Page 27 of Last Minute

The blue-green gown flows down her curves like a silk waterfall. Two thin straps hold it up at her shoulders, and even though it stops in an asymmetrical hemline just above her ankles, there’s a slit on the higher side that goes to just above her knee.

Even with her beautiful red hair thrown into a messy bun and her feet bare, there’s no disguising the easy grace and fluid way she moves in that elegant dress.

Ellie smooths the shiny silk over her hips, and my mouth goes dry. There aren’t enough words in the three languages I speak to adequately describe how beautiful Ellie is.

When she looks up at me, her cheeks color at my obvious stare, breaking me out of my speechlessness. I take a small step toward her, but stop myself from reaching out.

“Ellie.” All other words have left my brain, and the only thing that exists is her. “You are…” I can’t seem to form a full sentence in one breath because she’s stolen all of mine. “Beautiful.”

There is no better word to describe Ellie. Anything else would be too pretentious and come across as insincere.

Ellie’s cheeks darken another shade, and she turns her back to me to look in the full-length mirror across from the door I just exited. She turns this way and that, examining the dress with a critical eye.

I can see the moment she starts doubting herself because a wrinkle appears between her eyebrows. Stepping forward, I place a hand on her bare shoulder. Heat radiates from her, and my fingers itch to run over the pale, freckled expanse between the thin straps of the dress. Ellie looks up at me in the mirror. She blinks, and my words come back to me.

“This one is perfect.”

The worry wrinkle goes away as she lifts an eyebrow at me. “Are you sure? I have about a half dozen others I could try on.”

I squeeze her shoulder gently. “I’m positive. Get this one.”

I give her a genuine smile as she reaches up with a hand and places it on top of mine. “Okay,” she says in a small voice that contrasts with the growing smile on her face.

When I don’t move after a minute, Ellie’s eyes dart down to the tux I still have slung over my arm that isn’t holding onto her. The small movement jars me out of the moment, and I step back, releasing her shoulder. “I should,” I begin, gesturing with the hanging tux to the checkout counter at the front of the boutique.

Ellie shakes her head. “Please, Erik. Let me pay for them.”

I open my mouth to argue with her again, but she turns around to face me, and I shut it. She raises her hand, but then drops it back to her side just as quickly. “I’ll wait,” I say. Ellie beams up at me. Without another word, she spins around and strides back into the changing room.

“I’ve never been to Boston in the fall,” Ellie says hours later as we stroll down a busy sidewalk. Over the last hour, I’m sure hundreds of people have passed us, and not one of them has stopped because they recognized Ellie. This whole week has been such smooth sailing, that it’s almost been like I haven’t been on assignment at all. And if that’s a breath of fresh air for me, I have only the slightest inkling of what Ellie must feel like.

“You’ve been before?” I say casually as we amble and appreciate the autumn day. There really isn’t anywhere like Boston when the leaves are changing. It transforms from a city—beautiful in a way that all these old New England cities are—into a magical place, swathed in fiery foliage.

Ellie tucks her hands into the pockets on her jacket. “No. The closest I’ve been is New York City.” Ellie’s nose crinkles as she smiles. “But I like Boston better.” She tries to eye me discreetly, but I catch her glance, and a rush of warmth fills my chest as a pretty blush rises to her cheeks.

We fall into silence as we turn down another street, taking us toward Boston Common. As we enter the park, passing under red and orange trees, Ellie’s eyes light with wonder at the scenery and the people passing without so much as a second glance.

“Are you ready for tomorrow?” Ellie’s tone is light, belying the weight of the conversation she’s stepping into.

The warmth vanishes from my chest as I picture my mother and the event we’ll be attending tomorrow. “Are you ever really ready for something like that?” My tone is gruffer than I expected it to be, and I shake my head when Ellie looks at me with concern in her eyes. I shake off her worry and look around, remembering my place. Even though it feels like I’m not on assignment, I am. I need to focus on the task at hand and not mistake this walk with Ellie for anything besides what it is. Focusing on my job is what I need right now to settle the vehement emotions that spring up so easily when I think of my mother.

“I can’t imagine how hard it must be for you.” A light pressure on my upper arm quells my rising discomfort and soothes the fight from my body. I swallow past a rough knot in my throat and look down at Ellie, not wanting her to see my roiling emotions. But the way she looks at me…she sees me, and she doesn’t shy away from it.

Her hand tightens around my bicep, and I instinctively lift my hand to her waist and pull her closer. She takes the invitation and steps so close, I can smell her sweet shampoo, before resting her head on my chest and sliding her free arm around my waist. My arms come around her and I hold her to me.

My brain is telling me that this is wrong, she is a client, but her embrace makes a rebel out of me because I want this.

“One word from you and we leave tomorrow. Yeah?” Ellie mumbles into my chest.

“Yeah,” I murmur back as I curve around her, wanting to stay in this moment, to hold her longer, to be closer to her. Ellie sighs and presses closer, fitting between my arms like she was made for that space. Nothing in this world has felt so right as Ellie, even though everything says that this is wrong.

When she steps back, her pupils are wide and cheeks pink, and not even her tiny smile escapes my notice.

“Well, how about some lunch?” Ellie’s voice is a little breathy as she pulls her phone out of her pocket and begins typing. “I’m sure we can find something within walking distance.” With a bright smile, she turns away and begins walking. I dutifully follow, watching her as she plucks at the front of her jacket, fanning away whatever sparked between us a moment ago.

CHAPTER 19

Ellie

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