30. A glass of Summer Blush

Alec waited outside of The Tea Spot as I counted out the change in the till and wrote the total down in our cash book. Layla called for help and as I peered round the corner, she stood in the prep room, covered head to toe in flour after dropping one of the bags onto the floor. I sent Alec a text asking him to wait five more minutes while I helped her clean the mess up.

Once the flour spillage mopped up, Layla stayed behind to lock the tearoom up and I skipped down to Alec's car. He planned on cooking a nice romantic meal for the both of us and I suggested that I would spend the night at his.

He leant over and left a lingering kiss on my lips as soon as I sat down and drove us back to his house. During the drive, he asked about my day and told me what he had been up to. He was growing tired of Finn staying with his family. Chloe had yet to tell Alec about her fling with Finn and since the afternoon I caught her waiting for him, I hadn't seen them in the same area.

The guilt of keeping Chloe's secret ate away at me. I nodded when Alec complained about the way Finn always wanted to see him when he was with me but during the day couldn't be found. I didn't voice my opinion in case he asked me to elaborate. Obviously, my judgement was based on what I knew of him, but Alec remained in the dark.

At the farmhouse, Alec led me into the main kitchen so I could help him grab some ingredients for our dinner.

"What's all this?" I picked up an A6 sized leaflet off the breakfast bar. A few dozen more were scattered on the counter.

"I was going to talk to you about that later. Mum's hosting a small cocktail party here on Saturday. It's a last-minute fundraiser she helped organise with one of her friends but their original venue fell through," he called out while rummaging in the cupboard. He removed a pack of spaghetti and a tin of chopped tomatoes from the pantry and set them next to me. "Wanna go?"

I flipped the piece of paper over and ran my eyes over the details. "I've nothing to wear. It says cocktail attire. I can't even recycle my prom dress as it was a long Grecian style one."

"We can ask Chloe. Mum just bought her a few to choose from. You know she won't mind."

"I can't keep borrowing your sister's stuff. Are you sure she won't mind? I'm a size bigger than her."

"Barely and maybe only in one area." Alec dropped his eyes to my cleavage and wriggled his eyebrows.

I crossed my arms over my chest and huffed, "Stop that, perv." I laughed when he pulled me up against him and nuzzled into my neck. "If I can find something appropriate, I'd love to be there. Does that mean I get to see you all sexy in a suit? And then get to take you out of it?" I whispered in his ear and nipped his earlobe.

"Let's ask her now. Err, not that last part. About the dress." Alec's cheeks pinkened as he fumbled with his words which made me laugh again. "What? I can't think after that last comment." Alec leant away and shouted up to Chloe. When she didn't answer immediately, he walked to the bottom of the stairs and called out again.

A few minutes later, she came skipping into the kitchen. "What's up, you two?"

"Clo, have you returned any of those dresses Mum got you for the cocktail party? Nat needs one of them."

Chloe took an apple from the fruit bowl and bit into it. "No," she mumbled through her mouthful. "But Mum has something else in mind for you." She grabbed hold of my wrist. "Come with me. Mum's in her office."

Alec went over to the fridge and continued with our meal prep as I followed Chloe out of the kitchen.

Sarah Hart sat behind her desk, a pair of black-framed glasses on her nose. As we entered the room, she took them off and neatly set them in front of her. "Hello, girls. What can I do for you both?"

"Natasha needs a dress for Saturday."

Her mother stood up and tucked her chair under her desk. "Oh yes, so she does. And I have just the dress for you. Let's go upstairs."

We wandered into Sarah's expansive walk-in wardrobe. I loved this part of her bedroom. Centre stage, on the back wall, lived all her shoes. My eyes focused on the shimmery and glittery heels. I hadn't noticed Sarah pull out a white garment bag from the left side of the closet and place the bag on her bed.

"Come over here, Natasha. I have something I want you to try on." A flash of deep teal peeked through the gap of the bag as she unzipped it. With one hand, she held the dress up by the hanger and peeled back the white cover, throwing it onto her bed. "What do you think?"

I ran my hand over the satin skirt in awe. "It's beautiful. Don't you or Chloe want to wear it?"

