Page 34 of Embracing Love

Chapter 16

She travelled from Milan to Sacramento with Mario and his wife Chantelle. The journey had been long and tiring, with two stops along the way and by the time they all reached the Stormont Hotel on Friday morning, Tanya was grateful to be shown to her room.

As apprehensive as she was about seeing Nadine, she still looked forward to catching up on all news, as well as seeing the other familiar faces from head office. According to the last email from Nadine, she and Ethan had arrived last night, and would be busy overseeing the plans for the convention.

Tanya hadn’t realized how much she yearned for the company of other people until she ran into Thierry and Stephan. Luc was around here somewhere, they told her but Patrice, Thierry’s wife, had been unable to come this time.

She took a nap which only left her feeling even more tired than before, then a shower to refresh her. It helped a little but she couldn’t quite shake off her fatigue. She got dressed quickly, opting for a simple pair of white linen trousers with a loose fitting sleeveless salmon colored top that tapered in at the waist. She didn’t look particularly dressy, but she also didn’t look a total mess either. At least the salmon color made her skin look radiant.

She looked at herself in the mirror, frowned, and decided that it would have to do. She wasn’t in the mood to dress up—even though Friday evening cocktails in the Stormont lounge called for it.

She’d promised Nadine that she’d meet her sometime around six o’clock. But with it being almost half an hour past that time, she was already late. A drink would help lighten her mood.

Sighing deeply, and knowing she would much rather prefer to stay in the room and run a bath, she forced herself to leave the room.

She walked out of the elevator and straight into Nadine and Ethan who were about to get in. When Nadine saw her she stopped and greeted her with an enthusiasm that was hard to mistake. Tanya’s fears about any possible friction between them instantly melted.

“At last! I’ve been waiting for you.” Nadine exclaimed.

“I'm sorry. I was trying to get some sleep.”

“Good, because you’re not going to sleep much this weekend. We’ve got lots to catch up.” Nadine told her, as she grabbed onto her arm and kept a hold of it.

“Let me introduce you both,” she said, moving to the side, to reveal Ethan. “This is Ethan,” said Nadine, and Ethan stepped forward.

His sparkling blue eyes were the first thing Tanya noticed. “I keep hearing so many good things about you,” she said, unable to look away.

He looked amused. “And you must be Tanya,” he said, shaking her hand. She almost melted. “It’s great to meet you. Nadine’s told me lots about you.”

For a moment Tanya wondered whether Nadine would tell him everything but she became so mesmerised by the blue of his eyes, that the thought was lost as quickly as it had come.

No wonder Nadine was getting married so quickly. The man was a dream.

“I’m going to get changed. If you ladies will excuse me.”

As Ethan disappeared behind the closing elevator doors, Nadine hooked her arm into Tanya’s and walked with her in the direction from which she had just come.

“Does he have a brother?” Tanya asked.

Nadine laughed. “I’m afraid he only has two sisters.” She pulled at Tanya’s arm. “Why? Are you by any chance warming to the possibility of meeting someone?” Her eyes shone with in anticipation.

“Hell, no,” Tanya replied quickly. “Who needs all that heartache?” She ran her eyes over Nadine's eye-catching pale-blue summer dress, belted, and with a V-neck, she looked summery, and elegant, and chic.

Nadine shook her head and made an exaggerated sigh. “It doesn’t always end in heartache.”

“It does for me,” replied Tanya, wishing she had worn a dress too. They walked down the long hallway which lead to the cocktail lounge where the Zimmerman Group hosted their Friday night drinks reception.

“You look amazing,” said Tanya, admiring the style of Nadine’s dress. “How come you were going back up?”

They each took a glass of champagne from one of the servers. “Ethan needed to get changed. He’s been helping me and Melissa set up the rooms for tomorrow.”

“Where is she?” Tanya looked around for her former secretary.

“Last I saw her she was going to speak to the catering staff about the tea and coffee for tomorrow’s breaks.” They stopped and stood face-to-face, each taking a sip from her glass. “That color really suits you,” Nadine told her.

“Thanks.” Tanya nodded, feeling a little underdressed. She couldn’t shake off the jet-lag and hoped to get to bed early tonight. She wasn’t sure if it was the tiredness that dragged her down, or a feeling of nervousness regarding her presentation tomorrow. Or the reminder that this was her first time at the convention without anyone by her side. Throughout the years she’d always attended this event with a boyfriend, or, as in the case of the last few years, with Vincent.

She was all too aware that she was now attending alone, and as happy as Nadine appeared to be to see her, Nadine had come with Ethan. She wouldn’t want Tanya hanging around with her all evening.

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