Maid For You 4

Chapter 76

"Cassandra? How fancy," I teased.

He cocked his head and smiled. "What can I say? I'm a prince. It's my duty to be fancy. Speaking of which..." he extended his elbow. "Might I have the privilege of escorting you to the garden, my lady?"

I chuckled, but accepted his offer and wrapped my arm around his. "Seems a bit excessive," I teased.

"Only the best for you, Cass," he said, leading me out the door. As we stepped out into the night air, still a little cool in early April, he put his free hand over my arm that was linked around his elbow, and I instinctually snapped my gaze to his face, hoping to discern his thoughts.

"It's dark out here." He glanced down at me, before returning his gaze forward. "So, you know, just, uh, wouldn't want you to get lost." He took his hand from my arm, and I immediately missed its warmth.

I made a pointed look at his recently extracted hand. "I didn't mind," I said.

"Mind what?" He looked awkward.

"Your hand."

He glanced down at me, and smiled nervously...a smile I didn't really expect from him of all people. He dropped his elbow, and instead placed his arm around my shoulders and pulled me against his side, his large hand firmly on my arm. "Thanks for coming out to the gardens with me, Cassie."

With my face so close to him, I noticed how good he smelled, and somehow with his arm around me, all felt right in the world. It was both exciting and comforting.

"Thanks for inviting me," I replied.

We were approaching the gated entrance to the gardens. Coleman took his arm from me, and pulled out an old-fashioned key ring with a large, ornate key and placed it in the lock and opened the iron gate. He pulled it open and motioned for me to walk through.

"After you," he said, bowing somewhat dramatically for good measure.

I giggled. "You're really on your best behavior tonight, aren't you?"

He smiled wryly. "Well, I am trying to be more of a gentleman these days."

"Are you?" I asked, and he came up to me and put his hand on the small of my back and led me forward.

"I am. A sort of late new year's resolution." We were walking through the main, public gardens, but he was guiding me to a side gate leading to the private part of the garden. Through the golden bars, I could see a yellow glow of whatever lay beyond the gate. He opened up that gate as well, holding the it open for me. I stepped through and into the somewhat familiar garden path—I'd been here several months ago, when Ethan the gardener had shown me around, but now I found that the area was lit up with fairy lights, adding a magical element to the scenery around me. Coleman and I passed under a tree canopy imbedded with twinkling lights, and I turned back to look at him.

"This is absolutely beautiful!" I gaped. "It's like a fairytale."

His smile was soft, and the golden lights from the garden danced in his eyes. "It's one of my favorite places."

"I can see why," I said, as I walked forward. I glanced at him over my shoulder and smiled mischievously. "Is this how you win all your women over?" I faced forward again, chuckling to myself.

I mean, I was won over, personally.

He didn't say anything, but as we passed through the canopy and into another area of the garden, he said, "Cassie?"

This area of the garden had several white marble benches circling a still fountain in the middle of the clearing, and was walled with rose laden hedges.

"Yes?" I asked, walking around the fountain and admiring the details in the white stone. Without the water running, I could see the details more fully.

"Do you believe people can change?" he asked.

I twirled around. "Of course they can," I said. "I mean, I know I've changed throughout my life. Even in just the past year."

His hands were in his pockets, and he looked at me carefully. "Do you think I've changed?"

Has Coleman changed? I almost laughed. If anyone had changed, it had to be Coleman, hadn't it? He was much kinder now, at least to me. I never could have imagined the way things would progress between us.

"You have," I answered. "I mean, when we first met, and I mean first met, like back in D.C., you were pretty rude. I mean, I even kicked you out!"

He smiled and rolled his eyes. "I know, I know. But still, I'd argue your reaction was a bit excessive."

"Maybe it was," I admitted. "In that way, I've changed too. I guess, I've become a little less reactive, and you've become less, well, annoying."

He laughed, a warm, genuine laugh that rippled through the space between us. "Look at us."

I smiled. "Look at us."

He took a few steps closer to me. "Who would have thought that we would be..."

I felt my heart pound, and I watched his face closely. Who would have thought that we would be what?

"Friends. As we are now," he finished, smiling awkwardly.

I sighed internally, but offered a polite smile. "Yes," I said, turning back to my walk around the fountain. Why did I ever get my hopes up about him? He was never going to do anything other than insist we were just friends while giving off completely different signals. "I am grateful for all the friends I've made here. Mercucio, Madeline." I chuckled a little bit. "Harry."

"Please," he said. "You and Harrison are hardly friends."

"I guess you have a point there," I conceded. "He is interested in me."

"Well, I can hardly blame him for that, but I do feel a little sorry for him. I've heard unrequited affection rather stings. Of course, I wouldn't personally know, but..."

I rolled my eyes, stopped, and looked back at him. He was trailing me around the fountain, hands in his pockets. "Well, who says it's unrequited?" I asked.

"You don't like him, so I'd consider that un-re-qui-ted." He emphasized each syllable in the word 'unrequited.'

"I'm interested in him," I said, continuing to walk forward. "Do I have a deep love for him yet? No. But he's cute. I'm intrigued, to say the least."

"Why do you bother with him?"

I grimaced. Apparently there was room for improvement with Coleman's listening skills. "Because he is cute and interesting," I repeated. "And I think we'll have a good time this Saturday."

"I doubt it," he said.

Now I was beginning to feel rather peeved.

"You shouldn't go," he said, continuing to follow me as I made my way towards one of the paths within the hedge.

"You're not my boss anymore." I cast a glare over my shoulder and kept walking.

"I'm not ordering you not to go," he said. "I'm making a helpful suggestion."

"Well it's duly noted," I snapped. This was really getting on my nerves now. Who was Coleman to dictate who I could and could not date? It was honestly ridiculous! It's like he still wanted me to just hang around so that I would be at his disposal to hang out with whenever it fancied him.

We entered into the next clearing, a similarly beautiful spot but with marble statues around the circle instead of a fountain in the center. I was heading towards the center when I felt a hand take my own. "Don't go."

I whipped around to face him, my eyes wide and his face grim. I was caught between wanting to rip my hand away from his and enjoying the feeling of his hand on mine. I was frustrated at his ever-confusing behavior, his contradictory signs, and yet, I still felt my heart beating for him.

"Don't go out with him this Saturday," he said, his eyes serious and almost golden from the lights.

I clenched my jaw. This was getting old. "And why not?" My voice was a little angry.

"Well," he began, and he swallowed hard enough that I could see his Adam's apple bob. "For starters, I love you."