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  “That’s not what we’re saying, Ruby Red.” Savannah shook her head. Her parents didn’t know anything about his background and she didn’t feel at liberty to tell them what he had revealed to her in confidence. Even if she explained it to them—about his wife and unborn child—she didn’t think her parents were in the listening mood. She could partly understand their concern, given her past experience with Colt, but Tobias Stone was nothing like that man.

  “I know you both love me, and you’re saying all of this because you’re worried and you don’t want me to get hurt, but Tobias is a good man. I didn’t go looking for him. We just…” she stared down at the wooden table. “We just found one another, it’s like we were meant to be together. I know you might not understand that.”

  “You’re old enough to know what you’re doing, Ruby Red. You have a son to think of.”

  “Do you think I don’t know that?” She turned to her father. “I am being careful and I think I’m going to have to tell Jacob tonight, because,” she took a gulp and stared at them both.

  “Because?” Her mother asked, glancing at her stomach. Savannah’s insides pinched with irritation. Trust her mother to think she was pregnant. “Because Tobias has asked me to accompany him to a Gala dinner this weekend, and I said yes.”

  “A Gala dinner?”

  “It’s a black tie event in some fancy hotel. It’s a big deal for me because we’ve avoided being seen together in public. Tobias didn’t want to hide our relationship from anyone but I did. I guess I was scared of Colt finding out.”

  “What’s this got to do with Colt?” her father asked. “You don’t have to worry about that man, Savannah.”

  “It’s hard to shake him off, Dad. Tobias is well known. If we’re seen in public, the chances are high of news leaking out.” She was at a loss of how to explain to her parents the far-reaching effects and power of social media. “Colt would know where to find me.”

  Her father reached over and placed his big, rough hand over hers. “Why would he come looking for you? He’s gone from your life and a loser like that isn’t coming back. Don’t you stop living because of him.”

  Her father was right but Colt’s calls a few weeks ago had made her unsettled. She knew him better than anyone and she didn’t trust him.

  “I will say this,” her father continued, “As much as I still worry about you, I can’t say I’ve ever seen you look this happy before.” Her father gave her mother a testy glance. “You go to the dinner, Ruby Red. Don’t worry, we’re here to look after Jacob.”

  She was never going to get a better opportunity to ask now that they were on the topic. “We were also thinking of going away together. Just the two of us. Tobias wants to take me to Miami.”

  “Miami?”

  “For a few days. Would it be okay for you to look after Jacob while we were away? I won’t leave him with anyone else.” Her parents looked at one another. “I can get Rosalee to come over and help,” she offered, “and you’d still be able to go sightseeing during the day while he’s at school. I know it’s a lot to ask.”

  “You’re not asking a lot. We’d like to spend more time with Jacob, and this sounds like the perfect chance for us to do that.”

  “Thanks. And I’m going to be coming home a little late every day this week.” Max had told her it would be a tall order to find a dress for the Gala within a week.

  Chapter 13

  “Darling, you can’t wear this! You’ll look like someone from a reality show!” Max shrieked.

  Savannah agreed, if she’d been left to find her outfit for the Gala dinner herself, she probably would have.

  Asking for their help with only a week before the event had been foolish. This, coupled with her insistence on paying for everything herself, did not bode well for a stylish red carpet debut. When she’d first emailed Max and Briony the types of dresses within her budget, they’d almost had seizures. Their forceful objections had her reconsider her honorable stance. Tobias had been insistent that she let him pay for her dress and shoes and accessories, and she’d been totally against the idea. But over the next few days as the three of them trekked around the luxury department store, all the best dresses had thousand dollar tags. She couldn’t bring herself to pay that much.

  “Tobias would want you to look amazing,” they’d told her.

  But still she didn’t feel right about it. “You’re going to be photographed, you’ll be seen arriving and leaving his limo. You’ll be in the public limelight. Do you seriously want people to think you put your outfit together from Wal-Mart?”

  “What’s wrong with Wal-Mart?”

