Chapter 21: The Weather Ball, Live

I wore the dress he had sent me.

It was the silk slip, cleaned and folded in tissue, and it fit exactly as it had at Lumière.

Joan sat in the second row in green, with her purse on her knees.

Tilly sat beside her in the same green, and Dani beside Tilly, gripping a program.

Cillian stood at the back wall, in the dark, with his arms crossed.

Above the stage hung a screen the width of the ballroom, and a red light glowed on every camera.

"Ten seconds," said a voice in a headset. "We're live."

The morning anchor stepped out, gleaming.

"Philadelphia!" she said. "Welcome to the Weather Ball encore, and the biggest night in the history of our weather desk."

The ballroom applauded.

Trevor walked out in a black tux to a swell of piano.

He did the forecast first, to remind everyone who he was.

His voice was perfect, gentle and low, and for four minutes the whole room believed in sunshine.

Then he put the clicker down.

"I want to tell you about the person who taught me what a forecast is for," he said.

I felt Tilly go rigid in the row ahead.

"It's for the people who love you. It's so they can be ready when the weather changes."

His eyes found me in the third row.

"Eliza. Will you come up here?"

I stood.

Four hundred people clapped as I climbed the steps.

A camera swung to follow me.

I let my face do what I had rehearsed, wide and bright and surprised.

Trevor went down on one knee on the stage.

The room made one sound, all together.

He opened a small velvet box.

The ring inside was bright and new, with a stone too large to be real.

Keep reading free with an account. Start An Open Relationship? Fine Meet My New Boyfriend from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.