by Pratt, Lulu
“This is our first corporate booking, so I want everything to be perfect. It’s an office holiday party, so we want it to feel festive and familiar. Make sure you call the client to get the company logo for the decorations,” I reminded her, watching as she quickly scribbled a star onto her notebook using a red gel pen.
“Yes, I’ve already emailed her and I’ll follow up with a call this afternoon,” Samantha assured me, always on top of the tasks I assigned her.
“Perfect. I talked to Dylan about updating one of the rooms into a suite, and I need you to follow up on that too,” I added to her mounting to-do list as the thought crossed my mind.
By adding Samantha into the mix, I’d taken a load off myself. Too proud to let down a stranger, Dylan had done everything to prevent disappointing Samantha, when he’d usually ignore my badgering. She was a godsend.
“Don’t worry. I’ve already got the room cleared out and painted. We’ll move in the furniture as soon as the paint dries,” she smiled, obviously proud of her accomplishment.
“You’re the best,” I sighed, releasing a deep breath.
“Thanks. Now, let’s get ready for this tasting,” she smiled, glancing to the front of the room.
We were catering the gala, in addition to providing the space, so today was about sampling the menu to make sure everything was delicious. Our head chef, Pierre, was setting up his menu on the pre-approved table décor that would be used at the gala. Standing back, I was in disbelief of how much had changed in the dining hall I’d grown up enjoying peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in.
“It’s beautiful,” I heard myself say, amazed at the progress.
“Ms. Foster, you have a call,” a cheery voice called from behind me.
“I’ll be right there!” I yelled back without turning to see who had made the announcement. “Tell them to keep going.” I glanced at my watch. “We should begin the tasting in twenty minutes or so.”
“Who is it?” I whispered before picking up the receiver. The young blonde girl was a brand new employee, and from the bright red hue of her cheeks, I knew she had forgotten to ask, so I waved her off before bringing the phone to my ear.
“This is Ms. Foster, how may I help you?” I answered, my voice authoritative and professional. Over the past few weeks, we’d been receiving more cold calls than normal, a direct result of an ad campaign I’d launched on social media.
“Ms. Foster, this is Mr. Hatch,” his voice melted my certainty, leaving me a giggling mess.
“Jude! I didn’t know it was you. What are you doing?” I asked, embarrassed beyond belief.
“Oh no, I don’t want Holly. Where’s the professional lady who answered the call?” he teased, the amusement evident in his voice.
“I don’t have time to play games on the phone with you. Some of us have to work for a living, you know?” I joked.
“Yeah, I’m finding myself a bit confused with so much time on my hands,” he said, his voice drawn out in a sexy drawl that sent waves of desire through my pelvis.
“Not enough to do in li’l Savannah to keep you busy, huh?” I quipped, unsurprised that Jude was bored after living in a big city for so long.
“Holly, don’t discount my thinking of you to boredom,” he said flatly, and the butterflies in my belly flew in rapid circles.
“Well, you could always come now and keep me busy if you’re really thinking about me,” I heard myself say, shocked by my bold nature.
“It took you entirely too long to get around to that,” he sighed as the sound of an engine coming to life drowned out his words.
“Is that what you were waiting for?”
“I woke up waiting for it.”
His words were seduction, his tone dripped with lust as the sound of his engine dominated the call, loudly communicating his eagerness.
“I’ll see you soon.”
I forced the words before gently placing the receiver back on the handle, hoping the receptionist wasn’t able to notice how affected I was by the call. On unsteady legs, I returned to the dining hall, glancing through the large windows on the way, hoping to see Jude arriving.
“There you are! Pierre is almost ready for the tasting, but I wanted to show you what we did in the spa before we get started.” Leann beamed with excitement, over what I wasn’t sure.
“Oh, okay,” I nodded quickly.
“Wait. Something’s wrong,” she hesitated.
“No, no,” I shook my head, averting my eyes.
