Page 17 of The Last Date

“So if I was a dishwasher in a restaurant, and could never afford to buy you fancy things, you’d be all right with that?”

Her pretty little smile and twinkling eyes lit up my heart. “You brought me sneakers so that my feet wouldn’t hurt,” she said slowly. “And amazing coffee. You’re incredibly thoughtful. That’s worth more than anything else.”

This precious girl already had my mind and body. Now she seemed intent on capturing my soul as well.

“I have a good job,” I said. “Nothing sketchy or illegal. I absolutely love it.”

“Good,” she said, squeezing my hand. “I’m very glad you love what you do.”

We finally reached the corner by her house. Pulling her into my arms, I brought my lips to her ear, nuzzling along the outer shell until she twitched against me. “I love a great many things, my angel,” I whispered.

Kissing down her neck, I paused with my lips against her collarbone. “Are you going to miss me?”

&

nbsp; “Yes,” she breathed.

“Good.”

Stepping back, I reluctantly pulled my hands away. “Have a good night, Sasha.”

“Wait,” she cried. “Don’t you want my number? Don’t you want me to be able to call you?”

Leaning in to brush my lips against hers, we both smiled.

“I already call you so many things in person,” I whispered. “Sasha, angel, baby. Most importantly, mine. I don’t need a phone for that.”

Walking away, it nearly killed me not to look back at her. Her stare was a prickle between my shoulder blades.

I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to toy with her. But I had to make sure that our relationship started off so memorable, so fiery, that she would never need another as long as she lived.

CHAPTER SEVEN

* Sasha *

Over the next few days, I spent at least ten minutes out of every hour giggling to myself. It honestly felt like Oakley was already in love with me.

The way he looked at me, the way he touched me so gently. The way he didn’t steal a kiss until he knew that I really, truly wanted it.

Although in some ways he was maddening, he was also more than I could have ever dreamed of. Yes, it was strange not being able to send him a text when I was thinking about him. But for all I knew, that sort of thing annoyed him.

I couldn’t be clingy. He was quite a bit older, and had obviously been through this kind of thing before. I couldn’t be a flighty young flake, and accidentally turn him off.

Luckily, my giant new project took up a lot of my focus. Most of Friday was consumed by reviewing my photos from the Eastman offices, selecting artwork that would be perfect in those spaces, and doing a quick layout so they could see a preview of the paintings in place.

By the end of the day, I had compiled an information package on the three featured local artists, with high-resolution photos of the paintings, plus my decorating mockups.

I emailed it just after four pm, expecting that I would hear back on Monday. I assumed that they would balk at the number of pieces, and whittle it down to half the amount. Instead, I got a phone call twenty minutes later.

“Sasha, you are a lifesaver,” Michael exclaimed. “It’s all absolutely amazing.”

“Oh, good,” I said. “Did you like the first draft of my ideas?”

“No, that was the final draft,” he chuckled. “I went over the layout with the CEO, and we agreed that it’s absolutely perfect.”

“Are you sure?” I asked. “I mean, I could easily switch pieces out, or highlight other themes if you want. I just meant to get our selection process started.”

Michael chuckled warmly. “Listen, we don’t know a damn thing about art. But what you’ve put together is cheerful, professional, and we love the angle of using local artists.”

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