Mythe: A Fairy Tale (46 page)

Chapter 32

O
n the day of her birthday, Richard treated her to a gourmet breakfast at the hotel and an office filled with roses, and then said that he would meet her at her house after work and told her not to ask any questions. When Mark dropped her off at home that evening, Richard was waiting for her. Her house was illuminated by countless candles and the air was heavily scented by the dozens of roses and other flowers that graced every room on the main floor. Richard was waiting in the dining room in his tuxedo beside a table that was set with her best china. Soft music was playing and mouthwatering smells were coming from the kitchen.

“Oh, my!” she breathed, gazing wide-eyed around the flower bedecked room.

“Happy Birthday, my beautiful Valentine,” he greeted her. He took her bag from her and set it aside before pulling her close. “I hope you’re hungry,” he whispered into her ear after his kiss had left her breathless.

Manda hesitated. “Would you mind if I go freshen up a bit first? Is there time?”

“Of course. We’ve got a few minutes.”

“I’ll hurry,” Manda promised as she raced up the stairs. Once in her bedroom she quickly kicked off her shoes and dived into her closet. Richard looked heartbreakingly handsome in his tuxedo and by comparison she felt absolutely scruffy. She’d have to fix that.

Her closet had until very recently been much bigger than her wardrobe, but necessity had caused her wardrobe to expand over the last month. Emily had taken her shopping for formal wear more than once, treating her like her own personal life-sized dress-up doll.

“If you’re going to be attending all of these formal functions with Richard, you’re going to need the clothes,” her sister had insisted.

Manda was grateful for those shopping expeditions as she searched through the treasure trove of beautiful clothes that filled her closet now. There was one dress she’d been saving for a special occasion, and tonight definitely qualified. It had seemed extravagant when she bought it, but had looked so good on her that Emily had refused to let her leave the store without it. When she found it at the back of her closet she laid it across her bed, vowing to thank Emily, and hurried to the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and hair and freshened her makeup, then stripped off her jeans and sweater, trading them for the strapless azure cocktail dress and a pair of precariously high heels. After a minor struggle with the zipper, she checked her reflection in the mirror one last time. Satisfied, she rejoined Richard, descending the stairs much more sedately than she’d ascended.

He met her at the bottom of the stairs with a much more than affectionate kiss before visibly reigning himself in and leading her to the table.

“You don’t play fair,” he growled playfully as he placed her napkin in her lap and brushed a feather light kiss across her bare shoulder.

“I never claimed I did,” she retorted with a laugh, “but what have I done tonight that’s so unfair?”

“You came down those stairs looking like that,” he accused. His eyes travelled deliberately down the length of her body and then returned to her face. “If I’d known just how sexy you were going to look I would have brought a chaperone.”

“Then maybe I’ve leveled the playing field a little,” Manda replied, “after I come in and find
you
looking like
that
. That’s what’s not fair! If you’re going to look so good, maybe you
should
have brought a chaperone.” Manda gave Richard the same visual once-over he’d given her and then met his eyes with a wicked grin.

His answering smile was seductive—what Emily called a bedroom smile. He leaned in so close that his lips brushed her ear as he whispered, “So, are you
hungry
now?” His warm breath caressed her neck and made her shiver. She couldn’t think of a clever response to his suggestive question, so she sat motionless and wide-eyed, trying to remember how to breathe. “I hope so,” he continued in the same pulse-quickening whisper, and then pressed a quick kiss to her temple and grinned, “because I’ve been cooking for hours and it’s gonna get cold if we don’t get started.” He turned toward the kitchen and the breath Manda had been holding escaped as laughter.

The dinner that Richard had prepared was impressive and far better than anything Manda had ever made. In fact, she couldn’t recall ever eating anything as good before, but then maybe that was just her own bias toward the chef. When he brought dessert and coffee (Manda had invested in a coffee pot, in light of Richard’s fondness for the drink), he very casually placed a wrapped package beside her plate and returned to his chair. He took a sip of his coffee before looking at her and smiling.

“Happy Birthday, sweetie. Go ahead and open it.”

Manda didn’t need any further encouragement. She tore off the paper to reveal a flat, square jeweler’s box, then paused to savor the anticipation for a moment before opening the lid. Inside, nestled in black velvet, was a heart-shaped sapphire on a silver chain. The brilliant blue stone glittered in the candlelight. It was wrapped tightly with fine silver wire, as if tied with silver threads.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. Her voice came out an octave higher than she intended—really more of a surprised squeak. “Oh, Richard! It’s beautiful. I love it!”

“Put it on,” he requested. “I want to see how it looks.” Manda fastened the fine chain around her neck and Richard nodded his approval. “Perfect. You captured my heart and now it will be next to yours.”

Manda held the sapphire heart in her fingers and pretended to admire it as she tried to blink away tears. “Thank you,” she said in an almost steady voice. “Now I have something for you.”

“But it’s not my birthday,” Richard protested as Manda slipped off her high heels and dashed up the stairs barefooted.

“No, but it is Valentine’s Day,” she called back down. She retrieved the tiny package from her dresser drawer and hurried back down to the dining room. She sat the small box beside Richard’s coffee cup and returned to her chair. Another box had replaced the necklace box beside her plate.

“You first,” Richard prompted, not giving her a chance to tell him the same thing. She tore into the oddly heavy package without delay, partly because she was dying to know what was inside and partly because she was eager to see Richard open his gift. She laughed with delight when she finally uncovered the object inside. She removed it from its box and sat it on the table very gently—her extra care being more for her furniture than the gift.

