“I’ll meet you at the bottom of the stairs.”
She took advantage of the time to wash up in the big attached bathroom that was decorated in the same warm colors as the bedroom. She tidied her hair, unpacked a few toiletries and applied a fresh touch of lipstick. When fifteen minutes had passed, she made one last quick check in the mirror and left the room.
As promised, Geoff waited for her at the foot of the stairs. He smiled as he watched her walk down, his expression so appreciative that she couldn’t help smiling in return. He held a white rose in his hand; he offered it to her when she reached the bottom step.
Touched by the gesture, she lifted the bloom to her nose to appreciate its scent. Only then did she notice that the draperies at the back of the room were open now, revealing a scene that made her breath catch in her throat.
Taking her hand, Geoff led her toward the glass wall. It was almost dark now, the sky a rich purple, the big, spreading trees casting long, deep shadows. The lake beyond the property, set into a deep valley surrounded by wooded Kentucky mountains, looked like a sheet of purplish-gray glass. A boat dock and fishing pier were accessible from the house by way of a long, sloping rock walkway with metal railings for safety.
But it was the stone patio just behind the house that held Cecilia’s attention when she and Geoff stepped outside through a sliding glass door. Anchored by a big rock barbecue pit at one side, the patio was lined with inviting benches and big wooden planters that held Japanese maples, large lacy ferns and mounds of summer flowers. Multicolored paper lanterns glowed from wires strung overhead, illuminating a round wrought-iron table in the center of the patio.
The table had been set for two with china, crystal and silver. Silver-domed serving dishes, silver candlesticks and a floral centerpiece added elegance to the setting. Champagne chilled in a silver bucket. Soft music played from hidden speakers.
It was so blatantly, over-the-top romantic that Cecilia could feel her knees start to weaken. No one had ever done anything like this for her before. The only evening that had come close was the night Geoff had cooked for her at his condo—the night they had celebrated their decision to have a child together.
Bracing a hand on the back of a curvy wrought-iron chair, she looked at him through a sheen of tears. “You really have to stop doing things like this.”
He trailed a fingertip down her bare arm. “Why?”
Because you’ll make me fall for you. “Because you’ll spoil me.”
“I rather enjoy spoiling you.”
“Still….”
Without waiting to hear further objections, Geoff moved to the table and lifted the champagne bottle from the ice bucket. Moments later he handed her a flute filled with the fizzing beverage.
“To our child,” he said, touching his glass to Cecilia’s. “May she be as smart and beautiful as her mother.”
“Or may he be as handsome and charming as his father,” she countered, then lifted the flute to her lips. She would only drink a few sips—just in case—but this was most definitely a toast she wanted to acknowledge.
He held her chair for her, then insisted on serving her. The meal was perfection—a salmon-and-pasta salad kept cool by ice in the bottom of the clever serving dish, crisp asparagus spears, fruit salad. He’d gone to a lot of trouble to have someone prepare all this so that he’d needed only a few minutes to add the finishing touches. That gesture alone illustrated how completely different their lifestyles were.
She wondered if it would be confusing for a child to have one parent with so much money and status and the other parent who lived quietly and on a careful budget. A tiny part of her worried that the child would be more impressed by Geoff’s extravagant gestures than Cecilia’s steady reliability. But she wouldn’t make this a competition, she vowed. Her child would just have to learn that money wasn’t the most important thing in life.
It was fully dark now, and the lanterns glowed against the starry sky. Tiny white lights were strung in the potted trees on the patio. She would have to do something like that on her much-tinier patio, she thought. She liked the fairyland look.
“You’ve been quiet this evening,” Geoff commented. “Tired?”
“A bit overwhelmed, I think.”
“Which means?”
“I’m just not accustomed to such grand gestures. The expensive dinners, the rocking chair…all of this.”
“Don’t forget the herbal tea,” he murmured.
“I’m serious, Geoff. Do you always do things like this?”
“What do you mean by always?”
She sighed, frustrated by his obtuseness and her own inarticulateness. “I mean, do you shower so much attention on all the women you…well—”
“Try to make babies with?” His voice was just a bit too measured now. “I can’t answer that, since it’s never happened before.”
“Still, it isn’t necessary to…well, to court me. I mean…”
“Cecilia.” He didn’t look or sound angry, but something in his tone let her know he found absolutely no humor in this particular topic. “I enjoy spending time with you. Yes, there’s a purpose in our being together, but there’s no reason we can’t make the next few weeks special.”