When It's Right(83)
The butterflies in her belly took flight again. Nervous, she bit her bottom lip, tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear, and turned from the reflection of the woman in the mirror she didn’t quite feel attached to at the moment.
She walked down the stairs and stopped on the second to last tread. Gorgeous in dark gray slacks and a white dress shirt, Blake stared at her from the living room. Oh, but the look on Blake’s face made her heart melt. Pure male appreciation. It made the extra half hour of makeup and hair worth it. She liked the side ponytail, her hair cascading down one side of her chest. His eyes blazed a trail from her head down to her pink-painted toenails encased in a pair of silver sandal high heels. Nothing like anything she’d ever worn, the pretty shoes made her feel sexy. And she knew how much Blake liked her legs. Bonus that her calves looked great, if she did say so herself. The look in his eyes when he stared at her legs told her he agreed.
“Uh, Gillian, you’re beautiful.”
“Thank you. Do you like the dress?”
“I love it. You look so . . .”
“Different?”
“Pretty.”
She wondered if what he really meant was grown-up. The hair and makeup made her look a few years older. In jeans and a T-shirt, she could pass for a teenager. She often wondered if their age difference mattered to him. He’d said once that it didn’t, but still, in a small town, little things like that mattered to some people.
“You two have a good night. We’ll take care of Justin.” Grandma Dee pressed her clasped hands to her breasts, not even trying to hide the huge, all-knowing smile on her face.
Her grandfather stood beside her, smiling. “You look lovely.” The words came out gruff.
“Thank you.”
“Why can’t I come?” Justin asked.
“Next time,” Blake said. “Tonight, I’m taking your sister out on a proper date.”
“Why? You see her every day.”
“Not like this.” Blake never took his eyes off her.
She came down the last step and kissed Justin on the head, then ruffled his hair. “You be good for your grandparents. If you are, I heard something about roasting marshmallows in the fireplace.”
“No way!”
“Yes way. Brush your teeth before bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Blake took her hand and led her out the door and down the porch steps. He stopped her next to his truck. “I have to do this before we go.”
She didn’t understand what he meant until he leaned down and kissed her softly, holding his lips pressed to hers, his fingers caressing her bare neck lightly. “God, you’re beautiful.”
“You said that already.”
“I’ll probably say it a dozen more times by the end of the night.”
She touched her fingers to her cheek. “It’s not too much? No one wears makeup on the wharf to work with the fishmongers. I’m not very good with the whole makeup thing.”
“You’re lovely. Ella knows her stuff. She picked out the perfect colors for you.”
Her gaze fell away from his. Shy, she said, “I like all the stuff she sent me.”
Blake helped her into the truck. “Tell her at the wedding. She’ll probably send you more.”
“No. That’s not necessary.”
Blake shrugged. “She likes doing stuff like that. She sent my mom a bunch of stuff.”
He closed her door and walked around the truck to climb behind the wheel. They drove out of the ranch and headed down the main road to town. Blake took her hand and held it. So sweet.
“I’m nervous about the wedding.”
“Why? You’ve met Gabe and my parents. They love you. Ella can’t wait to meet you. Did you pick a dress?”
“She sent me three. Remind me to bring the other two to her so she can return them. I have no idea how much I owe her for the one I’ll wear.”
“Nothing. The dresses are yours to keep.”
“What? No.”
“Yes. One thing you need to know about Ella. She’s obsessive about organization. She’s driving Gabe crazy with the wedding plans. All the guys will be in black tuxes with dark blue ties and vests. Gabe’s is a different shade of blue. All the ladies will be in different shades of blue dresses.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yep. It’s her favorite color, and that’s what she wanted for the wedding. She and my mother went shopping in New York together to get Mom’s dress. They picked out yours at the same time. Ella wanted you to come, but I told her you probably wouldn’t want to leave Justin for four days.”
“No. I mean, he loves being with all of you at the ranch, but . . .”