“My wife and I have visited the location,” Mayor Langston said. “If there’s any way you could preserve the natural vegetation of the land, that would be wonderful.”
Liza nodded. “We’ll be using environmentally friendly building materials, and I have already contacted a landscape designer who is familiar with the plants, flowers and trees that are native to the area.”
Eloise lifted her hand and wove it through her long blond locks. “It’s a beautiful design. Simply stunning. I love how open and unassuming it appears, at least, from the outside.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Bradshaw.”
“It’s Miss,” she corrected.
Liza nodded and watched as Eloise skirted her eyes at Anthony, making Liza wonder about the true nature of their relationship.
She ignored the sinking feeling in her stomach and walked over to her laptop. “If I could direct your attention to the screen, let me take you through a 3-D tour inside the clinic.”
Over the next half hour, she showed them the waiting room, a greenhouse-style atrium, an open-air café, the patient and recovery rooms, and one of the surgical units.
The entire time, Eloise and Jack had offered up more questions than compliments.
Mayor Langston listened attentively, yet also seemed a bit distracted.
But it was Anthony who was cause for concern. Other than his earlier enthusiasm, he stayed silent throughout the presentation. A strange tension filtered through the room, although nobody seemed to notice it but her.
“I’ve even increased the square footage of your office, Dr. Marbet,” she offered, hoping to break the ice and maybe untie the corkscrew knot in her stomach. “No more parking lot. You’ve got a view of the ocean, too!”
Jack sighed and his whole body seemed to shudder. “The good doctor’s got enough of an ego. Don’t feed into it, Miss Sinclair,” he advised.
Eloise turned toward him. “I’m sure he’ll let you visit from time to time, Jack. We all know how small your office is,” she said in a playful tone.
“Hey. I want to visit, too!” Mayor Langston piped in. “I’m in public service. My office is a broom closet.”
His words seemed to rouse Anthony and he laughed. Then, for the first time in over thirty minutes, he addressed Liza.
“All jokes aside, your design is impressive and very much aligned with my vision. I appreciate your attention to detail. But how much is all of this going to cost me?”
Liza clicked to another slide. “I’ve done a preliminary cost analysis, taking into consideration construction costs in this area. With careful planning and management, I believe we can complete this project within your budget.”
She watched Anthony’s face carefully, but he remained stoic and silent as he viewed the screen.
Eloise snorted in disgust. “That cost projection seems really high. Can’t we build the clinic with a cheaper budget than that?”
“Of course, one could always go cheaper with anything,” Liza replied patiently. “These prices reflect the cost of building ‘green,’ sourcing environmentally friendly materials and equipment, and acquiring the necessary certifications to achieve LEED status.”
“It’s like buying organic,” Mayor Langston said. “It’s good for you, but it’s more labor-intensive to grow vegetables without chemicals, so the consumer pays the price.”
Anthony stood and walked over to the rendering.
“I told Liza how important it is that we be mindful of the environment with this project, Eloise. I’m glad she proactively incorporated the costs into the budget.”
Liza felt her heart skip a beat at his words. He’d praised and defended her at the same time.
“Still, it’s going to be extremely important that we monitor our finances,” Jack added. “If we plan to franchise the clinic someday, we can’t be so overly extravagant that a physician wouldn’t want to open up one of their own someday.”
“Agreed,” Anthony said. “High-end but not so much that a prospective franchisee would have to sell his soul to the devil in order to buy into the business.”
He turned back to Liza. “Do you have any other designs to show us?”
Her cheeks flushed, and she shook her head. “No. I had started some other concepts but kept returning to ‘Serenity,’ so I decided to devote myself to fleshing this one out completely.”
Anthony smiled, and it seemed genuine. “I think that was a smart move, and the amount of effort you put into this presentation really shows.”
He glanced at his colleagues. “Anybody else have any other questions?”
Liza paused a beat until she was sure no one was going to address her.
“Thanks again for your time, everyone. And if you select me as your architect, I promise I’ll be a hundred percent devoted to this project from start to finish.”
She distributed her business card, and then quickly packed up her things while the rest of the group stayed seated.
“I’ll walk you to the door.”
He appeared distracted again and almost in a hurry to get her out of the room.
Though he maintained a respectable distance, she could almost feel the heat simmering between them as he shook her hand and gently let it go.
“I’ll be in touch soon with my decision.”
She fully expected to see the next candidates for the interview in the hall. Even though Anthony hadn’t told her when the other architects would be presenting, it seemed logical that they would all pitch their designs on the same day.
But when she exited the meeting room, the hall was eerily empty.
Liza frowned. She’d hoped to meet her rivals face-to-face. She might have recognized a few of them from industry conferences or other pitches. Anthony would only have considered the best firms in the country for his project.
