My cringe was voluntary and noted by my bestie, who never missed anything.
“Oh, no. You did not.” She was already laughing at me.
I nodded, wincing all over again as sinful images played out in my mind like some twisted fairytale. “I wasn’t trying to do anything, but he insisted we have lunch, which ended up being on his boat.”
“Boat?”
“Yup.”
Amelia leaned forward. “Describe this… boat.”
“A yacht. A fucking gorgeous ninety-eight-foot dream house on the ocean water. You wouldn’t believe how incredible it was, so comfortable with attention to every detail. I don’t know where we sailed, but the water was teal and so clear you could see fish and coral clearly from the upper deck. He made me lunch. Himself. Do you believe it? Shrimp cocktail with shrimp the size of my hand. After that were these huge club sandwiches on focaccia bread that was fresh from the oven with homemade pasta salad. Just incredible. And the wine. Oh, my God. I shouldhave told you to try and find this cabernet and… And I’m not being very transparent. Am I?”
“Oh, I think you are. In fact, you’re nearly invisible, girl. Sounds pretty darn romantic to me, especially since you set sail. You have me curious. What time did you get back into the marina?”
Why did she feel the need to bat her long eyelashes at me?
I cringed and grabbed the bag of Oreos. I needed chocolate for this admittance. “Sometime in the middle of the night.”
She smacked her hand across her mouth with a loud crack. Her eyes were utter saucers and I suddenly felt so small I could slide into a crack on the wooden floor.
“Oh, my fucking God. You slept with him.”
“Shush. I don’t want the neighbors to hear.” I threw my hair over my shoulders before shoving an entire cookie into my mouth. If all else failed, I’d eat my weight in cookies.
When she squealed, I gave her another dirty look. “That’s amazing. Tell me everything. I already know the setting was straight out of a romance novel.”
I chewed while glaring at her. My nerves remained smack on a steep precipice.
“Shush. That’s not amazing. I broke the single rule I have for the company.” Another cookie was needed.
“Yeah, but you made the stupid rule. You can change it. Oops. You already did.” She was having way too much fun with my mistake and that’s the way I needed to consider it.
“Very funny. Having a line drawn between business and pleasure is very important so details don’t get lost and linesblurred. When any emotions are involved, that can mean miscommunication and ultimately a breach of the contract. With a legal document of this nature and all the ramifications possible, personal conflicts would be disastrous.”
Amelia frowned. “When you put it that way then I can see your point. What did you tell Christian?”
“Nothing. Get this. He left me on the boat.” Now it was a boat. “With a note demanding I contact him Monday morning sharp.”
Her face was pinched to the point she had to be feeling pain. “Ouch. I change my verdict. Not much on being romantic. Huh?”
“He’s an ass and I made a huge mistake, but I’m a big girl. I can admit my fault and move on.”
“So you’re really not going to take the job.”
“I don’t know how I can after what happened.”
She sat back, sipping her wine. “That’s a lot of money.”
“I know, which is another reason for being in such a funk.”
Reaching across the table, she grabbed my hand. “We’ll think of something. We always have. You need to follow your heart and your mind, or you’ll never forgive yourself.”
I sighed from relief. Maybe I needed her to tell me that it was alright to turn him down. “You’re sure? I value your opinion.”
“No, I’m not sure, but I’ve known you a long time, girl. If you’re uncomfortable about this now, imagine how you’re going to feel every time you speak with him. I’m sorry it didn’t work out. Maybe once a snake, always a snake.”
I appreciated and valued her words very much.
