by AJ Riley
She could do this, she kept telling herself. No biggie, she would go down there and find that special something that he was looking for, give him a pitch, find Russ and tell him the news, then grab the first flight back to her life. This was for the best she told herself. It would be good for her career and she could restart her life with all of her past put firmly where it belongs, in the past.
He grasped her hand and gave it slight squeeze. “Pleasure as always.” And he turned and left the office.
CHAPTER 24
The moment that Greg left the conference room Amanda took a deep breath. How the hell was she going to do this? Running a hand through her hair she walked over and gazed out of the floor to ceiling windows. Reaching out she placed her hand on her stomach and unconsciously made small circles.
Her mind was swirling as well. She owed it to Russ to tell him but more importantly she owed it to herself to forgive him. She didn’t want to leave things as they were, she loved him and wither he loved her or not she would go. She would secure her future working relationship with Bassett Hotels, prove that she was a damn professional, no matter how unprofessional she may have acted when she was there last.
She tapped her finger against the glass and nodded her head to herself, she would do this. Turning on her heel she gathered up her laptop and files and strode out the door to her grandfather’s office. She had to inform him about this latest development. She could normally predict his response, but she didn’t know how he was going to respond to this.
With one sharp knock on the door she pushed her way in, letting the door gently close behind her. Strange, he had his chair swiveled to stare out of his own windows, was he in deep thoughts just as she had been? She started to say something when the whispering caught her attention. Who the hell could he be talking to and why was he whispering? She couldn’t catch what he was saying but it was so out of character.
When the chair suddenly swung in her direction she cleared her throat. Her grandfather looked up at her with a surprised expression that made her smile. It wasn’t often that she could surprise him.
The last time she had seen that look was when she told him she was pregnant. Amanda could smile at the memory now but at the time she couldn’t believe how demanding he had become. Wanting to know who the father was so he could hunt him down and force him to marry Amanda, thank God, she refused to tell him. If she had she would have had to tell him everything and he didn’t need to know.
Reaching a hand out tentatively he hung up the phone without so much as a goodbye, “Amanda honey this is a nice surprise. I thought you were in a meeting.”
Amanda walked over and sank down into a chair, “That is what I wanted to talk to you about. I met with Mr. Miller the head of marketing for Bassett Hotels and the owner is changing his mind, again.”
“You should be able to handle that, I have faith in your abilities.”
She watched as he steepled his finger and stared at her. It was the look that unnerved her more than his accommodating tone. What the hell is he up to? “I just wanted to let you know that they want me to come to the island and have a look around.”
He stood up suddenly and came around his desk to take the chair next to hers. Now she knew he was up to something. She let him take her hand in his as he patted it in a comforting gesture. “Grandfather what are you up to?”
“Nothing dear.”
Between her mixed-up emotions, the pregnancy hormones, and now her grandfather’s weird behavior Amanda couldn’t take it, moments ago she had told herself she was fine, but now, she was starting to get angry. “Oh my God, what the hell am I going to do? They want me to come back and look at the hotel. The owner wants to meet with me personally to go over my design ideas. He already approved the last set I sent him but now he has some bug up his ass that it has to be changed and I have to be there personally!” She knew that she would be on the next flight to the island, there was no way she would risk losing this account because she was having cold feet about seeing Russ again.
“Honey you know you mean more to me than anything. I’d never force you to go. I know you don’t have good memories of your time there. I would never cause you any pain, but I think you need to go just to prove that the memories are worse in your head then in reality. Besides it sounds to me like you’re going to be meeting with the owner this time. I think that might change your outlook on this situation.”
He was right that he wouldn’t force her to go but she knew that she wouldn’t hear the end of it. Plus, her own mind would always wonder what would have happened if she hadn’t been such a coward and faced Russ. No, she was going, she was not going to be weak. “Ok quick trip there and back. Then I’m taking some time off. Once the ads are approved I can delegate from anywhere.” She gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, and without waiting for a response strode from the room.
Feeling calmed now that the decision to go was made and solid in her mind she strode toward her office. Stopping as she reached Ann’s desk, “Ann it seems that I have to make a quick trip back to a Bassett Hotels property. Can you get me on a flight for tomorrow?”
Always efficient Ann smile, “I’ll email your itinerary as soon as I have it back from the travel agent.”
“Thanks.” Heading into her office she mentally put a plan into place. Pulling her calendar out Amanda noted the dates that she would be on the island and then the dates she would be on a true vacation. Sending a quick email to Stacy letting her know of the impending trip and the dates she would be covering her clients Amanda turned off her computer and strode toward the door.
Today was the last day she would wallow in self-pity. No matter what the outcome with Russ was, she could do this.
Okay she lied, she couldn’t do this. As Amanda entered the lobby she felt the butterflies invade her stomach, and her heart was racing. More than once on her way to reception she caught her eyes darting around searching for Russ. Oh my God this is ridiculous, she chided herself. I have other things to worry about than if Russ is lurking about.
