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Chapter One
Gemma
3 years ago
Love had no place in my life. That was a bold statement, but it was true. I didn’t have room for love in my life. I didn’t have time for the unnecessary complications that came with it.
Nothing good ever came from falling in love and trusting someone with your heart, which was why I was more of a casual hookup type of girl. Besides, those encounters significantly cut down on the drama. At thirty-five I didn’t really need the drama in my life. I was running a successful public relations business, and that was all the drama I needed.
That was right, I was single and doing just fine. Without a man. I didn’t need one. I didn’t want one.
And I already knew not everyone was destined for a great love. Sometimes some of us just weren’t meant to find their other half.
I’d yet to find mine, much to the dismay of my parents who wanted love for their daughters so badly. But for them it was easy, they had a whirlwind romance. They met in Paris, the most romantic city in the world, and fell in love immediately. My dad proposed to my mom two weeks after they met and they were married the same night. They eloped in the City of Lights—and love, of course. But that wasn’t always how romance stories went. Some were muddled with problems and doomed to end badly.
I supposed you could say that was my track record—date boy, fall in love with boy, tell him my dreams and aspirations, boy moves on without me (read: cheats on me)—and I was left to pick up the pieces of my broken heart.
That was, until I decided it wasn’t worth it.
Although, I was never going to tell any of this to my little sister, who was years younger than me and still believed in love. She hadn’t had her heart broken nearly as much, though. It was a good thing, too, because as her older sister I never wanted her to feel what I’d felt, go through what I’d gone through. It just wouldn’t have been right.
I crossed my legs as I sat on a couch in the middle of the lobby of the resort where I was just hired for my PR services, my pencil skirt inching up higher on my thighs. I pulled it down for the umpteenth time today and sighed. A man strolled passed me and grinned at me as he did. I smiled back, but then quickly looked away, not wanting to confuse him into thinking that I was interested. I wasn’t. It took a certain man to catch my attention. Maybe I was picky, but I liked to think I knew what I liked.
I pulled my phone out and checked my messages. None. If I could have willed a text message to appear, I would have willed it to pop in from one of my newest VIP clients. She hired my company to handle some bad rep they had received from their latest beauty product. They claimed that it assisted in acne breakouts, but a very angry customer claimed they were liars. They needed me to do a little damage control, which was my speciality. But I needed more information from them to do my job to the best of my abilities.
It was just as well anyway, since I should’ve been focused on the resort, getting my head in the game for this meeting. I locked my screen and put the phone back in my purse.
It was almost time for my meeting with the general manager, so I got up and began walking to the offices where we were supposed to meet as per the instruction from the front desk attendant. I was meeting with Felicity Anderson, one of the best GMs around, or so I’d heard. The resort snatched her up a year ago and had been doing great since then, but there was always room for good public relations. Sure, the Emerald Seas Resort had been published in countless magazines and were even named one of the top luxury resorts on a nationwide blog, but they could do better, getting their name out there more.
That was where I was supposed to come in.
I walked down the hallway of offices and stopped when I got to her door. It was ajar, so I peeked in. There was a woman with long blonde hair tied back in a neat ponytail and she was wearing a zebra-print pantsuit. I’d been on the resort’s website, so I knew this was Felicity. She was talking with a young man and a boy, who had to have been no more than four or five years old, their backs to me. The boy must have been with the man because he was holding his hand.
I stepped back not to interrupt their conversation and decided to wait outside the door until they were done. Perhaps their meeting was running late, I mused. I didn’t mind waiting. It wasn’t like I had anywhere else to be. I wasn’t due back in Orlando for days. I’d be staying at the resort for a while at Felicity’s behest. She wanted me to experience every aspect of the hotel so everything I did for them was authentic.
“But my dad is great,” I heard the little boy say. “He’s super fun, loves to cook, and,” his voice got lower as though he was whispering to Felicity now, “he lets me have tacos on Fridays, too. It’s just that it’s almost Valentine’s Day and he needs a valentine.”
“I do?” the man asked, chuckling. His voice was deep, almost gruff. “Is this why you wanted to see my boss?”
Decidedly curious about this man who needed a valentine, I peeked back in and admired the way the little boy felt about him. The man, though, stood back, looking amused at his son.
“Yes. I know things, Dad.”
He laughed. “All right, well, I’m sorry, for taking up your time. Really, I came by to say thank you again for allowing Mason to visit and come with me today. He’s been dying to see where I work. He loves the ocean as much as I do.”
“It was no problem,” Felicity spoke.
“Hey, I have stuff to say, too,” the boy whined.
I smiled and stepped back again. It was obvious his son was worried about him and his dating life, or rather lack thereof. I thought it was sweet.
“Yeah, well, little buddy, let’s say it somewhere else. Ms. Anderson has work to get to.”
“Not a problem. You know, it’s never a big deal for you to drop by, but I do have a meeting.” After a short pause, she added, “Right now, actually.”
I cleared my throat and looked around, unsure if I wanted to be spotted right outside the door. I turned around and considered retracing my steps, acting cool, as if I just got there, but also felt this strong urge to turn around and get a good look at the man in sweats and a shirt. He seemed as charming as his son.
Just as I was about to make my move, though, I heard a woman shout, “Same time tomorrow, then,” and felt a nudge from behind as she bumped into me.
