The Final Chapter
Deena woke up with the sunrise every morning, the cry of the gulls fishing in the sea teasing her out of sleep. Every day was the same, and Deena marked the passing days with a little sadness with each sunrise. It was going too fast, and it was already Wednesday. Their time there was halfway over, and she wished that it would last forever.
“You know we can come back any time, right?” Jake said, still laying down in the bed naked.
The door between the dining area and the bedroom was closed, and her stomach growled in anticipation of the assortment of fruits and pastries that magically appeared each morning. She slid out of bed, tugging on his hand so he would follow her.
“I do know that,” she said. “But it’s different. It’s your plane, your island, and your money. I can’t just come here whenever I want.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said. “Though, I don’t know why you would want to come without me.”
“I don’t.”
“Then we’ll come as often as we can. I know you’re dedicated to your career, and I don’t want to interfere with that.”
He kissed her on the cheek, then slid back the door and grabbed his breakfast from the array of food laid out.
“It’s going to suck having to wear clothes after this,” she said as they leaned against the table and watched the fish swim in one of the little pools in the floor.
“You could always open a nude salon. I bet that would bring loads of business.”
“You’re a mess,” she laughed.
“I’m just trying to help you with your business model.”
She rolled her eyes, then headed toward the door with Jake right behind her. The springtime sun was warmer but not too hot, warming her skin while the chilly sand shifted beneath her feet.
They walked at the water’s edge hand in hand as they’d done every day, looking for shells and stopping to admire the occasional creature that moved across the sand without paying them any mind.
“There aren’t any islands within sight here,” she remarked.
“That’s how I like it. I don’t have to worry about anyone seeing this place. It just adds one more layer of privacy.”
“Does this island have a name?”
“It’s uninhabited and not on any maps, so no. I haven’t named it yet.”
“Why did you buy this place?”
“Sometimes, you just want to get away from it all. This is the perfect place. No people except the small crew I hired that lives here full-time.”
“How many is that?”
“Right now, it’s a few more because my flight crew stayed on, and they’re enjoying a vacation as well. But only four people live here full-time: an older married couple and their adult son and his wife. They keep the bungalows maintained, and they meet the boat that comes about once a week to all the islands selling groceries from the mainland. They only have to work when I’m here, which isn’t often.”
“Maybe I’m in the wrong business,” she joked.
“I know that you’re probably not going to go for this, but you don’t have to work if you don’t want to. Girlfriend of a billionaire is a full-time job. There are fancy fundraising dinners, hobbies to indulge, wardrobes to buy, celebrity parties to attend, lazy weekends to enjoy, and the entire world at your fingertips.”
“A billionaire’s girlfriend, huh?”
“When you know, you know.”
He kissed her again, then wrapped his arms around her and stood there on the shore, admiring the view with her.
“This place is so beautiful,” she said.
“We could live here.”
“As tempting as that is, I already miss home and my friends. I think a week here and there is the perfect time to recharge, but I couldn’t live here forever. What about you?”
“I have all I need to be happy right here,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where I live.”
Butterflies filled her stomach, and her heart clenched when she realized that he wasn’t talking about the money or the island. He was talking about her.
“Did I say something wrong?” he asked when she stiffened ever so slightly.
“No,” she said. “You said everything right.”
“Good. You deserve nothing but the best, and I promise I’ll move heaven and earth if that’s what it takes to make you happy.”
There was a loud splash not far from them. Jake pointed out by the barrier just as a second dolphin jumped out of the water and flipped, then landed smoothly inside the barrier.
“I wondered if they would come back while you were here. They supervised the builders who put in the bungalow and they come back from time to time. I think they’re mocking my barrier.”
“As long as sharks don’t start jumping out of the water, we’ll be fine.”
He chuckled.
“I hate to tell you this, but there are some-”
“Stop right there,” she said. “I don’t wanna know.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” he teased.
She stood there in awe as they continued to play, still wrapped in his strong arms. More dolphins showed up just beyond the barrier. They showed off their best tricks, clearly challenging each other playfully.
“Do you think they’ll let us get closer?” she asked.
“I don’t see why not,” he said.
