“Where’s Chaz?” Felicity asked.
“He went home right after the ball. I stayed and helped Mom with some things, but now it’s time for me to get back. I’m so sad that you’re leaving FI. Where are you going?”
“I’m graduating tomorrow, and then I’m going to take some time off.”
Even though her gaze was trained on Savannah, in Felicity’s peripheral vision, she could see Austin standing behind his sister. Even more, she could feel his gaze on her. She resisted for as long as she could, but finally, she glanced up at him.
He looked as bereft as she felt. If it wouldn’t have caused such a scene, she would’ve screamed at him. What? Dammit! What do you want from me? You’re not the one who gets to stand there looking all sad. You’re the one who wanted things this way.
“Well, I hate it that you’re leaving, but the time off is well deserved. I know that workaholic brother of mine thinks that working is everyone’s favorite pastime.” Savannah turned to include Austin in the conversation. “Someday he’ll learn.”
Felicity forced her smile back into place, because it felt as if it was slipping. “I don’t know. I think it’s his nature. But I need to go. It was great to see you, Savannah. I’m bad at goodbyes. So I’m going to walk out of here like it’s any other day.”
Only, if it was any other day, she would’ve stayed until after everyone else was gone, rather than being the first one to leave. But this was a new beginning.
“Could you stay for just a few more minutes?” Austin asked.
Felicity blinked. She really didn’t want to, but if she said no in front of Savannah, his sister would know something was wrong.
“Sure, Austin.” Her voice shook a little and she hated herself for it. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves.
Thank goodness, Austin had already begun calling the room to order.
“May I have everyone’s attention, please?”
The room quieted in an instant, all eyes on Austin.
“I’m not going to lie,” Austin said. “I am pretty torn up today. Because what does one do when they are losing their right-hand person? No offense to you, George, but Felicity and I go way back. Sometimes I think she knows me better than I know myself.”
Oh, God, Austin, please don’t do this.
Despite the way she’d been able to hold herself together, she felt her composure starting to slip. She tried to remind herself, again, that this was all his doing. Well, not all his doing. She had been the one to initiate the kiss. But if he had wanted her to stay, he would’ve told her so, and things could’ve been quite different right now. But it was what it was, and she was not going to cry.
She didn’t even hear the rest of what Austin said, but the next thing she knew, he was gesturing toward a potted rosebush that was sitting on a nearby table. “This is for the greenhouse that I had installed in your backyard today.”
“What?” Maia was supposed to let a courier into Felicity’s house today, so he could pick up the greenhouse to return it. Apparently, Maia had been working with Austin behind the scenes.
There was no need to make a scene. She would assess the situation when she got home, but in her gut, she knew that if the greenhouse had already been installed, there was probably no sending it back. The only thing she could do was be gracious as Austin gestured toward the rosebush and leaned in for a kiss on the cheek.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you,” he whispered as everyone else in the room applauded.
“I’m sure you will be fine, Austin. You’ll be just fine.”
* * *
“What’s going on?” Savannah asked after she and Austin were in the car and on the way to the airport.
“Do you mean right in this moment, or with life in general?” Austin asked her, though he knew exactly what she meant.
“Don’t be a smart-ass. You know what I’m talking about.”
Austin slanted a glance at his sister, trying to figure out the best way to skirt the subject. He did not want to talk about it right now.
“Eyes on the road, buddy. Drive and talk.”
He was silent for a few beats too long.
“Why is Felicity quitting? Tell me the real reason.”
“She is graduating with her MBA tomorrow. She’s overqualified to be my handmaiden. It’s time she moved on.”
Savannah was quiet in that way people were when they weren’t buying what you were trying to sell.
“I mean, think about it,” he tried, desperately needing to fill the skeptical silence. “It would be a colossal waste of her time, talent and energy if she used that expensive education working as anybody’s assistant. Even mine. Especially mine.”
“And what happened to the advertising director position Dad was supposedly creating for her? It sounded like a dream job for someone in her position. It sounded like Miles was pretty gung ho about it. He was going to have her work with Georgia and between the two of them—”
“I know that. It didn’t work out.” He didn’t mean to growl.
“It didn’t work out for who?”
“I don’t know. You’ll have to ask Dad. No. Don’t ask Dad.”
“Well, I am going to ask Dad. In fact, I’ll call him right now, if you don’t tell me what’s really going on.”
Austin stared ahead at the ribbon of highway that stretched out in front of him. There was remarkably light traffic for a Friday evening. His heart felt very heavy as he relayed everything that had transpired between Felicity and him to his sister.
When he finished, she sat there for a moment without saying anything. Then he wished she would’ve remained silent because all she said was, “You’re an idiot. I love you, but you’re still an idiot.”
“Yeah, I suppose I am. But that’s not going to change anything. It’s a whole hell of a lot more complicated than that.”
“What are you talking about? You are in complete control of the situation. You are the one who is keeping the two of you apart. My God, Austin, sometimes you are your own worst enemy. Don’t you see it?”
