Chapter 51
1169words
Yet this time felt different. In truth, it was unlike any other moment we'd shared. But despite his intentions now, an age-old question lingered: When had I ever refused him?
"Alright, but that's enough."
He brightened briefly, then faltered, hedging his bets, likely contemplating the notion of compromise for the first time in his life. Weighing its merits, it was clear he wasn't fond of the idea.
"Avy, we are friends, are we not?"
I regarded him cautiously, feeling some of the tension dissolve. A faint dimple appeared in his cheek, and those sparkling eyes were more effective than any amount of alcohol.
"Yes...we're friends."
He nodded seriously, holding up the items he'd gathered.
"Well, as your friend, I can't let you walk outside like this." He inspected each piece in turn. "In nothing but a garter, a purse, and some shoes? How could I?"
I dropped my head with an exasperated smile, covering my face with my hands.
"Nicholas—"
"One: you'd freeze to death before we reached the next hotdog stand, and I really want a hotdog. Two—and this is crucial—you'd attract too many men if you went out like that. Too many for me to fend off alone. Frankly, I might even be one of them."
I shook my head, lips pursed as he countered with a coaxing smile.
"So...please? Let a guy buy you a dress?"
A pang of dismay tightened my chest as I glanced towards the gowns. Now he wanted to buy another dress? How much would this end up costing?
"I promise not to make you jump into a fountain..."
Okay, even I had to grin at that.
"You're such a jerk, you know that?"
He threw back his head and laughed, grabbing my arm again and snapping his fingers for more champagne. Moments later, we clinked glasses and toasted again, this time to nothing in particular.
"You know," Nicholas said with a smile as we wandered back towards the store's entrance, "you're the only girl I've met who would call me a jerk for buying her shoes."
I pondered this, grabbing his arm as I swayed slightly with a buzz.
"Well, the girls you like... they like to be taken care of."
Yep, definitely a buzz. I wouldn't have said that sober.
He looked down in surprise, keeping his arm steady for me.
"And you don't?"
There wasn't a hint of slurring in his voice. After years of practice, Nicholas had the tolerance of an Irish sailor. Champagne alone wouldn't unsettle him.
Again, I considered his question carefully.
"I suppose I do... I'm just proud of being able to take care of myself. Where I come from, that wasn't always easy for a woman to claim."
He regarded me seriously for a moment, and I blushed at revealing something so personal. His lips parted to reassure me, but sensing my discomfort, he lightened the mood with a joke instead.
'I can imagine that it must have been tough. I hear that Brooklyn's mostly an agrarian society..."
I snorted with laughter as we came to a stop in the middle of the gowns.
There were so many shapes and sizes. So many colors, and cuts, and fabrics—I had no idea where I'd even start to look.
But Nicholas seemed to have a very good idea. In fact, from the way he made a beeline for a specific one, I was willing to bet he'd had his eye on it from the moment we came in.
I couldn't help but watch as his fingers slid the zipper down the mannequin's back. The expert way he eased the sleeves off its shoulders before pulling the whole thing over its head.
Talk about a specific skill set.
There was a soft gasp, as behind me, the saleswomen were doing the exact same thing.
By now, the alcohol had taken firm effect and I was curious. Unlike the rest of his selections, Nicholas didn't hold this one up for approval. Instead, he'd slipped it discreetly into the purse—shielding it from view.
'Well?" I asked with a little grin. 'Can I see it?"
He shook his head firmly.
'Nope. It's a surprise."
I must admit, I was a bit crestfallen.
'What?" I took a step forward. 'Why? Just let me—"
'Not a chance." He held the purse out of reach, looking down with a smile. 'You're going to have to wait."
I surrendered easily enough and followed him to the counter.
'Wait for what?"
He glanced over his shoulder, grinning at my petulant tone.
'For the rest of the apology."
That was enough to shake me from my intoxicated stupor.
'The rest of the apology?" I stopped dead in my tracks. 'Nicholas, this is so much more than enough. Surely even you can see that."
'Actually..." he came to a stop in front of the jewels, 'it needs one more thing."
By now, I didn't even try to fight it. I just stood there quietly as he pursed his lips and looked over each piece in their collection with a slight frown. Occasionally, he would hold something up to me, but each time, he put it back down without a word.
...until he got to the necklace.
'This." His eyes glowed as he picked it up. 'This is the one."
My lips opened, then closed. No words could come.
It was, without a doubt, the most beautiful necklace I'd ever seen. It was long. Overly-long, in the style of 1920's flappers. But instead of a string of pearls, this was a chain of diamonds. The thing sparkled like you wouldn't believe. Dropping almost down to my navel, before ending in a teardrop-shaped pendant that was as big as my thumb.
'Mr. Huntington," Ruby gasped. 'It's absolutely stunning. The finest piece in the store."
Nicholas ignored her and turned to me instead.
'What do you think?" he asked softly. 'Do you like it?"
I wanted to tell him no. I wanted to tell him it was obviously too much, that this entire spree had been kindhearted but confusing as shit, and walk right out of the store.
But the words ‘too much' had never really registered with Nicholas. He wanted to do something nice to apologize. He was staring deep into my eyes.
In the end, I pulled in a breath and did the one thing that people who work in PR are never supposed to do.
I told the truth.
'It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
A beaming smile spread across his face—a smile I'd never seen before. It wasn't bored, or mischievous, or amused, or anything else I'd come to associate with Nicholas.
It was sincere. A soft kind of radiant that seemed to glow from the inside-out.
'Then it's yours."