  Max rolled her eyes. “Now you’re trying to be funny.” Max took fashion so seriously it was scary. “People expect Tobias to be with some chic and classy beauty from New York society.”

  “Well, tough,” she’d replied, knowing Tobias well. “He’s with Savannah from North Carolina.”

  But the outfits she had tried on, the ones she could afford, didn’t look that great. The only thing they had going for them was that they were in her budget.

  In the end, panicking, and with so much going on at work and at home, Savannah was running out of time. It made sense to listen to Max and Briony.

  Now as she looked in the mirror, with the dinner a few days away, she was glad she had.

  “Next time, a few more weeks’ notice would be appreciated. We’re not miracle workers, darling.” Max tut-tutted loudly.

  “I know. I’m sorry.” Savannah mumbled, walking around in the Christian Louboutins which were surprisingly comfortable given that the heels were the width of a pencil. So this was what wearing thousand dollar shoes felt like?

  “But we did it. Cinderella will go to the ball. What do you think, darling?” Max turned to her partner. Briony’s eyes sparkled as she stared at Savannah. “You and Prince Charming are going to blow them away. Candace Oakley, I hope you choke watching her on TV!”

  “TV?” Savannah asked, distracted. She was still unsure about the shoes. The shoes were the final piece of the ensemble.

  “Doesn’t she look amazing?” Asked Briony.

  “She does.” Max nodded her head, appreciatively. “She was already halfway there. It wasn’t such an impossible task, not with that kind of skin and cheekbones, and that hair.” Max remarked. “No wonder Stone wants you and no wonder he wants to take you to Miami.” Max purred.

  “I can’t imagine the torment Candace must be going through,” remarked Briony, smiling like an imp.

  Savannah shook her head. She couldn’t think about Miami just yet. She needed to get this dinner over with first. “Thank you both,” she said. “When I get back, we’ll go out for dinner somewhere. On me. I would never have looked like this if it had been left to me.”

  Max laughed, “Believe me, darling. We know. We’d never have risked leaving it to you.” They all burst out laughing. If it had been left to her, she would have turned up in a garish cheap satin number, most definitely black, most definitely knee-length and most definitely with a wide scoop neck.

  She didn’t think anyone could ever convince her to wear red yet Max had. She felt like a fire truck with the attention the dress had drawn when she’d tried it on but it looked stunning. She looked stunning; like one of those women who stepped out of sleek, black cars at the big awards nights she’d seen on TV. Red carpet, black tuxes, long dresses and plenty of bling. She could finally compete.

  But gold shoes? That was overkill. “I’m not sure about the shoes,” said Savannah.

  “You can have red shoes to match,” Max shot back. “That’s your only other choice.”

  Gold shoes it was.

  ~~

  “How come you’ve been working so late all week, Mommy? I don’t even get to see you anymore.” She sat by Jacob’s bed, still in her work clothes.

  “I’m sorry, honey,” she replied. “I didn’t mean to leave you with Grandma and Grandpa all the time.” Getting her outfit had taken up most of the week, and n
ow she wondered if it would be fair to her son if she went away with Tobias for almost a week. She was neglecting her son. As the week wore on, she realized how big a deal the dinner was and she was beginning to freak out a little. Only her parents kept her calm. Kay had called for her but she’d been out shopping with Max and Briony and hadn’t been able to call her back.

  She hadn’t even seen Tobias, but she didn’t feel too bad about that. But this, she stared back at her sleepy son, this was what she felt most guilty about.

  “Are you having fun with your grandparents?”

  “Yes.” He yawned loudly. “But I wish you would come home early.” She dropped a kiss onto his lips.

  “I had to go shopping with some friends. I was looking for something nice to wear.”

  “Okay.” He yawned again. “Goodnight, Mommy.”

  “I want to tell you something, Jacob.” His eyelids flickered open. “The dress is for a special occasion, a big party and Tobias is taking me.”

  “Will you get party bags?”

