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“Hello! Felicity, where did you go?”
“I’m here. I have a lot on my mind.”
“Stay present, girlfriend. You spend too much time in your head. Kevin. I asked you if you like Kevin. Because if you like him, you are going to lose him if you keep mooning over the Beast, who I don’t think is nearly good enough for you.”
Felicity rolled her eyes. Of course Maia would think that. To say she wasn’t fond of Austin was an understatement.
“You are acting as if this is my final answer. As if I have to commit or lose out on love for the rest of my life. I am not ready to choose right now. I like Kevin—as in he is a perfectly nice guy. I am not in love with Kevin, and I’m certainly not at a place where I am going to forsake all others for him.”
“I didn’t say you had to do that. I just don’t want him to get frustrated with you.”
“Did you ever consider that if Kevin is that impatient, maybe he’s not the guy for me?”
Maia offered Felicity a conceding one-shoulder shrug.
“All I can say is I’m not in a place to commit to anyone and I don’t know if or when I will be.”
Felicity’s thoughts drifted back to the evening at R’evolution and the easy conversation with Austin. She wasn’t ready to share that with Maia. Because for all of her friend’s good intentions, she did tend to take things out of context and run with them. In Maia’s world, a romantic dinner could only mean that Austin was interested and therefore Felicity should bear her soul. But if she tacked on Macks Cole and included what happened this afternoon at Austin’s condo, when Savannah’s invitation had pushed Austin back into his shell, Maia’s cut-and-dried interpretation would be that she should forget him.
Felicity only wished she could. Because life would be so much easier.
Chapter Seven
Felicity sensed Austin approaching before he got to her desk. It was funny how she could do that. It was as if she had a sixth sense and could feel his energy before she even saw him or heard him approaching.
This morning he was walking with a white envelope or card in his hands. It was the same size and shape of the one Macks had dropped off. A sense of dread lodged in her stomach.
“Sorry to interrupt. Would you please put the art show that Macks Cole invited me to on my calendar?”
He handed her the card.
“Sure. Happy to.” Liar. “Would you like me to make a dinner reservation for two before the show?”
He squinted at her as if she had asked him a question in a foreign language. “A dinner reservation? No. That’s not necessary. Most likely, I’m just going to drop in as a courtesy.”
A courtesy? That was very encouraging. She would take him being courteous to Macks over him having a date with her anytime.
As she called up Austin’s calendar to add the date, the dread that had weighed down her insides a moment ago changed to something much lighter that she couldn’t quite identify, but it wasn’t bad.
“When I talked to her last night, I told her I’d stop by. The show is at her gallery. She wouldn’t have time to go to dinner.”
And just like that, the not-so-bad feeling was smashed by the wrecking ball that swung through her middle.
So, they talked last night. How cozy.
She took care to keep a neutral expression on her face. She certainly didn’t need to give herself away now, even if she was feeling crushed by disappointment. She didn’t know why she felt the need to test the waters further. But she did.
“I don’t recall Macks’s name being on the invitation list for the gala. Should I send her an invitation?”
Austin seemed to consider her question for a moment.
“No, don’t send her an invitation. That seems too formal. I’ll ask her myself.”
* * *
Austin had no idea why he’d said he would ask Macks to the ball when he had no intention of doing so. Actually, that was a lie. He had wanted to see if Felicity would react.
As he sat down at his desk, he scrubbed his eyes with his palms. She’d offered no reaction. Sure, he was going to stop by the gallery, but he had never even been on a date with Macks. The one time he’d asked her to get together, she had made it clear that she liked things on her own terms. The last thing he needed to worry about at something as important as the FI charity gala was a high-maintenance date. For a moment he regretted not having Felicity send Macks an invitation to attend on her own. The woman had money and he would be remiss in turning down her donation for their charity, much less the cost of a ticket. Maybe he would hand deliver the invitation himself, just as Macks had delivered the invitation to the art opening. She could bring her own date, just not him.