“No, something is up, Holly. I know you. You’re… blushing,” she accused, squinting her eyes to get a better look.
“It’s from that call she got,” the receptionist spoke from out of nowhere, drawing both my and Leann’s attention. My look must have revealed my sudden longing to fire her, because the poor girl returned to organizing the reception desk with a new-found concentration.
“A call from who?” Leann returned her gaze to me suspiciously.
“It was nothing. Jude called and I told him he could come by,” I shrugged, watching her lips twist as her eyebrows rose with curiosity. “It’s not like that. He’s bored in Savannah. I mean, can you blame him after years in New York?” I tried to change the subject, but Leann wasn’t budging.
“Yes, I know. Jude Hatch, the highly sought-after celebrity in Savannah, who has everyone from here to the state line vying for ten minutes of his time just can’t seem to stay busy,” she mocked, raising her hands in the air as if it truly were a cold case.
“He’s just coming by to kill some time,” I insisted, though deep down I knew it wasn’t true.
She was right. Everyone in Savannah wanted a visit from Jude, and I knew firsthand how impossible it was for him to visit with everyone. During his last visit home, before we spent our night together, he told me all about how he could never find the time to see everyone in the two-week visit.
Between his family, friends, old flames and teammates, I knew Jude wasn’t short on people to spend his time with. Leann was right — he was a celebrity by all accounts. So, his decision to spend day after day with me was both a privilege and a massive cloud of guilt following me around.
“I do remember you telling me about you two killing time at your brother’s the other night. It was outside, right? With his tongue down your throat?” Leann asked just as we entered the spa.
Yanking her by the arm, I pulled her into a private massage room, carefully looking over my shoulders to ensure my mom was out of earshot.
“Are you crazy? You know my mom will go wild if she hears you!” I whispered as loudly as I could manage. While she had made it clear that she had no problem with my brother and Jude maintaining their friendship, I knew my mom would lose her mind if she knew he was Chris’ dad.
“Oh, relax! I made sure not to use his name!” Leann argued, crossing her arms as if she were ready for a fight.
“Just go ahead and say it, Leann,” I urged with an attitude.
“Say what?” she countered in an innocent tone.
“It’s written all over your face. If you want to give me a lecture, just go ahead and get it over with.” I rolled my eyes.
She was the only one I had ever told about my night with Jude. Subsequently, she was the only person to know Chris was Jude’s son. It was my way of minimizing the lectures without eliminating the message. Leann wasn’t the type of person to bite her tongue, and as much as I wanted to deny it, I needed to hear what she had to say.
“It’s not a lecture, Holly, just a reminder. Don’t you think he deserves to know? Chris is so sweet and special. You know Jude, he wouldn’t want to miss out on so much,” she made her case.
“Miss out on what? Chris throwing up and pooping every two minutes?” I giggled, trying to downplay my decision to keep such a huge secret. My heart warmed thinking about Chris.
“Holly, this is going to be Chris’ first Christmas. And Jude is here! Doesn’t he deserve to spend such a special moment with his son?” she whispered the words, knowing how
delicate a secret she was speaking.
“How does this sound, ‘thanks for coming down to hang with me today, Jude. Oh, and by the way, Chris is your son. Want to try my cornbread?’” I put my hands on my hips, stressing the absurdity of her suggestion.
“I’m not saying you have to do it right now, Holly, but just think about it. He obviously wants something with you. Honesty will go a long way,” she pushed softly.
“Leann, he doesn’t want something with me.” I shook my head. Jude had his own life, with a new shiny promotion waiting for him when he returned to New York. There was no way I was going to ruin that for my own selfish reasons.
“Are you kidding me? You can officially cancel the pity party. You were obviously much more than a one-night stand to him!” Her words were protective now, speaking to the broken version of me who spent many nights during my pregnancy crying on her shoulder.
As the only person to know my secret, she was the only person that could help me through the reality of the after-effects of my fantasy. She knew how insecure I was about Jude, and so only she could truly understand how much it meant to me that he was so interested in spending time during this trip.
