Fated to be Yours (8 page)

“Ready to go? We don’t want to keep them waiting.” Kara gives me a quick look over and smiles. “I love that outfit on you. It’s one of my favorites.”

“Thanks. You look great too.”

“Do you have all the files?” she asks as she walks over to my desk.

“Yes. They’re all set and ready to go. We can just bring my laptop bag if you want since I have everything right here.”

“Good idea. Less is more. I knew there was a reason I brought you along.” She winks at me before shoving me toward the closet to put my shoes on. “The car is waiting for us downstairs so let’s get a move on it,” she says with a bounce in her step.

“You are way too perky. How much coffee did you drink when you woke up from your nap?”

“Just enough.”

I grab my stuff and we head down to the elevator. Kara’s cell rings as we make our descent to the lobby. It shouldn’t surprise me that it’s Christopher Mattson, our CEO. Of course, he’s concerned about our meeting this afternoon with the board. But probably not too much since it is Kara who’s heading up this project. I half listen to their conversation while humming along to the music that’s being pumped out of the speakers in the elevator.

I look up at the massive building that the town car has stopped in front of. It’s definitely old world architecture, with the brick front and bronze rooftop. People are walking quickly up and down the sidewalk as we enter and make our way up to the fifteenth floor. Now that we’re in the confines of the elevator, my nerves kick in and I begin to fidget with my clothes and bag.

“Nervous?” Kara asks me. I chew on my bottom lip, more than likely taking off all the lipstick I had applied before we left and nod my head.

“A little. So what exactly are we going to be doing in there?” I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear, mindful I should really stop the nervous gesture.

“Basically this is just an introductory meeting. They’ll let us know what they want us to do and what we expect from them. A meet and greet of sorts I guess is a better way to put it. It’s not much different than the other meetings we’ve been to before.”

I give her an incredulous look and she laughs. “We’ve never had a meeting span over a week before Kara. This is way bigger than just flying out to Dallas to seal the deal.”

“Fine. It’s a little larger than you’re used to, but it’s a good thing. Besides, I believe afterward we’re going out to dinner with them to relax a little and get to know each other more casually. Chris says this foundation is really laid back and admires hard work and dedication. So that’s what we’ll show them.” Kara takes a brief moment to straighten out her skirt from any wrinkles that may have formed in the car. As if wrinkles would even dare form upon her clothes. I’m fairly sure she’d put the fear of God in them as well if they ever decided to show.

When the elevator doors open, I half expected to see a blank hallway with maybe a few paintings lining the walls, leading to multiple office suites. Instead, we’re gifted with a beautiful entryway leading into their office, the only one on the floor. The glass doors are frosted with large modern silver handles. Their logo and the words Tree of Life Foundation are etched directly in the middle of each door. Pale blue walls greet us as we walk into the sitting area of the office. Small potted trees of all types are placed in every corner and comfy oversized chairs make up the rest of the room. Soft classical music is being played overhead, creating a peaceful environment. There’s a large marble desk located in the middle of the room. A petite young woman is stationed there and looks up as we approach the counter. Her bright, friendly smile, as she stands to greet us, helps calm my nerves a little.

“Good afternoon. You must be Ms. Thomas?” Her voice is soft and light with an almost ethereal tone. There is absolutely no way that she’s more than twenty years old with her flawless complexion and light brown hair.

“Yes, I am Kara Thomas. This is Ms. Tessa Martin,” she says as she waves her hand next to me. I give a nod and a quick smile. Her petite little frame comes to life as she giggles while scrunching her shoulders together. The way her nose wrinkles in the process makes me want to adopt the girl. She reaches over the desk to shake each of our hands. I’m almost afraid to do so for fear of breaking her dainty little wrists.

“Of course. It’s a pleasure to make both of your acquaintances. Right this way, please. I’ll show you to the boardroom where they are waiting for you.” She walks us down a short hallway and holds open the last door on the right while she ushers us inside.

“My name is Annabelle. If you should need anything, please just let me know.”

“Thank you so much, Annabelle.”

With a nod and a smile, Annabelle turns and gracefully moves back to her desk.

The boardroom is a smaller room with a solid oak table in the middle with around ten leather bound chairs that are placed around it. There’s a wall of windows directly behind the table with a gorgeous view of the river. For a large foundation such as theirs I would have expected something a little more elaborate than this. But according to Chris this foundation is very laid back and I can most definitely see that. I know very little about the Foundation other than it’s multifaceted in its works and projects.

There are only two people seated at the table, a man who appears to be in his fifties and a woman who looks to be in her mid-forties.

“Ah, Ms. Thomas I presume?” the gentleman says as he rises from his seat.

“Mr. Wallace. Mrs. Hughes. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” Kara walks forward and shakes both their hands.

“Please, call me Charles,” Mr. Wallace says, reaching over to shake my hand next.

“Allow me to introduce my assistant, Ms. Tessa Martin.” Kara smiles in my direction. “She’s my lifesaver.”

“And we all need one of those. Pleased to meet you, Ms. Martin. I’m Priscilla,” she says. She reaches her hand out to mine, encasing it with a firm grip. She and Kara will get along just swimmingly based solely on that handshake.

“Please, call me Tessa, thank you. It’s nice to meet you both.” My nerves strike up again as I sweep a section of hair behind my ear. Both of them smile at us and seem like genuinely happy people.