They swam toward the barrier slowly, but the dolphins saw them right away. When they didn’t swim away, Deena was delighted. Her entire life, she’d wanted to see a dolphin in the wild. Even if she couldn’t touch one, this was already a dream come true.
Deena was treading water beside Jake, just a few yards from the barrier, when a young dolphin swam toward them. Deena all but held her breath, not believing her own eyes. When it swam in a circle around them so close they could touch it, Deena was sure she was dreaming.
“This can’t be real,” she whispered.
“You can touch it.”
“Really?”
“It came to you. You’re not chasing it or cornering it. I don’t speak dolphin, but if it gets any closer, it’s going to be touching you anyway.”
Tentatively she reached out, and to her surprise, the dolphin edged closer. She laid the flat of her hand just beneath the surface of the water, and the dolphin rubbed its back against her palm.
“It feels like wet rubber,” she said, laughing when the dolphin slapped the water with its tail and splashed her.
It came around a few more times, each time pressing more firmly against her hand and vocalizing. After a few minutes, it swam away to join the pod. They disappeared beneath the surface, then one appeared, leaping over the barrier and onto the other side before speeding away.
“I feel like all I can say is ‘wow,’” Deena laughed. “This place is so magical.”
“It’s part of why I fell in love with the Bahamas. There are so many tiny, uninhabited islands, I couldn’t resist having one to call my own. And it keeps it from being turned into a resort. Everything on this island is built in a way that alters it as little as possible. I bought this place because I loved it, which is why you won’t see a huge mansion in the trees above, the electricity is one hundred percent solar, and we have almost no waste. Now all the island needs is a name.”
“You’re going to let me name it?”
“Why not?”
She thought about it for a moment, but she already knew exactly which name she would pick. It was the name that had been on her mind since she’d woken up that first morning to crystal waters and pristine beaches. The beauty of this little island was unreal, and it deserved a name in kind.
“I think you should name the island Xanadu,” she said finally.
“It definitely does seem like a fantasy world.”
“It does, and Fantasy Island is already overused.”
“It’s settled then,” he said. “I’ll register it as soon as we’re home.”
He smiled playfully.
“It’s closer to the ladder off the bungalow deck than it is to shore,” he said. “I’ll race you.”
He took off, but she was right behind him, catching up quickly. Jake reached the ladder first, but Deena grabbed him by the shoulders, dunking him and scurrying up the ladder before he came up for air.
The air was warm, her body drying almost instantly as she ran across the deck and into the bedroom. He laughed when he scooped her up from behind, tossing her on the bed and following her.
He kissed her roughly, his hand between her legs. She was still giggling, but the laughter quickly changed. They stayed in bed until the sun went down, making love and napping, then waking up and doing it all over again.
Deena lost track of the number of times that Jake told her that he loved her, but it didn’t matter. Deena would never tire of hearing the words in his deep, southern drawl.
Life was perfect when she was in Jake’s arms.
*
The week went so much faster than she thought it would, and just like that, she was on the private jet, watching the island fade away as they took off.
“We’ll be back soon,” Jake said, reassuring her again.
His smile was radiant, and she wondered for the millionth time about how crazy it was that she’d been in the right place at the right time, and she’d met the man of her dreams. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, but she wasn’t sure if he was ready to hear that. It was a lot, even when two people knew that they were meant to be. She didn’t want to push too far, too fast, so she decided to focus on what she knew he was willing to discuss.
“Did you still want to live together when we get back?” she asked, nervously broaching the subject.
“I do,” he said warmly. “I don’t say I want something unless I’m sure I do.”
The relief was overwhelming. She should have known that Jake only said what he meant, but she’d been burned in the past.
“I guess that you probably don’t want to move into my apartment.”
“If that’s what you wanted, I would be willing. Right now, I’m living at the Omni Hotel, so it doesn’t matter.”
“You’re not living at your parents’ house?”
“No. I can’t stand to go in there, and really, I’m a city boy at heart. My cousin, Tyler Berrington, has a cattle ranch adjacent to ours, and I worked out a deal with him. He’s going to run his herd on both properties, which will save on hay, and in exchange, he’s going to make sure the house is maintained.”
