“Reschedule your meetings,” Paul said.
A twitch in Donovan’s jaw revealed his otherwise imperceptible debate, but he did not respond.
Paul decided to press the issue. “For Rachel.”
Donovan lifted his eyes. The edge of his voice was unusually soft, regretful, and apologetic. “I never meant to fall in love with her.” He sat back down and reached for his phone, his actions dismissing Paul.
Chapter Forty-nine
Rachel looked up when Donovan came through her bedroom door. She placed a bookmark in her book and closed it. “I thought you had to go to Seattle,” she said, as she hopped off the bed. She laid the compilation of Edgar Allen Poe stories down on her dresser, and walked over to him.
“The meetings were rescheduled.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and twirled the ends of it between his fingers. “I know it’s short notice, but do you think you can be dressed and ready to go in an hour?”
Rachel tilted her head. “I suppose that’s a possibility. Is there a last minute job?”
“Senator Cal Robbins is hosting a dinner at his estate tonight.” Donovan paused before adding, “I would like to take you as my date.”
“I’ll be ready,” she said, her eyes brightening.
“Then I’ll see you upstairs in one hour.” He gave her a quick kiss before leaving her room.
Paralyzed by Donovan’s visit, Rachel remained still until it fully registered in her mind what he said. She was going to leave the estate for something other than a job for the first time in thirteen years. More than that, Donovan was taking her out on an actual date, in public, surrounded by his peers.
Rachel’s feet had trouble keeping up with her legs as she sprinted out her door and down the hall. The sides of her fists banged on Paul’s door. “Paul!” she called. “Paul!”
“I’m coming,” he said.
“Hurry up!”
He opened the door. His hair rumpled hair and wrinkled clothes told her she interrupted a late afternoon nap. “Rachel, honey, you know I love you, but this had better be important. I was having the best dream.”
“No time for that. I’m going with Donovan to a dinner for Senator Robbins.”
Paul smiled knowingly.
Rachel’s eyes widened. “You talked to Donovan, didn’t you?”
“Don’t question it, Rach. Accept it and enjoy it.”
“I only have one hour to get ready! You have to help me. I have nothing to wear!”
“Okay, okay. Calm down. Everything is already taken care of for you. Let’s go make you beautiful.”
Forty-five minutes later, she was dressed and ready to go. Paul stood at a distance and watched Claudia squirt hairspray over Rachel’s head. Rachel squirmed and wrinkled her nose at the mist that showered her neck and shoulders.
“All done,” Claudia said. Paul and Rachel thanked her, and she left the room with a basket full of makeup and hair supplies.
Rachel walked into the bathroom and took in her reflection. The slit of the long, black evening gown tastefully stopped just above her knee, and the neckline of the sleeveless top fell several inches below her collarbone without being too revealing. A sheer, black scarf wrapped loosely around her neck and traveled down her spine to her lower back.
Rachel patted the French twist on the back of her head, and turned her head to the side to see the profile of her hair. Satisfied with what she saw, Rachel couldn’t resist bobbing the tendrils of hair bordering her face.
“Much better than the last dress you wore,” Paul said when she waltzed back into the bedroom.
“I don’t even recognize myself.”
“You look exactly like your mother.”
Tears formed in her eyes at the thought. “How did you manage to pull this off?”
“A magician never reveals his secrets. But I’ve had the damn dress on hand for nearly a week waiting for Donovan to decide he was taking you.”
She hugged him. “You’re amazing.”
“No, you’re amazing.” He held her away from him. “Like Cinderella going to the ball.”
“Then you must be my fairy godmother.”
He frowned at her. “Enough analogies.” He walked her to the foot of the stairs.
“Thank you, Paul.”
“I’m going back to bed. I’m beat and I have a great dream waiting for me. Have a great time.” He gave her a wink before walking away.
Rachel moved up the stairs and into the foyer, where Donovan stood wearing a black tuxedo. She had never seen him so dressed up, and her heart skipped a few beats before racing out of control. She was like Cinderella going to the ball. She only hoped that there would be many more to come.
Donovan let out a low whistle and looked her over. “You are absolutely breathtaking,” he said. “Everyone will have their eyes on you tonight.”
“But I’ll only have my eyes on you,” Rachel said. She moved closer to him, and he encircled her with his arms. His lips found hers and, for a moment, Rachel thought they might not make it to the dinner after all. When the kiss broke, a large smile overcame her.
“As beautiful as you are, something is missing,” Donovan said. He walked over to the table in the foyer and opened the drawer. When he turned around, he had a large black jewelry box in his hands.
Rachel gasped with surprise when she raised the lid of the box. Inside was a silver colored necklace with three large diamonds seated in a delicate, lace-like design.
“The necklace is platinum,” Donovan said, “so it won’t damage easily. The diamonds are each a full carat. I know it’s not a lot, but I didn’t think you’d want something too fancy.”
Rachel raised her eyes to meet his and smiled innocently, unable to speak.
Donovan chuckled. “You don’t have any idea what that means, do you?”
