A/N: Just wanted to apologize to everyone for the delay in getting this up. I came back from my Christmas vacation and ended up with the flu. However, things are back on track now, so the final chapter should be going up relatively shortly. Just look at this most recent chapter as the bridge that leads to all the good stuff coming up and your patience will be rewarded. Trust me when I tell you that the final chapter is coming.
The Final Day, December 23, 45 minutes until the party begins.
As Lilly stood in front of her mirror, she barely recognized the image that was reflected back at her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd taken such care with her appearance if, in fact, she ever had. The city's annual Christmas party had always been a formal affair, but never before had she put so much effort into looking her best. It had been more than two hours since she'd started getting ready, fussing with every detail to ensure that everything would be perfect.
She'd pulled her hair up and taken it down at least a dozen times before finally settling on a sleek knot with a few strands pulled free to frame her face. Her usual casually messy updo or simple loose fall just wouldn't do for something as important as what she would be facing that evening. The smoky eyes and glossy crimson lips were also a far cry from her everyday appearance. The biggest change of all, though, had to be the dress.
She'd found it weeks earlier, well before her mysterious admirer had come along, on one of her lunch hour trips to finish her Christmas shopping. The dress had practically called to her from the rack, leaving her a little dazzled and completely unable to walk away. Lilly had never laid eyes on a more perfect piece of clothing in her life and, when she tried it on, she'd known instantly that it was meant to be hers.
The deep ruby of the fabric gleamed under the lights, making her skin seem delicate and luminous, rather than simply pale, and her blue eyes glow as though they'd been lit from within. The bodice clung to every curve before flaring into a full skirt that ended just below her knees. While the simple halter neckline showed more skin than Lilly was used to revealing, leaving her arms, shoulders, and a great deal of her back bare, the overall effect was glamorous, graceful, and a little bit seductive. It was a great departure from her normal attraction to neutral, muted colors and, while she had known that it would be bound to draw attention, neither that nor the beating that her credit card had taken had been enough to deter her from buying it.
What worried her the most, though, was her ability to remain on her feet for an entire evening in the shoes that she had chosen to wear with the dress. A pair of sandals made up of delicate silver straps with shimmering, gossamer ribbons that tied at her ankles, they were the highest heels that Lilly had ever placed on her feet. They were amazingly uncomfortable and, when she walked, threw a sensual sway into her hips that Lilly was certain hadn't been there before. However, as she studied her image in the mirror, she had to admit that any discomfort was entirely worth it when they allowed her to fake the confidence that she knew her walk would be lacking once the butterflies that were currently fluttering in her stomach took flight.
As the final touch, Lilly retrieved the jeweled clip from it's box. She was wearing no other jewelry, nothing that might distract from the beauty of the clip that was to be her only adornment. Looking at it now, she realized just how closely the red of the gems matched the color of her dress. Her admirer must have caught a glimpse of it the afternoon that she'd bought it and brought it back to the office. The dress had been wrapped in a garment bag, but enough of the hem had been revealed to give away it's color. He'd obviously seen it and made his purchase accordingly.
It was an incredibly thoughtful gesture and the results had been beautiful. The only thing that Lilly couldn't understand was why she was suddenly hesitating to put the clip in her hair. She'd spent the last week obsessing over who had been sending her the gifts. Every spare second had been spent in thought and now, when she was finally just minutes away from discovering his identity, she was no longer certain that she wanted to know.
Her problems had begun the day that Scotty had given her his scarf and the volatile chemistry that had always existed between them had ignited with a startling heat. Now, every time she tried to imagine who the Secret Santa might be, who she really hoped he might be, there was only one face that came to mind. Whenever she closed her eyes Lilly saw her partner's face, but she knew that it couldn't be him. The incident that had been haunting her thoughts had been, as far as she could tell, nothing more than a momentary lapse for Scotty.
Her resolve renewed, Lillyfirmly anchored the clip in her hair. She owed it to herself to finally lay her curiosity to rest and, at the very least, she owed her Santa a thank you for all of his trouble. Anything that happened after that, she was willing to leave up to fate.