Page 86 of Savannah Sweethearts

In a step, she was up against my desk. She put both her hands flat on the cool veneered surface and leaned down. “You hired me to work here. We started dating. You met my family. And nowhere in there did you mention any inkling for selling The Promenade. Were you just hoping nobody would notice?”

I knew people would notice, of course. Wait, that wasn’t what she was asking. Was it? Her dark eyes were entrancing and the way she was leaning over made me want to kiss her. I shook my head to clear it. “No, no. I didn’t want to say anything if nothing was going to come of it. And nothing has come of it, so no worries.”

“You kept this from me, Orlando.” Her doe eyes began to fill with tears. “Did you keep this from your mother, too? I bet she’s clueless.” Amaya pushed off the desk and turned on her stilettos, striding from my office and down the hall.

“Amaya, wait. Wait! Hear me out!” I jumped up and ran after her, but she barreled through the door and out to the parking lot in the pouring rain.

Not bothering with an umbrella, she climbed into her car and tore out of the parking lot while I stood next to one of the grand columns. I patted my pockets looking for my phone, but it wasn’t there. It was still at my desk.

Back inside, I dialed her number, but it went right to voicemail. “Amaya, please let me explain everything. Call me back.”

I sat down and raked my hands through my hair. How had she ingrained herself into me so quickly? The idea of her walking out of my life forever made me nearly hyperventilate. I couldn’t do this without her. Why had I been so stupid?

I tried her number again and again no answer. For a moment I considered calling Linaya, but I figured she would just as likely give me directions off a pier before telling me where Amaya had gone. I squeezed my eyes closed and slammed my fists on my desk.

“You love her.” My mother’s voice startled me. She stood in the doorway to my office, her hands clasped in front of her.

“Mom, she didn’t let me explain,” I started.

“That you were going to sell a piece of property that has been in my family for five generations?” The hurt in her eyes made me forget about Amaya for the moment. “I could hardly believe it, Orlando.”

If I had felt at all broken before that moment, it was nothing compared to how it felt to hear my mother say those words.

“It was a foolish idea, Mom. I swear to you I will never sell The Promenade.” Tears pricked my eyelids. Nobody wanted to disappoint their mother, especially when she was standing before you with tears on her cheeks.

She sat in the chair opposite me. “It’s not even about the property, Orlando. It’s that you didn’t share your ideas or plans. I know that one day this land will no longer be in the family. I accept that. But for you do to this behind my back. It’s shocking.”

Never would I have described my mother as frail, but in that moment she was as frail as I had ever seen her. She looked weary and exhausted. Her entire life had been poured into this venue and I had been ready to pass it off without a word of her input or thought. I realized just how horrible I had been.

“Oh, Mom, I’m so sorry. I was only thinking about business and not about family. I realized my mistake, though, before this phone call. If he had made an offer, I would have refused it,” I told her. “Over the last few months I’ve come to love it here. I think shifting my focus was exactly what I needed.”

A slight smile warmed Mom’s face. “I’m glad you feel that way now. Now, how about that girl?”

“Did she call you?”

“She texted me her resignation and told me what was going on. But I will just pretend the resignation didn’t come through.” She chuckled a little. “What are you waiting for, son?”

I tilted my head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

“Go after her!”

“Oh,” I said, leaping up. “Where?”

“Do I have to do everything for you?”

I grinned. “I’ll find her.”

Amaya

It usually takes approximately three seconds for sand to cover me head to toe when I’m at the beach. It seemed that the time was cut in half if I’m wearing nice clothes. I had rolled my skirt up but it was still soaked. Sand and water droplets stuck to my eyelet blouse.

But I sat in the sand anyway, watching the tide roll in and out, thinking about what I had heard and how I had reacted. It was none of my business if Orlando sold The Promenade. I would have thought with us dating he would have told me he was even considering it, but he hadn’t.

I was hurt more than anything. If he really wanted to sell it, that was his right. I didn’t understand why he would have hired Aaron and me, but it was still his business. It was the fact that he hadn’t trusted me enough to tell me. And here I had actually thought I was falling for him. Orlando Daniels was just as bad as the rest of them.

The sun was baking me as it bore down on my back. My phone was back in my car, so I wasn’t entirely sure what time it was or how long I had been sitting and contemplating. In my haste, I fired a text to Cordelia and turned my phone off. Maybe I was overreacting just a touch.

Feeling a little more calm, I stood and picked up my heels. I should probably call him back. Turning toward the parking lot, I noticed someone watching me. Sunglasses covered his eyes, but his shoulders drooped and his hands were in his pockets. He almost looked like a puppy who had been scolded by his human.

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