“Do you think you’ll ever go back?”
He shrugged.
“I’m not going to worry about that right now. If you don’t want to live in your apartment, then we can buy a place in town.”
“Just buy it?”
“Renting is a bad investment.”
“Alright. Is there a budget?”
He shrugged.
“Ten million?”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’m serious,” he laughed. “We’re going to land right before lunch. If you want to look at houses online and get a list, we can look at them when we land, if you want.”
“On a Sunday?”
“Yep.”
“Does your realtor have a website I need to look at?”
Jake smiled, then sighed.
“You find the houses and save the links, and I’ll send it to my realtor. By the time we land, she should be able to show us several houses.”
“Alright,” she said. “I guess I’ve been doing this the hard way my entire life.”
“Being a stay-at-home girlfriend is starting to sound better, isn’t it?”
“Don’t get your hopes up. I have big dreams, and they don’t involve sitting on my ass and looking pretty.”
“That’s too bad,” he laughed. “I would enjoy that.”
She shook her head, perusing the online listings on the plane’s laptop. She went through hundreds of pictures, discarding the houses that weren’t perfect and saving the ones that she really liked. Jake searched with her for a while, then left her alone to pick what she liked.
“I’m really indifferent. As long as it has an office and a nice master suite, I can live anywhere.”
“You might regret those words,” she teased.
He kissed her on the forehead.
“I doubt it. I have some work I need to wrap up really quick, so I’m not tied up tonight. Are you good here?”
“I am, but I already have ten houses lined up.”
“Line up a hundred if you want. I don’t think we’ll be able to look at more than two or three today, so try to rank them in some kind of order. I’m going to work in the master, so I can focus. If you need anything, ring the attendant.”
She watched him walk away, admiring his ass as he went. When the door closed behind him, she went back to what she was doing.
She decided to look for places close to Highland Park Village. If she couldn’t afford a storefront there, maybe she could convert part of the house into a salon near the quaint little shopping village. It wasn’t quite the same, but it was certainly a wonderful second best. He’d given her a budget of ten million. She was certain she could find something that would fit the bill and the budget.
Excited, she discarded the first group of houses, focusing only on the Highland Park area of Dallas.
The prices of the houses were shocking, but even more shocking was the luxury that each house boasted. There were fountains, courtyards and elevators, and some amenities that Deena had to look up to be able to visualize. Every last house was at least five bedrooms with as many bathrooms, and all within walking distance of Highland Park Village. She found seven in total, but she was in love with two of them.
They were on the same block, within sight of the shops at Highland Park, and with a little effort, they could revamp the first floor so that the great room was a salon instead. She was sure that she could convince him of her plan. If she couldn’t, then at least she would be able to save on the rent she wouldn’t be paying on the apartment anymore.
She could save every last penny she made at work, and when she had enough, she would buy her own dreams. She would have her salon, no matter what it took to get it. Anything worth having was worth the work, and she wasn’t one to shy away from hard work.
“You got this,” she said to herself. “You’re going to shine, Deena. Shine.”
She looked at the closed door and decided not to interrupt Jake. He was working so that he could devote the afternoon to house hunting with her. The least she could do was give him the space he needed. It was probably better to spring her idea on him while they were out looking for the perfect home. Then he wouldn’t have time to come up with a list of reasons why it was a bad idea.
She laughed to herself, adding one more house to the list, then saving the word document so she could give it to Jake when he emerged from the master suite. Until then, there was enough to do on the huge jet to keep herself occupied.
In the end, she decided to lay on the couch and watch television. But she was exhausted from a dreamy week on the beach, and she soon fell asleep.
***
Jake finished checking his email, then went to the door and listened without opening it. He could hear Deena typing away on the keyboard, clearly entranced in the errand he’d asked her to do.
Good, he thought. It wouldn’t do to have her overhear him. Deena had a sixth sense that made it almost impossible for him to hide even the smallest thing from her. If he believed in ESP, he would be certain that she could read minds. But he knew it was her natural street smarts, coupled with growing up a cop’s daughter. Half the time, she didn’t even realize that she was sizing a situation up until he pointed it out. It was an endearing quality, until it messed up his plans.
