Glimmers (13 page)

I listen and watch his mouth move, but honestly, I’ve heard this so many times before. In fact, I already know what he’ll say next. My mind trails away from his words, and I notice the glass partitions separating the tables. An interesting pattern is etched across the opaque glasswork.

I’m taking mental notes of the designs, when Julian snaps, “Hailey, have you even heard a word I’ve just said?”

“Yes, I mean no, not really. Honestly, we’ve gone over this before. I’m just not sure how to break off the engagement. I need more time to think it through.”

“You were sitting right in front of me, but your mind was a million miles away.”

“Maybe.”

“All right, let’s just leave it for now. I’m not going anywhere. So, change of subject. What sort of new design plan do you have rolling around in that pretty little head of yours?”

“I have a fantastic idea for some added touches of color to put in your restaurant.”

“So, come on, let me hear it,” he says and lounges back. He actually cares about my ideas. He’s actually interested in my thoughts. He’s right, we do belong together.

“I don’t want to go home,” I say and glare at my parked car.

“You could very easily stay,” Julian reminds me. “Look, I know breaking up with Derek will be difficult for you, and I’m a selfish jerk. But you can’t blame me for wanting to spend more time with the woman I love,” Julian says, pulling me into an embrace. I lean further into his body and inhale, wishing more than anything I didn’t have to leave.

“I love you,” I whisper.

A jolt passes through Julian, and he pulls back, staring directly into my eyes. “You finally said it.”

“Said what?”

“Come on, I want to hear you say
it
again.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not doing any such thing. Besides, I’ve said I love you a million times.”

“Hailey, I think I would remember if you had.”

“Well, I have. And I shouldn’t have to say it all the time. You know how I feel. I mean, you know
everything
about me.”

“It would still be nice to watch your lips actually form the words.”

“Julian, I love you, and we’ll make this work; just give me a little more time.”

“I’ll take that,” he says with a smile.

“Thanks. I better head home now,” I say, as he kisses me goodbye. “I’ll see you tomorrow night?”

“I’ll be waiting . . . as always,” he says, placing a finger to his lips and then to mine.

It’s difficult, but I leave Julian and head for my home.

~ * * * ~

I’ll never forget the day I first set eyes on Julian. He had only just moved here from South Florida, where he was manager and part-owner of the hottest restaurant in Palm Beach. He was going to open a sister restaurant right in the heart of Orlando.

Guess who he hired to create the interior designs for his new restaurant? That’s right, me! And that was through a phone interview. We hadn’t even met in person, yet. I remember looking forward to his calls. Oh, how I enjoyed the sound of his voice. We would have the most delicious, maybe a little inappropriate, phone conversations. And he may have been a little overly flirtatious, but I liked it.

After a few weeks of this, my assistant and I arranged a meeting with Julian. In all honesty, I didn’t really have a good reason to meet with him face-to-face. I could have answered his questions over the phone, but I was just dying to see
this
particular client in person.

On that day, my assistant and I found Julian as he was circling the unfinished bar area. He stood amidst a complete mess, raking his hand through his dark hair . . . luscious. Immediately, I felt sorry for the guy; he looked so frustrated. I wanted to help him any way I could.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Medina,” I said from a few feet away. “Mr. Medina…Hello, I’m Hailey Smith, and this is my assistant, Stacey Potter.”

He finally turned around, and why was he just standing there like that, staring at the two of us, wearing a very strange expression? One thing was for certain, I was immediately drawn to him. He didn’t even have to speak. I was already completely hooked. Thank goodness, I was wearing a sexy dress. Every so often I would twirl just a little and wait for his reaction. I was well aware of how the fabric skimmed over my body. Actually, I really shouldn't have worn a sexy dress. What was I thinking?

Another second passed before Julian responded, “Of course, of course, thank you for coming. I have a million questions for you.”

Finally, he removed his hands from his hair, crossing them at his chest. He was a perfect stranger, yet I had the urge to comfort him. I collected myself and tried not to drool.

I lifted my shoulders and tried to sound professional, “Is there somewhere we can sit and talk? I need a surface to lay out my plans.”

Julian looked around the dirty room. What a complete disaster; it was as if a bomb had landed right in the center of his restaurant.

Finally, Julian motioned across the room. “There’s a spot, I just need to clean it up.”

He rushed over to a make-shift table, and we followed his dust ridden trail. I tried to keep from laughing, as I watched him scurry to a back room, only to remerge with a few pathetic looking paper towels. He was so cute.

I handed Julian my sketches, trying desperately to sound confident, “Now, I’ve reviewed the photos of your sister restaurant. I am very impressed by the innovative thinking that went into the plans. People just weren’t designing spaces like that back in the nineties. Your architect is quite visionary!” I said, trying to suppress some of my excitement.

“Thank you. I’m sure you are aware of the impact the surrounding design can have on our guests. It is imperative they enjoy themselves as they eat,” Julian said in an overly business-like manner.

“Of course, and I have incorporated all of the important details from the original site. I was inspired by the initial plans and added a few features. I hope you don’t mind.”

