Chapter 13

CHAPTER

THIRTEEN

THEN

A week had passed, and Cecilia was still thinking about Garrick.

He seemed to have stepped directly out of her dreams and into her real life.

Only he was just a blip on her timeline, someone she'd talked to for a few minutes one evening and whom she'd never see again.

Besides, it was probably as she'd assumed. The man most likely already had a girlfriend. What kind of man like that didn't?

She straightened some of the expensive suits hanging on the racks at Balderston's, each one silky and luxurious.

She hadn't heard from Grocery Store Ryan since he stood her up. She really wanted to give the man a piece of her mind for leaving her at that restaurant to foot a bill she didn't even know would exist.

Then again, if Ryan had shown up, Cecilia might not have met Garrick.

And Garrick had nicely occupied her thoughts for the past seven days.

She needed to stop though. What were the odds she'd ever see the man again?

"If it isn't the woman from the restaurant," a deep, gravelly voice said behind her.

Cecilia turned a little too quickly, instinctively knowing who it belonged to. But she also feared she was only hearing what she wanted to hear. Making things up in her mind.

When her eyes confirmed that it was Garrick standing there, her eyelids began to flutter, and her heart swelled. "Garrick . . . fancy seeing you here."

"I need to get some new clothes for a fundraiser tonight. How fortuitous that I happened to show up at the very place where you're employed."

"How fortuitous," she repeated.

He pointed to the suits beside her. "Do you mind?"

Cecilia shook her head quickly, hating how flustered she felt. "Right. Of course. Do you remember your measurements?"

"I've been working out so I'm hoping those numbers may have changed slightly." He ran a hand down his chest as if checking his muscles. "Would you mind measuring me?"

Why did her cheeks heat at the thought of touching him? Of being that close? She was a professional. She took measurements all the time.

But never for someone like Garrick.

She swallowed hard. "Of course."

They stepped toward the angled, three-paneled mirrors that stood on a platform amidst the suits.

Cecilia pulled the measuring tape from her pocket and faced the mirrors. "Raise your hands, please."

Her throat tightened as she slipped her arms around Garrick to measure his chest. His waist. His hips.

Just touching him caused electricity to shoot through her. Slipping her arms around him proved how muscular he was. How fit. That he was a man who took care of himself.

And he smelled just as she imagined he might.

Like evergreen.

Like expensive, lux evergreen.

Like expensive, lux evergreen as it grew in the Alps.

The kind you might experience while on a luxurious vacation where no expense was spared.

She cleared her throat, reminding herself to keep her thoughts in check. Then she wrote down his measurements and showed him.

Satisfaction filled his gaze. "I've lost inches around my waist and gained some around my chest. Just what I was hoping for."

Yes, a physique like his did require care and commitment. He seemed like the type who gave attention to the things most important to him—his job, his money, his body.

She cleared her thoughts and tried to focus. "So what exactly were you thinking of? Something sleek and elegant? Or something more casual?"

"It's for a charity event. What do you think?" He glanced over his shoulder at her.

Cecilia observed him and tried to picture what she would pick for him.

She grinned as an idea hit her. "I know the perfect suit. Come with me."

Garrick followed her to the other side of the men's department, and she pulled out a black Dior suit. Slim cut and sharp. Expensive.

"How about this one?" She held it up. "It would look great with a pale blue tie to stay casual or a striking red if you wanted to make more of a statement."

His eyes sparkled. "You've got a good eye. Let me try it on."

He grabbed it and disappeared into the changing room. When he emerged several moments later, Cecilia's jaw nearly dropped open. He looked even better than she had imagined.

"What do you think?" He stared at himself in the mirror, brushing lint off one of the shoulders.

"I think it's perfect. I don't even think it needs to be altered. It's like this suit was made just for you."

"I was thinking the same thing." He observed himself another moment in the mirror and then nodded with approval. "Pick out a tie for me—you're choice since you've got excellent taste—and then I'll take it."

Satisfaction filled her. She'd picked the pale one blue one. It would look fantastic with his eyes.

"Great," she murmured. "Then I can ring you up."

Garrick followed her to the register. Her hands shook as she scanned the tags. The price of these suits never failed to amaze her. How could people pay this much for one outfit?

He paused and tilted his head as he watched her before asking, "Do you have plans tonight?"

His words startled her, and Cecilia looked up to see Garrick looking at her with a twinkle in his gaze. He was asking about her plans for tonight?

"Just the normal," she finally said. "Nothing too fun."

"What do you think about going to this fundraiser with me?" The twinkle in his eyes turned to a glimmer of hope.

Cecilia tried to shake off her shock at his offer. Had she heard him correctly? How did she even respond?

Cecilia finally settled on, "I think there's no way I can afford a dress that would match this suit."

"Then I'll buy you one." His eyes sparkled as he said the words.

Cecilia quickly shook her head, trying not to let the seed of hope grow inside her. "I couldn't let you do that."

"It wouldn't be me doing a favor for you . You would be doing the favor for me. It's pretty awful having to sit through these events by myself."

She tilted her head. "And you're telling me that you don't have anyone else to go with?"

Garrick slowly shook his head back and forth. "I mean, I suppose I could find another date. But none of them interest me. Not like you." He paused and tilted his head. "Is that too forward?"

The truth was, Cecilia loved how he didn't hold back.

But something inside her still made her hesitate. "I don't know . . ."

"What's stopping you?"

What was stopping her? It was a great question. Cecilia wasn't sure about the answer, other than the fact that this man was completely out of her league. She wouldn't even know how to handle herself around the people she would need to rub elbows with.

"I just feel like I would embarrass myself," she admitted, deciding to be honest. "My idea of a dressy event is buying a secondhand dress to wear to a backyard wedding."

He chuckled, the sound deep and heartwarming. "I like that. And I don't particularly like hanging out with highbrow people either. I actually grew up dirt poor."

Her eyebrows flew up. "You're joking?"

"I'm not."

"So if I were to go with you and if I were to say something uncouth in front of these very important people, you wouldn't be humiliated?"

"You could never humiliate me." His gaze caught hers. There wasn't even a hint of doubt in his voice.

Cecilia's cheeks flushed again. This man knew exactly what to say, didn't he?

She swallowed hard. "You said the event is tonight?"

"Yes, seven o'clock. Would you have time to get a dress before then?"

"I suppose I could look after work to see what I could find."

His eyes glimmered with delight. "Yes. Do that. Put it on my tab."

Her eyebrows flew up this time. "Your tab?"

"That's right. I'll let the manager know you have my permission so everything is on the up and up."

She opened her mouth, but her argument wouldn't leave her lips.

"Where should I pick you up?" Garrick continued.

Cecilia swallowed hard, momentarily wanting to forget her rule of having people not pick her up on the first date. It would be so much easier if Garrick simply swung by her place.

He must have seen her hesitation. "Cecilia, you can trust me."

Her heart pounded faster as he said those words.

She believed him.

She rattled off her address. However, when he saw where she lived, he was going to change his mind about her. Her apartment was in a bad area of town, but it was all she could afford.

Drug dealers liked to hang out on street corners, as well as prostitutes. Graffiti marked one side of her building, and the train rattled overhead, sometimes waking her at night.

"Perfect." He flashed another movie-star grin. "I will see you at seven."

Then he grabbed her hand and planted a firm but slow kiss on top of it.

Tingles ran up and down her entire body.

Cecilia couldn't wait for tonight.