“None at all,” she said.
“It’s a one-of-a kind necklace. I had it designed for you. I thought you would like something simple, yet elegant at the same time. It needed to at least match your beauty.”
Rachel couldn’t take her eyes off him. In that moment, he had shown her more love than he had in the entire five years of their affair. She wanted so much to tell him that she loved him, but she was afraid he wouldn’t say it in return. He had not said it before, and there was no reason for her to believe he would say it now. Not wanting to ruin the night, she instead said, “Thank you so much. It’s gorgeous.”
“I’m glad you like it,” he said. He took the box from her hands. “Let me help you with this.” He walked behind Rachel and untied her black scarf. He handed her the scarf and box to hold while he secured the necklace around her neck. Rachel gave him back the scarf, and one hand instinctively reached for the necklace. It fit on her neck like it was part of her.
After he finished retying her scarf, she turned around to face him. “It’s perfect,” he said. He reached up and touched her right earlobe. “If you had your ears pierced, I would have gotten you matching earrings. We may have to fix that.”
“No one has ever given me something so amazing or thoughtful.”
“You deserve nothing but the best,” he said. “Speaking of which, the limousine is waiting outside for us. We better not keep the driver waiting too long.”
Rachel smiled, and her fingers continued their inspection of the necklace. She took his hand and they made their way to the front door, the sheer, black scarf trailing after her.
Chapter Fifty
Rachel’s lips remained glued into a smile for the entire drive. When they reached their destination, her eyes widened at the sight. The limousine followed a lighted circular drive and stopped near the front of a white French Colonial mansion behind several other limousines.
Donovan took her hand and squeezed it. As they waited their turn to get out of the limousine, she took in the luxury around them. She turned to Donovan. “This is amazing.”
Donovan laughed. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
“Is his house bigger t
han yours?”
“Ours,” he said. “You live there, too. Yes, his house is much bigger than ours. I imagine if the estate wasn’t my parents’ home, I would have had one as large as his, but that would be showing off, I suppose. I’m content in our house. I grew up there, so it’s special to me.”
“It’s a great house,” Rachel said. “Our house, that is.”
“It’s only great because you’re there.”
She smiled. “What’s this dinner for?”
“Cal will most likely run for President in the next election. He’s vetting his supporters, making sure we’re aware he’s still around, so when he comes asking for donations, he’ll know who to come to first.”
“Sounds like there will be a lot of important people there. Makes me a little nervous.”
“Don’t be nervous,” he said. He turned his knees toward her and put his hands over hers. “Before we get up to the front, there are some minor points I want to go over with you. You’ve always handled yourself so well in strange situations, and I’m sure you’ll do the same tonight. It is a little different, though. If you’re unsure of which fork to use or how to eat something, watch me without drawing attention to yourself.”
“There’s more than one fork?” Rachel asked. “What about the spoon?”
Donovan chuckled. “Yes, there’s more than one fork and more than one spoon. In fact, quite a few things on the place settings will have duplicates and even triplicates, each used for different things. If we’d had more time, I would have gone over this with you back at the estate.”
“I think an etiquette lesson would have definitely come in handy,” Rachel said.
“If you mimic what you see me do, then you’ll survive the night without breaking too many fancy dinner party laws. One more thing. As we meet people at the party, you’ll see some people whispering while they are looking at us. I know you can be self-conscious so I don’t want you to think that they are talking negatively about you. They won’t be. They’ll be talking about me.”
Rachel creased her forehead. “Why would they talk about you?”
“I have never brought a date to one of these gatherings. You will be a source of great interest to the busybodies there.”
“I understand,” Rachel said, somewhat untruthfully. She understood why they would talk about him, but could not comprehend that Donovan had never brought a date to a social event before tonight.
Before they became involved, she had spent many nights jealous while he was off at a soiree, always wondering if he had a beautiful woman on his arm. The revelation that he had not done that on even one occasion warmed Rachel’s heart and made her realize how much she meant to him, even if it didn’t seem like it at times.
“Rachel, I’m not so good at expressing my feelings,” he said, as if he had read her mind. “I know that’s a major flaw I have, among many other flaws.”
Rachel tilted her head, unsure of where his words were heading.
“We have been together for so long now, and we will be for the rest of our lives. I know I’ve never expressed how I feel about you, and maybe it seems at times like I take you and our relationship for granted.”
Butterflies flew around in Rachel’s stomach so fast that it felt like they were trying to break out. “Donovan, I know how you feel about me.”
“I also know how you feel about me. I don’t think either of us have any questions about our feelings for each other, but I’ve never told you. I know that is something I need to do more often, so you always know how much you mean to me.”
The limousine inched forward, and Rachel turned her head to see how close they were to the front of the line. There was only one other limo ahead of them, and she worried that their intimate conversation would be interrupted at any second.
She turned back to Donovan. “I don’t need to hear you tell me how you feel about me,” she said. “I don’t want you to feel guilty about not saying it.”
