Page 62 of The Caress

I squeeze her arm. "I’m going to try to fix what I broke. If she’ll have me, that is."

"It’s about damn time." She raises her right hand, jingling a set of keys. "I have the keys. Hurry! Ella is almost here."

My pulse quickens as I double-check the time on my watch. "Already? You were supposed to keep her busy for another twenty minutes."

Kaia shrugs and gives me a sheepish grin. "You know how she is. I kept trying to distract her, but she was just getting more and more suspicious. I finally sent her on a fake errand to my mom’s apartment, but that apparently isn’t taking as long as I thought it would."

This is the problem with setting up an event on a different continent. I have a pretty specific vision of how I want this day to look. It's hard to trust other people with that vision.

Particularly when it’s something so dear to my heart.

I find myself smiling in spite of the wrinkle in our plans. Talking about Ella is making me impatient to see her. I already know everything will be perfect when she gets here, regardless of what Kaia and I have planned.

Still, there are a few more things that I really, really hope are in place. "Have you been inside?" I ask, hoping she’s come through for me. "Is everything set up?"

"It is," she says, nodding. "It looks amazing in there. She’s going to love it."

"I hope so. I really do."

We walk inside, and I’m surprised at how spacious the ground floor is. I’m not sure how the floor plan will be configured in the future, but for now there’s a polished wood floor that looks original to the pre-war building and a low stage set up at the far end of the large space.

"Yeah," I say, grinning as I take a look around. "This is perfect. Exactly what I’ve been picturing in my head. And the kids?"

"Behind the curtain," she answers, literally bouncing up and down on her toes from the excitement. "They’re just waiting for our cue."

"Looks like they won’t have to wait much longer." I gesture to the front of the building, where a taxi is pulling up. "Do you want to meet her outside? I’ll wait right here."

I’m grateful for the tinted windows as Kaia rushes out to the taxi. I can see everything going on out there from where I’m standing, but Ella won’t be able to see me until she walks through the door.

My breath catches in my throat when I finally lay eyes on her. She’s so beautiful. I could easily spend the rest of the day standing here, drinking in every detail of her face, her hair, and her incredible body.

Ella looks confused as Kaia leads her to the door. She keeps looking around and over her shoulder as if she’s expecting someone to jump out at any second.

Has she somehow figured out that I’m involved? Will she be upset when she sees me?

I get my answer a few seconds later, when she walks in. She blinks a few times, no doubt letting her eyes adjust from the sunlight to the softer interior lighting.

"Oh my God," she gasps as her gaze finally settles on me. "Keir? What’s going on? What is this place?"

"Do you like it?" I ask, carefully avoiding her other questions.

"It reminds me of that building we saw in the ballet movie," she smiles. "And it’s even on the Upper West Side, just like the sort of place I’ve always wanted."

Her smile is infectious, and I can feel a lump forming in my throat as I take a step toward her. "You don’t have to dream about a place like this anymore. You don’t have to imagine it." I open my arms to encompass the entire space. "This is your building, Ella. Your ballet studio."

She blinks again, her mouth opening and closing without making a sound. "What?" she finally squeaks, her voice going up an octave. "Mine? But how? I don’t understand." She turns to Kaia, her eyes narrowing. "I thought I was coming here for some kind of party. You told me it was your cousin’s birthday."

"It is my cousin’s birthday," Kaia shrugs. "But we’re not going to his party."

"No," I say, laughing. "We’re having a party for you, Ella. A party to celebrate your new studio and the ten million dollar grant you’ll have to get everything up and running for the inaugural class of girls."

Right on cue, a dozen young girls file out onto the stage, clapping and cheering for their new ballet instructor.

"What is happening?" Ella laughs and dashes away from what I hope is a flood of happy tears. "Who are these sweet girls? I love them!"

"They’re your students," I answer, beaming as I watch her incredulous reaction. "I had Kaia pick them. It looks like they’re excited to get started."

There are more cheers and laughter as the girls rush down from the stage and swarm Ella like she’s a rock star. This is her moment, and I love it.

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