“Obviously not.” His voice was monotone, because if he didn’t keep it calm and level, he really felt like he was going to lose it. Not on his sister, but just on life in general.
The past two weeks he had been mad at the world because of the catch-22 he had found himself in. “If I would’ve defied company policy and continued to pursue the relationship, she not only would’ve lost the advertising job, but Miles probably would’ve fired us both. Then irony of ironies, she ended up turning the job down anyway.”
“So...” Savannah dragged out the word. “I don’t get it. What’s keeping you apart now? The minute Felicity walked out that door, she was no longer a Fortune Investments employee. What’s stopping you now?”
Nothing.
Everything.
Austin’s head swam, and his aching heart thudded in his chest.
“She doesn’t even want to talk to me. I screwed it up as I always do with things like this. It’s over. It’s done.”
“It never even started, Austin, because you didn’t give it a chance. Felicity is not Kelly. And you’re letting Kelly rob you of a whole lot more than money if you let the ghost of your relationship come between you and Felicity.”
Essentially, Felicity had said the same thing.
“Anyone who knows the two of you can see as plain as day that she is in love with you. And I know you and I can see that you are in love with her. You’re just too big of an idiot to get out of your own way.
“Actually, let me rephrase that—you’re too scared because of how things went down with your ex-wife to let things bloom with Felicity. You will be an idiot if you don’t go after her and let her walk away. Austin, don’t let her walk away. You have used work as an excuse for too long. You’ve been hiding behind the one mistake you made when
you were twenty-five years old. It’s time that you forgive yourself, quit punishing yourself. Put the past behind you and start living the life you deserve.”
* * *
Sometimes it just took somebody you loved and trusted to hold up a mirror in front of your face, so you could see exactly how big of a dolt you were being and how much you stood to lose. Tonight, Savannah had held up that mirror.
Austin could feel the feelings she was talking about. He knew they were there living inside him, trapped in his heart, but he couldn’t identify them to save his life. Not until his little sister had shone the spotlight on everything and made him realize he had to face his fears.
Thank God, Austin thought. Thank God he had snapped out of it before it was too late. If it wasn’t too late already. He’d never know unless he tried.
On the drive home, after he’d dropped Savannah off at the airport, everything crystallized. Why was he willing to watch the best thing that had ever happened to him walk out of his life forever, without at least trying to save the relationship?
Felicity was worth it.
The two of them together—they were worth it.
They deserved a fighting chance. He didn’t know if she felt the same way, but he would be an idiot if he didn’t at least do what he could to let her know how he felt. The best way to start was by telling her exactly how he felt about her. He was in love with her. This wasn’t just a passing whim. These feelings had been building for nearly five years. He owed it to himself and to her and to their future to let her know how he felt, even if it meant risking her rejecting him and telling him she didn’t feel the same way.
On the drive home, an idea brewed. A big gesture. It might very well backfire in his face. Felicity might look at him and tell him to go to hell. But he had to do it. He had to chance it. Because she was the love of his life.
* * *
Felicity woke the morning of her graduation feeling empty and overcome by a sense of gray ennui. Maybe it was mental exhaustion after everything she had endured the past two weeks. Actually, going back even further than that—the whole buildup to the charity gala, the buildup and eventual letdown with Austin. The final two weeks at Fortune Investments spent avoiding each other in an awkward dance of pretending. Or, at least, pretending on her part. Then, the grand finale when she thought Austin would be a no-show at her going away party, and true to form, then Austin had changed everything, coming through the door at the very last minute.
But now, she was free. She wouldn’t have to ride that roller coaster any longer. The messed-up thing about it was she was sad. She had worked so damn hard to get to this day, to get her MBA, which was supposed to set her free, but now more than ever she felt as if it had been the instrument of her demise.
She got out of bed, shuffled into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee that had autobrewed, knowing that she was being overly dramatic. The MBA hadn’t been the cause of her demise. What happened between her and Austin had been inevitable—and so had their parting of ways. This was like the day after an accident where she had been banged up. She didn’t realize how badly her pride had been wounded until now; it had suffered a beating. Every day from here on out, she would get stronger and feel better. The first thing she had to do was make sure she held her head high and kept a positive outlook.
She had just finished showering and getting dressed when Maia knocked on her door. Her arms were loaded down with makeup and hair implements.
“Good morning, graduation girl. On a special day like this, I come to you. Is Beauty ready for the royal treatment?”
Ahh, Maia. What would she do without her friend? Even if she did sometimes take matters into her own hands, like she did with the greenhouse. Last night, when she had gotten home, she had scolded Maia for being in cahoots with Austin about the greenhouse, but all Mira had said was, “It’s a nice present. Just be gracious. Or if you don’t want it, I’ll take it. I don’t know what I’ll do with it, because you’re the woman with the green thumb, but you can’t give it back now.”
She was right. After mulling it over for a couple of hours, Felicity decided there was a lesson in it. In these new days of freedom, she needed to free her mind of the structure and the worry that had gotten her nowhere.