“I can agree with that. I was no one-night stand,” I smiled, and we shared a quiet moment together, silently acknowledging a battle we’d gone through together in secrecy.
“Well, at least we have that much to agree on. Now, let me show you my surprise,” Leann wrapped her arm around my shoulder before leading me out of the room.
“It’s been nice spending time with him,” I admitted.
“I know. And I just think if you gave it a chance, it could be even better with Chris there too,” she suggested.
Again, I knew she was right. But it was too much to risk. Just the thought of Jude learning the truth was enough to send me into a panic attack. With things going so well between us, I couldn’t risk destroying everything and flipping both our worlds upside down.
Chapter Twelve
JUDE
AFTER A SLOW start to the day, an invitation from Holly was like a breath of fresh air. A morning with my mother began to feel suffocating. At one point, she changed her attack and started asking when the lease on my place in New York was up.
Looking for a way out of the house, I visited an old college buddy at his new law firm, but everything there seemed to remind me of Holly – from his plans to surprise his wife with a spa day at Christmas, to the light in his eyes when he spoke about the birth of his new daughter.
It took all my might not to call her sooner, knowing how much work Holly needed to get done at the hotel. Even the tone in her voice when she took my call was enough to scare me into backing out, but I couldn’t find it in myself to give her space.
I needed her.
“Good afternoon. Do you have a reservation?” A young blonde asked as I approached the front desk of Savannah Serenity and Spa. She was struggling to bat her eyes at me but instead looked like she was trying to get rid of something in her eye.
“I’m looking for Holly,” I said curtly, glancing over my shoulder for a sight of Dylan or Holly.
“Oh, Ms. Foster? Uh… Is she expecting you?” the young girl asked, ruffling through a stack of papers before picking up a walkie talkie.
“Wait. Don’t do that,” I stopped her, holding my hand out. “Just tell me where she is. I’ll go to her.”
“Oh, she’s just in the conference hall. I can take you,” she smiled, biting her bottom lip as her eyes roamed my body.
“No, I’ve got it,” I forced a smile, wondering if the receptionist could be any more desperate.
“Oh, okay,” I could hear the disappointment in her voice as I turned to the dining hall.
“How are you today?” A young man dressed in a black suit asked as he passed by, a stack of crisp white towels in his hand as he headed to the spa.
“Hey,” I nodded, again shocked by how much the hotel had changed in recent years.
Holly had done so much to take what used to be a small hometown bed and breakfast less than a decade ago to the likes of a high-end resort. As always, memories flooded my mind as I walked up to the sound of a loud conversation. Mr. Foster used to wear the same set of overalls daily, nothing like the fancy tailored suits of the current employees, and boy did it make a difference.
“I don’t want any plates leaving the kitchen without perfect plating. Each attendee needs to have a five-star dining experience, and that means it should look as perfect as it tastes.”
Holly’s voice cut through the silence of the large room. The hardwood floors had recently been polished, evident from the strong smell of lacquer mixing with the holiday aroma. A Christmas tree stood in the far left corner, at least twenty feet high, accentuating the unusually high ceilings.
“Yes, Ms. Foster,” the crowd answered in unison, all their eyes glued to Holly, who stood with her back to me.
Watching her as the boss lady she had become, I couldn’t stop the naughty thoughts dancing around in my mind. She was so sexy taking charge, and from the way she stood, delegating tasks to each employee, I knew she was comfortable in her new role leading the family business.
“Ms. Foster, we’re ready to begin testing,” a man dressed in a white chef’s jacket and matching hat announced from the back entrance to the room.
“Okay then. Let’s get started,” Holly began, glancing over her shoulder to the door.
When our eyes locked, I felt a deep connection in the pit of my stomach as the excitement brightened her hazel eyes. Her lips curled as she averted her eyes, unable to disguise her feelings. I made my way across the room with my eyes still trained on her, wishing she knew how mutual the feeling was. Even in front of her staff, I wanted to wrap her in my arms, bring her lips to mine, and taste the sweet flavor of her mouth.
