Page 45 of Finding Love on the Slopes

Leigh felt bad for her extra work and assured her that tossing it in the dryer for a little while would be fine; there was no need for washing. Mrs. Ellis simply replied that she would explain how cashmere worked sometime.

They got comfortable on the large cream sectional couch in front of the massive fireplace that dominated the living room. Mrs. Ellis brought them a tray of fresh Snickerdoodle cookies, steaming mugs of hot chocolate with whipped cream on top, and tiny dishes of toppings: chocolate shavings, crushed peppermint candies, sprinkles, marshmallows.

“This is crazy! She puts in so much effort all the time. A mug of microwaved water and a packet or two of Swiss Miss would be fine with me. Actually, I could microwave my own water and retrieve my own chocolate packet from the cabinet, too,” Leigh lamented, taking a mug from the tray resting on the upholstered ottoman in the middle of the floor.

“Don’t rain on her parade, Leighann. She lives for this stuff. When I first hired her, I had just made my first hundred million and bought this huge house I could never keep clean. I didn’twant strangers coming in to do the work, so I hired her. She passed all the background checks and everything. Well, I came home from work one day exhausted, and she had laid out this fancy table setting and prepared a delicious home-cooked meal. It felt awkward but wonderful at the same time. I thanked her and went to my room. It didn’t happen every night, but if I happened to mention I would be home early, as a courtesy, so she could have herself situated, and in her private apartment so we didn’t cross paths, she would instead greet me with a meal. After about the sixth time, I had gotten more comfortable with her, and we had a talk. She said it made her happy to take care of me. Her kids were grown and wouldn’t let her do it anymore. Now, she was getting paid to do what she loved, which was taking care of others. So, I stopped fighting her years ago and just let her do her thing. You know how your love language is acts of service, and mine is giving gifts? Well, to her, this is an act of service; we needed something warm to drink, and she blessed us with the gift of her time and effort, making this wonderfully displayed tray with every possible item we could desire.”

Leigh was grateful for the explanation; it put the whole housekeeper thing in perspective for her. Mrs. Ellis was a wonderful woman, and she had a job she enjoyed. Leigh could wrap her head around that.

They talked about a variety of other topics until four-thirty, when Enrique suggested she go upstairs to prepare for their evening. She scoffed at the idea it would take her an hour and a half to dress but decided to roll with it. Boy, was she glad she did.

Chapter Forty

Leighann stood in front of the closet, jaw slack and eyes wide as she stared at the black, formal evening gown hanging in there. She wasn’t even aware that the dress was there until Enrique had texted her to check the closet.

She wasn’t sure what she expected, but this was most certainly not it. When she thought date, she thought Sunday best or business casual. This was like prom or something. No wonder he kept suggesting she start getting ready.

It was a black form-fitting gown with silver and sequin embroidery. It was gorgeous and elegant, fit for a grand, red-carpet event but way too much for a simple first date. She was starting to understand that Enrique did nothing in half measures, and the date she had envisioned was nothing like what she could expect from this man.

After several minutes of indecision, she decided to approach Enrique on the subject. This kind of thing made heruncomfortable. A quiet dinner here with a movie and popcorn after was just fine for their first date. She didn’t need or want all of this.

Being sure to close the door gently instead of slamming it in her agitation, she headed down the hall and knocked on his bedroom door. No answer. Pivoting on her heel she headed to the office door and knocked. No answer. Feeling exasperated with each passing moment she stomped down the stairs to the main floor.

“Enrique?” she called, but there was no answer. She searched, but he was nowhere to be found.

If she spent a minute longer looking for him, she would be late, and she hated to be late. With a heavy sigh, she dragged herself back to her room and reluctantly prepared for dinner.

Leighann stared at herself in the full-length mirror after she zipped up the dress, mentally thanking the designer for the side zipper. The minimal makeup she applied highlighted her eyes and added a bit of pop to her lips. Her straight blond hair was held in place away from her face with a comb encrusted with Swarovski crystals, leaving the length of it to fall over her shoulders and back. She ran her hands down the dress, smoothing invisible wrinkles.

She was nervous, but now that the work had been done, she was looking forward to her date with Enrique. It felt nice to dress up occasionally—fun even. This was a little more than she was prepared for, but she expected to have a good time if shedidn’t let her nerves get the better of her. She felt out of her depth in this extravagant gown.

A knock sounded at the door. She took a deep breath and smiled before turning away from the mirror and heading to answer the door. When she opened it, Enrique stood before her, looking dashingly handsome in a charcoal gray suit, no doubt tailored just for him. His hair was slicked back, his jaw clean-shaven, and he looked like he had been ripped off the cover of a GQ magazine.

A flush rushed to color her cheeks as she exited her room, closing the door behind her.

“Well, you certainly clean up nicely,” she quipped, trying to calm her racing heart and the nerves that were threatening her composure.

Standing next to him, she felt very self-conscious. He looked like he had been born in that suit, a descendant of one of those mythical Greek gods, and he stared at her like he had never seen a woman before. Every cell in her body wanted to turn around and hide in her room, pretend this whole thing never happened.

His palms started to sweat, and he balled them into fists in an effort not to pull her into his arms and kiss her senselessly. “You’re breathtaking,” he stated confidently, still absorbing the full impact of her beauty. He had been attracted to her before, in her natural, athletic state. But now, dressed in the finery of a woman with her eyes and lips highlighted, he couldn’t think straight.

She grinned. “You look like you’re breathing fine.”

He smiled and nodded, noting her attempt to move things in a different direction. “Are you ready to go?”

Not in this dress, but she smiled at him and nodded regardless of her trepidation. Her stomach churned slightly at what to expect since she knew how extravagant he could be. But she let him take her hand, kiss her palm, and link their fingers as he assisted her down the stairs in her black high-heeled shoes and, after slipping into their coats, out to the waiting SUV.

A driver stood in front of the back passenger door, opening it for her to get in. She smiled warmly and thanked him before climbing in.

They sat side by side on the heated leather seats while the driver closed the door and climbed into the driver’s seat.

Enrique turned to Leighann, still silently admiring her. “Do you like the dress?”

Leigh bit the corner of her lip, trying to think of the best way to answer his question without sounding like an ungrateful brat.

“Um, it’s beautiful and comfortable if you are used to wearing these types of dresses,” she said. “Maybe a bit too much for a first date?”

“Well, I think it looks perfect on you,” he smiled. “You look gorgeous, Leighann.”

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