Billionaire's Second Chance

We said good night, and I clicked on the television to watch some of the late shows before I fell asleep.

I was going to make this work.

Chapter Thirty

Rebecca

I pressed my hands down the dark purple dress that Kim loaned me when she heard about this date. She knew that I was insecure about where I stood with Austin and wanted to make me irresistible to him.

It was a sexy dress, with cap sleeves that draped down over my shoulders and a tight sweetheart neck line down to my waist where it flowed down to my knees. She got it on sale at the local thrift store when someone donated it from an estate. She’d snatched it up immediately just in case a special occasion every came up. It was unusual for anything this pretty to come into the tiny store in town that supported the high school. Kim hadn’t worn it yet and was thrilled to break it in on my date.

I looked at my eyes, done in a smoky style of dark gray and a little black with extra mascara. She’d finished the flawless look off with some gloss that had a slight pink tint to it.

When she was done, she stepped away from me and clapped her hands. “You look amazing,” my sister told me as I tilted my head to look in the mirror. “If that boy loved you before, this is going to push him over the edge.”

My hair was straight today, also thanks to Kim’s hard work, and I acknowledged that I looked a lot different. I smiled as I slipped the small, but shimmering, amethyst earrings on and looked down for the black heels waiting for me.

All I knew was that Austin told me to dress up. He knew how I felt about him going over the top for things like this, but I wasn’t sure that he would listen. He’d been a bit too excited all week about this.

I took a deep breath as I walked into the living room. Kim was watching something on television as she sipped a pop. I stumbled into the room on the high heels, and her eyes lit up. “Holy shit. He is going to die when he sees you.”

“I don’t think that’s the point,” I said.

She giggled and gestured for me to spin around. I rolled my eyes but humored her.

“Where are we going for me to look this fancy?” I asked. “The nicest restaurant in town is the steakhouse, and most everyone wears jeans there. I can’t imagine needing a dress like this.”

She shrugged with a wide smile on her face. “I am certain that Austin has something up his sleeve,” she assured me.

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about,” I replied as I went to look out the window. There had been a very light snowfall overnight, so the roads were great, and I’d be okay in my nice black coat. The sun was bright in the sky, making it truly a beautiful sight. I smiled. If Austin tried too much harder with me, I’d fall for him hopelessly and want to give in to anything that he wanted. I needed to have some leverage to hold onto. I thought about drinking some of the wine that was in the fridge. “What time is it?” I asked.

Kim glanced at her phone. “Five minutes to three. Didn’t he say he’d be here soon?”

I nodded and looked down at my dress again. Should I change? Was this too much?

I saw a vehicle that looked like an SUV with several feet added to it pull up in front of the house. “What in the ever-loving hell is that?”

Kim jumped up and ran to the window to look out. “Oh, my God. That’s one of those fancy limos. I’ve seen them in pictures before, but where would he be able to get one of those for tonight?” She buzzed with excitement.

I felt my stomach bottom out with a sickening twist inside of my body. “It’s Austin,” I said.

She reached for my hand and nodded. “It’s Austin.”

We both watched as he stepped out of the back, dressed to the nines in a black suit.

“Lord help me,” I murmured as butterflies started moving inside of me.

“You’ll need a lot more than that. This will be the talk of the town!” Kim moved to get my small purse with only the necessities in it. Kim also grabbed my jacket for me.

I sighed as I walked to the door and opened it with a shy smile.

“Good god, Rebecca,” Austin said. “You look beautiful.” Kim smiled at him. “Hi, Kim.”

He stepped inside and helped me into my jacket. Then he offered his arm to walk me out to the car. I told Kim goodbye, knowing that she’d be headed home soon so I’d have some alone time with Austin after the date if needed.

“Is this necessary?” I asked him, nodding towards the limousine. I paused at the door, giving him a dubious look. The driver stepped out to open the door for me.

“It’s just a limo. Live a little, Rebecca.” Austin slipped his hand down to mine, squeezing it as he kissed my hair. “We won’t even leave town if you don’t want to.”