Chapter Six
~
The next day was my day off and I was so relaxed from the day of fresh air and sunshine that I actually slept in. It was something that I hadn’t done in years and it felt wonderful. I woke up about half past nine and panicked a little at first, thinking of all the things I had to do. It was something I had done every morning since I was about thirteen. I’d open my eyes and think of all that I needed to do and then I’d obsess over getting them done. It was part of trying to make the things I could control in my life outweigh the things that I couldn’t.
Then I changed tracks mentally and thought about Aiden and that made me feel all warm and comfortable inside. I let myself linger in bed a little longer and then I dawdled over my coffee and then instead of my usual quickie shower, I let myself take a long, luxurious bath. It all felt wonderful and although it was almost noon before I was ready to do anything, I was more content than I had been in a very long time.
At last I got together my laundry things and began to head over to my mother’s house. Once a week I did her laundry for fear that if I didn’t, she would wear clothes stained with vomit from some of her long, hard nights. On my way out the door I nearly ran into Aiden’s driver head first.
“I’m sorry, Miss,” he told me. “I was
about to knock on your door.” He held an envelope in his hands and I had the silliest little moment of panic that it was a letter from Aiden telling me he wanted to call the whole thing off because he’d decided that I wasn’t good enough after all to be the mother of his child. I really needed to work on that confidence, or lack thereof.
“That’s okay, I didn’t see you there.”
“That’s because you have your arms awfully full. Mr. Scott asked me to deliver this envelope to you. Can I help you with those bags?” I had two large bags of dirty clothes and laundry supplies in my hands.
Sitting them down near the door I said, “Oh no, thank you. I’m headed to do laundry. I’m used to it.” He handed me the envelope, and then offered to drop me wherever I needed to go. When I politely declined, because there was no way I was letting Aiden find out about my mother, he left. As soon as he was gone I lugged my bags back inside and opened the envelope. There was a one page letter and I carried it through the house and outside. I was craving the fresh air. I opened up the letter.
Holly,
Tonight I would like to take you to dinner and the Opera. The dress at the Opera is formal and I would love it if you’d allow me to help you with that. So, here is the address of a boutique that you can go to and pick out whatever you like. The woman there has strict instructions to be very helpful and accommodating to you. The address just underneath that one is for a spa. They’re also expecting you. Get whatever treatments or services you are interested in having. The phone number is to my driver, if you call him when you’re ready, he will take you to the boutique and the spa and wherever else you need to go. Have a lovely day; I will call for you at eight.
Aiden
I stood on the little balcony outside my apartment and stared at the letter. I wondered if I should be insulted that he just assumed I would have nothing to wear to the Opera. I suppose that would be a safe assumption, considering that he’s seen where I live. I thought about a day at a spa and actually got a chill. I’d never had that, I’d heard Myra talk about it, and it was something her wonderful husband insisted she treat herself to monthly. I had seen it on television, but I had no real idea what it would be like, other than expensive and wonderful. I looked down at the laundry at my feet. If I was going to do this right, the laundry would have to wait. In another move that was uncharacteristic of me, I took the laundry and left it in my room and then I called my mother.
I got her voicemail which meant she was probably sleeping off whatever alcohol she was able to get her hands on the night before. I left her a message telling her that I wasn’t going to make it to do laundry because something had come up. Then I changed into one of my nicer skirts and blouses, put on a touch of make-up and swept my hair back in a bun. I didn’t want to go into a fancy spa or boutique looking the way I do when I do laundry.
Finally, I called Aiden’s driver. I apologized to him for letting him go and asking him to come right back. He laughed and said it was no problem. I would have taken a cab but I didn’t really have the money to pay one to take me to the other side of town. The driver must have still been up the street, because he was there in minutes.
“Where are we headed, Miss?” he asked. I gave him the address of the boutique and he helped me inside and as people gawked from the front of the complex, I leaned back into the plush leather seats and got comfortable. A girl could get used to all of this. A girl needed to remind herself not to.
When we got to the boutique there was an older woman with short, pixie-style platinum hair behind the counter. She was wearing a very nice, expensive looking bohemian style blue dress and the color of it brought out the bright blue of her eyes. She was one of those kinds of people whose class and breeding oozed out her pores. She looked me up and down and with a neutral look on her face.
“Good afternoon. How can I help you?”
“Good afternoon. My name is Holly, Aiden Scott sent me.” It was like watching a transformation in front of my very eyes. The woman’s face went from neutral to almost painfully pleasant. She came around the counter and offered me her hand. I wondered what it would be like for just your name to have that kind of effect on people. I’d have to guess that’s where a big dose of his confidence came from.
“I’m Gretchen and it’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said.
“Hi Gretchen. Like I said, I’m Holly. Holly Valentine. It’s a pleasure to meet you too.”