After retrieving her key, she rode the elevator up to her room relieved that she was not on the same floor as last time. Amanda unlocked the door and dumped her luggage on the bed. Not wanting to waste time unpacking she put on her comfortable tennis shoes and left to check out the surrounding grounds. Last time she was here she saw a lot of the hotel and the island but not the resort itself, that was an oversight Amanda was determined to correct.
Feeling the sun beat down on her she let her mind drift back to the meeting with Mr. Miller. She understood that the owner wanted this hotel to stand out, to be different. Now she just needed to come up with an idea. As she walked along the path she couldn’t help but recall her conversation with Russ by the water fall. The owner had bought this resort with the idea to make it slower paced, more laid back.
With the new hotel name, she could easily take a few pictures of the waterfall and be out of here in an hour. While it would make for a beautiful brochure she didn’t want to use it unless she absolutely had to. She didn’t want to see her special place splashed across brochures if she could come up with something better that the owner would be wowed by.
As the paved path met white sandy beach Amanda stopped and toed off her tennis shoes. Squishing her toes in the sand she retrieved her shoes and contemplated her next move. Closing her eyes, she let the sound of the ocean wash over her instilling a sense of peace that she didn’t know she had been searching for. Inhaling deeply, she opened her eyes and tried to decide which way to start walking.
Unbidden Russ’ comment about the private villas filtered through her mind. Amanda looked up and down the beach trying to see if she could see them. I wonder which direction they would be, she asked herself. Well if she owned the island she would put them towards the less populated side.
Amanda wondered not noticing how far she had walked. She was more intent on the plants and flowers that she encountered. As she rounded a tall shrub she received her first glimpse of th
e villas. Without a doubt she would use the seclusion of the villas as the main focal point of her proposal. Noticing that construction materials were still littered around the structure Amanda decided to get a closer look.
As she walked up to the first one, the doors and windows were wide open, taking that as an invitation to snoop she quietly walked up the decking steps. Entering the villa, the first thing she noticed that stood out was how pale the walls were painted. They held the barest hint of blue. Stepping further into the room she could imagine two huge picture windows would fill the two currently empty voids.
The windows would have a beautiful view of the front walk way and tropical forest that was situated behind the villa. She wondered what kind of wildlife would be spotted through the windows. She imagined sitting in an overstuffed chair looking out the window with a cup of coffee watching beautiful and exotic birds.
Shaking her head, she made a mental note to mention that to the owner at their meeting as part of her pitch. Turning toward the hall, she wondered toward the back, finding a small powder room and bedroom across from it. Further down she found the master bedroom and stopped in the threshold.
The room was beautiful, if still unfinished. The entire back wall was made of sliding glass doors. If they were pushed completely open the bedroom would become an extension of the patio. Her feet moved her toward the door. She had to be outside, to take in the view.
Stepping onto the deck she noticed an outdoor shower and a hot tub partially hidden by tropical plants. At night she could only imagine the view from the hot tub, it was set up to have the perfect view of the sunset. This was a lover’s paradise, some place you could hide out and enjoy being with the one you love. If you didn’t want to see anyone else the villa was far enough away from the resort to feel secluded.
Lost in thoughts of lovers, and romantic nights spent in each other’s arms, Amanda didn’t notice when someone joined her on the deck.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Startled she turned toward the voice and her breath caught in her throat, did her thoughts of romantic nights materialize him? Her fingers tingled at the thought of reaching out to touch him, of wrapping her arms around him and begging forgiveness for the way she treated him when she was angry and hurt, but the small part of her that was still hurting kept her from doing so.
With a deep breath she raised her eyes to meet his.
“I didn’t mean to sneak up on you. I was just checking on some of the renovations.” He said taking a step closer to her.
“Don’t.”
“Amanda please listen, I have so many things that I need to apologize for.”
She did also but could she get through this and still be functional for her meeting? With a resounding no in her mind she held up her stop his progress toward her.
“Russ, I can’t. I can’t do this right now. I have a meeting in just over an hour and I can’t have this conversation with you.”
“Screw your meeting just listen to me.”
Amanda could feel the hurt turn to anger, why was he so insistent to do this now? Why wouldn’t he listen to her and wait? “No, I said I can’t do this now.” She started to walk past him. Stopping when he gently grasped her arm. Her gaze met his and she could see the concern for her reflected in them and felt her resolve start to slip.
A whispered plea escaped her throat before she could stop it, “Russ please, you have to let me go. I promise we can talk later.”
Russ took a step back, “I’ll come for you, I’ll always come for you.” He quietly told her.
CHAPTER 25
Amanda had to get through this meeting and solidify her career then she would talk to Russ. With the plan firm in her mind she took a quick shower to freshen up and headed toward the meeting rooms. As Amanda walked into the conference room she was shown to for her meeting, she was surprised to see Greg already at the table. She thought she would have a few minutes to settle in before anyone arrived. Nothing seemed to rattle Greg and she truly enjoyed working with him even when he had to deliver ultimatums that she didn’t like.