So, she relaxed with a mimosa from the pitcher that Maia had mixed. The friends chatted away about everything and nothing as Maia fixed Felicity’s hair and makeup for her big day.
Three hours later, Felicity had her diploma cover in hand and she walked out into the audience of the auditorium to meet her mother and Maia who had come to cheer her on.
Her mother stood there with Maia, who held a bunch of sunflowers bound by a beautiful green ribbon in one arm like a runner-up in a beauty pageant and a bouquet of balloons in the other. She looked as if she might float away if a big gust of wind happened to blow through. Alas, they were indoors so there was no chance of that.
By this time, the auditorium had started to empty out. The people who lingered were gathered in small knots, congratulating their graduates with high fives, hugs and gifts. As her mother held out her arms and gathered Felicity to her, murmuring about how proud she was of her, Felicity reminded herself of how lucky she was to have the love and support of these two wonderful women. That love was guaranteed to last. It wouldn’t float away like balloons on a storm. She had so much to be grateful for, and soon this empty feeling would dissipate. She would fill it with new adventures and she would feel like herself again. Eventually.
No, not like herself, maybe a better version of herself? Actually, right now, she would settle for feeling like herself again, because when she put everything else aside, that wasn’t a bad thing.
Then she saw him. He was standing a few rows back holding a bouquet of roses. At first, she thought her mind had conjured the vision, that her eyes were playing tricks on her. Because ever since the kiss—the kiss that had changed her from the inside out—Austin Fortune had been living in the back of her mind. He had taken up residence in the hollowed-out place in her heart that felt like it would never again be whole because he held her heart in his hands.
But Felicity blinked, shook her head, and he was still there. He lifted his hand, tentatively as she pulled out of her mother’s embrace. Almost in unison, Maia and her mom turned to see who she was looking at.
“Oh!” the two women said.
“Maia, is that who I think it is?” Mom asked in a stage whisper.
“Yes, it is. You know, I need to visit the ladies room. Who wants to come with me?”
Felicity’s mother raised her hand. “I do.”
The women hadn’t taken two steps before Felicity saw them motion to Austin to approach, and then, as they walked away, they were chattering on about how good-looking he was and what a gorgeous couple he and Felicity made. If Felicity had been in her right mind, she might have turned and walked away with her mom and Maia, but she was rooted to the spot.
“Congratulations,” Austin said. He handed her the blood red roses. There had to be at least five dozen. The bouquet was almost unwieldy, but it was breathtakingly beautiful. Austin shoved his hands in his back pockets. “I hope you don’t mind me being here, but your graduation was on my calendar and...and I had some things to tell you. Don’t worry, I’m not here to try to convince you to come back to work. If you want to get a new job, I just want you to be happy.”
He pulled one hand out of his pocket and raked it through his hair and muttered a choice word under his breath. “And I am making the biggest mess out of this. It’s so damn hard for me to admit my feelings, because for the longest time I didn’t believe in true love. I was convinced it was a myth.
“But then you came along, and you made me a believer. Not that love was a myth. You made me believe in love. What I’m trying to say in my clumsy way is I’m in love with you, Felicity. I’ve probably been in love with you since the moment I first saw you. T
here’s a dozen roses for every year we’ve known each other. And if you’ll give me a chance, I’d like the opportunity to give you many more dozen roses in the years to come. Can we start over, or better yet, pick up where we left off in the hallway of the Roosevelt and—?”
Felicity didn’t let him finish. She shifted the bouquet to one arm and threw her other arm around him, planting a kiss on his lips that left no doubt where she wanted them to go next.
When they finally came up for air, she said, “Austin Fortune, you’re still a piece of work, but you’re my piece of work and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love you so much.”
At the sound of clapping and Maia’s whoops, Felicity turned around to see her mother and her friend beaming at them. As Austin put his arm around her, Felicity shifted the bouquet of roses from one arm to another. A few petals floated to the ground.
Beauty had finally tamed the Beast.
* * *
Afterward, Austin took Felicity, her mother and Maia to Commander’s Palace for a celebratory dinner. It was important for Felicity to bask in her accomplishments, surrounded by the people who loved her. Austin was so happy to be part of the celebration, but he would’ve been lying if he didn’t admit, the entire time, all he wanted was for the two of them to be alone.
He’d waited years for her—even if he hadn’t been fully cognizant of that fact until a few weeks ago.
Now, they sat in his living room. The only question was, where did they go from here? He handed her a glass of champagne. As he lowered himself onto the couch next to her, she smiled and gave her head a quick shake.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing.” She squeezed her eyes shut and smiled. “This is dumb, but I just realized this is the first time that I’ve been to your home and it hasn’t been about business.”
Austin searched her eyes, looking for a clue as to how she felt about being there. Was it too much? Was she putting on the breaks? He knew what he wanted. He wanted Felicity and not just for the short-term. But he needed to make sure she wanted the same thing.
A Fortunate Arrangement Page 16
