“No. I’m really tired. It’s been a long week.” Eliza loved dancing, but she was scared if she headed out on the dance floor Neil would take it as his cue to twerk, or whatever the kids were doing these days, up against her and make more of a scene than he already had.
Eliza could see from Mrs. Lewis’ stubborn expression that the woman was not going to drop it, but her insistence was interrupted.
A server stepped up and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Ma’am, there’s a call for you.”
“A call?” Mrs. Lewis placed her hand on her chest. “For me?”
“Yes, ma’am. From your husband,” the server explained.
Mrs. Lewis had needed help getting in and out of Eliza’s car. She’d needed to lean on Eliza’s arm to make it up the ramp into the ballroom. But hearing that Dr. Lewis was calling had her up and out of her chair like an Olympic runner when the buzzer sounded. Eliza was on her feet as well.
“Oh, no!” She gripped her hands together tighter at her chest. “What’s wrong?! Is he okay?!”
“He’s fine, ma’am,” the young waiter’s eyes widened as he rushed to explain. “He said that he can’t find the remote for the DVD player and there’s nothing on TV.”
“Oh.” Mrs. Lewis slumped against Eliza in relief before reprimanding the server. “You could’ve led with that.”
Eliza had to give it to the poor kid, he honestly looked like he had no idea what he’d done wrong, but he apologized sincerely despite that. “I’m so sorry, ma’am.”
“Oh, it’s fine. You tell Winston I’ll get him the remote when I get home. He can channel surf until then.” Mrs. Lewis’ voice was still shaky and the color had drained from her normally rosy cheeks.
The young man nodded and left to relay the message.
“Why don’t you sit?” Eliza suggested. “I’ll go get our coats and have the valet bring the car around so it’s ready for us.”
“Oh no, honey. I don’t need to leave for a remote control.” Mrs. Lewis was trying to be convincing, but Eliza could see that the scare had taken its toll on her.
“Actually Mrs. Lewis, I really am tired. It’s been a very long week. But if you want to stay—”
“Oh no, no, dear. If you’re tired then yes, let’s go.”
Eliza recognized the relief in Mrs. Lewis’ eyes because it mirrored what she was sure was in hers. Both women had put on brave faces and pushed through the evening, but she was fairly certain the only place Mrs. Lewis wanted to be was by Dr. Lewis’ side. And she knew for certain the only place she wanted to be was anywhere Bailey and Nate were not.
They made a gorgeous couple, or whatever they were, and every time Eliza had snuck a peek at them through dinner they were talking, laughing—well Bailey was laughing, Nate was grinning—and very engaged with each other. And now they were on the dance floor slow dancing. His arms wrapped around her. His hands at the base of her spine.
There was only so much a girl could take of watching the man that she loved with someone else. She needed to get out of here. Eliza hoped there wasn’t a line at the coat check, because she could not get home to Farmer fast enough.
“I’ll be right back, Mrs. Lewis.”
***
As Nate led Bailey around the dance floor, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Eliza moving between the tables. Her hair swung in soft waves as she weaved through the crowded room. The dress she wore shimmered under the soft lighting of the ballroom, making her look even more angelic than usual.
Everything inside of him was screaming to go talk to her. He ached to see her smile. Look into her eyes. Hear her voice.
But he knew he couldn’t do any of that.
For one thing, he was here with Bailey. Even though they weren’t serious, she was his date. He would never disrespect her by paying attention to another woman.
He also knew if he went to speak to Eliza, Neil would see it as a challenge. So far, his brother had kept his distance from her tonight. Yes, he’d made an ass out of himself by yelling across the room a few times, but other than that he’d seemed to be more interested in a blonde cocktail server. But Nate knew if Neil saw him talking to or even looking at Eliza, he would be threatened by it and feel the need to prove to everyone that she was “his girl.”
So, as much as it was killing Nate to do so, he had kept his distance. He’d only made eye contact with her once and in that split second, the rest of the room, the town, the world had disappeared. With one look she’d captivated him, pulled him under her spell, sucked him into a vortex where she was all that existed. He’d almost not recovered from it.
After that happened, he’d known without a shadow of a doubt that it couldn’t happen again. His response hadn’t been solely because of how insanely sexy and stunning she looked, that was part of it of course, but not the main reason. The main reason for his visceral reaction was the connection he’d felt to her the moment their eyes met.
Nana had always talked about the fact that his Grandfather, Neil Stenson Holmes, II, was her soulmate. Most of the time she talked about him it was little things she missed and loved. The way he always held doors open for her. The way he smiled every time she sneezed because he thought it was adorable. How every day he’d woken up half an hour early before he went to work to make her coffee and hang her robe in front of the heater so she could wake up feeling warm, safe and taken care of. How he never let a day they were together pass without telling her he loved her and naming at least five reasons why, he’d called it his “daily five.” How if she was having a bad day, he’d move the dining room table, dim the lights and put on Sinatra and they’d dance until her bad day was a distant memory.
But he remembered one conversation where she’d sat Nate down and told him that she wanted Nate to have her wedding ring when he was ready. But her stipulation was that he had to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that the woman was his soulmate. She maintained that in the fifty-seven years that they’d had together before he passed, not one day had gone by that she ever doubted that fact.