Satisfied that she was too far away and much too busy to overhear anything, he took out his phone and dialed through the plane’s server. A woman picked up on the second ring, obviously eager to receive his call.
“Is everything ready?” he asked.
“Yes, it is.”
“Perfect. Did you get what I needed?”
“I did. Are you bringing her here?”
“I am, but we’re going to look at some houses first. I don’t know how long that’s going to take, so be prepared.”
“Got it. Do you think she suspects anything?”
“No.”
“Alright. I just want to make sure it all goes off without a hitch.”
“It will. Just wait until you see me, got it?”
“Got it.”
Jake ended the call, looking at the clock and counting down the time until they would land. They had a little over ninety minutes before they would begin their descent. It was only a few more hours. Until then, he needed to stay calm and find a way to keep Deena from realizing something was up.
He walked out of the room, surprised to see the laptop abandoned.
Had she heard him? Where was she?”
He went to the front of the plane, hoping that she’d gone into the galley for some food, or had decided to watch a little television in the welcome room. He was not prepared for what he found.
She was stretched out on the sofa, the thin, chenille blanket from the back of the sofa tucked around her. Hands folded under her cheek, she looked so sweet and innocent. She really was so breathtakingly beautiful that there were times that Jake wondered if he was dreaming. But she was here, and she was quite real. She had a personality as big as Texas and a heart to match. He couldn’t figure out how she’d gotten this far without someone snatching her up, but it didn’t matter. That was all water under the bridge, and her life was about to change drastically.
He just hoped he could hold it together long enough to get through today.
He decided to let her sleep, closing the door behind him and going to the laptop. She’d saved her list to the desktop. He perused the listings, smiling at their location. She was dead set on living near Highland Park Village, and she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. She was feisty and resourceful, and he was sure she wasn’t going to make this easy on him. It was going to take everything he had to stay the course, but he could be just as stubborn as she was.
He sent the list to his realtor’s premium email and got a response back almost immediately. She would be able to show the properties by the time they landed and made the short drive from Love Field to the cluster of houses for sale in Highland Park. He thanked her, then placed a quick order, confirming that it would be ready by the time they landed. He wanted to make sure the night ended with a bang and that Deena was dressed for the occasion. He’d thought of everything, and he was certain that everything was going to go exactly as he planned.
He closed the laptop and stowed it, then decided to eat lunch. He wasn’t going to have time after they landed, and once they were on the ground, he knew he was going to be too nervous to eat while he waited for his plan to unfold.
He was finishing the last bite of his sandwich when he heard rustling behind him, and he knew Deena had woken up.
“Was I asleep long?” she asked.
He turned the chair, offering his lap and putting one arm around her waist when she sat down.
“Not too long. Are you hungry?”
“Yes,” she said, still rubbing her eyes.
“Turkey?”
“That sounds delicious.”
Jake used the recessed keypad on the dining table to order a turkey sandwich, then pushed his plate away and looked into her deep, soulful brown eyes.
“I love the houses you picked,” he said. “Corrine is my realtor. She’s going to meet us at the first house as soon as we land.”
“Did you get your work done?”
“I did,” he lied.
“Good. If we find a house we like today, are you just going to buy it?”
“Pretty much. Unless you’re not one hundred percent sure. If we look at all these and you don’t love one, we can hit it again tomorrow. There’s no hurry. I have my room at the Omni Hotel indefinitely, so there’s really no reason to rush.”
“I have to work tomorrow.”
“We can go when it’s convenient for you. Don’t worry. I’ve got everything under control. You just tell me which one you like the best, and we’ll go from there.”
“I can’t wait to show you these houses. Today feels like it’s the best day of my life. I don’t know how tomorrow is going to top it.”
She had no idea just how right she was.
*
As promised, Corrine was at the first house, ready to walk them through it.
“I hope we’re not disturbing the people that live here,” Deena said, nervous and excited all at once.
Corrine looked at her, one eyebrow arched ever so slightly in surprise.
