Chapter 4

Maci stood in the middle of the hotel room, her suitcase still at her feet. She ran her fingers along the soft fabric of the curtains - a bright yellow, with a pattern of white flowers. Her eyes roamed to the bedspread, an inviting deep blue, before settling on the old-fashioned lamp perched on the desk across the room.

She had gotten up extra early for her flight that morning, having plenty of time in case she needed to make any last-minute purchases. But when she arrived on the plane, she couldn’t believe her eyes - Dawson was already seated, looking as handsome as ever. She tried not to stare, but her heart skipped a beat.

A tiny sliver of guilt crept into her chest as she thought back over the years and wondered why she had never reached out to him. She had known Dawson for years, but never expected to find him on a flight from New York City. How weird was it to end up sitting next to him on the plane here? Even more so, how weird it was that they had been living in the same city, and never once ran across each other on the street. If she knew Dawson was in New York City, she would have reached out over the years, and now she was kicking herself in the foot for not doing so.

She unzipped her suitcase and began to place clothes into the drawers of the dresser. As she placed her treasures in the dresser drawers, she felt a tug in her heart and stepped over to the window. Her eyes scanned the horizon for any sign of familiarity; images of Dawson played through her mind like a movie reel. They were together every day during high school, and sometimes even on the weekends, studying for whatever test was coming up or just going to the movies to keep busy. Maci and Dawson held memories all over this town.

Maci had been brave enough to ask Dawson out for drinks tonight, but where was that courage twenty years ago? Now, here she was in Grapevine, finding the nerve to do something she had never done before. Maci had put everything else in her life on the back burner in order to get to where she was today, and she had no intention of letting Dawson slip out of her reach again.

He wasn’t married and there was nothing stopping her from telling him how she felt, but tonight she wanted to take things slow. Catch up and find out what kind of man Dawson had become during their absence in each other’s lives. Whatever happened, she needed to leave Grapevine without regrets.

Her eyes glanced over at the clock and started getting ready. She searched to find the perfect dress that would make her look effortlessly beautiful, yet still confident and sexy. Finally, she found what she was looking for: a beautiful red dress with just the right amount of stretch. After putting it on, Maci glanced in the mirror, pleased with what she saw. She pinned her hair up into a French twist, added a simple gold necklace, and took one last look, giving herself an approving nod.

It was showtime. Maci grabbed her small evening bag and headed out the door, feeling a sense of excitement and anticipation as she made her way down to the hotel bar. She knew when she arrived, all eyes would be on her. She smiled, feeling beautiful, confident, and ready for whatever the night had in store.