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“I know,” she said. “But I don’t judge entire relationships on birthdays and holidays anymore.” She once had, that was true. “Or gifts. I know there’s more to life than those things. And someone can give amazing presents and still be all wrong for me.”
“Sounds like you’re speaking from some experience, Sissy.”
“A little,” Opal admitted. She turned back to her reflection. A sigh filled her whole body. “I love this dress.”
“Yeah, Tag’s gonna love it too,” Mike said. “Should I make him come in and take pictures by the fireplace?” He laughed, but Opal actually considered it. He’d never gone to prom, and everyone should have to suffer through their parents making them take awkward pictures before they could finally escape the house.
Mike left her bedroom, and Opal adorned her earlobes with a special pair of earrings and draped a matching necklace around her throat. She’d not stepped into her shoes yet when the doorbell rang.
“That’s Tag,” she gasped. She hurried to get into her heels, and she took one last look at herself in the mirror. Yes, she’d spent almost six figures to buy and get this dress here specifically for this date, a number she’d never tell to anyone. “They don’t need to know,” she whispered. “It’s my money.”
And she had plenty more where that came from.
“Opal?” Gerty came into the room and stopped again. “Oh, you are so gorgeous.” Her blue eyes sparkled like sapphires—a color Opal had considered for her dress. “Tag is dressed up nicely too. Come on.” She reached for Opal, and Opal let her take her hand and lead her out to meet Tag for their Valentine’s Day date.
Her nerves kept her smile on her face, and Gerty seemed to melt out of the way when she reached the living room. Then, all Opal could see was Taggart Crow. He’d dressed in black from head to toe as well, with a hint of a pale pink shirt at his throat, with a deep-not-overly-bright fuchsia tie knotted there.
He held his midnight cowboy hat, and he’d shaved his beard into perfection. Tag stared at her, his face slack with disbelief, and then his trademark crooked smile appeared. “The stars have nothing on you, honeybee.”
Opal stepped toward him, and she eased into his arms like she’d sink into a hot bath. Everything about being with him felt right, even the way he kissed her right there in front of Gerty and Mike.
“You are the most beautiful woman in the world,” he whispered. “How did I get so lucky?”
“You’re a god in a cowboy hat,” she whispered back.
“Not yet.” He pulled away a little and settled his cowboy hat back on his head. “There. You ready? You need anything?”
She held up her phone. “Could you carry this for me?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, and Opal gave him a coy smile. Then, she watched the ground at her feet as she left the farmhouse.
“Ope, Ope, Ope!” West cried, and she turned back to the darling boy.
Gerty held him despite his efforts to break free. “She’s leaving, baby. It’s okay. She’ll be back.”
“Ope!” West actually had tears in his eyes, and Opal’s heart tore from the top down. She hurried over to him, mindful of the drive ahead and the distance they had to go to get to the restaurant.
“Westy,” she said as she drew closer. “Give me a kiss and then I have to go.” She swept a kiss along his cheek, feeling so loved when he held her head in a hug. “You be good for your momma and daddy tonight, okay?”
“Ope,” he said in a much quieter voice.
“West.” She grinned at him as she pulled back, and this time, she managed to make it out of the house without incident. She held Tag’s hand as they went down the steps, and she allowed him to help her into his truck.
He drove off the farm, and Opal’s adrenaline finally started to wane. “Mike told me we’re going to Velvet,” she said, not sure she should keep talking.
“Yep,” Tag said.
“I’ve never been,” she said casually. “Have you?”
He looked over to her, clearly onto her game. “No,” he said. He could’ve added any number of things, like, “It’s not really my style,” or “It’s out of my price range, honeybee.”
But he didn’t say anything more.
Opal opened her mouth, and it felt like someone had stuffed a pair of socks down her throat. She could barely swallow, and breathing? Forget about it. She panicked and shifted in her seat, trying to get past these feelings to the other side.
Don’t say it.
The words rang through her ears, throat, and mind, and Opal swallowed her offer to pay for dinner that night. She took in a breath of air, glad the episode had passed quickly. “My funding is done,” she said. “I’m expecting plans for the house in the next couple of weeks.”
