The Summer Proposal by Vi Keeland

“Thank you.”

She handed me back my phone, and I realized this had been the first time I’d had it in my hand since Max picked me up this morning. He’d managed to accomplish four things on my list in one day—start my staycation, go red, see the Statue of Liberty, and unplug more. My natural inclination was to start scrolling, but I somehow resisted the temptation and only perused my missed calls to make sure neither Maggie nor my director of operations had called. Then I tossed it back into my bag.

After the stylist began applying the color, I felt my excitement building as I watched.

“So, your boyfriend seems like a great guy,” Kara said. “He surprised you with a massage and also color you’d only mentioned that you wanted.”

“He is.”

“How long have you guys been together?”

“It’s new. We only met three or four weeks ago.”

“Are you serious? Does he have a brother? I think the nicest thing a guy I just met has ever done for me is bring me chocolate. And I get hives from chocolate.”

I smiled. “Yeah, Max is a great guy.”

Forty minutes later, my color was done, and Kara started to blow out my hair. I loved it already and couldn’t wait to see it fully dry. Max came in just as she was finishing up. He stood a few feet away, off to the side, but I still saw him in the mirror.

Kara caught my eye in the reflection and pointed over her shoulder. “I take it this is Max?”

I nodded. She turned to him. “I’ll be done in five minutes.”

“Take your time.”

After the stylist finished drying, she grabbed a curling wand and threw in a few loose waves, then swiveled my chair to face Max. “Well, what do you think?”

He flashed his dimples. “I think it looks incredible. She was gorgeous before, but damn…I really like it.”

Kara smiled at me. “He’s right. How about you, Georgia?”

“I love it. I’ll admit, I was super nervous when you started, but I’m so glad I went through with it.” I smiled at each of them. “Thank you, both of you, for getting me to finally do this.”

When we returned to our rooms upstairs, I stopped Max before going in. “This day was one of the most fun I’ve had in a long time. You are so thoughtful and generous, Max.”

“You’re welcome, but I really didn’t do anything but make a few phone calls.”

“Maybe, but you pay attention, and you care about making me happy, and that means a lot.”

Max gazed into my eyes before nodding.

“How was your massage?” I asked.

“It was great. I hit the steam room for a while after. But I’m freaking starving. You want to go out to eat or order in?”

It had been a long day, and I wasn’t in the mood to share Max. “Do you mind if we just order room service or something?”

He smiled. “Not at all. I was hoping you’d say that.”

He opened the door, and we went in through his room. We lounged a moment as we checked out the menu, and then Max phoned the order in to room service. While he did that, I poured two glasses of champagne and set one beside him before wandering back to my own room to check out my new look in the bright lights of the bathroom.

I looked so different, but I wasn’t entirely sure the change was just my hair. There was a giant smile on my face, my eyes seemed more sparkly than usual, and my skin had a glow. The happiness I saw in my reflection wasn’t just coming from my lips.

“I’m going to jump in the shower,” Max yelled from somewhere behind me.

“Okay!”

“Room service said about a half hour. I won’t be more than fifteen minutes.” He stepped into the bathroom and tilted his head with a playful grin. “What are you smiling about in here?”

“Nothing.” I laughed. “I guess I’m just happy.”

“I’m glad.”

I turned around to face him. “Do you know I haven’t checked my phone messages or texts since you got to my apartment this morning?”

“Really?”

I nodded. “When I was at the salon, I scanned to make sure I didn’t have any messages from work. I know Maggie would call me if anything urgent came up. But it’s a workday, and I didn’t check email or texts.”

“We were out for most of the day, but why didn’t you while you were getting your hair done?”

I shrugged. “I’m not sure. I guess I didn’t want to burst the bubble it feels like we’re in.”

“Except…this is reality. We’re only a few miles from our apartments, and all we did is stay in the city.”

That was true, but something about the day felt magical.

Max held my eyes another minute, then knocked on the doorjamb. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t. Gonna hit the rain locker. I’ll be back.”

I decided to get changed while Max was in the shower. I’d been in the same clothes since this morning, and I wanted to put on something comfortable, but also look nice. So I dug out my favorite pair of Lululemon leggings and paired them with a simple top that was soft, but also clung to my curves nicely. It had a low, scooped neck, and a demi-cup push-up bra underneath made my small Cs look more like full ones. The door to our adjoining room had been open since we arrived, so when someone knocked at Max’s door, I heard it. It had only been ten or fifteen minutes since we’d ordered, but I figured it must be room service. A uniformed hotel employee stood on the other side when I opened the door, but he didn’t have a food cart. He held out a black leather wallet.