Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
“I hope so. The ballroom is so romantic. I don’t know if I can host anything in the ballroom without twinkling lights now,” Essie said.
“You could make that the ballroom’s signature feature. Always plan to have the extra illumination,” Zander suggested.
“What a perfect idea! Our signature feature,” she repeated. Essie loved that thought. “I’m going to do that.”
“Isn’t this the ideal setting to celebrate romance?” a familiar deep voice said from behind them.
Essie spun around, holding out her hand to shake the handsome man’s. “Phineas Green. I would recognize your voice anywhere. This is my friend, Zander Templeton.” She didn’t really know how to best introduce him. Zander was so much more, but she wanted to remain professional.
“Zander. I’m glad to see you again,” Phineas said, shaking Zander’s hand as well.
“Phineas. Thanks for coming tonight,” Zander said with a welcoming smile.
“Of course. A fundraiser for the library will get me to a party any day.”
“Have you met each other?” Essie asked, glancing back and forth between the two men. That look they exchanged…. What did that mean?
“Yes. We went to school together. Zander was on every sports team, and I held down the academic ones. We collaborated on the trivia squad. No one could beat us. You can celebrate being in the presence of Zander and me, the undefeated kings of knowledge that everyone googles today,” Phineas explained with a laugh.
“I should have guessed. Zander is a social butterfly,” Essie said, nudging Zander.
“I know a lot of people. Phineas is one of those I enjoy running into,” Zander joked.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Phineas said and nodded at the doorway where people entered. “Your real guests are arriving.”
“We’ll send them your way to support the library,” Essie promised.
“Thank you, Essie,” Phineas responded.
Over the next several minutes, people streamed into the ballroom. Instant oohs and aahs filled the room as they took in the decorations. Soon, everyone had a glass of champagne in their hands as they stood chatting happily with friends and new acquaintances. Essie was pleased to see the chocolate fountain was extremely popular. She made a mental note to offer the dessert treat at other events.
“Essie! The ballroom is absolutely lovely,” Tiffanie said, looking stronger than she had for weeks.
Immediately, Essie glanced at Ivan to double-check her impression. He nodded and added, “You’ve got this ballroom decorating technique down now.”
“Thank you. I decided to make the lighting my special touch for events. Those twinkling bulbs add such a perfect flair to the room.”
“What a great idea,” Tiffanie said. “Go mingle. Get a few more dates filled in on your calendar.”
“Thank you, Tiffanie. Ivan. I’m so glad you could make it tonight.”
“We wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” Ivan said.
That statement struck Essie as weird. Ivan didn’t seem to be a huge reader. Did he frequent the library a lot? To read romance novels? She opened her mouth to ask, but a fuzzy tail wrapped around her leg, distracting her. Essie glanced down. “Marmalade? What are you doing in here?”
The orange tabby always made himself at home in the mansion and on the grounds, but until now, Marmalade had shied away from large gatherings of people. Afraid someone might be allergic, Essie coaxed the cat toward the doorway. Marmalade had other ideas. He flopped onto the floor and rolled onto his back to get belly rubs.
“Marmalade. This isn’t a good time for pets,” she scolded him gently as she stroked the tiger-striped soft fur.
“Oh, check out that tomcat! He’s definitely at ease with the crowd. I love these beautiful old houses that are actually homes,” a woman commented, drawing the surrounding people’s attention.
A circle formed around her and the purring feline. Afraid the cat and his new admirers were distracting from the main event, Essie tried to scoop him up, but Marmalade went limp, suddenly seeming three times heavier than usual.
“Oh, you!” Essie sighed and redoubled her efforts.
When she heard an audible inhale from the guests, Essie stood up, afraid someone had dropped a glass or another problem had arisen. When she turned, Zander knelt on one knee in front of her. She froze in shock.
“Zander?” she squeaked. What was he doing?
Chapter Nineteen
Zander’s smile reassured her. She noticed his forehead gleamed with scattered beads of sweat. It wasn’t hot in here. Was he nervous? Nothing ever rattled Zander. Before she could ask him if he was ill, he opened his mouth to speak.
“Essie Ferguson, thank you for returning to Ferguson’s Folly and coming back into my life. You light up my world and make every day memorable and special. I love you more each moment we spend together. But I’ll admit, I’m greedy. I want… a lifetime together.”
As her heart melted, Zander reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box. As he opened the top, a thousand twinkling lights reflected on the diamond, setting the stone ablaze with color. Essie slapped a hand over her mouth to hide her gasp.