“Well, why don’t you take your beautiful girlfriend to dinner?”
“That,” Jake said, “sounds like a marvelous idea.”
“Another blindfold?”
The driver was taking us along the dusky riverbank when he held up the black silk fabric.
“It’s a surprise.”
“You can’t surprise me without a blindfold?”
“Sure I can. But what fun would that be?”
I let out a mock sigh and leaned forward to let him tie it on.
“Do you know where we’re going?” Jake asked.
The world was dark. I bit my lip and enjoyed the way Jake’s breath caught when he noticed. That was one of my favorite parts of being blindfolded—listening to his breath.
“Well, if the last two times you’ve blindfolded me were any indication,” I said, “you’re going to be strapping me into a rocket ship that goes into suborbit around the Earth. All under the pretext of trying to cure my fear of heights, of course. And then you’ll drop me off in Italy.”
“Ooh, that’s a good idea,” Jake said. “Not quite.”
The car drove on. Eventually we stopped, and I heard the hum of the crowds around us as we walked over a sidewalk. The silk dress gown swished around my ankles. I smiled against the cool evening air.
“I’m getting pretty good at walking around with a blindfold on,” I joked.
“This way.”
Jake’s hand pressed against my lower back, guiding me forward. A key jangled and a door slid shut. Then the floor lifted up and I nearly fell over.
Jake caught me easily, laughing as I flung my arms over him to keep from falling down.
“You could have told me we were going to be on an elevator,” I said.
“No I couldn’t,” Jake replied. “If I’d told you, you would never have come on. And I’m helping you get over your fears, right?”
“Sure,” I groused, half-grinning under the blindfold. The elevator cranked upwards. It must have been an old elevator, because the creaking and groaning of the machinery made goosebumps pop on my skin. I was glad when the elevator finally jerked to a halt.
“Alright, are you ready?”
“Ready.”
He took off the blindfold as we stepped forward. I gasped.
“Oh my gosh. Jake, it’s beautiful.”
It was the whole city of Paris, laid out before my eyes. I shivered as a gust of cold air blew across the iron grating. It was then that I looked down.
“What?!”
“You didn’t notice?”
I spun to face Jake.
“Is this for real?” I asked, looking around the deck. Jake came and put his arm around me as I gazed down in awe. My heart was pulsing, but I couldn’t help but feel giddy looking at where I was.
“We’re on the Eiffel Tower,” I whispered. “We’re at the very top.”
“Are you scared?” Jake asked.
I blinked. Then I looked up at him.
“You know what? I’m not that scared.”
“Really?”
“Really. I think between all of your crazy stunts with the helicopter, and then with the plane… I think maybe I’m cured.”
I stepped closer to the railing. The side wasn’t open; there was a metal grate. But I stepped right up to the edge and looked down. I gasped at how high we were.
“Okay, maybe not cured,” I said. “Maybe not completely cured. Semi-cured.”
My heart still fluttered from being up so high, but I didn’t feel like I was going to throw up from fright. That was a step in the right direction.
“Is this the surprise you told me about?” I asked. I gazed out over the city with all of its lights twinkling. I could see the street lights reflecting off of the river nearby, shimmering with so much beauty it almost hurt to look at.
“Not exactly,” Jake said. “Here, let me give it to you now.”
I turned around, and — oh God. Oh my God.
“Jake?”
He was kneeling on one knee, a nervous smile on his face. And in his hand—it couldn’t be real, oh Lord, it couldn’t be—he was holding a diamond ring.
Chapter Thirteen
“Jake?” I took a single, uncertain step toward him. It wasn’t the high heels throwing me off balance this time, or the vertigo.
“Lacey, I know what you’re thinking.”
“Do you?” I didn’t even know what I was thinking. I was dizzy from all of the crazy thoughts screaming around my mind. This… this was Jake in front of me, bending down on one knee. I couldn’t imagine that he was really doing what it looked like he was doing.
“I know this is a little soon, but just let me talk, alright?”
I nodded. I didn’t trust my voice not to shatter. I stood in front of him, my hands twisting together. He cleared his throat nervously. Was he nervous? Why was he nervous? I was the nervous one.