His expression pulled back into one of complete shock. “No, not at all. Please proceed,” he said, motioning his hand toward the sketches.

After reviewing my ideas for the restaurant’s interior, Julian appeared to relax. He also seemed to match my excitement over the new alterations. In fact, he surprised me by making some astute observations. I must say, I was very impressed by him in the end.

“You have no idea how you just helped me,” he said, as he walked me to the door. “Thank you for coming to see me on such short notice.”

“That’s what I’m here for. Please feel free to call me with any questions you may have.” And I hoped he would call, very soon.

“I will do that. How long will it be before we meet again?” he said, and I could feel a blush rise to my cheeks.

My professional exterior was fading away fast! I began to fidget with my dress.

“It will most likely be a week or so before I’ll have your designs complete. I’ll call you . . . um, so I can schedule a time for you to see them,” I said.

“I’ll look forward to our next meeting,” he said.

What I thought was going to be a polite handshake, immediately changed, when he lightly brushed his lips over the back of my hand. A strange electric current passed between us. What was that? I've never felt anything like that before. He pulled away, and I continued staring down at my hand. It was glowing, my hand was glowing. Well, not really, but at that moment, that’s what I saw. But I'm engaged to Derek.

Cautiously, I refocused my attention back to Julian’s face and muttered, “Goodbye.”

From somewhere else, I heard someone say, “Hailey, are you ready to head back?” I looked to my left, and there was my assistant, Stacey. Had she been there all along? Why was she wearing a devilish grin?

Before leaving, she and Julian gave each other a polite hand shake and said goodbye. We were cool as we left, but as soon as we reached the sidewalk, we giggled like little girls.

“All right Stacey, he’s cute, but we still need to keep this professional.”

“Cute, more like hot! And I don’t think he wants to keep things professional. Did you notice the way he looked at you? I think he was imagining you without that flirty little dress,” Stacey said and laughed. “For a second back there, I thought I’d have to douse the two of you with water.”

“Obviously, he doesn’t realize I’m already taken.”

“Obviously, he doesn’t really care,” she said, narrowing her stare and tilting her head. “What are you going to do about that?”

“I’m not going to do a thing! I’m perfectly happy with Derek! Our wedding is in four months!” I exclaimed and watched as Stacey rolled her eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, it’s just . . . I haven’t seen you act like that around Derek before.”

“Mr. Medina happens to be our client. So he ruffled my feathers a bit. It’s not a big deal,” I said firmly.

“All right
Boss
, whatever you say, but I think he ruffled more than your feathers.”

~ * * * ~

Why couldn’t I have met Julian
before
Derek entered the picture? I suppose I should have ignored Julian’s advances, but I couldn’t help myself. I can’t say I regret our time together either; the last two months have been unforgettable and exhilarating.

“What am I doing,” I whisper, as I enter my lonely condo.

As soon as I walk through the door, my greyhound dashes for me. What a great dog. Luke follows me to the couch and listens as I recount the evening's events. He agrees it's time to call off my engagement to Derek. The real question: how? Luke doesn't have an answer, but his brown eyes warm my heart.

I wish I hadn’t allowed so much time to go by before ending this. What a complete and utter nightmare! I guess I could just explain to Derek how I’m not right for him…I feel rotten.

I wonder if Derek and Stacey would make a good couple. I could introduce them. No, that would be awkward.

I know. Julian and I can run away together. I'll leave a nice little note, and . . . . No, I'd miss Paige and the kids too much. Wait a minute! I could have Paige do it for me! She's so good with things like that.

Luke's reaction is nice. In fact, each time I say the words, “Goodbye, Derek. It was never meant to be,” Luke licks my face! Next to my sister Paige, Luke is my best friend, except he knows about Julian. But the minute Derek walks in, Luke leaps up and bounds excitedly across the room. Derek quickly sets down his things, leans over, and scratches the anxious dog’s back.

“Traitor,” I mumble to myself. Did that dog even hear a word I just said? I'll need to remember to have Derek return his copy of my key. After all, this is
my
condo and
my
dog.

While I watch dog and man exchange greetings, I notice how disheveled Derek looks. His normally perfectly styled sandy-blonde hair is all over the place, and his work clothes are wrinkled. He has obviously had a rough day . . . poor guy.

After giving Luke his greeting, Derek looks my way. “Sorry about being late. I can’t wait until this project’s complete,” he says, while scratching between Luke’s ears.

“It’s all right,” I pause, trying to figure out what to say next. “Derek, do you think we could talk?” Concern floods his face, but he obliges and walks over to sit next to me.

Before I can even open my mouth, he interjects, “I’ll save you the trouble of having to spell it out for me."

How could he know about Julian? Wait a minute, how much could he possibly be aware of? I feel sick. This isn’t going like how I rehearsed.

“What do you think I’m going to say?” I question feebly.

“It won’t always be like this. I realize I’ve been away at work a lot lately, but as soon as this project’s finished, we can spend more time together. Perhaps even take a trip before the wedding,” Derek suggests, grinning in his silly way.