“Good afternoon Mr. Miller, I mean Greg.” She said with a smile.
When he turned in her direction his eyes were filled with friendly concern. “Well you look much recovered since I saw you last.”
She laughed, “It’s only been a day. I don’t know if it’s a fair amount of time to tell me I look better. I am feeling better. Must have been a quick flu.” She said trying to cover the trembling of her hands. She sat across from him with her back to the door and took out her notes. She was busy scanning her notes when his question caught her by surprise.
“So, when are you going to tell him?”
Startled she looked up at him. “I’m sorry I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He couldn’t possibly know she told herself.
“From the look on your face you know exactly what I’m talking about. I didn’t have it all figured out until I got back. I had some help, but I put the pieces together quickly. So back to my question. When are you going to tell him?”
“Honestly I don’t know what you think you pieced together and I don’t know why you have taken an interest in me but let me tell you I am not flattered. I am a very busy woman, is your boss going to show up soon?” She made a gesture of looking intently at her watch and then back at Greg. Anything to avoid the knowing gaze. How in the hell had he figured it out after only meeting with her a few times?
“You haven’t figured it out yet have you? Holy crap and Steph said I was slow. Well this should be interesting. Oh, and I knew that I had seen you somewhere before. Remember I had mentioned it a while ago in your office.” She remembered the conversation. “It was here that I first saw you. You were with a man named Russ in the bar. Then I saw you again in the bar, but you were not too happy, so I didn’t approach you.”
Amanda could feel all of the blood rush out of her face. Shit, she had kept it together almost all day. She managed to keep some broth down at lunchtime and everything. She thought she was over this but with the mention of Russ, she knew she was going to be ill.
Amanda sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. She took a few deep breaths and tried to will her stomach to calm. She felt some one, and knew it had to be Greg, standing beside her. When she slowly opened her eyes, she saw a glass of water and some crackers on the table in front of her. That was her undoing.
She felt the tears rolling down her face. She turned her face up to look at Greg “Thank you. That is the nicest thing anyone has done for me in a while.” She said as she reached for a cracker and the water. She took a tentative bite of the cracker and a sip of water. She wanted to make sure it was going to stay down before she ate anymore.
She almost laughed at the stunned look that crossed Greg’s face. He must not deal with emotional women very often. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.
He looked truly apologetic, “I’m sorry I attacked you with questions when we met a few days ago. I was just surprised when I saw you. I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what. That is until I got here and was talking to Steph. She figured it out pretty quickly.” He said with a smile.
Amanda knew he wanted to know the answer, but she didn’t feel right talking about it until she had a chance to talk to Russ. He deserved to know first. How was he going to react? What kind of an arrangement would they be able to come to? She wanted a husband, house, white picket fence the whole nine yards, but would he want to be that man? Would he just walk away without a backward glance?
That was the thought that scared her the most. She could feel the tears start to fall again. She couldn’t seem to stop them and knew that it was making Greg uncomfortable. She rose from the table and was about to excuse herself when she felt Greg pull her into an embrace. She was momentarily frozen but found being held by him comforting. It was like having an old friend to lean on. After trying to be strong for the past few months, it was nice.
“Well doesn’t this look cozy?
” Russ’ outraged voice came from the doorway.
Russ could not believe his eyes. Greg was standing there with Amanda wrapped in his arms. His Amanda, what the hell was going on? Greg was his friend, but Russ wouldn’t hesitate to rip him apart. Greg knew how Russ felt about her. What game was he playing? Russ could barely see through the furious haze that clouded his vision. What the hell was Greg thinking holding his woman like that. He could tell that she had been crying and it made his chest ache.
Was Greg the reason she was crying? What had he done to her or said to set her off? He needed answers and he needed them now before he lost what little control he had.
“Greg, would you mind telling me what you think you are doing?” Russ demanded as he let the door slam shut behind him. He didn’t need anyone over hearing this conversation especially if Greg didn’t think his answer through.
Russ watched intently as Greg released Amanda and made sure she was steady on her feet. He watched as Greg reached out and ran his thumb over Amanda’s cheek to wipe away the traces of her tears. That should be me, Russ thought. He clinched his fists but released them when Greg met his eyes. “Actually, I think that you and she really need to talk. I’m just going to excuse myself.”
Russ watched as Amanda’s hand shot out to stop Greg. As if she was afraid to be alone with him. He knew he had hurt her,but he prayed she knew that he would never hurt her. “Greg what about our meeting? I need to get this finalized.”
As Greg pulled her in for another hug he felt his control slip a little bit more. Greg needed to stop putting his hands on her. He had never hit his friend but with each hug and caress he was getting closer and closer to stepping over that line.
“Oh, I think we can reschedule it for later.” Russ said as Greg slipped from the room.
“Russ, I really can’t do this with you now. I have an important meeting and then I’m on the last plane out tonight. I must get this meeting done. I promise to come find you before I leave. We have things that we really need to discuss. Things that have been put off for long enough.”