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Chapter twelve

Cecilia

Backwards caps and giant teddy bears.

~The Next Day ~

I wake up bright and early, filled with excitement for this week.

We’re finally setting up the project I’ve been working hard on all month.

Eleonor Margot, a French socialite, is hosting a fundraising gala for endangered sea creatures.

It’s a good cause, but in my personal opinion, it’s probably just an excuse for a party.

The event is taking place Thursday night in one of New York’s historical buildings. Which means Wednesday will be an out-of-office workday, and Thursday will be a long one. But I don’t mind, this will be my first big event with the wealthy.

I arrive at work before everyone else, as I always do. Amanda admires my punctuality, which is one of the reasons I was appointed to the Margot project even though I’ve only been with the company for a month.

Yes, we all work together on events, but since I’m its main coordinator, everything falls back on me. If things go south, it’s my reputation that’s on the line as well as Wilson Events.

It’s a little past ten when Eddy, our mailman, knocks at my open office door with a bouquet of roses in a crystal vase with Emma following right behind him.

“Delivery for you, Cece,” he states.

“Me?”

“Yup. Whoever it’s from, he’s a lucky fella,” he says with a wink as he places the vase on the corner of my desk and walks out.

My cheeks heat at the subtle compliment with a tint of embarrassment. Eddy has asked me out three times already, and I’ve rejected him every time. He’s not a bad looking guy, and he’s really sweet from what I’ve gathered during our short conversations. I just wasn’t looking to date. Until now.

Emma walks over to the arrangement of flowers and smells them. “Wow, these are beautiful. Definitely not cheap!” She inspects the flowers closely with amazement in her eyes before they suddenly narrow. “Wait, there’s thirteen. Why would there be thirteen roses?”

I walk around my desk to get closer to them, and indeed there are thirteen. As I examine them better, I realize one of the roses has a little tag attached to the stem. I turn it over and read what has been written on it.

Smiling, I pull the single rose out from the rest and hand it over to Emma. “This one is for you.”

She takes it hesitantly, then looks at the tag, reading the words out loud. “Can’t forget Miss Emma, can we?” She looks up at me, chuckling and hugging the rose. “Oh, he’s good.”

I pluck out the tiny black envelope that’s attached to the front of the bouquet and open it, taking out a small white card inside.

Roses for my beautiful Rose - S.H.

“God, he’s so adorable! I would have never pegged him to be like this with how the media portrays him. I mean, it’s not bad, but they don’t paint him as hopelessly romantic,” Em says from behind me as she reads the note over my shoulder.

I put the card back into the envelope, wanting to preserve it, then place it in my purse beneath my desk. “He really is something, isn’t he?” I say smiling as I grab my phone.

Me

Thank you for the flowers, they’re beautiful, and I think Emma is in love.

Me

That was really sweet of you to include her, it means a lot to me. Heart emoji

He doesn’t respond right away, which I wasn’t expecting him to, I know he had practice this morning.

Emma returns to her office after letting me know I’m the luckiest girl alive and that I’d better put a ring on it, to which I informed her that isn’t how it works.

It’s an hour later when a text finally comes in.

Big Guy

Shit, am I winning over the wrong girl?

Big Guy

I’m glad you like them. Heart emoji

Me

Haha, maybe. Don’t worry though, I heard you’re winning over the right one, too. But you can’t tell anyone.

Big Guy

It will be our little secret. Wink emoji

~ Three Days Later ~

The rest of the week flies by in a daze, and now that it’s event day, I’m a nervous wreck. So far everything is on schedule with no hiccups, but until all is set up and the Gala is rolling, I won’t call it a win.

As I wait for my coffee to pour into my travel mug, I think back to the previous days with warmth spreading in my belly. Silas is truly proving to be one of a kind, and I can’t help the way he makes my heart flutter at the simple thought of him.

Turns out the Monday roses weren’t the only gift I would be receiving from him. Tuesday, a large take-out bag arrived at exactly noon after I had informed Silas that I forgot to grab a lunch. It was filled with delicious Chinese food, two portions of everything, and another little note that said:

Lunch for my Minnie and her Em - S.H.

On Wednesday, I wasn’t expecting anything since Silas knew I wouldn’t be in the office and he was away for an exhibition game. But to my surprise, a gift greeted me when I opened the door to head out.

