, nodding at the colourful band circling our wrists. “Paul voted for that one. I preferred the matching gold pendants.” She touched her throat. “They interlock into a heart.”
“Well, thank you anyway,” I said, lifting our joined hands. “It’s been…”
“Interesting,” Caleb finished for me.
Paul chuckled. “Interesting is good for a first date. And I think you’ve got romantic covered.” He gestured broadly at the terrace and restaurant beyond.
“It’s very romantic,” I said, sharing a look with Caleb. “I need to thank whoever organized it.”
“I wish I could take credit,” Paul said, “but it found us. An invitation in the mailbox yesterday. Happy tenth anniversary—here’s your free five-star dinner.”
“It’s the same with everyone,” Ginny added. “We don’t even know who paid.”
“It’s a mystery,” I said, squeezing Caleb’s hand to let him know I wouldn’t embarrass him by revealing his generosity. “So, ten years. What is that, China? Crystal?”
“Tin,” Ginny said. “Not very romantic.”
“The modern gift for ten years is onyx, apparently,” Paul said. He pulled open the neck of his warm coat to show a black onyx lapel pin on his jacket. “They gave us these when we arrived tonight.”
Ginny showed hers—a larger, oval-shaped onyx brooch. “That grey-haired lady pinned a gold one on her husband.”
“I’d love to know who was paying,” Paul said. “I’d shake their hand and then slap them upside the head for spending so much money.”
“I think it’s sweet,” Ginny replied. “We haven’t done anything this indulgent since before the kids.”
Paul shrugged. “It was probably your parents entering us into one of those radio competitions. I’ll be nice to them just in case.”
Ginny slapped his leg playfully. “We should go back inside and let these lovebirds enjoy their date alone.”
After a few more laughs, they excused themselves, leaving us alone.
“Let’s stand by the railing,” I said. “I want to look at the lights.”
Caleb stepped beside me, but I lifted our joined hands and twirled, wrapping his arm around me. He followed without hesitation, closing the other arm around my waist and pulling me close.
Snow settled softly in my hair as I sipped my cognac. “You paid for all this, didn’t you?”
He laughed. “I didn’t know about the gifts. I probably should have set a budget.” He hugged me tighter. “I told them I didn’t care how they did it, I wanted you to be swept off your feet. Silly waste of money when you think about it.”