“The houses are vacant. The clients have already moved into their new houses. Some of these will be staged with new furniture. If you’d like to keep the furniture, just let me know. I’ll add it to the price.”
Corrine walked into the house, leaving them to follow her.
“I think I already made it painfully obvious that I’m not rich,” Deena whispered to Jake.
His smile made everything right in her world, despite her faux pas.
“The best part about being rich is that you don’t have to care about those things,” he assured her. “People are going to judge every little thing you do. You get used to it, and you learn not to care.”
A laugh bubbled up out of her throat.
“I knew that. The less you care, the more power you have.”
“Exactly. So, the next time you say something that someone thinks is off, smile like you don’t give a damn, and then you do you.”
“I think my father would have liked you,” Deena said.
Jake stopped, and she knew that her words had touched him. He looked stricken, as if the weight of her words was almost too much to bear. She realized that his recent loss probably magnified everything so much, and she felt bad that they only had one living parent between them. Her mother would adore Jake, but she hadn’t even had a chance to call her mother yet. Everything had happened so fast she felt like she’d been swept up in a tornado. She couldn’t imagine how difficult processing everything would be for him.
His smile was soft and almost sad when he finally answered.
“My parents would have loved you too. More than you could ever imagine. My mom always wanted a daughter, but she could never have any kids after me.” He laughed. “I would have been the first only child in history to be his parents’ second favorite.”
She grabbed his hand, squeezing gently and looking into his eyes.
“I would have loved them.”
“How can you be sure?” he asked.
“Anyone who could raise a man like you has got to be good people.”
They finished the tour of the first house, which had been on the bottom of Deena’s list. They were working their way up, and with each house, they were getting closer to her favorite. She was still trying to figure out how to bring up her plan, but she was sure that it would come to her when the time was right.
“Corrine, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to look at another handful of houses before we get to the one that Deena and I both like the most,” Jake said when she pointed out the fourth house on their tour.
“Are you sure? Sometimes, they look different on the internet, and if you don’t like it, then you’ll know what everything else looks like.”
“Let’s look at the one we both love, and if it doesn’t meet our expectations, then we’ll look at the others.”
Corrine looked a little perturbed to be doing things a different way than she was used to, but Jake ignored her and smiled as if he fully expected her to just go ahead with his request. Deena was amused. She was going to have to adopt his technique. It would serve her well later, she was sure.
They took the short walk from Edmonson Avenue to Livingston Avenue. When Deena saw the second house from the corner, she knew that it was the one.
The Mediterranean Palazzo style home sat back from the street, a thick tree line providing a buffer between it and the road. Only the opening to each side of the circular drive was completely visible. It had the effect of feeling very secluded, even though she could see glimpses of the house through the trees.
There was greenery throughout the entire front of the house, perfectly manicured and matched to the style of the house. It looked like something out of a magazine, and they hadn’t even seen the inside.
“The floors are marble, tile, or carpet,” Corrine said, reading through the listing as they walked up the stairs in front of the house. “But the real gem is the entryway.”
She opened the wrought iron gate that served as the front door, and they walked into a small, marble-floored courtyard complete with a fountain, a small garden, and an outdoor patio. Deena couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. The pictures online didn’t even come close to doing this beautiful home justice.
The vaulted ceiling was insanely high, with skylights in the roof to make it appear completely open. Large, decorative fans kept the air moving, and hand-carved benches were strategically placed around the area.
She was ready to tell Jake that this was the one, and they hadn’t even seen any rooms yet. It was more beautiful than she ever could have dreamed.
“There’s another wrought iron gate at the back of the courtyard, which leads out to the backyard. This lot is good sized, so even though the house is almost six thousand square feet, it still has a large yard for a house in the city. The master suite is upstairs on the left side, which includes the largest bedroom, a nursery, a walk-in closet with his and hers areas, and a bathroom with an elevated jacuzzi tub and a view into the courtyard below and the backyard.
The other side of the second floor has three bedrooms, each with their own bathroom. The bottom floor has the living room, dining room, kitchen, and guest room with its own bathroom as well as courtyard and backyard access. The office and half bath are off the living room. There is a total of six bedrooms, and that’s not counting the office. There are five and a half bathrooms.”
