Carter's grin deepened. When he looked at her like that, the idea of going back to the kitchen for another kiss was the only thing she could think of.
“Good,” he said, turning to walk off back toward his garage. “I'll pick you up Friday at five.”
Mia stared at his back for a moment before her brain kicked in. “What should I wear? Where are we going?”
Carter glanced back over his shoulder and grinned, but didn't stop walking. “You'll see.”
“You'll see?” Mia repeated quietly as she watched his very nice backside go around the corner. “What the heck kind of answer is that?” she called out, but he was already gone and not giving her any answers.
It was Friday at four and Mia had no clue what to wear for this date.
Her small bedroom looked like a tornado hit it. Clothes were scattered and flung in all directions, with at least four different outfits currently on her bed. Fancy, casual, sporty, fun? There were a million “not pizza” places that would require vastly different outfits. Mia groaned and tried not to think about what she was going to do with shoes.
She wondered if FEMA helped with disasters like this.
The doorbell rang. Mia shot daggers at the front door and sighed with frustration. It was too early to be Carter, but she wasn't in the mood to deal with solicitors or neighbors. She huffed and stomped to the front door to find it was the package delivery guy.
“Sign here,” he said, holding out an electronic signature device. She scribbled something that vaguely resembled her signature and took the box. She wasn't expecting anything, especially not something that she had to sign for.
After thanking the delivery man, she went back inside and closed the door to her apartment. As soon as it latched, she ripped open the box. She pulled out a layer of tissue paper and tossed it to the side with a gasp. Inside was a gown made of purple sparkles. She pulled it out and batted off the tissue paper nestling it the box. It was floor length and absolutely stunning.
But that wasn't all that was in the box. Tucked beneath the tissue paper was a set of matching purple heels. She pulled them out and read the designer label on them. Jimmy Choo. She nearly dropped them, and then felt bad. The shoes were worth more than two months of rent. She was almost afraid of what the dress was worth.
She searched for a note to explain the dress and the shoes, but there wasn't one. There was only one person she knew that had the money to send her something like this. Carter's words floated into her mind.
“You'll see,” he had said. Well, she definitely knew what she was wearing now.
“Oh, Carter,” she whispered, shaking her head. This was above and beyond what she had even thought possible. She played with the fabric, running her fingers over the beautiful iridescent purple dress. “Where in the world are you taking me?”
She grinned and went to her bedroom to put on the dress. It fit like it was made for her and she tried not to think about how he had gotten her size so perfectly. She went to the full-length mirror hanging on her closet door and gasped.
The dress was magic. It made her look like something out of a fashion magazine. It hugged exactly the curves that needed to be hugged and hid the curves that didn't. She didn't know her boobs could look that amazing. She stared at the mirror.
“I really could be on a billionaire's arm,” she whispered. She wouldn't even feel out of place or like she didn't belong there. For the first time, she could actually see herself being with him, and not just at the ranch. She could be a billionaire's girlfriend.
She did a little turn and checked her watch. She had just enough time to do her makeup and put her hair up into something that better matched the dress's formality. She paused at the mirror one more time before heading to the bathroom, and a flicker of uncertainty went through her.
“Where the heck are you taking me?” she asked the mirror. A dress this nice deserved something amazing. She grinned. Wherever it was, she was going to look fabulous.
The doorbell chimed. This time, it made Mia grin and race to the door to get it. She opened the door, fully expecting to see Carter. She had a feeling he'd be wearing some sort of fancy suit and look like a million bucks. She was rather excited to see how he cleaned up.
But, he wasn't at the door. She tried not to show her disappointment to the uniformed man standing at her door.
“Ms. Amesworth?” the man asked. He wore a crisp blue uniform with matching hat. “Your transportation, ma'am.”
He turned and motioned to a huge stretch limo taking up half the apartment complex's parking. Mia's eyebrows went up in surprise.
“Just let me grab my purse,” she told him, reaching inside and picking up her small handbag. It was the nicest one she owned. It was a knock-off, but it looked real enough that she hoped it wouldn't look too strange with the dress.
She followed the uniformed driver out to the limo. As she walked, she could hear blinds going up as people peeked out of their windows to take a look at who the limo was for. The neighbors were going to be talking about this for weeks. Her cheeks heated slightly, but she carried herself proudly. She'd learned a long time ago it was better to fake it than look nervous. Especially in heels.
The driver held her door open, and she did her best to get inside gracefully. She opted for sitting first and swinging her legs into the car after her since that seemed to be the easiest way not to rip the dress or flash the neighbors.
Inside, blue neon lights filled the spacious interior. The seats were leather, and there was a single rose in a small vase. She sat primly, with her hands and purse in her lap as the driver started the car and maneuvered out of the apartment complex.
“Where are we going?” she asked the driver as he pulled out onto the highway leading out of town.
“I've been instructed not to tell you, ma'am,” the driver replied with a small tip of his head. “It's not far, though.”