Chapter 45 Formal Introduction
Winter in Seaside City had its own distinctive scent—that cool bite when cold air rushes into your lungs, and the crisp freshness after heavy snowfall. Something about winter just hits different.
Leopold no longer needed Caroline as his personal navigator. As they approached Elysian Spa, Caroline called Erica.
"You there yet?" She asked.
"Already here, waiting for you in the lobby," Erica replied.
Caroline glanced at Leopold in the rearview mirror. "I brought a friend along."
Assuming it was another girlfriend, Erica chirped, "Great! The more the merrier."
Caroline smirked. "We'll be right in."
After hanging up, Leopold's lips curved into a mischievous smile. "Not mentioning I'm a guy? Aren't you worried Erica might have a heart attack when she sees me?"
Caroline could already picture the scene. "Let's call it a surprise."
Leopold arched an eyebrow, clearly looking forward to the show.
They parked in the plaza in front of the spa and walked into the lobby one after another. Erica sat on a couch directly facing the entrance. When she spotted Caroline, she grabbed her puffer jacket and handbag, rushing over. "It's packed today—weekend crowds."
Her words trailed off when she noticed Leopold behind Caroline. She froze for a good two seconds, about to ask what a coincidence this was, when she realized Leopold was deliberately following in Caroline's footsteps.
"Did you two bump into each other outside?" She asked, confused.
Leopold glanced at Caroline, waiting for her to deliver the surprise.
"He drove me here," Caroline said simply.
"So you ran into each other on the way? What are the odds!"
In Erica's memory, Caroline had always insisted she'd only date men with government jobs—someone with stability.
Caroline shifted awkwardly. "Formal introduction—this is my boyfriend, Leopold."
Erica blinked rapidly, still processing the bombshell. Leopold flashed a dazzling smile. "Looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of each other from now on."
"Oh. My. God," Erica repeated twice, absolutely stunned. "When did this happen? How did I miss this? Last time I offered to introduce him to you, you shut me down! And then you went and snagged him yourself? Caroline, you sneaky thing!"
"Who's sneaky?" Caroline nudged Erica toward the reception desk. "Come on, let's get checked in."
The three of them collected their locker tags at the reception and separated into the men's and women's changing areas.
From the moment they entered the women's area, Erica's radar went into overdrive. She grilled Caroline for every detail, from start to finish. When she heard Leopold had been the one to confess first, she let out a squeal so loud it echoed through the bath area.
"I can't believe it! Leopold—that ice prince—made the first move!" Erica bounced on her toes. "You really can't judge a book by its cover. When he came to our club that day, so many of our female members tried chatting him up, and he barely acknowledged them! But you—" she stomped her foot excitedly, "you landed our club's ultimate hottie! Caroline, I'm living vicariously through you right now!"
Caroline noticed other women giving them side-eye. She tugged at Erica's arm. "Lower your voice—everyone can hear us."
Erica finally toned it down, but her smile remained plastered across her face.
"Look at how excited you are," Caroline teased. "Anyone would think you're the one dating him."
"You don't get it, do you?" Erica leaned against Caroline's shoulder. "Our club is full of gorgeous women—rich, beautiful, perfect bodies—and Leopold wasn't interested in any of them. But he fell for my best friend." She gave Caroline a dramatic shoulder bump. "I'm so proud of you."
Caroline felt goosebumps rising, shrugging Erica off with an eye roll. "That's enough from the cheerleading squad. We're supposed to be getting spa treatments."
"Speaking of which, we've finished the prep work. Should be our turn soon."
The women exited the bath and headed toward the treatment area.
Lying on the table, Erica told the therapist, "We both want the honey-milk body scrub."
An hour and a half later, wrapped in plush robes, they headed upstairs.
"Leopold knows to meet us on the second floor, right?" Erica asked.
Caroline nodded. "He messaged me on WhatsApp already."
Erica's smile turned knowing. "He's surprisingly low-maintenance."
"Too early to tell," Caroline replied pragmatically. "We just started dating—we're still in that adjustment phase. Even if he has flaws, he can hide them for a while. I need time to observe him."
Erica hated how Caroline approached everything with such clinical detachment. "Dating is about throwing caution to the wind! Living in the moment without worrying about consequences. Why analyze everything—pros, cons, compatibility, observation periods? By the time your 'observation period' is over, he'll be entering his own cooling-off phase. You'll never be in sync, and you'll end up going your separate ways."
"Remember what happened with Atticus?"
Her words weren't entirely wrong, and they struck a chord with Caroline.
Afraid she'd gone too far, Erica softened her tone. "Caroline, whoever you end up with, I just want you to be happy."
Caroline's lips curved into a small smile.
The second floor housed the sauna and self-service buffet. After sweating it out and freshening up, they went to find Leopold in the dining area.
He'd already secured a window table and waved them over.
"Been waiting long?" Caroline asked.
Leopold noticed the light sheen of perspiration on Caroline's forehead and grabbed a napkin to dab it away. "Want to switch to an interior table? It's by the window—I don't want you catching a chill."
Erica watched them with amusement. "So thoughtful!"
Caroline felt heat rising to her cheeks that had nothing to do with the sauna. "This is perfect. I'm fine here."
The floor-to-ceiling windows allowed warm sunlight to bathe them in a golden glow, making the space feel cozy and inviting.
"Erica, I wasn't sure what you liked, so I grabbed Caroline's favorites," Leopold said, pulling out chairs for both women. "What else would you like? I'll get it for you."
"Don't worry about me," Erica waved him off. "I'll take a lap around and see what looks good."
She wanted to give them some space—and secretly observe Leopold. Caroline was her best friend, after all.
As a VIP member at Elysian Spa, Erica knew the manager, Quentin Ross. Using the buffet run as an excuse, she flagged him down.
"Quentin, busy day, huh?" She asked.
Quentin had been inspecting the cleanliness of the buffet area. He turned around, recognizing her. "Absolutely packed today."
Erica glanced toward the window table. "See that guy by the window? Third table from the end."
Quentin smiled knowingly. "Hard to miss someone that handsome."
"Do me a favor—ask your staff if he's been chatting up any women since he arrived upstairs."
Quentin looked surprised. "You know him?"
Erica's smile turned cryptic. "He's my best friend's boyfriend."
"I'll check," Quentin promised.
Erica casually continued browsing the buffet.
High-caliber players weren't easy to spot. Their exceptional education, height, looks, and money were precisely what attracted sweet, unsuspecting girls.
In Erica's book, when you met an exceptionally perfect man, that's exactly when you needed to be most cautious.