  “No. It’s a grown up party.”

  He stared at her blankly. “And the reason Tobias is taking me is because…because we are seeing one another, as in…we’re dating.” Still he continued to stare at her, and for a moment she wasn’t sure if he’d heard her properly. “He likes me and I like him.”

  “Do you have to kiss him?”

  “Uh…not if I don’t want to.”

  He seemed to consider this.

  “Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

  “Yeah.”

  The conversation wasn’t going the way she had expected it to and even though she had already told him that she was going away with Tobias next week, he hadn’t asked any questions about it.

  “How do you feel about me going to this party with him?”

  “Can I come too?” He asked.

  “It’s a grown up party, honey.”

  “Okay.”

  “And afterwards, you and I can spend the whole of Sunday together. Then Mr. Stone and I are leaving for our trip, remember I told you about it?”

  “I remember.” But his voice had a somber tone to it, not the type of tone that made her feel good. Her doubts were beginning to creep in especially since he seemed to be unsure about it. She didn’t understand it. A few days ago he’d been fine about it all. Inside, it felt as if pins were digging into her chest. “Would that be okay with you?”

  “What?”

  “If we still went away?”

  “Can I come with you?” Her heart nosedived to her stomach.

  “You’ll still have school.”

  “Who’s going to look after me?”

  “Grandma and Grandpa, unless you don’t want them to.” Or she could cancel the trip. “I don’t have to make this trip. I can stay behind if you want me to.”

  He pursed his lips into a tight line, as if he wasn’t sure. “Do you like him more than you like me?”

  It was as if she’d been hit with a baseball bat. The shock of his words knocked the air out of her stomach. “Honey, no!” She threw her arms around him, lifting him up so that he was in her arms, slumped across her chest. “Oh, Jacob.” She kissed his hair, then moved her face away. “Is that what you think? You’re the most important person in my life. I love you more than anything.” The palpitations ricocheted inside her ribcage and she closed her eyes, wondering how she hadn’t seen this coming. It had been one thing after another: she'd been spending more time with Tobias, then she’d been so engrossed in getting her dress and worrying about the dinner, not to mention what to pack for their vacation. She'd been so swept up in it all that she had lost sight of how Jacob might have felt. No wonder her son thought he no longer mattered.

  “You are the most important thing in the world. Do you understand that?” Her stomach twisted into knots. “I don’t love anyone more than I love you.”

  “Not even Mr. Stone?”

  “Not even Mr. Stone, and what makes you think I love him? We’re just…” Dating. But what would Jacob understand?

  “Your face is always happy now, Mommy, and you’re always laughing. I know Mr. Stone does that to you.”

  She gulped, her heart doing one hundred. Sooner or later it would come out…that she was in love with the man, because keeping it hidden and tucked away in her heart was becoming harder to keep down. She didn’t know what to say to Jacob, so she ignored the comment completely. “I don’t have to go away next week, if you don’t want me to. I can stay here and we can do lots of fun things together instead.” She would still take those days off.

  Jacob shook his head. “I don’t want to make Mr. Stone sad. You make him smile, Mommy. He doesn’t look sad anymore.”

  “He doesn’t, does he?” she replied softly.

  “Does this mean you’re going to get married?”

  “Not next week,” she replied, saying the first thing that came to mind. She squeezed her eyes shut and considered the absurdity of her words. When she opened them again she found Jacob looking at her, concerned. “He hasn’t asked me,” she replied, hoping to allay his obvious concern.

  “But if he asked you?”

  Her face flushed at the idea of it. “Then I would say…yes.”

  Jacob smiled. “You would?”

  “Uh….Yes.”

  He smiled back and she kissed him again. “Then I ‘spose its okay if you want to go away with him.”

  “Thank you, honey.”

  Chapter 14

  Briony and Max had been so right. When she finally stepped out of the master bathroom and into his bedroom, knowing that he’d been waiting, Tobias’s mouth fell open in surprise. For a few seconds he said nothing. He didn’t need to. She only had to look at those shimmering blue eyes, to know that she had hit the mark.

