Raising the Stakes

“Uh-huh. Well, maybe he stopped to buy you flowers.”

“Flowers?”

“Yeah. You know,

colored petals, leaves and stems.” Cassie grinned at the expression on Dawn’s face. “It’s been known to happen. Or maybe he just wants to be there first. Whatever, if he’s already left his room, he’s not going to get that message. He’ll just hang around for hours and hours.”

“Oh, stop! He’ll give up after a little while.”

“You mean, once he figures out that he’s been stood up?”

“Yes. No. Oh, hell…”

“Exactly. I have to admit, that’s a novel way to repay a gallant knight for an act of kindness.”

“Cassie. You’re a cruel woman.”

“I’m an honest woman. And I’ve got to go. My dentist’s picking me up soon. Unlike some people I could mention, I don’t believe in turning down a free meal.”

“I was only going to have a drink,” Dawn said, sinking down on the edge of the bed. “Just a drink.”

“My point, exactly.” Cassie looked at her discarded shoes, smiled to herself and slipped her feet into a pair of Dawn’s sandals. “You don’t mind if I borrow these, do you?”

“What? Oh. No. No, take them, but why? I don’t need—”

“Yeah, I know, but I figure, just in case you change your mind—”

“I won’t. I can’t. It’s too late, even if…” Dawn gave a troubled sigh. “I feel terrible. It’s wrong to stand him up, isn’t it?”

“As wrong as snow in July,” Cassie said cheerfully. She gave Dawn a quick hug. “I’m off. See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, okay. Have fun.”

The front door swung shut. Dawn leaned back on her hands, crossed her legs and swung one foot in a slow arc. Now what? She felt horribly guilty, picturing Gray waiting outside the hotel. She could call the front desk and ask someone to please go look for a tall man with dark hair, waiting near the main entrance. Better still, she could phone her office. Who was working tonight? Amy? She could ask Amy…

Sure she could. By tomorrow, the entire world would know she’d made a date with Gray and then called it off.

She looked at the clock. He’d be looking for her right about now. God, she felt awful. The right thing would be to drive to the hotel and tell him, to his face, that she was sorry, she’d changed her mind…but it was too late. Despite what Cassie said, she knew that Gray wouldn’t wait around indefinitely. Okay, then. She could drive to the Song and leave a note for him at the desk. That, at least, would be polite. And there’d be no risk of running into him. Surely, he’d have given up waiting by then.

Wouldn’t he?

The room was so quiet that Dawn could hear the thud of her heart. She stood up and looked in the mirror. The jeans and silk T-shirt really did look nice. Slowly she reached up and took the scrunchie from her hair, watched as the waves tumbled over her shoulders. If she were actually going to meet Gray, if this was a date, Cassie’s shoes would be the finishing touch, but she wasn’t doing that. She was only going to the hotel because it was the right thing to do…

Dawn spun away from the mirror, slipped her feet into Cassie’s shoes, grabbed her purse and keys and ran for the door.

* * *

Gray looked at his watch and told himself to keep a lid on his temper.

It wasn’t easy.

He’d been stood up. Or maybe it was better to say he’d been had. Dawn had grown tired of saying she didn’t want to go out with him so she’d said yes, she would, and all the time, she’d intended to leave him cooling his heels outside the hotel as he’d been doing for the past twenty minutes.

The doorman caught his eye and smiled politely. By now, he’d probably figured out what was happening, that Gray was out here waiting for a woman who wasn’t going to turn up.

“Taxi, sir?” he’d said, when Gray had first come out, and he’d said no thanks, he was meeting somebody.

Like hell he was.