There was a large box filled with a variety of chocolates and candies, painkillers, and a heating pad. And, of course, within the box was a much smaller box with an assortment of chocolates for Emma. This time the note read:

Since I can’t take your pain away, I hope this can help soothe it.

- Love, Silas xx .

P.S. The small box is for Emma, in case she’s synced up. I read that’s a thing...

It made me laugh. The thought of Silas reading up about menstruation is not something I would have ever pictured him doing.

I embarrassingly admitted to him Tuesday night over the phone that I had started my time of the month and was in a bit of pain. The fact that he took the time to make this last-minute gift for me made my feelings for him grow so much stronger.

That night, I read the note over and over again as I laid in bed, always coming back to one specific word... love. He wrote love.

Emma walks up to the kitchen island just as I cover our travel mugs and hand one over to her.

Today, we are both heading over to the event’s location to finalize last minute details and make sure all is ready by tonight.

Eleonor will also arrive during the day to make sure everything is as expected and to her standards. I really hope she loves it.

“Have you been to the door?” Em asks as we walk toward said door.

“No, not yet. There might not be anything, you know.”

“Oh please, that man is so far gone for you, it’s not even funny. I promise, there is definitely something on the other side of that door. Go ahead, open it.” She gestures to the handle.

My heart rate picks up, and my palms get sweaty.

I don’t understand why the idea of a gift is affecting me so much today, but it is.

Every new gift, every text and phone call, makes me fall harder for him.

We’ve only been in each other’s presence twice.

How can it be possible to feel like this so quickly?

I take a deep breath and turn the knob, opening the door slowly. And just like Emma predicted, there’s a gift waiting for me. Or shall I say, us. A huge basket sits on the doormat. I pick it up and head back in, setting it down on the marble counter.

Inside, the basket holds numerous face and eye masks, lotions and oils, skin care products, and scented candles.

There are also three bottles of wine—red, rosé, and white—along with two fluffy bathrobes and slippers.

The opening of each bathrobe holds a ticket for a spa day at one of the best spas in New York.

I pull the little black envelope and practically rip through it, needing to read it. Needing to feel him close.

A well-deserved spa date for my favorite girl and her sidekick.

You’ll do great tonight, I’m proud of you.

Love, Silas xx

P.S. I miss you.

I feel a lump growing in my throat. While trying to swallow it down, I blink a few times to clear the mist from my eyes. God, I’m an emotional mess. I know it’s most likely because I’m PMSing, but this man is hitting all the right buttons.

All his gifts are thoughtful and sweet—he takes the time to make them feel personal. And the fact that he always includes Emma in them even though he doesn’t need to shows just how much he cares.

He keeps saying he’s trying to win me over, but what he hasn’t realized yet is that he already has.

We leave the basket and head back out, and on our way down to the lobby, I pull out my phone and text Silas.

Me

Thank you for the basket, it will be deeply appreciated after tonight! Heart eyes emoji

Big Guy

I forgot to mention that there was a condition that came with the spa date...

Me

Oh, yeah? And what’s that?

Big Guy

Pictures, you have to send me pictures of you. Wink emoji

Me

I suppose that can be arranged. Blowing kiss emoji

Me

I’m going to be pretty busy most of the day, so I won’t be able to talk much. But I hope you have a good day and have fun at practice!

Big Guy

Thanks, babe. And don’t worry about it. Call me when you get in tonight?

Me

If it’s not too late, yes. I’ll message first in case you’re sleeping.

Me

Oh, and Silas?

Big Guy

Yeah, Minnie?

Me

I miss you too. Heart emoji

We’ve been hard at work for what feels like ages.

No major catastrophe has happened yet, but every time I turn my back, something is getting misplaced or going missing.

So I’ve been moving around every inch of the space for the past two hours, assisting where I can without blinking just to make sure I don’t miss anything.

Everything is going as planned. We’re even a bit ahead of schedule, which is perfect because I know the minute we start doing our final check and testing, things will come up.

The caterers have just arrived and are prepping in the kitchen, and we have people working on perfecting the lighting as well as the sound system. Even though there will be live music, we want to be able to provide them with a break and still have music going.