“There you are,” she smiled. “You know Leann,” she reintroduced her friend I’d met plenty of times before.
“Hey, how are you?” I asked, extending my hand, but Leann refused to even look in my direction, quickly explaining to Holly that she needed to tend to an issue at the spa.
“I’ll let you know how the tasting goes,” Holly assured her, but Leann was already halfway out the conference hall.
“Okay, everyone knows what they have to do,” Holly nodded at the group of employees, sending all of them in different directions as they went about their tasks.
Following Holly’s orders like everyone else, I sat in the seat she motioned to, but my mind was on Leann for the moment, wondering the reason for her strange behavior. Glancing at her, I wondered if she had told her best friend about our night together, remembering how women liked to share secrets.
Though we’d never promised each other secrecy, I hoped Holly knew I’d kept our night together to myself. She was too special for bragging, and besides, I was never the type to kiss and tell.
“How long were you back there?” Holly asked, jolting my thoughts.
“Watching you be a CEO?” I quipped.
“Oh, stop. This is our first holiday gala, I’m so nervous!” she leaned close to whisper her admission, and the smell of her perfume washed over me and I felt my body begin to react to her presence.
“You’ll do fine, babe,” the words fell out of my mouth just as my arm draped across her shoulder. The need to touch her was instinctual.
“You think so?” The innocence in her eyes as she glanced at me was so endearing I had a strong urge to look elsewhere, but some piece of me must have enjoyed the uncomfortable feeling because I refused to look away.
“I know so.” I stared deep into her eyes, watching the doubt fade from her vision as a smile spread across her face. Watching Holly’s shoulders relax, I knew there was no better feeling in the world than giving her the assurance she needed.
“First, we have an eggplant Parmesan tower, featuring goat cheese, Gorgonzola, and smoked brisket, topped with a balsamic glaze,” the chef announced at the end of the table.
Holly refused to
look away, so I had to break the staring spell between us, turning to face the proud chef. Setting two white porcelain plates trimmed in gold in front of us, my eyebrows rose at the sight of the dish.
“Wow. This looks incredible,” I said. The plate reminded me much more of New York City nights than anything I’d ever eaten in Savannah.
“Chef Pierre has worked in some of the finest restaurants in the world. He’s revamped our entire restaurant, elevating the menu with his unique flavor combinations.” Holly smiled at the chef, pride in her eyes.
She was back in work mode as we both reached for our silverware before I cut into the small layered dish. The knife slid through the layers as cheese oozed over the crispy eggplant Parmesan. Mixing with the balsamic glaze, the flavors danced in my mouth, melting on my tongue.
“Absolutely delicious. My God,” Holly sighed, tilting her head back with satisfaction. Pierre’s cheeks reddened as he clapped his hands with joy.
“This is incredible,” I managed when my words returned.
“Perfect! Now the salad!”
He was gone before I could compliment him any further, leaving Holly and me alone at the table, as a young woman came around to take our plates just after I finished my last bite.
“Don’t get full on appetizers. Pierre has a full menu for us to taste,” Holly warned.
“Where did you find him?” I wondered aloud, still impressed by the chef’s dish.
“He’s so not ‘Savannah,’ right?” she giggled, knowing exactly what I was thinking without my ever needing to express it.
“Right!” I chuckled, wiping the side of my mouth with the embroidered napkin.
“Pierre really just fell in our lap. He was traveling here for a conference and just fell in love with the city. He bought a house just out of the city, and needed a kitchen he could call home,” she smiled recalling the story and I felt my face shifting to return the gesture.
It was nearly impossible to not feel excitement as I watched Holly smile so deeply, her cheeks curved in for a small dimple in her left cheek.
“And Savannah Serenity was a perfect fit,” I raised my hands, looking around the grand room.