Chapter 237 - 237: Keep Company

Avery stands in front of the bathroom mirror and zips the side of her new dress. The dress is strapless and made of champagne-colored lace and tulle with a beige satin lining. It brushes her ankles and swishes when she moves. She gathers hair in a graceful bun and pins it with the diamond hairpins. She slips on the new pair of gold heels and slowly spins in front of the mirror.

"Mrs. Howel, where are you going all dressed up?" the servant asks.

"I'm going on a date," Avery says happily.

Avery leaves the mansion with the handwritten note from Evan. It has instructions about where to meet him. She gives the address to her driver, and the man quickly takes her to the marina. The sky is a soft pink, and fluffy clouds slowly drift across. There's a silver Bugatti Veyron parked near the marina's gates. The setting sun glints off the car's shiny paint, and Avery squinted to see better.

Andrew Clifford is leaning against the side of the car; his legs are crossed, and his hands are in his pockets. His shadow is long and dark in the evening sunlight, and he reaches into the open window to honk the horn at Avery. Avery scowls,

"Mrs. Howel, the yacht is at dock three," the driver says.

"You look gorgeous today," Andrew shouts. "Are you dressed up for me?"

"As if," Avery snaps.

Andrew pushes off from the car and quickly catches up to Avery with a few long strides. She tries to walk faster, but the wood planks are uneven, and she's wearing heels.

"I have to talk to you about something," Andrew says.

"What?" Avery asks. "Knowing you, it can't be anything good."

"You have to come with me," Andrew says, frowning.

"No way," Avery says. "I'm not letting you take me back to Misty Mansion, and I'm warning you—this place is swarming with Howel bodyguards. Don't you dare try anything."

"I'm not going to take you to Misty Mansion," Andrew says. "Just come with me. I swear you won't regret it."

"I'm busy," Avery says.

"I can wait," Andrew replies.

"Go away," Avery snaps, climbing the ramp onto the yacht.

Avery stands on the deck of the yacht and looks at the orange sun sinking into the blue water. In the distance, she can see a small island that locals call Solitary Island. She looks back over her shoulder and sees that Andrew is still waiting on the dock. She frowns and hopes he'll go away before Evan comes. If Evan and Andrew see each other, the whole evening will be ruined.

She looks at the handwritten note in her hand and rereads the message, though she's already memorized it. Evan's graceful writing says: "Hold my hand—I love to feel your hand in mine."

Avery walks toward the front deck. Fresh flowers perfume the air, and the ground is covered in petals. Small potted trees line the deck, and fairy lights twinkle in their branches. A piece of paper is tied to one of the trees, and it blows in the wind. Avery unties the paper. It reads, "Kiss me—your lips are the sweetest thing I've ever tasted."

The yacht pulls away from the marina and crosses the bay to the island. The island sparkles with light. White lanterns hanging in the trees, and the beach is covered in small white candles. The flames flicker gently in the breeze. Another piece of paper is tied to the island dock. It says, "Hug me—the smell of your hair intoxicates me."

Avery walks across a path on the beach. The air is sweet with the smell of flowers, and she inhales deeply. The entire beach is a paradise of light and romantic shadow. At the end of the path, there's another card. It says, "Spend the rest of your life with me—I will never have enough time with you."

Another path leads through a forest. The trees are wrapped in fairy lights, and lanterns and streamers hang from their branches. Though the sun has set, the forest is glowing with light. Flower petals line the path, and Avery enters a clearing. Another note hangs from a tree branch, "Find me—when you're by my side, I'm pure and fearless."        

There's a merry-go-round in the center of the clearing, sparkling with white and pink lights. It spins slowly, and Avery can see a gift box sitting on the back of every horse. She steps on and opens one of the boxes. Inside there's a photo of her and Evan kissing in the restaurant. She walks to the next horse and opens another box to find a photo of her and Evan baking a cake together. Slowly, she circles the merry-go-round, opening each box. They're all filled with photos.

There's another note in the last box, "Keep me company—when I'm with you, I believe in goodness, kindness, and beauty."

Avery looks up at the twinkling lights, and her eyes filled with tears. She can't believe that this is the surprise Evan prepared for her. She looks around for Evan, but she doesn't see him anywhere. A white paper at the center of the merry-go-round catches her eye, "Be crazy and reckless with me while we're young, brave, and in love."

Avery opens her purse and checks her phone's clock. Evan said he'd meet her at 8:00, but it's already 8:15, and he's nowhere to be seen. She sits down on a horse and waits. The carousel goes around and around, and Avery starts to feel dizzy and sick. She gets off and sits down in a white gazebo.

Another half-hour passes, and Avery holds her head in her hands. Where is Evan? She wonders. Did something happen to him? It's not like him to be so late. A warm hand touches her bare shoulder, and she looks up with hope. Her heart immediately sinks into her stomach—it's not Evan.

"Are you okay, Mrs. Howel?" Sarah asks.

Avery shakes her head.

"How about we give him a call?" Sarah suggests.

Avery takes her phone and tries to dial Evan's number, but her hands are shaking too badly. She has a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. There's no reason for him to be so late, she thinks. If there was some sort of delay, he would have called to let me know or cancel.

Sarah helps her dial the number. The phone rings once and then goes to voicemail. Avery feels the panic rise in her chest, and she wipes a tear from her eye. Sarah rubs her shoulder, comfortingly.

"It's okay," Sarah says. "Let's call Robert. He always has his phone."

Sarah dials and puts the phone on speaker. It rings and rings, but no one answers. They dial again, and the same thing happens.

"Maybe he didn't hear it," Sarah suggests. "I'm sure he'll call us back as soon as he can. But why don't we go back to the yacht now? It gets windy on this island at night, and you're not dressed to be out in the cold."

Avery shakes her head with determination. She wants to believe that Evan will keep his word and come meet her. He has to come, she thinks. He just has to. The wind starts to blow, and the lanterns shake violently. The flames in the candles go out, and Avery shivers. Sarah takes off her coat and wraps it around Avery, and Avery huddles into it gratefully. Avery checks her phone: it's 10:00. Suddenly the phone buzzes.

"That must be Mr. Howel," Sarah says happily.

Avery takes one look at the screen, and she feels her blood go cold. She stands up, and the coat falls off her shoulders. She takes her heels off and begins to run back through the forest toward the beach and the yacht.

"Mrs. Howel, wait," Sarah shouts. "Where are you going? What's wrong?"