Donovan leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. He laid a hand on her cheek, his face close to hers. “Rachel, I love you. I have loved you for a very long time, and nothing will ever change that for me. I may not say it, but I don’t ever want you to doubt that, no matter what. You’re my life, you’re everything I live for. I could never make it in this world without you.”
Rachel fought off tears of joy, knowing they would only ruin Claudia’s makeup. She had waited so long to hear those words, but she didn’t want to seem too excited at the sound of them. She gave him another kiss, and said, “I love you, too, Donovan. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love you. Nothing will ever change that for me, either, I promise. I’m yours forever.” She pressed her mouth against his for one more kiss.
The limousine moved again, and stopped in front of the walkway leading up to the house. “We’re here,” Donovan said. He squeezed her hand before letting go.
Rachel’s door opened and she accepted the driver’s extended hand. As she exited the limo, she looked past the driver at the house in amazement. Four white columns flanked a double set of French doors, and the glow from inside poured out onto the front steps. Donovan walked up beside Rachel, and she slid her arm through his.
A man in a white tuxedo and white gloves welcomed them at the top of the steps and opened the door. Rachel stepped onto the marble floor of the foyer, and her eyes following the gentle curve of the staircase that opened up in front of them. Another tuxedo-clad man greeted them. They followed him down a long, winding hallway to an arched beveled glass door.
The door swung open, and Rachel held her breath with her first glimpse inside. A short flight of stairs led down to the dining area. Round tables covered with lace cloths filled the room, the lighting provided by crystal chandeliers suspended from the ceiling.
Donovan took Rachel’s hand, and they walked to the railing above the large dining room. Guests mingled among the tables, gossiping and laughing. Some turned to look at the latest arrivals, and Rachel recognized the whispering Donovan warned her about. Soft orchestra music piped in from the other side of the room. Tables were absent in the center of the room, and Rachel imagined the area was reserved for dancing after dinner.
It was a fairy tale.
She felt Donovan’s eyes on her, and she could not contain her large smile. “This is incredible.”
“So are you, Rachel,” he said. “So are you.”
“Well, Donovan King!”
Rachel turned toward the voice. The man approaching them stood only a few inches taller than her. His bulbous nose and grandfather-like smile made her think of a younger version of Santa Claus.
He shook hands with Donovan. “We were taking bets earlier on whether you’d make it. I guess I lost.” His hearty laugh filled the immediate area, and he rested his hands on his protruding stomach. He turned his attention to Rachel. “And who is this beautiful young lady you’ve brought to help light up the room tonight?”
“This is Rachel Pettis,” Donovan said. “Rachel, I would like you to meet Senator Cal Robbins.”
Senator Robbins took her hand and, to Rachel’s surprise, brushed his lips against her knuckles. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Rachel. I have a feeling you’re the one to help this lifelong bachelor settle down.”
“What’s this rumor I hear about you running for President?” Donovan asked, in a quick attempt to change the subject.
“The election is over three years away and the rumor mill is already grinding.” He shrugged. “Then again, maybe it never stopped grinding after last year’s election.”
“A lot of your constituents were very disappointed you didn’t go for it then,” Donovan said. “You know you’ll win by a landslide, no matter who you’re up against.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Senator Robbins said. “I know there were some upset people but they don’t understand there is a time for everything and the last election was not my time. This next election, however, is a strong possibility. Becoming President has always been an ambition of
mine.”
“Well, you have my support, mostly financially, of course.” The men shared a laughed.
“Thank you, sir. If I do this, I’ll need all the support I can get, financial and otherwise.” He cleared his throat. “Since we’re on the subject of support, I’m glad to see you have someone here to keep you happy tonight.”
“Why is that, Cal?”
“I hate to tell you this, but the idiot my assistant used to plan this little get together screwed up bad. You’re seated at the same table as Jonathan Thomas, and it’s much too late to change anything.”
Donovan scowled. “And you wonder why I don’t come to these things. If you’d given me the heads-up before we made the drive, I might have turned right back around.”
“I’m truly sorry. If it makes you feel any better, he’s not exactly thrilled about it, either. Who knows? Maybe you two will kiss and make up.” He laughed again. “Rachel, my dear, I hope you have a wonderful evening, and that we get to meet again very soon. Try to keep this man out of trouble.” He walked off to greet another guest.
Rachel looked at Donovan with only one thought in her mind. “Jonathan Thomas? As in Thomas Security?”
Donovan’s smile disappeared, and he scanned the room. “That would be him. Are you ready to meet my biggest competitor and the one man I sincerely hate in this world?”
She took a deep breath and Donovan led her through the sea of people to a table near the front of the room. Four people sat around the table that contained their place cards. The two men stood as they approached, and the younger man smirked. “You actually showed. Cal thought you might not make it, which would have made tonight a bit easier given the unfortunate seating arrangements.”
“Looks like I picked the wrong dinner to come to,” Donovan said. “Of course you could always leave now and save us both the trouble.”
“I wouldn’t dream of giving you the pleasure of watching me cower away.”
“Now, now,” the older man said. “There will be no arguing tonight, not in front of such lovely women.”