Georgia didn’t know how to answer that, because she hadn’t figured it out herself. ‘How about I tell you something to cheer you up?’
‘Oh my God, you wore the dress, didn’t you?’
Georgia laughed, hoping her phone reception held while she was in the elevator. ‘I did wear the dress, and I’m seeing him again today.’
‘Business or pleasure?’
The elevator doors opened and to Georgia’s surprise, Luca was standing there, wearing jeans and a white T-shirt, one hand hooked into his pocket as his face broadened into a wide smile.
‘Ah, Sam? I’m going to have to call you back.’ She ended the call as Sam begged her not to, her eyes meeting Luca’s. ‘Good morning.’
Luca stepped forward and kissed her cheek, his hand grazing her waist. ‘Bonjour,’ he said, before kissing her other cheek. ‘It’s lovely to see you again.’
She inhaled the scent of his cologne, not moving until he stepped back slightly.
‘Have you had breakfast?’ he asked.
‘I have. But I’d love a coffee.’
His smile touched his eyes as he indicated towards the door. ‘I know just the place. We can stop there on the way.’
His car came as a shock to her, although given his love and knowledge of fine things it probably shouldn’t have. It was a grey Aston Martin, and she couldn’t help but admire it as he held open the door for her. Sam’s parents had always driven nice vehicles, but she’d never sat in anything quite like Luca’s car before.
‘This is quite the car.’
‘It’s extravagant, I know,’ he said, as he put his seat belt on and started the engine, which rumbled loudly to life. ‘But cars are my love language.’
She felt her cheeks heat as he placed his hands on the steering wheel, his fingers dancing lightly over the leather. He was talking about his car, but somehow she couldn’t stop staring at his hands, imagining him touching her so intimately.
‘We’ll stop at my favourite café on the way for coffee, and perhaps an Aprikosenwähe,’ he said, glancing at her as he drove.‘I wouldn’t want you to be hungry while we’re exploring the museum.’
‘After all the food we ate last night, I don’t think I’ll be hungry for days.’
He laughed, and she sat back deeper in the seat, turning her head slightly to study him. There was something about Luca; he drove an expensive car, yet still seemed impossibly down-to-earth, and there was an ease about the way he held himself, completely comfortable in his skin.
‘What would you be doing today, if you weren’t taking me sightseeing?’ she asked.
He took his eyes off the road for a second to look at her again. ‘I would be having brunch with a friend, or perhaps my mother, and then I’d go into work for the afternoon.’
‘So you’re a workaholic?’
‘I am,’ he said, glancing at her. ‘You were the same, when you had your business?’
She nodded and shifted slightly to look out of the window. ‘I was.’ Georgia sighed. ‘I’m starting to go crazy with nothing to do.’
‘Do you have any new thoughts? For what you want to do next?’
She chewed on the inside of her mouth. ‘That’s the problem. I’ve been so focused on the work I was doing, on getting our company ready for sale, that I didn’t give myself time to foster any new concepts.’
‘Well, perhaps you will think of something while you’re here, in Geneva?’ he said, pulling into a car park and turning off the engine. ‘Sometimes we come up with our best ideas when we’re least expecting them.’
She nodded. ‘Perhaps. I just, well, I want to love what I do next,’ she said. ‘If I’m completely honest, it was Sam who wanted to sell the business. We agreed at the very beginning thatwe would launch it and grow the company with the purpose of selling it, but in the end I would have preferred to keep growing it and have a majority shareholding.’
Luca turned to her, the space in the car suddenly making their conversation feel very intimate now that he wasn’t driving. ‘Then find another company to invest in or start, and don’t compromise. Perhaps you don’t need a partner this time?’
Georgia sighed. Perhaps he was right. But Sam had done so much for her; could she really tell her that she was going into her next venture on her own? Her friendship meant the world to her, and she wouldn’t do anything that might jeopardise it.
‘Coffee,’ Luca announced, getting out of the car and coming around to open her door. ‘And no more business talk, for either of us.’ Luca’s eyes twinkled as he spoke, surprising her when he took her hand.