Maybe they’d presented earlier in the week, she told herself as she walked outside. She lifted her arm to cover her eyes from the bright morning sun as they adjusted from the previous dim surroundings.
Or perhaps they were running late, which was always a way to irritate people. She hated being late or waiting for people who were.
She gave herself an imaginary pat on the back, glad that the presentation was over. There were only two possibilities now. She would either land the project and be able to advance her own vision for her new life in Bay Point or she wouldn’t and her plans would come to a screeching halt. Only temporarily, though, until she figured out a Plan B.
In either case, she wasn’t sure how she would ever forget the feeling of standing before Anthony and talking about the one thing that stirred her passions almost as much as he did: architecture.
Liza inhaled a deep breath and almost swooned from the salty air, fighting the urge to run down to the beach, which was only a block or two away.
All she wanted to do was dive into the ocean and swim until she couldn’t feel her body anymore. Maybe then, her desire for Dr. Anthony Marbet would be gone, too.
One step at a time. I need to get the gig first.
The mix of exhilaration and fear about all the unknowns she was facing in Bay Point was heady, and at that moment, she could only compare it to her growing feelings for him, which, if left unchecked, could quickly spiral out of control.
Chapter 7
From what Liza had heard, there wasn’t a person in town who didn’t fear for his or her life walking down the wooden stairs to Bay Point Beach. There was an almost identical set of new stairs being built several yards away, but the project wasn’t finished yet.
The sooner the better, she thought as she held onto the railing and dodged weak areas of the structure, thanks to tips from seasoned locals.
Last night, she’d been overjoyed to receive a text from Anthony asking her to meet him on the pier.
But
now, her stomach was a tornado of nerves.
She knew the only reason he would meet with her would be to let her know that he’d made a decision. And on a Saturday morning at 8 a.m., when she’d normally be buried deep within the covers of her comfy bed, the news had better be good.
She’d lain awake for a few nights wondering why he’d remained mostly silent during her presentation, giving his investors and the mayor free rein to ask questions. She’d turned over a variety of scenarios in her head, but then decided to let it go. She’d deal with the outcome, whether positive or negative, in her own way, and in her own time.
When she got to the last step, Liza breathed a sigh of relief, removed her sandals and dug her toes into the warm sand.
The beach was empty, except for a young couple walking a very wet golden retriever on the shoreline. Occasionally, the man would toss a tennis ball. The dog would bark and run into the water, and trot back with the ball in his mouth and what Liza swore was a smile of satisfaction on his muzzle.
She arrived at the pier, which had seemed farther away than it actually was, and Anthony was already there. His arms rested loosely on top of the wooden railing as he leaned against it, looking every bit as relaxed in the sunlight as she was nervous.
She slipped her sandals back on her feet. Behind her sunglasses, her eyes widened as she approached him. It had been a long time since she’d seen a man look so good in a pair of wet swim trunks. The material clung like second skin to his round buttocks. Water pooled at his bare feet.
She avoided the small puddle and slid into place next to him. The air seemed to hang between them like a cloud. The heat from his muscled arms radiated outward and grazed hers like a gentle breeze.
“Dogs have all the fun, don’t they?”
He turned toward her, with a bemused expression. A white T-shirt was tossed over his right shoulder, while water beaded and glistened on his bare, muscular chest. She felt herself stir with a deep longing to touch each and every drop with her tongue.
“And they get all the love,” she responded, pointing to direct his attention back to the shoreline where the owners were hugging their pet and praising his retrieval skills. “Even when they’re all wet.”
He smiled, white teeth dazzling in the sun. “Maybe I’ll be lucky enough to come back as a dog, in my next life.”
His eyes were shielded with dark glasses, so she couldn’t see them. It was like they were playing a flirtatious game, and though it was fun, if she didn’t hear his answer soon, she would burst.
Liza turned away from the scene on the beach, and slid her sunglasses on top of her head.
“We should all be so lucky. But I don’t think you called me down here to talk about dogs.”
She leaned her back against the railing, and felt the wood press into her skin like a veiled warning.
“So let’s get straight to the point. Have you made a decision?”
Anthony slipped his shirt over his head, and his mood seemed to change along with his clothes. Both of which she was sorry to see happen, but she’d waited over a week to hear the truth.
He wrung the last bit of water from his shorts and straightened the hem of his shirt.
“I have, but I don’t think you’re going to like what I have to say.”
He gestured to a nearby weathered bench, the only one on the pier. “Let’s have a seat, and I’ll explain.”
Liza frowned, a sense of dread welling up inside of her like a cesspool. She willed her feet to move and followed him.
She sat down and when he did the same, she managed to keep her eyes directed to his face, even though she wanted to let them roam down his body.