“Can we have a moment?” Jake asked.
Corrine nodded, leaving the room and going out onto the large patio.
“What do you think?” Jake asked.
“I love it. Love it.”
“You don’t look like you love it.”
She sighed.
“It’s not that.”
“Then, what is it?”
“Highland Park Village is right there. I can see it out the office window.”
“Right.”
“But the pictures were kind of misleading. It looked like I could set up a few salon chairs near the courtyard and work out of here, but that’s where the fireplace and a fountain are.”
“I hate to burst your bubble,” he said. “But you couldn’t do that anyway.”
“Why not?”
“This house isn’t zoned for a business, and there’s no street parking. There’s no way to put a salon in here, and why would you want to? It’s one thing to work from home sometimes, but would you really want your actual work in your home?”
“Yes,” she said, but she knew he was right. “No.”
“Alright, then. So, one dream at a time. Do you want this house?”
“I do.”
“But?”
“But I want a salon more. I’d rather have that and live in my apartment.”
“If you had your salon right now, would you want this house?”
“Do I have my salon?”
Jake looked exasperated, but Deena wasn’t giving an inch. She crossed her arms, and her hip popped out. She saw his eyebrow go up, and she knew that he was hearing her, even if she hadn’t said anything.
“Let’s take a break,” he said. “Why don’t we take a walk through the Village, and we can grab dinner at Bistro 31.”
“Dinner? It’s only-” she looked at her watch, shocked. “Oh, wow. It’s already past five. But what about the house?”
“We can decide after dinner, or you can decide when you decide. Trust me, there are plenty of houses in Dallas that are just as nice.”
“Alright,” she said finally. “Let’s walk around the shops and get some dinner. Maybe it will help me clear my head. Who knows, maybe there’ll be an empty storefront just destined to be mine.”
Jake left her in the courtyard, walking out onto the circular drive to talk to Corrine. Deena walked through the first floor again, her heart torn. She wanted this house, but she wanted the salon more. Though Jake had made it clear that they were committed, and that he was happy to pay for all her needs, she just couldn’t sit back and let him buy her a house, pay for a salon, and pay all her bills. She didn’t have it in her.
Being a girlfriend isn’t a solid commitment either, she admonished herself. If he did buy all these things and he decided to walk away, she would be right back where she started and without a job. As much as she loved him, how could she be sure that he loved her forever? He said he would, but was that good enough?
She heard him walk into the courtyard before she saw him, and she quickly straightened up, painting a happy smile on her face before she turned around. She was torn, but now was not the time to talk about it. She needed some fresh air and some time to come down from the high of spending an enchanted week in paradise. Now was not the time to be deciding between a home and a business. She needed to breathe and set her emotions aside.
“Is she going to hold it?”
“No,” he said. “But don’t worry about it.”
“You know what? I’m not going to worry about it. Let’s take a walk. I haven’t walked through the Village in years.” She looked down at her yoga pants and her loose blouse. “I’m not really dressed for Bistro 31.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll stop and make a reservation, and then we can go to Lela Rose and you can pick out a dress.”
When he saw the look on her face he stopped, cupping her cheek and smiling.
“Please, Deena. Let me spoil you.”
“And what do I have to offer you?”
“Something no one else can.”
“And what’s that?”
“You. When I’m with you, I feel like a king. Let me show you how my queen deserves to be treated.” He kissed her tenderly. “Please?”
“You drive a hard bargain.”
“You’re worth fighting for.”
He took her hand, and together, they walked across Douglas Avenue, straight into the heart of Highland Park Village. Jake made their reservation, then whisked her off to Lela Rose, waiting patiently while she perused the dresses, finally settling on a long-sleeved, wool crepe dress in ocean blue.
“It matches your eyes,” she said, smiling at Jake.
“I was hoping you’d pick that one. Try it on.”
She gave her size to the attendant, then went to try on the dress.
When she looked in the mirror, she knew it was the dress. Fitted at the waist with a flaring skirt, it was gorgeous, but not too flashy. She felt beautiful in it.