Then she insisted I be seated, and I took a seat in a plush, oversized chair that was arranged with its twin around a glass and brass coffee table. Gretchen excused herself and came back moments later with a flute of champagne. I thanked her and accepted, one glass wouldn’t hurt and I was being treated today after all.
“Can I get you anything else?” She seemed so desperate to please me that I almost felt sorry for her. I’m sure she’s hoping when I see Aiden I’ll give her rave reviews.
“Water would be nice, thank you,” I told her. While she went to get that, I glanced around the little store. There were only two racks of dresses. I found that strange because when I did shop for myself, which was rarely, I went to bargain department stores where there was rack after rack of clothing.
When she came back with the water she said, “What is your size Holly? About a two?”
“I think it would be more like a four,” I told her. “I haven’t bought myself a dress for a while.” I was significantly well-endowed as well as ample in the bottom area. She stepped back and looked me over.
“I guess that would be to accommodate your curves. Very well, Aiden’s told me where you’re going so what I did was pre-select a few styles and colors for you to look at and try on. Are you ready to get started?”
“I’m ready,” I told her with a smile. She showed me the dresses and I picked out three that I liked and tried them on. I fell in love with one of them instantly and Gretchen told me she thought I had excellent taste and that I looked like a princess in it. I know Aiden was paying her handsomely for her compliments, but it was nice to hear anyways.
The dress was made by the designer Carmen Marc Valvo. I had heard his name on TV, but that was as far as my knowledge of him went. His dress was lovely though. It was a sleeveless, ruffle waist party dress and it was a strawberry color and an A-line silhouette style made out of a super soft satin material. It had a V-neckline and stopped at just above my knees. I loved it.
Gretchen helped me pick out a gorgeous pair of silver strappy sandals and a few pieces of jewelry and a bag to accessorize it. Two hours later I walked out, outfitted for the Opera and feeling like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.
The driver took me to the spa next, and for the following three hours I was massaged and steamed and lotion-ed and creamed. By the time they finished with me my skin was so dewy I felt like I’d spent a week in the rain forest.
After all of that I was taken to the other side of the spa where my hair was shampooed, set and styled and my make-up was applied by a professional. The end result was someone I barely recognized and I loved it. My long dark hair hung across my shoulders and down my back in soft, feminine curls. My green eyes were lined and plumped and tinted with just the smallest amount of green on the eyelid to bring out my own color. I walked out of there around five p.m. knowing that I’d never felt this pretty. I felt like a princess and I was ready to go home, slip on my new dress and wait for my Prince Charming.
By the time Aiden knocked on my door, I was dressed and ready. When I opened it, the look on his face was something that I would remember forever. He didn’t even need to use any words, but when he did, I liked them.
“Wow, Holly you look gorgeous.”
I know I was beaming, but I couldn’t stop smiling. I felt gorgeous for the first time in a long time.
“Thank you, for all of this,” I told him. Then I really took inventory of him in his black tuxedo. He was the handsomest thing that had ever walked the earth I was sure. “You look very nice too,” I told him. It was a huge understatement.
He had a little strawberry colored rose stuck in his lapel and I realized that it matched my dress exactly. “You’re matching me!” I said.
He laughed, “Yes, I cheated and asked Gretchen what color you picked out.” I had never known anyone who paid as much attention to details as he did. I suppose that was another thing that contributed to him being so wealthy at such a young age.
I took his arm and he led me to the car. My neighbors were really gawking this time, and I didn’t care. This time when I slid into the limousine, I felt like I belonged. The driver took us to an elegant restaurant in the city where once again we were treated like royalty. This time I believe that a few of the eyes were actually on me. It felt good to feel that I was standing out in the crowd for a change.
We dined on steak and lobster and cheesecake for dessert. Then the car took us to the opera house where I saw my first opera. It was a tragedy in Italian and Aiden translated much of it for me. I found out that night on top of his many other talents, he also speaks five languages.
We were sitting in our own private box and had an excellent view of the entire stage. It was a beautiful story, a beautiful performance and an all-around beautiful night. I wanted to pinch myself and make sure that I wasn’t dreaming. Aiden was such a gentleman and so attentive. He listened to everything I said like he truly believed it to be the most interesting thing he’d ever heard and I found myself opening up to him more and more. I told him about my father who had passed away a few years earlier and I touched on some of the lighter points of my childhood. The years before my father gave up his quest to get my mother sober were good ones, and those were the ones I shared with him. I still didn’t tell him about her, or the problems her addictions caused for me in my life. I was having too much fun, and I didn’t want to put a damper on any of it. Aiden made me feel like I deserved to be treated with respect, he made me feel pretty and smart and sometimes even funny. He was definitely a prince, and I could unquestionably see myself as his princess. I told myself, and that annoying little voice in the back of my mind, that I’d think about those feelings tomorrow and what I was going to do about them. For the moment, I was lost in a dream and I didn’t want to wake up.