Anthony held the start of her commercial design career in the palm of his hand, and yet all she wanted to do was check out his package, she thought, chiding herself. But she also knew that a man with a body like his could make any woman forget about priorities.
He turned toward her and draped one elbow on the back of the bench, and she bit the inside of her lip in anticipation of his words.
“Remember when I told you that I was looking at several other architectural firms, in addition to you, to pitch designs for the clinic?”
Liza crossed her legs and her pale yellow skirt, which hit right above the knee, inched up slightly on her left thigh, exposing a little more skin than she’d intended. She left the material where it lay, not wanting to call attention to herself, and was surprised when Anthony’s eyes drifted down.
She smiled, enjoying the warmth that slipped through her veins. Though it was the barest of appraisals, she had to wonder if he liked what he saw.
“Yes. You mentioned that you could not tell me their names. Confidentiality is standard in the industry, so I wasn’t concerned.”
He swallowed hard. A small lump slid up and down under the skin of his neck.
“I never told you their names, not because of confidentiality, but because they never existed.”
Liza uncrossed her legs and sat up straighter.
“What do you mean?”
He looked her directly in the eyes. “I mean that I never requested any other quotes from any other architects, except for you.”
“Why, Anthony?” she choked out, as his words filtered through her mind.
He lifted the shades from his eyes, gliding them onto his closely shaved black hair, and folded his arms.
“The answer is simple. I went with my gut. I chose you.”
Chose her?
Though Liza knew she should have been happy, the matter-of-fact tone in his voice made her suspicious.
“Just like that?” she asked, moving her hands down to grasp the edge of the bench.
She didn’t want any special treatment. She wanted to win, fair and square.
Anthony nodded, his smile cryptic. “More or less.”
Her throat felt dry. “But...when? How? I don’t understand.”
“After the first interview and our first meeting, I decided to cancel all the other presentations, and take a chance on you. Once I saw your design, I knew I had made the right decision.”
He extended his hand. “Congratulations. You got the project!”
She ignored the gesture and stood up, and though she felt as if she were going to faint, she did not wobble.
Something was wrong. Unease trickled through her, like silt settling through pebbles at the bottom of a riverbed. Nothing she’d ever had in her life, that meant something, had come easily.
She stood up and backed away from the bench. “What kind of game are you playing?”
Anthony’s hand fell to his side, and a part of her was surprised at the look of shock on his face. She spun on the heels of her sandals and started walking away to the other side of the pier.
She heard his bare feet slap the wood and he jogged to her.
“What are you talking about?”
Liza felt his hand on her shoulder and turned.
“You made me believe that I was competing with other firms for the project, when there really wasn’t any competition at all!”
Her voice sounded shrill in her ears. A headache was coming on, joined by the confusion she knew wouldn’t go away soon.
“Only with yourself,” he said.
The wind blew her hair back, exposing the scar on her jaw.
“Myself? What do you mean?”
Anthony leaned against the wooden railing and nodded.
“When I first met you, you seemed a little unsure, even though you tried to appear confident. I knew that if you thought you were competing with other firms, you would do your very best work.”
First, he hides the truth. Now, he’s insulting me by acting as if he knows me? Was there no end to the man’s arrogance?
She knit her brows together and jerked her t
humb against her chest.
“I always do my very best work, no matter what,” she insisted angrily, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“Are you sure about that?” Anthony asked, his tone neutral. “Because after our first interview, I did some digging on my own.”
At his words, she felt her insides dry up and go hollow. A mix of anger and frustration rolled through her, but she tried to appear unmoved.
“I looked into those commercial deals that you told me fell through, but your explanation checked out okay.”
Liza clenched her fists with frustration. “Are you accusing me of lying?”
“Not necessarily. There were other potential commercial deals that you were involved in initially at your former firm. But you weren’t showing up at meetings, and when you did, you were distracted and totally not interested in the proceedings.”
He paused again. “Ultimately, you were asked to leave. Ring a bell?”
Liza felt her face get hot, and her eyes filled with angry tears. No way she would lend credence to his words by mentioning that her lackluster performance at her previous job was due to grief.
It was around that time that her mother had passed away suddenly. Shortly after surgery overseas. Cosmetic surgery that she didn’t really need. Performed by a doctor who claimed he knew what he was doing, and who, in Liza’s mind, ultimately had a hand in her untimely death.
Liza swallowed hard, and willed her tears away.
“How dare you investigate me!”
The waves roared in her ears as memories of her mother filtered into her mind, spreading guilt like a bitter balm.
Though she knew she shouldn’t be surprised by his inquiries into her life, for some reason, she was hurt.
His voice remained calm. “I go with my gut, but I’m not stupid.”
Liza walked a few steps away, blaming her hurt feelings on her deep attraction to him, which was getting stronger, even now, as she fought to regain control of her emotions.
Winning the Doctor Page 8