When she walked out, the slow, crooked smile that spread across his face spoke volumes. He nodded to the attendant, and they charged his account, walking out of the store and going across the way to Hadleigh’s.
“What are we getting here?” she asked.
“I think a new dress calls for new shoes.”
She didn’t bother arguing this time, giving her size to the woman who appeared out of nowhere.
“Would you like me to find something that will go with the dress?”
“Please,” Deena said.
The woman scurried away, returning a few moments later with a beautiful pair of light gray suede pumps. The bows at the end gave them just the right touch. When Deena slipped her feet into them and looked at her reflection in the mirror, she couldn’t help the wide smile that spread across her face.
As quietly as they had in the other store, the attendants charged Jake’s account without him bringing out his wallet. It was definitely a new experience for her, but she had a feeling that Jake intended to get her used to it.
“Thank you,” she said when they left the store. “I feel amazing.”
“You look amazing,” he said. “We still have an hour to kill, so let’s window shop, and if you see anything you like, just say the word.”
*
They’d walked past several shops when one in the corner caught her eye. It had a large front window and was situated next to the high-end makeup store. But that wasn’t what had caught her eye. There was a sign in the window, and the store was clearly empty, even from this far away.
“Is that one for lease?” she asked excitedly, pointing at the store with the sunshades down that was obviously empty.
“I can’t read the sign from this angle,” Jake said. “And I can’t really see into the store with the shades down like that.”
Deena had to force herself to walk at a normal pace; her excitement was overwhelming her. Could she be that lucky? It was even in the perfect location, visible from most of the restaurants, and it was large. It couldn’t have been any more perfect for a salon if-
She stopped, reading the sign as her heart sank.
Coming soon, the sign read. She almost groaned when she got close enough to see the outline of what was inside and realized that what was “coming soon” was a salon. Someone else was living her dream. Somehow, they’d beat her to it.
She bit back the disappointment, telling herself that she would deal with it when she was alone. Later. Now was not the time. Everything happened for a reason, and this was something that was entirely out of her control. She would find another way to live her dream, and now that someone else was living out Deena’s dream in the location that Deena had dreamed of, she was going to have to find another house. There was no way she could live across the street, even if the house was everything she’d ever wanted in a house and more.
She looked past Jake, checking out the shops across the way so she could avoid the new salon. But the stores were closing, and only the restaurants remained open. There was nothing left to do but walk right by the place and just suck it up.
Woman up, buttercup, she thought. She would have to wait until she could talk to Tamika about it to let her real feelings out. Right now, she was going to focus on the man beside her and everything else that was going right in her life.
One dream at a time, Jake’s words echoed in her head, bringing her some comfort. He was right; she had so much going on right now, she needed to shift her attention. Life was good, and she would find a way to have what she wanted in due time. One success at a time.
She felt a little better, but when the lights turned off in the salon and a woman headed for the door, she panicked. She couldn’t see more than her outline through the sunshade that covered the window, but she could tell it was a woman. At this rate, they were going to walk right by the woman when she came out, and Deena didn’t know if she was quite ready for that.
The woman was carrying something, pushing the door open with her hip so that her back was to them. But she didn’t have to see her face to know exactly who the woman was.
Deena looked at Jake, then back at the woman. She was confused. Nothing was making sense.
When their eyes locked, Tamika smiled at her, and Deena realized that she wasn’t at all surprised to see them.
“I love that dress,” Tamika said, handing a large, thick legal envelope to Jake.
Deena couldn’t be sure, but she thought she saw Tamika put something in Jake’s coat pocket, but she had to be imagining it. The two had never met. Had they?
“What’s going on?” she asked. “Tamika, did you rent this place?”
Tamika laughed.
“I couldn’t afford a month’s rent,” Tamika said.
“Are you quitting and coming here?”
“Yes,” Tamika said without hesitation.
“Kenya’s going to be mad.”
Tamika shrugged.
“And? She charges us way too much for chair rental, and she never shows up to open or close the store. If we don’t tell her we quit, I bet she won’t notice for a week.”
“If we quit?”
Tamika looked at Jake, shaking her head.
“He didn’t tell you yet, did he?”
“Tell me what?”
