ONE NIGHT ONLY

Chapter 13

After the movie, they wandered out to the lobby to wait for the car, their fingers linked because they couldn’t seem to stop touching each other, and Rosa could no longer remember why they should. Snow was falling outside, drifting to the sidewalk in cotton ball-sized flakes, and Rosa’s feeling of enchantment intensified.

Tonight with Philip, she thought, anything was possible.

"Favorite line from the movie?" she asked him.

"Hmm." Furrowing his brow, he thought for a minute. "It’s got to be Captain Renault saying, ‘I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!’ and then taking his winnings from the croupier before he closes down the casino."

They laughed together and Philip’s brilliant smile was like the sun shining on her face after a lifetime spent in the blackest depths of a cave, it brought her that much joy. Without warning her heart squeezed with the kind of emotion she wasn’t certain she was still capable of feeling, and she had to tell him what he’d done to her, how he’d affected her.

Her smile died and she almost wept with the memories. "You hurt me," she blurted, trying not to sound childish or to let her face crumple with accumulated pain from the long years of his rejection. "Every time you didn’t smile at me and every time you didn’t laugh at my jokes and every time you called the house and you said, ‘Can I speak to Jake, please,’ and never took two seconds to ask me how I was…you broke my heart, Philip," she said helplessly. "Every single time."

That dark gaze held hers and reflected the same torment back at her, magnified a million times over. "I had to," he said simply. "It was the only way."

Maybe. She nodded, feeling sulky. Her head knew he’d handled the situation as best he could, but her heart wasn’t quite ready to let him off the hook. Swiping her nose, she gave him a severe look to let him know he wasn’t quite forgiven. "You’ll have to make it up to me."

"I intend to."

"Good." She flashed him a small smile and felt some of his relief in the squeeze of his strong fingers. And then, as though to verify he still had the privilege, he leaned down and gave her a kiss that was quick but still powerful enough to send quivers through her belly.

"What’s your favorite quote from the movie, sweetheart?"

One last sniffle and she let the past fall away, focused on tonight, this moment. "It’s at the end when Rick says, ‘Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.’"

"That’s a good one," Philip agreed.

"Is this the beginning of a beautiful friendship for us, Philip?"

"Absolutely." He nodded with the kind of utter sincerity that told her he meant what he said down to the last atom in his body. "This is the beginning of many things for us, Rosa."

Satisfied, she nodded just as they saw the car pull up to the curb outside the window.

Rosa’s heart fell. What now? Was it time to go home already? So soon?

"So." Philip turned her loose and shoved his hands in his pockets, looking as awkward as she suddenly felt. "I’ve made plans for dinner, but it’s getting a little late and you probably want to go home—"

"Dinner sounds good," she said, relieved beyond all reason that she had more time with him and another opportunity to get to know him better.

Flashing that killer smile, he grabbed her hand again and pulled her toward the door. Laughing and eager to see what adventures the rest of the night held for them, Rosa hurried after him.