Page 32 of Saltwater Memories
Chapter 11
He sent a message to Amanda once he got back to his car. “I hope I didn’t wake you up with my visit – Morgan was nice enough to take some snacks for you. I hope you feel better soon!”
Will then drove back home and was disappointed to see there was no response by the time he got there. Maybe she was still asleep?
Yeah, that was probably it. There’s nothing like a GI bug to wipe a person out completely.
He got to work on some listings for the first three properties that were ready to be rented. Two were long-term rentals, and one was a vacation home that would only be available a few months a year.
These were the properties that needed the least amount of work – just a coat of paint, or maybe a small fix here or there. Will had hired a photographer to take some high quality pictures, and now he was ready to release them to the world.
Some of the other properties needed more extensive changes; it could take weeks or months before they were ready. Unfortunately, he had no idea about the status of his biggest client’s properties. Lenny still didn’t want him to stop by or check on anything, even though Will stressed that he’d be happy to line up contractors for whatever work was needed.
Lenny kept repeating that the tenants didn’t like to be disturbed, and that he would let him know when he was ready for his help.
They hadn’t completed the sales on all of the properties, and Will didn’t want to step on Lenny’s toes – these were multi-million dollar deals. He could be patient.
Around nine o’clock that evening, Amanda finally returned his text. “Thanks for dropping that stuff off – it’s really nice of you. I’m only just waking up now.”
“Yikes, sounds like you got it pretty bad. Are you feeling any better?”
“Yeah, I think a bit. I may try to eat something.”
“That’s good news!”
He scolded himself – he shouldn’t text her so much, he was probably waking her up. He left her alone for the rest of the night, but he did text her again on Monday to see how she was feeling. She said she was doing much better, well enough to get her work done from home.
By Wednesday, Amanda reported that she was back to normal, and Will was tempted to ask her out to dinner that night. He’d been having so much fun with her – from dinners, to walks along the water, to that movie night just before she got sick. He was trying to build the courage to ask her to be his date to the company masquerade ball.
Normally, DGG held a yearly party for its employees, and a separate one for clients and friends. It was a way for them to show off to potential investors that they had “style, smarts, and capital,” as his boss put it.
This was the first year they were doing an additional masquerade ball. They had a new VP in marketing and she came up with what she called “golden ticket ideas.”
Would it cross a line to invite Amanda to be his date? Or would she assume that he was only after her as an investment?
He really wanted to make it clear that he didn’t care – not really – about her house. He was interested in her as a friend…or, more than a friend.
Amanda was skittish, though. Every time he inched toward the “more than a friend” designation, either by asking her out two nights in a row, or trying to pay for her meal, Amanda abruptly pulled away.
It was subtle, but he caught onto it. She’d start to stutter or mumble, or try to change the topic. But when they just hung out as friends, went to dinner, joked and laughed, she was fine. He hated to ruin it by crossing that line.
But at the same time, he was starting to wonder if it wastimeto cross the line. There was a certain point where he could no longer deny how he felt, and he’d have to decide if he was willing to risk losing her friendship for the chance of having something more.
Was he at that point with Amanda, though?
He didn’t have to think on it for long. The sick feeling he got when he thought of her, alone and ill, completely helpless, told him all that he needed to know.
True, she wasn’tcompletelyalone or helpless – apparently Morgan was there. Maybe Jade, too.
But still. He was worried about her, and even briefly considered learning how to make soup for her.
That was it. He made up his mind to call her on Thursday when he knew she’d be feeling better. He wouldn’t let himself back out of it. One way or another, he’d invite her to that masquerade ball. The rest was up to her.
