The door opened just as she was emptying the bag and Dani
quickly ran over and set it to the side. Emily walked in, and as
soon as she saw the circle of candles and the flower petals, her
jaw dropped. She was holding a notebook in her hand, clearly
for inventory purposes, and it fell to the floor.
“Oh my God,” she gasped. She stood there, staring in
disbelief, until she shook herself out of that. She ran forward
to where Dani stood in the middle of the circle. “Are you
planning a surprise candlelit dinner? Or maybe something, uh,
friskier?”
Dani grinned. She waited until Emily was just a few feet
away, then she dropped down to one knee. Emily made an
astonished noise and Dani’s heart raced faster. She reached
into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a ring. It wasn’t just
any ring. She’d saved up for months to buy this one. It had a
white gold band with a simple princess cut diamond. It was
small and elegant, and she knew Emily would love it because
it wasn’t flashy and showy.
“Emily,” Dani said thickly. Her pulse leaped at her throat
and her hands were so clammy that she was afraid she’d drop
the ring. The floorboards were old and had gaps between. If
the ring went down one of them… No. That wasn’t going to
happen. This was going to be perfect.
“Emily,” Dani said again. Emily’s eyes softened and her
coral lips parted. Her cornflower eyes danced in the
candlelight.
“Emily,” Dani said one more time.
Emily giggled.
“This time I’m going to say something,” Dani promised.
“Before you, I thought that it was fine to be alone. I thought