Page 65 of No Ordinary Love

I cleared my throat, avoided looking at Lucas, and faced Jill instead. "I don't think that will be possible, as I'll be leaving Charleston in December. I can complete the remaining work from New York and present the findings and recommendations, but you'll need to find someone else to implement the program."

Jill sighed. "Well, that's what the Chancellor said, but she hoped…."

"Let's not borrow trouble from tomorrow," Rena said firmly, "I'd like to have Jill walk us through the project brief, so we're all on the same page."

I could feel Lucas's eyes on me, which I ignored, though my heart was beatingfast. And my lady parts were salivating. My vagina needed some serious talking to.

Lucas and I are done! I'll find someone hot and sexy in New York for a one-night stand or two. Just hang in there,you stupid cunt!

My vagina wasn't impressed with my statement, and my eyes surreptitiously watched Lucas hungrily like he was the most delicious meal on the planet and I hadn't eaten in days.

It was obviously going to be a challenge, working so closely with him, but I was determined not to let it distract me.

Good luck with that,my vagina declared smugly.

I was having a conversation with my genitalia. Iwaslosing my mind.

The meeting continued, with each person around the table contributing their expertise and ideas. I listened carefully, taking notes, as a plan for tackling this enormous challenge started to take shape in my mind.

As the meeting drew to a close, Jill summarized our next steps. We set up the next meetings on our calendars and packed up.

I was walking to my car, when Lucas caught up with me.

"Amara, can we talk?" he asked.

I hesitated, my instinct to run conflicting with the knowledge that I couldn't avoid this forever. Basil was right. I didn't like uncomfortable situations and escaped them, not meeting them head-on. That would not serve me well with Lucas or in the future, wherever it may take me.

"Okay," I gave in.

He seemed surprised for a moment and then a smile broke on his face. "Savannah's is around the corner. We can walk there."

Chapter 24

Lucas

Savannah's was a small café tucked away on Broad Street. Its brick exterior was weathered but charming, with a hand-painted sign above the door that simply read Savannah's.

Inside, the smell of freshly brewed coffee hung in the air, mixing with the scent of pastries and the faint hint of vanilla from the candles on each table.

Amara and I used to come here when we were dating, but we hadn't been here in a long while. Probably since we broke up six months ago, which was one of the hardest times of my life. The thought that we'd never be together again, that I wouldn't be able to fix my wrongs, was debilitating. I loved this woman—I knew that with a certainty I'd never had before. I'd probably loved her all along but hadn't wanted to accept it—or admit it—because I knew being with Amara would bring upheaval to the family. Mama kept saying how Amara didn't fit in, and she didn't.Thank fucking God for that.

I could play the regret game, wishing that I knew then what I knew now, but that wasn't going to bring my woman back to me. My beautiful, fantastic woman, I thought as I watched her. We were settled into a corner booth by the window, the light from outside filtering in just enough to highlight the deep auburn in Amara's hair. She mesmerized me since that first time I'd laid my eyes on her when I knew there was no way I wasn't going to get to know her.

How could I have taken my awesome life and fucked it up the way I had?

It was quiet here, only a few other customers scattered around, their conversations a soft murmur in the background. This was precisely what we needed—somewhere intimate, away from the pressures of work.

Amara ordered a black coffee, like me, and when the waitress left, there was a moment of silence. There was tension between us that felt like it could go either way. But then Amara broke it with that sharp, teasing smile that always managed to throw me off balance.

"What's the plan here? Are you going to apologize with coffee now? Because I have to tell you, it's going to take more than a caffeine hit to fix this."

I couldn't control the grin that tugged at my lips. "Well, I was going to offer to throw in a croissant, but if you're going to be difficult…"

She rolled her eyes, her fingers tracing the edge of the ceramic mug. "I amnotdifficult, ever."

"Of course,Tesoro," I leaned forward, matching her tone. "You are and always have been a pleasure and a delight."

She looked at me, and for a moment, the banter faded as a more severe tone settled between us. I caught a flicker of softness and vulnerability in her eyes before she quickly masked it with a wry smile.

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