It was a bronze sculpture done by an artist whose work Manda had admired in a local gallery before Christmas. It wasn’t a piece she’d seen before though. It was a very stylized depiction of a tiger and a woman. It stood about six inches high, and the pacing tiger was curved sinuously around the fluid shape of the standing woman, whose hand was outstretched, reaching toward the tiger but not quite touching him.

“Did you have this commissioned?” Manda asked as she caressed the smooth curves of the small statue with her fingertips.

“I commissioned the necklace, but I just got incredibly lucky on the sculpture. I remembered how much you liked that artist, so I contacted the gallery and they put me in touch with him. He was showing me some of his pieces and as soon as I saw this one I
had
to get it for you.”

“It’s amazing! It couldn’t be more perfect. I love it. Thank you.” Her words seemed inadequate, so she circled the table to express her gratitude with a kiss. Richard captured her around the waist and pulled her down onto his lap, savoring her display of appreciation.

“I’m glad you like it,” he chuckled, holding her close. “Now, shall I open mine?” He twirled the small box in his fingers. “I’m dying to see what’s inside.”

She sat up in his arms a little. “Yes! Definitely. I hope you like them.”

With a few quick flicks of his fingers he had the paper off and the box open, revealing the platinum cufflinks inside. Manda had them made especially for Richard. Each one was embossed with the Raines Foundation logo. It had taken on new significance to her since she’d learned Richard and Josh’s secret. She understood now why Richard had been so amused by it. The combined hand and paw prints of the logo were almost a personal icon for
him, and as the symbol of the Foundation, no one would ever question his use of it. The secret meaning delighted Manda though.

Richard seemed to be as delighted with it as Manda was. He threw back his head and laughed, and then promptly replaced the ones he was already wearing with the new ones. “These are unbelievable, Manda. I love them. Thank you. I’ll get a lot of use out of them. Now, I have something else for you, for your birthday.”

“But you’ve already given me so much!” Manda protested. “Two presents, breakfast, dinner, and hundreds of flowers! It’s too much!”

“That wasn’t all for your birthday though,” Richard corrected. “Breakfast, the flowers in your office, and the sculpture were for Valentine’s Day. Besides, this isn’t actually a present. I wrote you a song.” He stood up and situated Manda in his vacant chair. Then he retrieved his guitar from behind a chair in the family room.

“I’ve written a few that were
about
you, but I wrote this one especially
for
you. It’s called ‘Fairy Tale.’” He sat down in the chair beside Manda and began to play and sing.

With once upon a time it starts—

The stories never change.

The prince arrives and all is well,

So, happy ends the beauty’s tale.

You never hear the prince’s plight,

Alone and locked away,

Through endless nights and darkened days

Inside his castle walls he stays.

You rescued me. You set me free.

The beauty saved the prince.

You’re my happily ever after.

You are my fairy tale.

When midnight struck she didn’t run,

The beauty in this tale.

She stood her ground when darkness fell—

Hers is the kiss that breaks the spell.

Her laughter is his greatest joy,

Her love his only crown.

The prince’s heart in her hands lies.

His soul was captured in her eyes.

You rescued me. You set me free.

The beauty saved the prince.

You’re my happily ever after.

You are my fairy tale.

He sang simply, without any unnecessary vocal adornment. The melody he picked out on the guitar was deceptively simple as well. It was clear and beautiful—timeless, though there was something about it that conjured vague images of princesses and knights in shining armor.

Manda listened in rapt silence as he sang. When he came to the part about the prince’s heart, she reached for the heart-shaped stone around her neck, clutching it in both hands. When the last notes of the song faded and Richard had set aside his guitar, Manda searched for something to say. She struggled to put words to her emotions, but with no success.

Richard peered into her eyes uncertainly. “Do you like it?”

Manda simply nodded. That was all she could manage, but it was apparently enough for Richard. He smiled at her and reached out to brush a tear from her cheek that she hadn’t even been aware of.

“Tears. That’s an even bigger compliment than chills,” he teased softly.

“I have those too,” Manda admitted, extending her goosebump-covered arm as evidence.  “I love it. Thank you. Are you going to record it?”

“I’ll record it for you, if you’d like, but I won’t release it. This is
your
song and I’ll only sing it for you.”

“But it’s so beautiful!” she protested. “It would be a shame not to share it.”

“Well, if that’s what you want, Josh can record it. He’d probably do it more justice anyway.”

“Fair enough,” Manda approved, not even bothering to contradict him about Josh doing it better. He could never seem to accept that even though Josh was a more technically perfect singer, he himself sang with a level of emotion and conviction that Josh hadn’t yet achieved.

“But
I
will still only sing it for you.”

Manda beamed with pleasure. “Thank you. And thank you for the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

Chapter 33

R
ichard had more in store for her birthday, as it turned out. They had dinner plans with Emily, Andy, and the kids the next night…just a quiet birthday dinner at their house supposedly. When Manda and Richard arrived, however, it turned out to be a surprise party planned jointly by Emily and Richard.

David and Stacey were there, as well as Jen and her husband, Curt and his wife, Josh, Mikey, Andy’s parents, and even the driver, Mark, who Manda had become very friendly with over the previous month. Katie was especially excited to see Josh, as he and Richard had kept their distance from Manda’s family since the media circus had begun. They’d thought it best to shield Katie and Robbie from it as much as possible. Katie’s crush was still as strong as ever, Manda noted. Her niece practically never let Josh out of her sight. Josh didn’t seem to mind though. He seemed to genuinely enjoy her company.