Page 9 of Not Mine To Love

“Thanks. I’ll do that. Thanks so much.”

He got up and walked away. I watched his butt as he did and then he abruptly turned around. I promptly raised my eyes and hoped he hadn’t caught me. He walked back to me. Oh no, I was in trouble.

“I didn’t get your name.”

“Oh,” I said, caught off guard. “Becca,” I extended my hand, “I’m Becca.”

“Becca,” he said, taking my hand just long enough for me to feel the calluses on his palm. It seemed Julius worked for a living. “I look forward to seeing your work.”

He let go of my hand, gave me a brief smile, and walked away. So far, Julius had been a complete gentleman. I didn’t think he was a rascal, but time would tell. After all, I was being paid ten thousand dollars just to prove he wasn’t the man he seemed to be.

3

“So let me get this right,” Dana said, sitting next to me on Piper’s couch. Piper was Tom’s sister, which made her my former sister-in-law. But now we were all friends. And as her friend, she had roped me into house-sitting for her for a few weeks. She was in Europe house hunting with her husband, Ty. They were looking for a vacation home somewhere in Italy, or was it France? I couldn’t remember. “You met the guy who you’re supposed to be following, and he offered to hire you?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what happened.”

“And that wasn’t part of the plan. Right?”

“Well...”

Dana shot me a dubious look, and I sighed. “Okay. No. That wasn’t part of the plan, but maybe it’ll work out for the best.”

Dana continued to look doubtful, and I tried not to feel discouraged, but I did. What the heck was I doing?

“You think I messed up, don’t you?”

She opened her mouth to respond, took one look at my face and seemed to second guess herself. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Her face told a different story. She was humoring me. She thought I had already failed, and I hadn’t even started. I suddenly felt so discouraged. “I hope so.” I shook my head. “I just don’t know what I’m doing anymore. I’m a mess. My life is a mess.”

“Woah, where is all this coming from? You haven’t even started the job yet.”

“I know. I think I just bit off more than I could chew.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

“Your face says exactly the opposite.”

“My face is stupid and never does what I tell it.”

I giggled, and then Dana started laughing too. I really valued Dana’s friendship. And I knew she wasn’t trying to be a Debbie Downer, but she couldn’t help herself.

When we stopped laughing, she offered up some advice. “You should probably tell your employer what your plan is so she’s not shocked to see you at the wedding.”

“Well, if I do my job there will be no wedding.”

“True. So what’s your plan?”

“Well,” I said, “first of all, I need you to make me a portfolio.”

“What? Me?”

“Yeah ... you have computer skills.”

“Umm, but not Photoshop or whatever. I do marketing.”

“That’s sort of the same.”