Chapter 29
Nora
All I knew about the Crystal Room was that it was uber fancy. I had peeked into it on my tour of the hotel earlier, but I never thought that I would actually dine there. When Naomi came up to tell me that Felix had organized a dinner for us there that night, I’d been shocked. It came out of the blue, and once again, Felix hadn’t given me a choice. He’d made a decision and expected me to follow through with it.
I wished I had the strength to refuse to go to this dinner with him and Cici, but I didn’t. I was curious and also excited, even though I tried to convince myself that there was no point in getting my hopes up. Felix had repeatedly thwarted those hopes since I first met him.
I got Cici ready for the dinner, in a pretty yellow frock. She selected the colorful clips she wanted in her hair, and I put them on for her. After that, I left her in their room, instructing her to wait for her father, and I went to my own assigned room to get ready for the night.
Not that I had much to prepare. There was nothing I had packed in my bags, or even owned for that matter, which would be fit to wear to a dinner like this. Neither did I have the time to go shopping for something appropriate. Instead, I had to make do with the only black cocktail dress I owned.
I did up my hair, curling it carefully on the bottom half. I styled it to rest on my shoulders. I spent close to an hour doing my makeup. I went with a smoky-eyed look and a dark plum lipstick. I hadn’t spent this much time on my makeup ever before, and I had very little practice. But I wanted to look nice; I wanted to look my best…for Felix. I was hoping that my words had struck a chord in him, that he regretted his actions now and he was planning on apologizing.
I stood back from the small mirror in the bathroom to give myself the once over. This would have to do. I knew it was no match to what other women might wear to a dinner like this, but it was all I could manage.
At five minutes to eight, I proceeded to the Crystal Room.
I was nervous, feeling anxious about what to expect behind that door. I hadn’t seen or spoken to Felix since the morning when he’d left Cici in my charge and disappeared to work. Had anything changed since then? Would I be having dinner with a different man tonight?
I wanted him to see me like this…all done up. I felt beautiful in that dress and my makeup as I walked to the door. A uniformed waiter was waiting for me, and he held the door open as I stepped in.
The Crystal Room was a small, private space, and regal. It was decadently decorated, with crystal chandeliers on the ceiling and candles lit everywhere. There was soft classical music playing in the background, and the lights were dimmed.
A small private table sat pretty by the French windows, and three places had been set. Cici and Felix were there already, sitting across from each other. Felix stood up when he saw me walk in, and I caught the way Cici’s eyes lit up too.
As I walked towards them, the butterflies in my stomach were intense. Felix looked even more handsome tonight. He was in a tuxedo, with a matching black bow tie. His dark hair was swept back as usual, he was freshly shaven, and his cologne filled my senses as I drew near.
“Hello, Nora,” he said softly and held a chair out for me.
“Nora! You look so pretty!” Cici exclaimed and I smiled at her, blushing.
Another waiter appeared with a bottle of wine, which he presented to Felix as he sat down. He tested the temperature and nodded his head. The wine was poured for us in glasses. Cici already had some sparkling water in a wine glass of her own.
I was seated beside Cici and when I looked at her, she was smiling widely at me.
“Your hair is so pretty!” she exclaimed, like she couldn’t take her eyes off me.
“So is yours, honey,” I commented and tapped her cute little nose before turning to look at Felix again.
“She’s right; you look beautiful tonight, Nora,” Felix said as he lifted up his wine glass. It was strange that, even though the last time we had seen each other had been a heated argument…now, it seemed forgotten. Felix had me under his spell again. I couldn’t even remember why I was so mad at him before.
“Daddy says that I can’t have wine,” Cici said, pouting her lips.
“He’s right; you can’t yet. I’m sure he’ll let you try some on your eighteenth birthday though,” I said.
“Eighteen! That is a long time. I’m only turning seven next year,” she said, huffing. I looked at Felix, who was smiling indulgently.
“Will you come to my birthday party? Anne bakes me a huge cake and invites all my friends from school. Daddy’s there for my birthday, too; he never misses it!” Cici continued in her usual high-pitched, excited voice.
“Cici, don’t put Nora on the spot, your birthday is several months away,” Felix interjected. I looked at him, holding his gaze, and lifted the glass of wine to my lips.
“I’ll be there, Cici. I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I told her.
I had a good feeling about this night. I was right; there was a shift in Felix. My words had affected him…he was trying to make amends. And he was too handsome, too sexy for me to not give him a second chance.