Page 75 of Savannah Sweethearts

Shrugging, I took a drink from my sparkling wine. “Just an idea. I’m full of good ideas.”

“Clearly. I know we haven’t made an official offer to you quite yet, Amaya, but I want you working with me.” He got closer and I could see the golden ring around his dark brown eyes.

With him? He wanted me to work with him and not merely at The Promenade?

He caught his words just as I had. “I want you working here. With me. I think you might be just what this place needs. A fresh set of eyes, a beautiful face for the company.”

“Really?”

There was so much more that he wasn’t saying. I could feel it as easily as I could see it on his face. His eyes were bright, excited and his mouth was upturned in a was I had not seen before. I knew I mimicked his smile. He not only wanted me working there, but he wanted me close to him. Closer. And I was ready for it.

Thoughts of Kyle tried to push their way into my mind, but I pushed them right back out. This was no place for his narcissism. And Orlando, from what I was learning, was nothing like Kyle had been.

“What do you say?” The question lingered in his eyes.

“I would love to work more closely with you,” I murmured, my lips very close to his ear.

When his eyes closed and his lips parted, I knew he was looking for more than just a working relationship. I didn’t know what would happen or if it would work, but I knew that underneath all the hidden desire were two professionals.

Back in my car to head home, Linaya acted as if she had been proposed to. “Amaya, he’s just fabulous. And he can cook. You know I can’t cook, so this is perfect. And the way he sees color and art is so refreshing. He doesn’t see it through a microscope like Josiah did. He sees art for the beauty it holds.”

I laughed as I turned onto my street. “I noticed. You two had a lot in common.”

“And did you see his eyes? Oh, those blue eyes were like oceans,” she squealed. Taking a deep breath, she finally looked at me. “You and Orlando were quite cozy on the other side of the table.”

“He wants me to work with him.” I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw my eyes crinkle and my cheeks glow.

“Oh, work with him or for him?” She play punched me as I parked.

“He said with him. He said, and I quote, ‘I want you working here. With me. I think you might be just what this place needs.’ And he called me beautiful,” I told her with a sigh.

Inside the house, we flopped on the couch. “You like him,” she told me.

As if I needed to be told. “I know. I do.” My smile fell then, and a scowl replaced it.

“Stop.”

“Stop what?”

“Stop thinking about Kyle. He is not Kyle. He is not going to run you over then back up and do it again just to make sure he got all of you.” Linaya reached her hand out to mine and pulled me close to her.

“I can’t help the fear.” And I couldn’t. Enough bad things had happened with Kyle that I immediately looked for them. From being told I was wrong about every single thing, to him controlling what I wore, being in a healthy relationship was a foreign concept for me.

“He’s not Kyle. You can recognize the fear and tell it to take a hike.”

I looked up to my baby sister. “How did you get so wise?”

“My big sister taught me.” She kissed my forehead. “Now, Aaron asked to take me to go to Telfair with him this weekend and I need something artsy to wear.”

“A date already? Look at you! I’m so happy for you, Linny.” I hugged her close. “This calls for ice cream.”

Orlando

A month after she started working at The Promenade, Amaya had made herself indispensable as a hostess and event coordinator. New clients no longer came to my office, but to hers, which was, admittedly, quite a bit smaller than my own. At my mother’s suggestion, Amaya was given the larger office that was more accessible for clients and I was moved down the hall to my mother’s old office.

I hauled a stack of books and magazines to Amaya’s new office. “What is all this?”

She looked up from arranging the mahogany desk. “Trade secrets,” she whispered. When I raised my eyebrows, she laughed. “The magazines are bridal, they help me stay current. And the books are all trade books on event planning, weddings, and organization. Being organized is really all anyone needs to be successful.”

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