At five-thirty, I got up and took a shower, then spent over an hour doing my hair and makeup, which I’ve never done before. I’m not sure it’s worth it. I look pretty much the same as I did twenty minutes of primping ago. My hair is down, and I’ve managed to put beachy waves into it, but my makeup looks the same as it always does—good but not “I just spent two hours with Bobbie Brown” good.
I’m dressed in the black silk dress, praying I don’t start sweating the moment I get to Theo’s office. I wanted to remind him of our first good conversation at the mixer. The first time we actually laughed together. In exactly one minute, the cab is going to pull up and I’ll get in, then make the quick trip to the Rojas Rum, Inc. headquarters building, where Jaquell will greet me. And then…
Then I’ll find out if it’s too late or not.
The four-story building is every bit as grand as I expected. It’s British colonial-style, like much of the architecture in The Bahamas. A grand entrance welcomes visitors into the ornate white building, looking less like the international head office of a multinational corporation and more like some romantic hotel from years gone by. When I open the tall wooden door, I’m greeted by an enormous foyer with murals painted on the high ceiling. Potted palm trees line the walls, highlighting the shiny marble floors. I take a moment to look around and am about to go to the reception desk to check in when I hear my name.
“Nora?”
I turn to see a smartly-dressed older woman smiling at me. “Jaquell?”
She nods. “Come this way.”
I follow her up a wide staircase that leads to the second floor and a bank of elevators. She pushes the up button, and the doors open immediately. Once we’re on, she presses four. “How was your flight?”
“Good.”
Giving me a knowing smile, she says, “Did you get any sleep last night?”
“Not a wink.”
“Love’ll do that to you.”
The doors open, and she steps off. I follow her, my cheeks hot as the knowledge that she knows why I’m here sinks in. When we get to the end of the hall, we go through a set of doors that leads to an empty reception area. Of course it’s empty. It’s not even seven in the morning. This is ridiculous. Who confesses their love for someone this early in the morning?
Jaquell leads me through another set of doors that open to an airy office with a large desk. I immediately assume this is Theo’s office, until I notice yet another door behind it. When we go through that one, I know we’re finally in the right place. Theo’s office is huge, with tall windows overlooking the city and the sea. His desk is enormous and masculine and gives me some ideas about what two people could do at seven a.m. if they happen to be in love. My body heats up at the thought.Down girl. You don’t want to start sweating.
“Make yourself comfortable,” she says with a warm smile. “Theo should be here any minute. He knows he has a meeting, but I haven’t told him who’s coming. I thought the element of surprise might work in your favour.”
I hope she’s right. I nod, my heart pounding. When she turns to leave, I’m tempted to grab her hand and ask her not to go, but of course I don’t. The door closes behind her, leaving me alone with a few final seconds to prepare for the most important conversation of my life. Oh God, what am I even going to say to him? I had everything so carefully planned out, but now that I’m here, all coherent thoughts have left my brain.
I hear his voice on the other side of the door, and my stomach flips.This is it. My one shot. Don’t fuck this up.
Suddenly he’s standing in the doorway, dressed in his dark grey suit, his gorgeous face cycling through a range of emotions. Surprise, happiness, and anguish are all visible before he settles on his usual neutral, “I’m in control” expression.
“Hi,” I say, testing my voice.
“Hi.”
Jaquell pushes Theo into the room and shuts the door behind him, which doesn’t seem to register because he’s just staring at me.
Say something, idiot.“You’re probably wondering why I’m here.”
“I am.”
“In that case, I should tell you.”
“I’d say so,” he answers without even a hint of a smile.
“I forgot how intimidating you can be.”
“I’m not trying to intimidate you. I’m just trying to figure out what you’re doing here.” He shoves his hands in the front pockets of his slacks.
I fidget with my fingers, utterly terrified. “I needed to tell you something. A lot of things, actually.”
“You could have called. You have my phone number.” His eyes bore into mine.
“The things I need to say are more of the in-person type than the over-the-phone type.”