Jake smiled, taking a set of keys out of the pocket where Tamika had put them and handing them to Deena.
“It’s not just any salon that’s coming soon. It’s your salon.”
“Are you kidding?” she whispered.
“I don’t kid.”
“I can’t let you pay for it.”
“You don’t have to.” He leaned forward and spoke quietly. “I’m not charging you rent.”
“You own the store?”
“No. I own the holding company that owns the mall. Well, I do now. I made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. It’s a great investment.”
“It’s my salon?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know what to say,” she said, throwing her arms around him.
He held her for a moment, then she realized that they had an audience. The people milling about and the shopkeepers on their way home had stopped to see what was going on. She whispered in his ear that there were people everywhere, and he set her down, still smiling.
“Is it too late to tell Corrine that we want the house?”
“I already told her,” he said. “I knew you were going to change your mind when I showed you our surprise, and I didn’t want to have someone swoop in and buy it.”
Deena pulled away from Jake, hugging Tamika.
“I can’t believe you two did all this. This is amazing. When did you-”
“When I left early that Friday you went on vacation, he caught me outside the salon and asked me if I would help him. Of course, I couldn’t say no, so I snuck the catalogue we’ve been looking through and ordered the chairs you were lusting after, and everything else I could think of that we could use. It still needs work and a name, but I got the hard stuff done.”
“You can have it opened by this Friday if you want,” Jake offered.
“Is that the work you had to do from the plane?”
“Not all of it, but I can’t reveal all my secrets. At least, not just yet.”
“I don’t know how you kept this a secret, Tamika.”
“You weren’t here,” she laughed. “If you hadn’t been on vacation, it would’ve been hard. I couldn’t let Kenya know what was going on, so I worked during the day, then I supervised the contractor in the evening.”
“They don’t allow contractors in while customers are present anyway,” Jake said. “But Tamika was a huge help, and I had no idea what I was doing. She made sure that everything was done right, and I know you’re going to be thrilled with the results.”
“This is all so amazing. I don’t know what to say, to both of you. I’ve never felt so loved in my life.”
“I’m hoping to change that,” Jake said. “But we set the bar awfully high.”
Jake took her hands, looking into her eyes and leaning closely so that only she could hear him.
“I’ve thought a lot about everything we’ve talked about, and I know that you feel as strongly as I do about us. I’m not saying that this has to happen anytime soon. We can wait a year or five. I just want you to know that my love for you and my commitment to you is forever. The house and the salon are in your name.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I think it’s important. I know you; you’re an independent woman who owns her life, and I don’t want you to ever feel that I have leverage over you. If I’m not treating you like the queen you are, I don’t want you to second-guess anything.”
“Oh, Jake,” she whispered, eyes welling up with tears. “I’m in it for the long haul too. I can’t even remember what life was like without you, but I know that I’ve never been happier.”
“Like I said, I’m hoping to make you eat those words.”
His tone was almost wicked, and her body responded to him like it always did. He was up to something, but Deena couldn’t even begin to figure out what it could be. He’d already given her a car, bought her a house, and given her a space to start her high-end salon in. The only thing left was-
Her eyes grew wide, and she knew before he lowered himself to one knee that was exactly what he meant. Still, she couldn’t believe she wasn’t dreaming.
The crowd had gone silent, except for the quiet murmur of the people in the crowd who recognized Dallas’ most eligible billionaire. A few wondered who she was, but she didn’t care. She was focused on Jake and the tiny, black velvet box in his hand.
“Jake, what’s going on?”
“I think you know,” he said. “I know we talked about this, but you deserve to have it done right.”
He opened the box, revealing a large, four-carat diamond on a platinum band.
“Is that a Blue Nile Grandeur?” someone whispered loudly from the crowd.
Her hands went to her mouth, and she held her breath. She wanted to remember this moment for the rest of her life. Jake, the salon, Tamika and even the people that circled around them.
“When you know, you know,” he said, smiling. “Deena Harris, will you make me the happiest man in the world and be my wife?”
The crowd collectively held their breath, waiting for her to respond. She held out her hand, eyes locked with his and said the only thing that she could say.
“Yes.”
*