Page 45 of Nerdy or Nice
"Oh," I laughed. "So you would've wornthat, too."
He held up his hands in mock surrender. "I think I'd better stop talking."
"Or," I said as I moved my head toward his. "I couldmakeyou stop talking." And true my word, I stood on my toes and kissed him in earnest, letting the crowd flow around us as I leaned into him, feeling happier than I had in, well, forever actually.
As we resumed the tour, he told me about theotherthing he'd found on the floor – a silver tag with Tango's name on it. The tag belonged with the pet carrier, but had gone missing on the day I'd borrowed it.
This was the first I'd heard of it, and I had no idea how it ended up in the stroller – unless Tango himself was the culprit. Given the cat's personality, this wasn't exactly out of the question, and it was just one more reason to smile.
By the time we'd reached the end of the tour, I was feeling so festive, it was all I could do to not break out into song, whether random Christmas carols or sappy love ballads.
The carols were to be expected, but the love-song thing was totally new. Sure, I'd felt that special spark almost from the beginning, but not like this.
I had to remind myself that I'd known this guy for less than a month.It was far too soon to be falling.
And yet, here I was.
The final light display featured lords and ladies dancing, and it was my favorite yet. Through clever choreography of the custom lights, the display created the optical illusion of movement with the lords and ladies waltzing in the dark to music that only they could hear.
When I saw the name of the organization sponsoring this particular display, I said to Drake, "You know, my mom always wanted to go to that."
"To what?" he asked.
I pointed to the sign. "The Saint Nicholas Christmas Ball." I let out a rueful laugh. "She said it was the main event for the city's movers and shakers."
"How aboutyou?" he asked.
"I'm not even sure what a shaker is." I gave the sign another glance. "But they must be pretty rich because those tickets cost a fortune." I smiled as I looked back to Drake. "But it's for charity, so the pricier, the better, huh?"
"Maybe," he said. "But that's not what I'm asking. I'maskingif you'd like to go."
"Me?" I laughed. "Honestly, I've never thought about it."
"So think about it," he said.
I stared up at him. "So you're seriously inviting me? Now? Do you have tickets or something?"
"No. But Iwillif you say yes."
I shook my head. "Thanks, but that's far too much money." When Drake gave me a funny look, I added, "Don't get me wrong. I really appreciate it, but that's way too extravagant for a single night. And besides," I said, scanning the sign's smaller print, "that's only a week away."
When I looked back to Drake, his eyebrows lifted in apparent amusement. "So…that's a yes?"
A nervous laugh escaped my lips. "That didn't sound like a yes tome."
"Maybe it didn'tsoundlike a yes," he said, "but sure it looked like one."
"How so?"
"It was your eyes," he said with a knowing smile. "Admit it. You want to go."
"Even if I did," I said, "I wouldn’t want to spend that kind of money."
"But you wouldn’t be," he said. "Iwould."
"You either," I amended, suddenly wondering if I'd put him on the spot. "You know what? Let's just forget it."And I meant it, too.
Still, I grew a little misty as I stared up into Drake's compelling eyes. My voice softened as I said, "Tonight – all of this – it's perfect already. And who needs a Christmas ball, right?"