Mrs Hart stifled a small giggle and ran an affectionate hand over my arm. "I chose this for you. It's yours. I knew Alec wouldn't invite anyone else. I hope you don't mind me taking the liberty of picking this one. When I saw the dress, I couldn't imagine it on anyone else."

"Why would I mind? It's breathtaking." I hugged Alec's mum, causing her to hold the dress away from us. "Thank you. This really means a lot to me."

"I thought you deserved a treat, after everything that happened at home. And also for making my boy so happy." She placed a brief peck to my forehead.

"Oh, I'm so excited you'll be there now. I didn't fancy being stuck with Mum's old friends. Get ready in my room on Saturday? Alec will die when he sees that on you," Chloe said as she leant against the closed bedroom door, her arms crossed over her waist.

"Enough with the old you," her mum chastised with a smile playing on her lips.

I tried the dress on to make sure we had the right size, and hung it back in her walk-in wardrobe, in the garment bag. We decided to keep the outfit a secret from Alec so it had the most impact on Saturday evening.

***

Saturday, I still had to work my shift at The Tea Stop. Layla let me finish early for the day as I was delivering the desserts she had prepared for the fundraiser.

On Wednesday, Alec and I caught his mum in a panicked frenzy as she tried to find a caterer as hers had let her down. When I went into work the next day, I mentioned the incident with no expectations. Layla suggested that the party could have a cocktail and dessert theme. She would happily provide the sweet treats and advised us to call the company, providing the bar, so they could add some dessert-themed cocktails to their list.

Layla spent all day and the previous night working away in the prep room while Margie and me maned the tearoom. I was a sweaty mess by the end of the day.

Alec helped me transport the trays to the house and popped them on the tables provided for the event. After a brief kiss, I grabbed my toiletries and made my way to the family bathroom in the farmhouse. Chloe took a brief snooze while I washed and said she would be awake by the time I was out.

I tiptoed into her bedroom, my towel fastened tightly around myself. As quietly as I could, I stood behind the dressing screen, in the corner of her room, and slid my underwear on.

"Is it that time already?" Chloe yawned from the comfort of her bed.

"Fraid so." I wrapped my towel around my hair and generously applied moisturiser to my arms, legs, chest and face. "Nice nap?"

"Not long enough." She rubbed at her eyes, then bounced up with a new burst of energy. "Right, let's get this show on the road."

Our dresses hung by their hangers, on the edge of the door of her open wardrobe. I blow-dried my hair and set to work on my make-up. Chloe helped me with a pair of false eyelashes after I got most of the glue on my fingers and stuck one of my eyelids together.

"I shouldn't have washed my hair. It's too silky for my updo," I huffed as I watched another strand slide out of the low bun I tried to create.

Chloe was already dressed. Her black bodycon dress hugged her shape perfectly, the lace overlay and classic halter neck gave a modest feel to the top half. The length, however, had a racy edge to it. She left her make-up natural, her pixie Auburn hair choppy and textured.

She walked over with a can of hairspray in one hand and dry shampoo in the other. "Sit down, we can fix that with enough product." She undid my pitiful attempt at a sophisticated hairstyle and sprayed the dry shampoo onto my roots for volume. After quite a bit of tugging, twisting, and lashings of hairspray, she styled my hair in a simple but voluminous low bun. She curled a couple of loose tendrils of hair so they framed my face.

The deep teal colour of the fabric popped against my sun-kissed skin. The layered pleated skirt reached just above my knees and the off-shoulder, shallow v-neck showed a peek of cleavage. After slipping into some silver kitten heels, I secured my lucky starfish necklace around my neck and admired my outfit in the mirror. I felt fantastic and beautiful.

"You look amazing, Nat. Alec will be speechless. Come on, let's go find him." Chloe linked her arm in mine as we made our way down the stairs.

***

A handful of guests milled around in the foyer. Alec stood to the side, just outside of the open conservatory patio doors. He wore a fitted dark navy suit and a crisp white shirt. He was captivating. His skin glowed in the summer evening sun. I took a step back from Chloe and urged her to join the party. I wanted to cherish this moment and watch Alec before he saw me. His conversation with a fellow partygoer looked animated. He laughed from time to time, gesturing as he spoke.