“Are we waiting for the other party to join us?” Kara asks, taking a seat at the table.

“Unfortunately no. You’ll have to excuse Mr. Parker’s absence. He’s unable to attend this meeting but said that he will join us for dinner afterward,” Charles says, reclaiming his seat.

“I’m sorry that he’s unable to make this initial meeting and look forward to meeting him later this evening.” She looks between Charles and Priscilla, who gracefully lowers herself back into her seat. Rather than be the awkward one still standing, I sit next to Kara, setting my laptop bag on the floor next to me. “It’s my understanding that Mr. Parker is the one who will be foreseeing the project taking place in the States, correct?”

“That is correct. Mr. Parker is our head of operations and he likes to take a hands-on approach when we open new centers around the world, which is part of the reason he is unable to join us right now. He’s just returned from several meetings with other similar foundations over in the United States and he had a few loose ends to tie up prior to this meeting,” Priscilla says with a smile at Kara.

“I assure you that you’ve made the best choice in seeking out Mattson and Associates. As you know, our record speaks for itself. I know you’re familiar with the Excelsior Foundation’s success and what an integral part we played in their campaign,” Kara says warmly. A smile comes across my face because I love seeing Kara in her element. She may come off as sweet and dainty but when it comes down to the brass tacks, she means business. This is her baby, her calling. I only wish I had half the determination and control that she possesses.

“Yes, we are quite familiar with the successes of your company and are extremely eager to begin this venture with you. Now let us get down to the nuts and bolts, so to speak,” Charles says with a slight chuckle.

As I sit and listen to everyone discuss contracts and building requirements, I determine that I’m going to like working with this foundation. Charles is so cute in a grandfather type way. He’s a balding man, a little round in the belly, but still seems so worldly. And Priscilla is very proper with her blonde hair cut in a very elegant bob. She reminds me of Mary Poppins a little with her mannerisms and gestures. I silently giggle to myself as I picture her standing on a roof, singing with Dick Van Dyke covered in soot and two small children running around jumping from chimney to chimney. She’s almost what I anticipated a typical British woman would be.

“Well I think that was an extremely productive meeting, don’t you?” Charles says.

When I look down at my watch, I’m amazed that an hour and a half has flown by. All I did was sit and listen while taking a few notes for Kara regarding the foundations needs and what they expect from us. Kara did everything to ease their minds and assure that we have a plan in place to make everything happen.

“I agree. I believe with all the information from today’s meeting we’ll be able to type up our formal proposal,” Kara exhales with a smile.

“Shall we continue on to dinner? I’m eager to get out of this office for the night,” Charles says as he stands from the table.

“Those exact same words echo through my brain every day,” Kara says. The entire table laughs as the rest of us stand to exit.

“There’s a restaurant not far from here that we’ve made reservations at. A local place that I think you’ll both enjoy,” Priscilla says.

“Sounds great.” I inwardly roll my eyes at the minimal contribution to the meeting. Kara bumps my shoulder, flashing me a smile. I’m sure she can hear my thoughts and knows that I need a little encouragement.

We meet up with Charles and Priscilla at the entrance of an alleyway after being dropped off by our driver. Kara and I look at each other, shrug our shoulders and follow them down the narrow corridor, unsure of what to expect. Generally I would expect a dive bar or tavern if I’m heading down an alley but since it’s London I’m trying to keep an open mind.

Charles stops at a set of wooden doors, holding them open for us as we all walk inside. Thank heavens I didn’t pass judgment too soon because I would have been sorely mistaken. The restaurant is beautiful. It’s tastefully designed with a flare of elegance in a partially finished industrial space. The vast open space has more tables than I would have guessed judging by the outside appearance of the building. Each one is draped with a neatly pressed white linen tablecloth and surrounded by polished black wooden chairs. The contrast between the black and white makes it aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Beautiful drop lights hang from the ceiling and fresh calla lilies in crystal vases adorn each of the side tables around the room.

Charles gives his name to the hostess, who informs us that our other party is already seated and waiting our arrival. She escorts us to the back of the busy room where we see a large table that is occupied by a single male facing away from us. My steps falter as we come closer to the table. There’s a change in the air that has my skin erupting in goose bumps and my heart beating slightly faster. I don’t know what’s happening or why I’m reacting like this until I see Charles walk up to the man and firmly clasp his shoulder.

“Ah, Parker. I see you made it.”

The mysterious Mr. Parker stands from his chair and turns to greet the rest of us. But when his beautiful face comes into my view my heart stops beating as I stare into the crystal blue eyes of someone whom I didn’t think I’d ever see again.

Holy shit. It’s him.

H
E’S REALLY HERE, STANDING IN
front of me in all of his beautiful glory. Andrew, the mystery man who grabbed my attention and stirred up something dormant inside of me, bringing up feelings that I had pushed away and didn’t even realize that I was still capable of having. But yet he easily drew them out of me with little to no resistance. Strange.

He’s impeccably dressed, of course, sporting a perfectly pressed gray suit with a light green button up underneath it, sans tie. The top two buttons are undone, allowing his golden skin to peek through, giving me a slight glimpse of smooth muscle underneath. Niagara Falls has taken a permanent home in my mouth as he straightens to his full height while threading the button of his suit coat through the hole. My eyes follow the movement and my tongue involuntarily darts out to wet my bottom lip.