  “Sweet Jesus, Savannah,” he breathed. “You take my breath away.” Goosebumps erupted along the back of her neck and arms. It was what he didn’t say, the way his eyes held her, that said it all.

  He didn’t look so bad either in his black Tux. In fact, he looked insanely handsome. They stared at one another, all dressed up, like A-list celebrities, ready to reveal their secret.

  She’d been shocked when she’d finally stepped in front of the mirror with the whole outfit, the dress, shoes, small clutch, and with her hair and makeup fully done by the stylist. She didn’t recognize the svelte and polished woman who stared back at her. The other Savannah was still there, but her features seemed more defined; her skin flawless, her lips fuller, her eyes bigger, and a deeper green, like velvet moss.

  And the dress. A sleek, full-length evening dress in scarlet, cut high to the thigh on one side and off the opposite shoulder. It showed off her figure, made her breasts look bigger—a little more than she was happy with—but her height, especially in the shoes, gave her frame a good length. Max had insisted that she have her hair put up in a sleek chignon and she’d tried to resist the idea, preferring to wear it loose and tousled as she normally did. But she’d ended up listening to Max again and now she was thankful she had. She looked drop-dead gorgeous.

  “Nervous?” he asked, as the car pulled up outside the Waldorf Astoria. She peered out of the tinted windows and held onto his hand. A crowd of people had gathered outside but were held back by security men and metal cordons. “My men will always be behind us,” Tobias assured her. “And one of them will open your door.” He dropped a gentle kiss on her lips before taking leave of her hand. “Don’t worry, Savannah, I’ve got you covered.”

  Sure enough, a tall, bulky, beef cake of a man opened the door on her side and she climbed out, then turned, to see the cameras and flashes light up like lightning. It was still daylight outside. Tobias blinked as he got out.

  “Mr. Stone!” She heard the cries, saw the people turn their heads at him, saw the photographers rush to his side and watched as reporters shoved their huge lollipop microphones towards him.

  She heard him answer a few questions before he turned and swiftly made his way to her
side. Taking her hand, he led her towards the hotel. They followed the two guards, one in front and one behind.

  The flashes came fast and furious after that and she almost tripped as the light, so bright and right in her face, blinded her. She blinked as she moved forward and beside her she heard Tobias mutter something. “Gone insane,” she thought he said, as he gripped her hand tighter. How she managed to walk on those pencil-thin heeled shoes, she didn’t know. It was a miracle that she hadn’t tripped or the heel hadn’t snapped as she tottered alongside him towards the doors. Soon they were inside and safe.

  He pulled her to one side and put a hand to her cheek. “Are you alright? That was a bit crazy.”

  “A bit?”

  “I don’t know what happened.”

  “Is it always like this?”

  “Never like this,” he told her, adjusting his cuffs. “They’d have let me walk in unencumbered,” he told her. “That was all you. I don’t blame them for getting excited.” She felt her heart thrashing and felt the hair on her skin creep to standing. It was exciting and scary and she was relieved that Tobias didn’t let go of her hand for one moment.

  “Come on,” he tugged at her hand. “Let’s get this over with.”

  She walked around in a daze, staring at the beautifully adorned tables, the delicately lit lamps, admiring the Calla Lily table arrangements. She watched people, stunningly made up and wearing their finest clothes and jewels as they greeted Tobias as if he was their best friend. When he introduced her to them, they treated her as if she was their long lost friend.

  She never let go of Tobias’s hand as he walked around, a lesson in charm and graciousness as he introduced her to almost everyone. He seemed to know them all.

  Every so often he would tell her that so and so was the head of this charity or that, and she could barely remember their names, let alone what they did. Sometimes her attention fixed on the way the women stared back at him, as if they were grateful for even a morsel of his attention. Then she would tighten her hold on him even more, as a feeling of jealousy coursed through her veins, something she had never known before.