The sound of his laughter brought a smile to my face. How could I not love this person? He was everything to me and had been for as long as I could remember. A soothing, warm sensation ran through my veins. I loved him more than I could put into words. It scared me but at the same time, I found it exhilarating.

I grabbed a glass of some pink cocktail from a passing waiter, took a sip, and winced at the sharpness. The moment I stepped further into the room, Alec glanced towards me. His laughter abruptly stopped as his gaze locked with mine. The person to his right no longer held his attention. He mumbled something without looking their way and strode across the foyer.

The glass shook as I lifted it to my lips and tried another sip. Alec prised it out of my hand as he reached me and propped it on a nearby table. "I have no words. You look out of this world." He placed a lingering kiss to the corner of my mouth and laced his fingers with mine. "I'll never tire of watching you walk into the room. You're hands down the most beautiful person here. Everyone would agree," he whispered into my ear. He let go of one of my hands and made me twirl with the other one. "Stunning."

I wrapped my arms around his waist. "You're not so bad yourself." Thanks to the two undone buttons of his shirt, I traced the top part of his exposed chest. "This suit's extremely sexy. I'll have so much fun getting you out of it," I breathed against his skin.

Alec's breathing hitched and he let out a low groan. "We should show our faces for an hour, then I'm taking you to bed. We can have our own little party."

"I'd like that."

We found his mother in the garden speaking to her friends, her husband by her side. Alec and I joined them and introduced ourselves to the small crowd gathered there. Bulb garlands zigzagged across the manicured lawn and through the surrounding trees. Alec wandered over to the tables with Layla's desserts and the colourful cocktails. He grabbed a tray, loaded it up with a mini selection and a couple of glasses and motioned towards the pool house.

We sat down on one of the sun loungers, the tray on the opposite seat. The cocktail he had chosen for us was sweeter than my previous one and went down far too easily. As soon as the last drop disappeared, Alec fetched us each another glass from outside.

Butterflies swarmed my stomach and an irrational fear of rejection consumed my thoughts as Alec strolled back in. I picked at the stitching around the padding on the lounger, nervously gripping onto the edge as he came closer. I downed my glass in one and placed it at my feet.

Alec's eyes widened as he cast them down to the floor. "Are you okay?"

I nodded and removed the drink from his grip, adding it to mine. I shuffled closer and intertwined our fingers. Alec instinctively moved with me and brushed his mouth against mine. Kissing him never got old. My entire body buzzed from the adrenaline of feeling loved and finally being able to return his love the way he deserved. "Alec," I murmured against his mouth. "I love you."

Alec stilled, his lips no longer pressed against my skin. My heart lunged to my throat as I awaited his reaction.

"Say it again," he said, his voice wavering as he pushed back to gaze into my eyes.

"I love you and only you, Alec Hart," I confessed louder than the first time.

"Again." Amusement flickered in his eyes, a beaming smile on his face.

"I love you," I screamed and broke into laughter.

Alec wrapped his arms around my waist and crushed me to him as he joined in with my laughter. "I love you so much." Alec's mouth crashed onto mine with a newfound urgency, his fingers dug into my thighs as he closed the gap between us. The contact consumed me.

Moments later, Alec broke away. "Sod waiting round an hour when we're hiding in here, anyway. Come on, let's find somewhere more private." We marched across the garden, a few people smiling as they took the sight in front of them; my lipstick smeared on his mouth and my hair no longer in its neat updo.

The annexe was a small walk, but Alec found it too far. We slipped away into the unused game room in the basement. Alec's hands trailed over my exposed skin as we descended into the dark room. When our feet hit the bottom step, he pressed me against the wall, his fingers tugging at my zip. Fuelled by passion, I slipped out of my shoes, kicking them to the side and impatiently undid the buttons on his shirt. I kissed his chest as my dress fell to the floor.

Alec gripped my arms and pushed off me. "Shh, there's someone in here," he whispered.

My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to steady my breathing. My ears were ringing from the recent excitement.

Alec pulled my dress back up and reached out to flick the basement switch on. Since Alec brought my attention to it, I could see the faint outline of someone crouched on the floor and heard hushed whispers.

The lights came on. "What the fuck!" Alec bellowed as his gaze landed on a semi-naked Finlay huddled on the old game room sofa, with a dishevelled Chloe at his feet.

***