My Butterfly

chuckled a little at that.
    “In two weeks,” I said and then lowered my eyes.
    I glanced back up at her seconds later, and her eyes immediately locked onto mine. I almost felt naked, as if she could see right through me or something.
    “I think I just kind of assumed that she would just be there,” I went on. “But now, I’m starting to second-guess it. I mean, she just moved across the country, and she’s got a new job, you know? I shouldn’t have assumed she would be there.”
    I stopped and drew in a deep breath.
    “Rach, I need her there,” I continued.
    Rachel’s hand fell to my knee then, and my eyes quickly traveled to her hand.
    “Your charity concert?” she asked.
    I nodded my head and returned my eyes to hers.
    “I’ve already got it covered,” she said, winking back at me and falling back into her chair again.
    I cocked my head to the side.
    “What do you mean?” I asked.
    “Well, the first time I told her about it, she put up a fight, as usual, and said she had to work or something crazy like that, but I called her firm last night and sweet-talked her secretary out of some information.”
    I felt my eyebrows coming together.
    “I met her once—the secretary,” she said, flipping her hand in the air. “It’s okay. She’s a nice girl. Anyway, evidently, Miss Lang took off that Friday for ‘some charity concert up North.’”
    She used her fingers to make quotation marks.
    “And, honey, I don’t know what changed her mind, but I do know she has a ticket,” she said, mischievously smiling.
    She stopped then and started waving her finger.
    “You know, come to think of it actually, it just might have been a certain song that persuaded her,” she said, allowing her stare to wander off into the distance again before returning to me.
    My heart instantly sped up a few beats per minute.
    “She heard it?” I asked.
    Rachel smiled and slowly nodded her head.
    “Now, we just have to pray that she gets on that plane,” she said.
    My lips were gradually lifting into a grin, but I knew there was still a somewhat puzzled look glued to my face.
    “But how did you know?” I asked.
    The sentence came out slow and broken, but I managed to get it all out, as Rachel met my stare.
    “That you were still in love with her?” she asked.
    I stared back at her, with my mouth cocked slightly open.
    “Well, I always kind of knew,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “But then, you bought that ticket, and I knew you didn’t just want to sightsee in San Diego. And then, Jessica told me about your guys’ little talk that one night.”
    Her eyes left me and fell onto a spot off in the distance somewhere again.
    “Ten years ago, I didn’t so much care for Jessica,” she confessed. “That was, of course, before I knew her,” she said, pushing up another devious grin.
    Then, I watched as her eyes returned to me.
    “Thanks, Rachel,” I said.
    “She’s your fight, Will,” she said. “It’s the least I can do.”
    My eyes fell to the floorboards at my feet, and a faint smile found its way to my lips; though, I was pretty sure it was one part hopeful and one part terrified.
    “Rachel,” I said, lifting my eyes to hers again.
    I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small, black box. I stared at it as I turned it over in my hand. Then, I set it down onto the table’s surface in front of her.
    Rachel’s jaw was cocked open, and her brown eyes were big when I met her gaze.
    “What is that, Will?” she asked, forcing her eyes to the little box.
    I couldn’t help but smile.
    “It’s my grandmother’s ring,” I said.
    She looked up at me again and then back at the box.
    “Can I?” she asked.
    I laughed.
    “Yeah,” I said, nodding my head.
    She snatched up the little box and quickly pulled back its lid.
    “Oh my gosh, Will,” she exclaimed. “It’s beautiful.”
    When she was finished examining the ring, she met my eyes.
    “The concert?” she asked.
    I took a deep breath in and then let it quickly escape. Then, I nodded my head.
    “So, this is why we need to get her back here?” she asked.
    A wide smile gradually took over my face.
    Rachel carefully closed the box’s lid and handed the ring back to me.
    “I’ll make sure she gets on the plane,” she said.
    “Thanks, Rachel,” I said, as my eyes found a spot on the table’s surface again, and then I paused.
    “Rachel,” I said, lifting my gaze. “I have one more favor to ask of you.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine
    The