Page 18 of Always a Bridesmaid

“Of course. I didn’t want Sarah to miss her day with her friends.”

Something in his amused expression softened. “So you gave up your spa day?”

“Of course. This is Sarah’s week. I know you think I’m a self-centered bitch, but I am really here to make sure Sarah has the best week of her life.”

“Even if that means spending the day with me?”

“In the name of transparency, I agreed before I knew you were my chaperone.”

He laughed and, wow, it changed his whole demeanor. He no longer looked like the man who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, he looked . . . happy? Had she done that?

No, Elle had.

“Looking your fill or contemplating your next barb?” he asked.

“Neither. Just realizing that I forgot my head scarf.”

“When I first met you, I didn’t take you for a high maintenance kind of girl.”

“I’m a blue jeans and T-shirt kind of woman,” popped out and she cursed herself because she doubted Elle owned a pair of blue jeans. Designer denim yes, but blue jeans from Target? Hell no. He stared at her in a way that made her nervous. “And what’s the point of a car ride like this without a little Grace Kelly moment. Every woman deserves their Grace Kelly moment.”

He looked her up and down. “Cute shoes. Now stay put. I’ll be right back.”

He held the door open and offered her his hand. She took it and there went those sparks again. Their eyes met, but neither let go. Reminding herself of who she was, Jane gave a demure smile and slid into the passenger’s seat, pulling her legs in with grace.

He frowned and then turned to leave.

“Where are you going?”

“To get you your Grace Kelly Moment.”

Well,that was a mistake of epic proportions.

He’d been so thrown by the abrupt change in Elle that he’d walked through the main entrance of the hotel and straight into a line of waiting fans, who had heard he was staying there. The first to approach him was a kid about six or seven who had a model race car he wanted Henry to autograph. It brought a smile to his lips.

Henry loved meeting his fans, especially the young ones. He’d been one of those kids with big dreams of becoming an F1 World Champ one day. He still remembered when his dad had pulled some strings and snuck him into the paddock when Henry had been around eight. He’d met his first World Champion that day, his hero, and it lit a fire within that had only grown with time. That fire was what drove him every day to be at the top of his game.

So when kids approached him with racing dreams, Henry loved the chance to pay that moment forward, be a part of that change between going from a racing fan to a racer.

Ten minutes and a hundred autographs later, security came and ushered him up the back elevator; if not he would have been there all day. And some days that would have been okay. But today he had a date with a stunning woman who was as mysterious as she was a contradiction.

He thanked the security guy and made his way to her room. The second he got to her door an overwhelming calmness settled around him. It wasn’t just getting away from the chaos—this was different. There was still a faint scent of her perfume lingering, which was light and floral, like a bouquet of spring breeze. Thenthere were the answers to all the secrets and questions she had piqued within him lying just beyond the door.

Bollocks! The door. He forgot to get her key. How the hell was he supposed to get in her room and fetch her a Grace Kelly moment without a key?

“Were you smelling Elle’s door?” Sarah asked, and Henry nearly jumped out of his shoes.

“No,” he lied.

“Sure looked like it to me.”

“I was fetching her a scarf for her hair and realized I didn’t have her key.”

“Did you knock?” Sarah asked, looking nervous as hell.

“She’s not there. She’s in my car waiting.” He pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’ll just call security to let me in.” The room was booked and paid for under his name anyway. All the rooms were.

Sarah blanched. “No need for that. I have a scarf she can borrow.” She wrapped her arm around Henry’s and led him down the hallway, practically yanking him.

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