Page 73 of Heart of Stone
The smile on her face and the happiness in her voice were enough for me to know I’d done the right thing.
I winked at her, and we took off.
When we arrived at the event center, I said, “This is your last chance.”
“For what?”
“To back out. Once we go in there, everyone is going to know that you’re dating your boss.”
Her expression turned serious. “Are you worried about it?”
I shook my head. “Not at all. To be honest, I kind of hate that it’s not already out there.”
Natalia let those words sink in. Then she reached for my hand and asked, “So, what are we waiting for?”
I hadn’t realized I’d been holding on to any, but as soon as those words were out of her mouth, the tension eased out of my body. I squeezed her hand in return before lifting it to my lips to press a kiss there. “I know this isn’t a traditional mode of transportation, but I expect you to wait in that seat until I come around to help you out.”
Natalia laughed. “Okay.”
A couple of minutes later, we’d made our way inside the event center, where it seemed Danielle and her team had done a phenomenal job of preparing for the party. From the Christmasdecorations and music to the food, desserts, and guests donned in their very best, nothing had been missed. The only thing that could’ve made the occasion more festive would have been snow falling from the rafters or an appearance by Santa himself.
“You took part in the preparations for this?” I asked Natalia.
She glanced up at me momentarily before returning her attention to the space. Taking it all in, she confessed, “I helped a little bit, but I didn’t have nearly as much input or time this year as I did previously.”
“Oh?”
Natalia shrugged. “It’s taken me longer to complete certain tasks over the past few weeks.”
Tipping my head to the side, I studied her. Unable to find what I was looking for, I asked, “Have things gotten too busy for you? Is the workload too much?”
She shook her head. “No. I’ve been doing this for years. The problem is that for years now, I’ve been doing my job with very few distractions. Now, I find that my mind occasionally drifts throughout the day. That’s not so much of a problem, though. The bigger issue is when I have paperwork that needs to be signed, and someone feels compelled to take their time putting the pen to the paper.”
“Are you suggesting that I’m the reason you’ve been falling behind?” I turned her in my arms. “Because it sounded like you were indicating I was a distraction.”
Natalia’s eyes were sparkling with happiness. “You are. But I wouldn’t change a thing. I’ve had many years of no distractions, and I can assure you that this is much better.”
I smiled at her, my arms giving her a light squeeze. “I’m glad you feel that way, because I’m not sure I’d be able to pull it back. It already feels like I don’t have nearly enough of you.”
Something washed over her expression, her features twisting with deep thought. I was just about to ask her what her reaction was about when someone else spoke.
“So, it appears we’re making a statement tonight. Am I right?”
Natalia and I tore our attention away from one another and learned Danielle had found us. I remained silent, figuring it was best to allow Natalia to lead this conversation with her best friend. Surprisingly, my beautiful girl didn’t acknowledge Danielle’s specific question. Instead, she beamed at her before pulling out of my hold to hug her friend. “Merry Christmas, Danielle.”
“Merry Christmas.” When they separated, Danielle indicated the man beside her. “You remember Stephen.”
“I do. It’s wonderful to see you again.” Natalia extended a hand to him. As he shook it, she gestured toward me. “Stephen, this is Reid. Reid, Stephen.”
“It’s a pleasure.” I offered my hand in greeting before turning my attention to Danielle. “You did a great job here tonight. The place looks incredible.”
Genuine appreciation washed over her. “Thank you. That means a lot.”
“I’m sorry if Natalia didn’t have as much time to devote to helping you this year. She’s been a bit busy with her work these last couple of weeks.”
A knowing smile spread across Danielle’s face as Natalia stepped closer to me and curled her fingers around my arm. “Well, I know this is your first one of these, so I hope it exceeds all your expectations that you’ll come back next year.”
It took superhuman effort not to react, to school my features into neutrality.
