Date in Disguise Page 12

  The ending was met with polite applause, but I only saw it as my opportunity to talk to Gavin. I turned on him so fast his eyes widened a little. I had a little trouble thinking of what question to ask first, so he snuck one in.

  “So, what do you think? You like it?”

  “I love it! How in the world did you put this together? I didn’t know you knew anyone here.”

  “Honestly, I didn’t until I had one of my guys reach out to him first to check interest. I give to a handful of charities, and I think this is a good cause. From what I understand, all these birds are rescues of some kind. Here they can have plenty of room to mingle, even make little peacocks of their own.”

  “Months ago, you asked me what animal is my favorite. Then you go and do…this. Did you really do all this for me?”

  He chuckled. “Of course I did, beautiful. I’d do anything for you.” He took both my hands in his and captured my gaze so intently. “You’re my life now and I want to share everything with you. The highs and the lows. What makes you happy is now what makes me happy.”

  Something welled up inside me, a tingling, a sensation. I had no idea exactly what it was, but something was happening. Everything seemed to blur down to slow motion as he went down on one knee and pulled something dark and small out of his jacket pocket. I was pretty sure what it was, but my vision blurred around the edges. I wiped at the corner of my eye and realized it was damp.

  As if on cue, three violinists walked out from behind a corner and all at once lifted their bows to the strings. Music wafted from their direction in a touching ballad, a rendition of our song, a contemporary piece on the radio, but their version was better. Of course Gavin went to all the trouble to make that perfect too.

  He held a black box in his hand.

  Opening it, he revealed something even more eye-catching than the exhibit. A beautiful, blue sapphire shone on an engagement ring, circled by diamonds and delicate gold filigree that went all around the band. It reminded me of the sunset on our second date, and I was sure he’d remembered his comment about sapphires then, too. He was that kind of man.

  He carefully plucked the ring from the box and held it up to me, catching the light as he did. I’d never been happier to have bright lights in my eyes as the reflected rays from that beautiful center stone, as round and perfect as the lake where we’d had our first kiss.

  “I’ve never wanted to be with anyone like I do with you,” he said. “Will you marry me?”

  I nodded, forcing the lump in my throat to get out of the way so I could hurry up and tell this handsome man yes. “Of course I will. Yes.”

  He slid the ring onto my finger, and I instantly knew it fit perfectly. It felt like a part of my finger I didn’t know I needed yet. Even with my arms slung around his neck and his warm body pressed against mine, I lifted up my left hand to gaze at it. I couldn’t stop looking at it. And him. God, he looked incredible that day with his smart outfit and well-cut sports coat. It was the perfect mental snapshot for a day I’d never forget.

  More light applause broke out, as some of the bystanders had stuck around after the unveiling. A few of them took pictures with the violinists in the background. It was a lot of attention, but for once, I didn’t mind it. I even posed for a few snapshots.

  Afterward, Gavin shook each of the musicians’ hands and thanked them personally.

  “Are they going to play at the clubhouse now?” I asked.

  “They are,” Gavin said. “Once I heard they were being hired for the day, I had to jump on it. I paid them extra to come to work early. It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. Here, let’s sit down for a bit.”

  We reached a nearby bench. It felt nice to enjoy the cool breeze as it made its way through the lush trees and bushes around us.

  “There’s something else,” he said.

  I laughed. “More? I don’t think you can top that last one.”

  “Probably not, but I think you’ll like it anyway. It has to do with the new exhibit.”

  He fished inside his other jacket pocket and pulled out a badge. As he handed it to me, I spotted the logo for the zoo on the front.

  “But I already have a volunteer badge,” I said.

  He held it out to me a little bit closer. “Take a look.”

  I lifted it up and turned it around. “Wait, this is an employee badge. Why do you have one of these?”

  “It’s for you. If you want it, that is. When the zoo director and I set up the new exhibit, he decided it would be best if you were put in charge of it, not just as a volunteer but as a full employee. You can still work part-time if you want or have full-time status. He said he’ll leave it up to you. You get to decide who works on your team and have all the decisions about how to shape the enclosure and all that. It’s yours to run now.”

  “An exhibit of my own?”

  “Absolutely. Your company ownership buyout is a decent one, but supplementing that with a regular paycheck wouldn’t be a bad idea. Plus, I don’t know anyone who loves peacocks as much as you do.”

  “Peacocks and peahens. We can’t leave them out. This is incredible. You had everything to do with this, didn’t you? You talked him into making me an employee?”

  He held up his hands. “I may have given him a nudge in the right direction, sure, but most of it had to do with how great of a volunteer you’ve been. You’ve been interviewing for it this whole time whether you knew it or not.”

  My arms flew around his neck again. “Thank you. I know you had a lot to do with it, and I appreciate it.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’m glad you’re happy.”

  “Sure you don’t, you crazy man.”

  “So, do you want to go look at the peacocks? You might have been a bit distracted before.”

  I placed a finger to my lips. “Hmm. I wonder why.”

  “I checked it out earlier before driving you over. I had to make sure everything was set up and ready. Let’s go see it.”

  I took his outstretched hand. “Sounds like fun.”

  “And the peahens, too,” he added. “We can’t leave them out.”

  Follow Laura Westbrook’s website to hear when book two in the Billionaires of Brighton City series comes out and find out what happens to Chloe in her very own story.

  Here’s the summary for Rough Around the Edges:

  If I knew how rough around the edges my new boss would be, I wouldn’t have lied on my resume to get this job.

  You’d think billionaires have better things to do than change the office light bulbs with a beer in hand, but Jackson Hughes is one of those roll-up-the-sleeves types. He’s insufferable to be around, although I can’t help but stare whenever he enters a room.

  Since I told him I have three years of accounting experience, he makes me his new bookkeeper, which was his first mistake. But then I overhear him talking to a banker on the phone about what the company is worth, and that can only mean one thing. If he sells the company, my job is toast, and so is my only opportunity to spend time with him, which, as much as I hate to admit, I’m enjoying more and more. But there’s no way I’m falling for this guy.