Jenna laughed as Kirk helped her sit up in the hospital bed. “The way she eats she won’t be tiny for much longer. She gets that from her father.”
“Hey.” Kirk tried to sound hurt but the wide smile on his face spoiled it.
“Congratulations, Kirk.” Stone reached out and shook his hand. “Great work.”
“Great work?” Jenna looked indignant. “What part of the work did he do? I’m the one who looked like a cow for nine months and then had to be cut open. Sheesh!”
They all laughed at that and Indie leaned over to place Jessica in her mother’s arm.
She and Stone had arrived at the hospital as soon as visiting hours began at ten o’clock and had been with the happy family almost two hours. She looked at Stone and caught his eye. He got the message.
“We’re going to leave you now so mommy and baby can get some rest.” He reached over and took Indie’s hand. She almost pulled it away. What must Kirk and Jenna be thinking, seeing something like that? But when she looked at them they were so engrossed in the baby it seemed they hadn’t noticed a thing.
Then she looked back at Stone. Boy, he was acting strange today. He’d been smiling a whole lot more than usual. Maybe he just loved babies. But then he’d captured her hand in his – in front of Jenna and Kirk – and when she tried to slip from his grasp he’d held on tight.
Could it be…no, it couldn’t. There was no way. But – it was the weirdest thing – Stone was acting like a man in love.
She had no time to dwell on that, though, because he was pulling her toward the door.
“Bye, guys,” Jenna called out. “Thanks for coming and thanks for the presents.”
After the visit they had lunch in the exclusive Palais Royale Restaurant and then spent the afternoon together in the National Botanical Park. Then that evening as the sun was setting and they entered the hotel lobby Stone rested his hands on her shoulders and turned her toward him.
“Indie,” he said, looking down at her with a half smile on his lips, “I had a wonderful day. I don’t want it to end.”
She looked up into his face and smiled back. “Me, too,” she whispered.
“Will you have dinner with me tonight? There’s…something I’d like to say to you.”
Oh my God. Was the dream coming true? Indie had to fight to keep her face serene when what she really wanted to do just then was hop up and down in delight. “I would love to,” she said, her voice calm, her smile just a little bit wider, but not too much.
She hadn’t forgotten Tessa’s lecture – you’re a princess. Let him prove himself worthy of you. Act too eager and he’ll take off running. Let him come to you.
“Great. Seven o’clock, then?”
“Let’s make it seven-thirty,” she replied. If she was guessing right tonight was going to be a special night and she needed to be ready.
“Seven-thirty it is.”
Back in her hotel room Indie showered and slipped on the one dress she’d packed for the trip. It was a simple dress, but elegant – a ‘little black dress’ with a difference. Tessa had helped her pick this one out – spaghetti straps that showed off her shoulders, a V neckline that dipped deliciously low to show off just a hint of cle**age, a skirt that hugged her h*ps and tapered to her knees, and that one touch that never failed to draw male eyes to her legs – the slit at the side that went high enough to be alluring while maintaining that ever important air of decorum.
After accessorizing with a pearl necklace and matching earrings – on loan from Tessa – Indie sat down to do her makeup. Tonight was a night that called for makeup. She ran to her backpack and dug out her notebook. She flipped the pages till she found the one she was looking for – Tessa’s instructions on how to do a killer makeup application. Indie decided to leave out the killer part, tone it down a bit. Right now all she wanted to know was how to make herself look pretty.
After much powdering and dabbing and penciling Indie sat back and surveyed herself in the mirror. Not quite the masterpiece Tessa had created but she could pass. The subtle shadow she’d applied on her lids and the eyeliner made the green in her eyes sparkle, and the peachy pink lipstick made her lips look soft and full. Ready for kissing. She giggled at the thought.
At exactly seven twenty-five she walked out of her room, purse in hand and high heels clicking as she headed for the elevator. And tonight she walked with confidence, not just because she’d practiced walking in high heels but because she knew – okay, maybe she didn’t know but she had a really good feeling – that Stone was going to propose.
Then as the elevator doors opened the doubts came rushing back. Was he really going to propose or was that just wishful thinking on her part? She was just about to do the usual biting of her lip when she was in deep thought but she stopped herself just in time. Definitely not the thing to do when wearing lipstick. Then there was no time to ponder any further. The elevator doors opened and she stepped out, head high, and headed for the lobby.
Stone was already there, tall and impressive in a black dinner jacket and snow-white shirt open at the collar to reveal his strong tanned neck. As he approached he gave her a sexy smile. “Exquisite,” he whispered and took her hand then leaned forward to give her a light kiss on the cheek.
So far so good. He was saying all the right things, making all the right moves. Now if he could only follow through right to the end she’d be a happy camper. And so would all the kids she planned to help with the fourteen million dollars.
As they walked out the front door a long black limousine pulled up in front and the uniformed chauffeur hopped out and opened the door for Indie. Stone got in behind and as soon as they’d made themselves comfortable, the car pulled away from the curb and merged into the traffic.
“Where are we going?” Indie asked.
“You’ll see,” Stone said, giving her a mysterious look.
She decided not to even think about what would come later. With a sigh she relaxed into the white leather seat and enjoyed the view of the city of Johannesburg at night.
It wasn’t long before they pulled up in front of a building that made Indie’s eyes widen and her jaw go slack. The place looked like a palace, like one of those castles in Versailles. But she hadn’t died and gone to France, had she?