Page 23 of You Are Enough

“Yeah, she did. Why?”

“If it’s okay with you, I’ll help. Tristan’s parents are in charge of the main food truck and have donated the tents, and since I know them, I thought I could lend you a hand. I can’t promise a lot of time, with my work schedule and all, but I do have an inside connection, and I’ve already taken off the day of the fundraiser.”

That made sense and would make things a little easier. “That would be great. I’d appreciate it.” Leila was excited to get things started. “Do you think you’d be able to arrange a meeting with them this Saturday? I’d love to see the different size tents they have so I can take notes and decide where everything can take place. I know it’s early, but there’s a lot to do, and it’ll take a while.”

Stacey took out her phone. “I work Saturday, but I can see if Elisha would be available for you.” She sent a text. “There, now we wait and see what she says. I’m sure Saturday will work. Shedoesn’t usually work on the weekends. If she does, it’s out of her home office.”

“Great. Thanks.” Leila stood and put her purse over her arm. She needed to get home.

“Elisha just answered,” said Stacey as she glanced at her phone. “She would love to meet with you Saturday. Would eight-thirty work?”

“Sounds good. Tell her thanks. I gotta run.”

Saturday morning, Leila was on her way to meet with Elisha Hensley. It was mid-June, and the weather was sweltering. It was going to be a long hot summer. This was her first summer away from Florida, and Leila found herself longing for the blue water of the coast. At least when it was this hot in Florida, the breeze off the gulf cooled things off if you were at the beach enjoying the water.

She pulled up to the large wrought iron gates with the W on the front and pushed the button to announce her arrival. The gates swung open, and she drove through. The sprawling grounds in front of her took her breath away, again. When she’d driven here with Chad and Jessica, it seemed odd that she knew someone who lived within these gates. Now she couldn’t ignore the churning of her stomach. Not only did she know someone, but he was showing interest. Their dinner discussion came back to her. He sure wasn’t one to hide his feelings, and he’d said he liked her. She willed her stomach to relax as she pictured him on his knees with his lips on the back of her hand. Heat churned in her gut.Get a hold of yourself. You don’t have time for him.

The long black top driveway with the perfectly manicured lawn lined with trees and rose bushes went on for what seemedlike forever. Finally, as she turned a sharp curve the massive turn-of-the-century house appeared. She parked by the first set of garages and stared at the monster house in front of her and laid her wrists on the steering wheel. “What could it have been like to grow up in this type of environment?”

She tried to picture Adler and Tristan running around the yard playing tag and throwing a ball down the hall of this immense structure. She struggled to imagine Tristan. He was a sweet, laid-back guy with no evidence of over-indulgence. On the other hand, she could see Adler perfectly within these walls.

This explains exactly why he acts like he does—or did.She couldn’t deny the guy she’d gotten to know lately was not as stuck on himself as she’d thought he was. Oh well. She had work to do. She climbed out of her car just as a woman was walking through the arched pathway toward her. Her long, straight black hair fell elegantly to her shoulders, and her tan skin looked lovely against her white top and black skirt.

“Good morning. You must be Leila.”

Leila shook her hand. “Good morning, Dr. Hensley. Thank you for meeting with me.”

“Please, call me Elisha. This isn’t work, so we can relax.”

“Thank you, Elisha.” Leila liked her immediately, and her shoulders became lighter. She trailed behind Elisha as they walked through the stone archway and nearly tripped over her feet as she entered the expansive yard that stretched endlessly in every direction. During the swim party, she had only been at the rear of the property, at Tristan and Adler’s residence. The existence of this entire area was a revelation to her.

The lawn was flat and backed up to an endless line of trees. To the left was pastureland with horses dotting the landscape as far as she could see. It looked much more immense than from the view of the guys’ pool and grill. There were some men standing around talking, and she about froze when she identified one ofthem. His dark hair and broad shoulders made him easy to pick out of a crowd. Adler.

“I’m sorry,” started Elisha. “But it seems as if I have something I need to attend to, but I’m going to leave you in the very capable hands of my son, Adler.”

Adler turned from the group of men he was in discussion with, and his face lit up when he saw her. Seriously, it lit up. She gave her head a slow disbelieving shake.

“Leila, hi.” He reached out and squeezed her hand in greeting.

Leila needed to get herself together. She wasn’t sure why she was surprised to see him here. It was his house, and his family’s company was the main sponsor of the fundraiser. She was bound to run into him eventually. She pushed her shoulders back, held her head high, and pulled her hand from his grasp.

“Hi,” she said, making sure her voice was flat and held no emotion.

“So, as I was saying, Leila. Adler will be your go-to for the fundraiser.” Elisha placed her hand on his shoulder. “He’s been a part of many fundraisers we’ve held here over the years and knows what his father and I expect. Whatever you need, just ask him. He’s to be at your beck and call and is to make sure everything is to your satisfaction and all your needs are met. No request is out of the question.”

Adler’s brows raised, and he cocked his head to the side.

Oh. My. Gosh. Seriously?She wanted to take back her need to work this part of the fundraiser—and her thoughts that he wasn’t as bad as she first thought—but refused to let his ego get to her. She pasted on a smile and hoped her words came out more confident than she felt. “Thank you, Elisha. I’m sure everything will be just fine.”

Adler shot his mom a confident grin. “Mom, don’t worry about a thing. Leila and I know each other. She’s a friend of Stacey’s, so I’ll make sure she gets whatever she needs and is fully satisfiedwith my services. We don’t want her to get a negative impression about the Warfield name.”

Leila glared at Adler.What’s up with him?

Elisha’s eyes closed slightly as they held on to Adler’s a second longer. “No, son, we don’t.” She turned to Leila. “Leila, if there is anything else you need, or Adler isn’t helping you, please let me know.”

“I will. Thank you.”

Elisha smiled and left them alone.

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