The Wedding - By Nicholas Sparks Page 0,76

tub, and shut off the music. At eight forty-five, go down to the front porch. Lock the door behind you. Close your eyes and stand with your back to the street. When you turn around again, open your eyes, for our date will then be ready to begin. . . .

Out front, waiting for her was the limousine I’d ordered. The driver, who was holding yet another gift, was instructed to say, “Mrs. Lewis? I’ll bring you to your husband now. He wants you to open this gift as soon as you get in the car. He’s left you something else inside as well.”

In the box he held was a bottle of perfume, accompanied by a short note: “I picked this perfume especially for the evening. After you get in the car, put some on and open the other gift. The note inside will tell you what to do.”

In that box was a narrow black scarf. The card nestled in its folds read as follows:

You’re going to be driven to the place where I’ll meet you, but I want it to be a surprise. Please use the scarf as a blindfold—and remember, don’t peek. The drive will be less than fifteen minutes, and the driver will begin when you say, “I’m ready.” When the car stops, the driver will open your door. Keep the blindfold on, and ask him to guide you out of the car.

I’ll be waiting for you.

Chapter Sixteen

The limousine came to a stop in front of the house, and I drew a long breath. When the driver exited the car, he nodded to let me know that everything had gone smoothly, and I nodded nervously in return.

In the last couple of hours, I’d alternated between excitement and terror at the thought that Jane might have found all of this . . . well, silly. As the driver moved toward her door, I suddenly found it difficult to swallow. Still, I crossed my arms and leaned against the porch railing, doing my best to look nonchalant. The moon was glowing white, and I could hear the sounds of crickets chirping.

The driver opened the door. Jane’s leg appeared first, and almost as if in slow motion, she emerged from the car, the blindfold still in place.

All I could do was stare at her. In the moonlight, I could see the faint outlines of a smile on her face, and she looked both exotic and elegant. I motioned to the driver, letting him know that he was free to leave.

As the car drove off, I approached Jane slowly, gathering the courage to speak.

“You look wonderful,” I murmured into her ear.

She turned toward me, her smile broadening. “Thank you,” she said. She waited for me to add something more, and when I didn’t, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Can I take off the blindfold yet?”

I glanced around, making sure everything looked the way I wanted.

“Yes,” I whispered.

She tugged on the scarf; it immediately loosened and fell from her face. It took her eyes a moment to focus—resting first on me, then on the house, then back on me. Like Jane, I had dressed for the evening; my tuxedo was new and tailored. She blinked as if awakening from a dream.

“I thought you’d want to see how it will look this weekend,” I offered.

She turned slowly from side to side. Even from a distance, the property looked enchanted. Beneath the inky sky, the tent glowed white, and the floodlights in the garden cast fingerlike shadows while illuminating the color of the rose blossoms. The water in the fountain glittered in the moonlight.

“Wilson . . . it’s . . . incredible,” she stammered.

I took her hand. I could smell the new perfume I’d bought her and saw the small diamonds in her ears. Dark lipstick accentuated her full lips.

Her expression was full of questions as she faced me. “But how? I mean . . . you only had a couple of days.”

“I promised you it would be magnificent,” I said. “Like Noah said, it’s not every weekend that we have a wedding around here.”

Jane seemed to notice my appearance for the first time, and she took a step back.

“You’re wearing a tuxedo,” she said.

“I got it for the weekend, but I figured I should break it in first.”

She assessed me from top to bottom. “You look . . . great,” she admitted.

“You sound surprised.”

“I am,” she said quickly, then caught herself. “I mean, I’m not surprised by how