Page 81 of The Amazing Date

Kira gives him her best don’t you dare look. But Garrett is a businessman first. “Of course, Sylvie. Whatever is best for our client. I can have Rylee hand off her other clients to Kira.”

I should let it go, but I need to show Garrett I am a leader and can make the tough choices. “Actually, Garrett, we promised each of those clients I would lead their accounts. It’s a lot, but I can manage it if you assign Kira to work under me.” I emphasize the word under, knowing everyone will know exactly what I’m asking. Either elevate me or demote Kira. Either way, they need to solidify me as the top account manager in the firm. “A win for everyone.”

Given no option that he can take in front of the client, Garrett ends the negotiations. “Done.”

“This is why I love a small firm. No committee, no resource allocation forms, no bureaucracy. I hate bureaucracy,” Sylvie says, leaning back in her chair.

“So does Rylee.” Zion laughs in my direction. “Despises checklists, spreadsheets, the whole shebang.”

I stand and place a palm on Zion’s shoulder, both of us enjoying this meeting way too much.

“Are we breaking already?” Sylvie asks.

I shake my head. “No, I think you’ve got what you needed from me. I’m out of the office right now on vacation. I just wanted to drop in to meet you and run this past you.”

“Vacation? I’m impressed. You came in just for this meeting?” Sylvie twists yet again. “Garrett, this one’s a keeper. I hope you are treating her well.”

“Of course we are. Just like family,” Garrett returns.

I cup my hand and twist away from Garrett and whisper toward Sylvie, “Just like my family.” She snickers. Her conspiratorial laugh tells me Sylvie will not only be a great client but probably a blast at happy hour.

“What’s that?” Garrett asks at the end of the table.

“Nothing, Garrett,” I say and step behind my chair, hands on top of it. “Sylvie, a pleasure. Zion will stay for the remainder of the meeting. He’s brilliant, and I trust him. As you can see, we meet regularly even when out on vacation. When I’m not around, he’s the leader of the team. I’ll leave you in his capable hands.”

Zion wags his finger at me again, just as he did in the hallway, and mouths, This… keep doing this.

I nod at Garrett. His cheeks puff out, and an audible breath escapes. I’m sure he’s relieved this is over. And so am I.

I close the conference room door, and my knees go weak. I lean my back against the door and take a long, deep inhale. That was freaking incredible. Every nerve in my body is electrified. Work has never felt like this.

Following the rules and preparing checklists will only get you so far. There comes a time to follow your instinct, to follow your heart.

Speaking of hearts, as much as I’m loving this moment, half of my head and half of my heart is back in my apartment. I burst out the doors of the office and race back to my apartment. The one that houses my boyfriend. Yeah, I said it—my boyfriend.

Chapter 47

Roberto

It feels as if my life started with those five days in Puerto Rico. The first five days I spent with Rylee. Five days that challenged me and pushed me to places I never thought I would go. Five days that put in front of me the biggest challenge in my life—my accident.

Four years of tumbling down a dark rabbit hole, surgeries and disappointment taking me to my darkest days. Gabby pulling me out, saving me, yet I still suffered from the loss. A loss that I had attributed to my ability to draw, but now I know was so much more.

Rylee. She was the missing piece I wasn’t even aware I needed. I was living my life in a straight line. In control, planned, following the rules. And then Miss Troublemaker appeared, this whirlwind disrupting my world. This time, her special brand of chaos placed me on the rightful path of joy and happiness.

I’m sitting on the piers in Long Island City, another part of the city I had never heard of. It’s only a five-minute ferry ride from Manhattan, yet a world away across the East River. I stare at the Empire State Building from a new angle, from the borough of Queens. The sun is slowly sinking behind the building.

The beautiful Manhattan skyline has me sitting here, sketch pad in my lap as I draw. After flying for ten hours, Gabby needed nature and a long walk. She and Rylee are strolling up and down the beautiful Hunter’s Point Park as I draw. I’m sure they’re catching up on everything, all our secrets being exposed.

A warm, synchronized, familiar laugh fills the air, and I turn. Matching strides and smiles move in my direction. The two most important people in my life are giggling and licking soft-serve ice cream—Gabby vanilla and Rylee vanilla-chocolate swirl with rainbow sprinkles.

“So, Roberto, Rylee tells me that not only did you guys win the race, but you’ve got a new job and a possible gallery showing?” Gabby beams with pride.

I nod. Mr. Moreno hired me on the spot to help at the gallery. When Juanita arrived for lunch, he had her serve as my reference.

As for my artwork, he loved my early pieces. The one that got him to offer me a gallery slot was a drawing I did when I was eighteen of Gabby in the gardens. When he asked for recent drawings, I only had one complete—the one of Rylee sleeping on the bed at the Motel 6.

He took one look at it and whispered, “The troublesome muse.” We’ve talked about two separate exhibits, one what he is calling my island collection—sketches I’ve done of things and people from Puerto Rico—and then a future exhibit for the troublesome muse. A collection of an artist in love. He’s challenged me to produce half a dozen new portraits of Rylee over the next few months. With access to his artist studio, I’ll probably knock out two or three dozen. Just in the last day, I’ve locked away twenty images of Rylee I know I will be sketching.

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