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Sighing, he grabbed his phone again to check if he had reception. All four bars were lit up. She was probably busy getting her pitch ready for tomorrow.
He breathed in, letting the air fill his lungs. He couldn’t do this anymore. Couldn’t keep telling himself she was off-limits, and that he should forget her. God knew he’d tried. But she was there, in his mind, in his body, in everything he looked at. He knew he shouldn’t want her, but he did.
There was only one thing for it. When her presentations were over, he’d drive up to LA and hash this thing out. Maybe he could talk to her, get her out of his system, and somehow find the common sense that had been desperately eluding him ever since his lips touched hers.
Yeah. They could talk. That would work. Because god knew nothing else would.
18
“So that’s it,” Felix said, blinking as they walked out of the building and into the parking lot. “Now we wait and see.”
“I guess so.” Caitie pulled her sunglasses down, filtering out the bright November sun. It was blinding here in L.A.. “It’s going to kill me to wait. They must know who they’re going to hire. What’s the point in making us hang on for a week to find out? And did you see how smug the people from Holiday Hope looked? Do you think they know something we don’t?”
Felix unlocked the rental car with his key, and opened the trunk, loading their boards and folders inside. “They don’t know any more than we do,” he said, taking her laptop bag and stashing it in the back. “I had a quiet word with Claire, their exec assistant. They’ve been told the same thing as us.”
That was the great thing about Felix, he wasn’t afraid to talk to the enemy. “I guess we’re all in the same position.”
“Except we aced it and they didn’t. According to Claire, their proposal was pulled apart over the last three days. They were up all last night rewriting it.”
“Really?” Caitie relaxed for the first time all day. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all week. I was positive they were doing so much better than us. Every time I saw their CEO in the corridor he gave me such a cocky look. At one passing he said something about offering me a job when they’d won the contract.” They climbed into the car. “What I wouldn’t give to see his expression if they don’t win.”
Felix turned the engine on. “It’ll be almost as good as your expression when we do win.”
It took them an hour to get back to the hotel. The L.A. traffic was living up to its reputation. All the freeways running through the city were almost at a standstill. When they arrived, Felix stopped the car in the semicircular driveway, and the doorman walked forward to open Caitie’s door.
They climbed out of the car and Felix popped the trunk, passing her the laptop bag.
“So I’ll see you back in New York,” Felix said. He was taking the red-eye back home.
“Are you sure you’re okay to take the boards back?” Caitie gestured at the trunk.
“Yeah, I’m going to check them. It’s all good.”
Caitie leaned forward to give him an uncharacteristic hug. “Thanks for all your hard work. And for being my rock this week. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Felix blushed. “We’re a team, and I enjoyed it. If we get this gig, hopefully I’ll be able to help with that, too.”
“If we get this gig, Felix, you’ll be doing a lot more than helping with it. I’ll need you to take the lead on some of the other contracts,” she told him. “I wouldn’t trust anybody else.” Funny what a difference a week could make. Though she’d had some faith in Felix before, now she was seeing him in a completely different light. There was no doubting his ability, not when he’d shone in all of his presentations. “If we win, you’ll be getting a big promotion.”
“Fingers crossed.”
“Amen to that.” She released him from their embrace. “Have a good flight. I’ll talk with you tomorrow.”
Felix got back into the car, and Caitie gave him a wave, watching as he pulled away. Her whole body ached, the result of constant talking, walking, and being on her best behavior for the last four days. Like an actress performing the longest show of her life, she’d taken her final bow and now her muscles were making her pay the price.
She was grateful for the coolness of the air conditioning as she stepped into the lobby. She stopped for a second, closing her eyes to appreciate the sensation on her skin.
“Cait?”
Her eyes flew open. She blinked to see if they were working. Because the man standing right in front of her looked and sounded like a doppelganger of Brecken Miller.
He smiled at her, and she realized it was Breck. Nobody else could make the muscles in her legs feel this weak.
He was dressed for business, wearing dark grey pants and a crisp white shirt. The collar was unbuttoned at his throat, no tie, and the sleeves were rolled up. The skin surrounding his eyes crinkled as he smiled at her. A thousand questions lingered on her tongue. Why was he here? What did he want? Why the hell was her heart beating so fast? She ignored them all, and smiled at him.
“How did your presentations go?” he asked, coming to a stop in front of her. She never failed to be surprised by his height and his strength. She wasn’t the smallest woman in the world, but he always made her feel tiny in comparison.
“They went well. We just finished the final one,” she told him. “Now we have to wait for their decision.”
