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Despite wanting to appear perfect, I also didn’t want to keep Mr. Handsome waiting, so I did my best to clean up some more, put on a fresh dress that I thought hugged my figure in all the right places, and did some makeup. I only let myself take another twenty minutes, hoping Lukas wouldn’t mind waiting that long.
As I came out of the room again, I looked around for him, but he was nowhere to be seen. I exhaled and took a moment to try and compose myself again. Even after spending the night with him, I had butterflies in my stomach. Although he had been wonderful to me this morning so far, I feared him growing cold and deciding he hadn’t enjoyed spending the night with me all that much.
So many times, I had started a relationship just to find that the guy I was with wasn’t a decent person or just wanted to screw and not much else. I didn’t want that here, but I feared that I had already made it far too easy. It was hard to deny our chemistry, however.
Pushing the worries aside, something I was getting used to since arriving here, I made my way downstairs to the veranda to see how many others were having breakfast.
Juno was easy to spot, at the far end and sitting on Jack’s lap. The two of them had already finished breakfast. I looked around for Lukas, but before I could find him and see if he still had space at his table, a woman approached me.
“I’ve spent the last hour hearing all about your interior designs and seeing the photos of your work Juno has on her phone, and I must say that they are fantastic. I have a project that I might like you to work on. Can we talk it over while we do breakfast?”
“You’ve not eaten?” I replied, and then I could have hit myself for being so blunt and rude. “I mean, thank you for the compliment. But I don’t want to keep you if you’ve already had food. I’m sure we could talk whenever is most convenient for you later.”
“Oh, nonsense,” the woman replied. She linked her arm through mine and steered me away to a table that was mostly empty, giving me no opportunity to look for Lukas at all. “I didn’t get a chance to eat. I was too busy checking out what you’ve done. I googled you as well. I hope you don’t mind. You’re on the verge of being one of the next big designers, and I want to be able to say I had you on my project before everyone else wanted you.”
I felt a thrill of delight at the compliment but also the fear that came with that kind of pressure. I hadn’t been pursuing the limelight. Intentionally not.
“I’m Sarai, by the way. You’re Kit, right?”
Again, I nodded and didn’t say much. Sarai seemed more than willing to do most of the talking, and for now, I was happy to let her.
“You’ve been talking to Lukas a lot as well, haven’t you?”
“Yes. He’s a complete gentleman.” I frowned, trying not to show my fear as I wondered where she was going with that. This was a strange conversation, and I already felt overwhelmed by it.
“I’m glad you like him. I think he’s a darling, and he’s amazing at what he does. Just like you.”
“I’ve not seen much of his work, but Juno thinks he’s good and I trust her opinion.”
“Oh, as do I, sweetheart. As do I.”
Over the next hour, Sarai ran through her proposal for some themed vacation parks and how she wanted me to be involved. Although I had been nervous, the more she spoke and referenced photos of my work she had seen, the more I could pull up even more examples of past work and the more excited both of us got.
At some point, her partner Richard joined us and also enthused over the idea, both of them clearly wanting to be involved and somehow on the same page. It was even more of a boost to see the couple supporting each other and making space for each other so well. I relaxed and let the conversation happen at its own pace.
It took a long time for us to actually focus on breakfast, and by then, most of the rest of the guests had gone off to do something else. Juno had briefly come over to let me know she wanted some girlie time alone with me that evening before I left the island. It seemed strange, but I wasn’t about to refuse her anything, and I still hadn’t seen any sign of Lukas since coming down for breakfast.
If he had come down as well, he had come and gone without saying another word to me.
“I think this seems like a done deal,” Richard said once we’d finished eating and been through every aspect of the design I might be involved in. “We like the ideas you’ve had already, and you are clearly someone who will hear ours and not only work with us but enhance what we come up with. We want to start on the first stage in about a month, maybe a little sooner. Can you work with us that soon?” Richard sat back, his empty plate in front of him.
Although I wanted to say yes immediately, I knew I had to consider the projects I already had. I’d never abandoned oneclient for another in the past, no matter how tempted, and I didn’t think I wanted to this time either.
“I can definitely do it in a month. If I can get a project I’m currently working on wrapped up sooner, I’d gladly come on sooner, but I can’t promise it.”
“That will do for an answer. We’ll have you on board as soon as you’re ready.” Sarai clapped her hands in delight.
I smiled at both of them, grateful for the opportunity. If nothing else, coming to the US for Juno’s wedding had made me a bunch of friends, and I was loving the enthusiasm for more work. It would let me travel, see some more of the US, and get paid to do it.
“Oooh, we should think about where Kit can stay while she’s working with us. Would you like to stay in one of our themed cabins? We’ve got one that’s not too far away, and we can also arrange a car for you.”
“I would love that.” Again, I felt a thrill of delight. This was a huge opportunity.
Sarai squeezed my hand and finally got up. “That’s all settled then. We’ll communicate over the next week or so and get it all organized. You’re going to love staying with us, and we’ll make sure your weekends are full of sightseeing. There’s so much to show you near us.”
Thankfully, Sarai didn’t go on about anything more, Richard encouraging her to go with him to their room to freshen up.
Although I wasn’t sure what they needed to freshen up for when we had been sitting around eating and talking all morning so far, I was grateful for a moment to myself. I looked around for Lukas again, but I still couldn’t find him. I could only hope he didn’t mind that I had been distracted by work.
