Her Gentle Giant, Part 2: Remember to Dance by Heather Rainier Page B

when we’re ready for it, Peter. Thank you, Paul. We appreciate your special attention tonight.”
    “Thank you, Mrs. Warner,” they murmured and sauntered from the room.
    They enjoyed the excellent cuisine and talked about the wedding plans. They also teased Rachel about the variety of gifts she’d received and speculated on which ones would get the most use. She took all the ribbing good-naturedly, giving as good as she got where she could.
     “Peter and Paul prepared our entrees themselves.” Grace chuckled when they all smiled and got that dreamy look again.
    At the ladies’ eager urging, Grace paged them both to return and clear the table. Once again, they flirted outrageously as they worked. The women talked and laughed with the handsome men until everything was removed from the table and they left once again.
    Grace laughed when Kelly released a disappointed sigh and asked, “Is there anything else they can come back for?”
    “Oh, don’t worry. They’ll be back,” Grace said with an indulgent smile. “Why don’t we see what else is here?” She returned to the buffet, bringing Rachel a small, prettily wrapped box.
    “Before you open these, Jack, Ethan, and Adam wanted me to tell you something. Over the years, they’ve always held you and your family in the highest esteem and value your friendship to them, but especially to me. They appreciate the way you defended me with Patricia, but also Eli’s quick thinking in handling her the night of the shooting.”
    Grace paused for a second, perhaps reliving that night, before continuing, “Our lives would be very different if it were not for your friendship, Rachel. You’re family, and we love you. These gifts are a small token of friendship for both you and Eli. Why don’t you open Adam’s first and let’s see what it is.”
    Tears stung her eyes as Rachel picked at the pretty paper. She hugged Grace as she handed her a tissue, and Rachel opened the gift. Sniffling a little herself, Grace rose and brought two more small presents to the table.
    Rachel lifted the lid on the box and gasped at the gift inside. Lifting it from the box, she looked at Grace.
    Her friend said, “I helped him pick it out. It’s a slave bracelet. You wear it on your upper arm.” The heavy silver bracelet was a series of interlocking flourishes. It reminded Rachel a lot of the design of her engagement ring, which she held up to it.
    “Clay made this?”
    “Yep. Want to see if it fits?”
    “Thank you.” Rachel held it out to Grace to open and then lifted her sleeve. Grace opened a hidden catch and demonstrated how to adjust it at the hinge before closing it on Rachel’s upper arm. “It’s beautiful, Grace. Thank you. Make sure and tell him I love it.”
    Rachel unwrapped Ethan’s gift. Inside was a bracelet made of the same heavy silver, only the flourishes were made into linking sections so it had more flexibility. It, too, was adjustable, which Grace showed her as she put it on her ankle. She modeled it for all of them and thanked Grace again.
    She opened Jack’s gift when Grace handed it to her. Inside was a pair of beautiful, intricate chandelier earrings done in the same intertwined flourish pattern, silver teardrops dangling in a row across the bottom edge of each one.
    “Wow, Grace. I’m overwhelmed,” Rachel said shakily, feeling like a ninny for being so emotional. “You didn’t have to do this for me.”
    “Well, it would have been weird for them to buy you lingerie , right?” Grace snickered, trying to make light of the extravagance of her men’s gifts. “You have one more gift to open though, sweetie. See?” She gestured again to the buffet, where a large, flat, wrapped package lay all by itself.
    “Who’s that from?” Rachel asked curiously
    Grace retrieved the heavy box and laid it in Rachel’s lap. She lifted the small envelope from the package and removed the card.

    For the woman I’ve been dreaming of.
    Love, Eli
    After a few seconds,