Page 14 of Mending Our Chance

7 Felicity

This week had gone by quickly. Today was Friday—time for the impending dinner. All week, I had kept my temper in check with everyone, but especially with my long lost friend. Hell, I had even gone out of my way to be polite and cordial to Marcus. It was a new leaf, and I was proud of myself for letting my anger go. My relaxed manner had drawn forth his lighthearted, flirtatious side. His sparkling eyes were the color of the seas back in the Old Country when he laughed, and they were going to be my undoing, because when I caught secret glances from him, those eyes were always darkened with desire. It was addicting, and heaven help me, I wanted more.

He had outgrown his arrogance and replaced it with confidence. Knowing he knew he had something with this start up, he was damned and determined to bring it to fruition.

I looked over at the flowers on the receptionist’s desk which I was still using. I was a fly on the wall here. I had purposely not settled in because they needed to learn how to operate without me, but those flowers had been a testament to my importance and to what I brought to this business. Marcus and I had fought, we had apologized, and then we had begun anew with a more pleasant, albeit formal, atmosphere. And when I’m done here, I’ll rarely see Marcus Bowers, I reminded myself. Friendliness was something I could learn to manage, but anything else seemed so out of reach that I just chalked it up to impossible. The idea of having anything more with him scared the living daylights out of me. So I chose to ignore the possibility.

Why did that make my heart sink at the thought? Because I knew Marcus was humble, honest, and incredibly kind—all of which was a rarity in this big city. He was also homegrown and it showed. Really, I couldn’t find a better friend.

But don’t believe that nobility, Felicity. Remember, you two didn’t want the same things. He might just want a good time. He might just see you as someone to have fun with. You don’t want those things—especially not this time.

My eyes flicked to my empty left hand. I was pathetic.

“Are love and a relationship too much to ask for in today’s world?” I whispered to the flowers.

I had made a mistake holding my heart out to Marcus, and then to Toby. No more mistakes, I reminded myself firmly.Just as I made this affirmation, the biggest mistake of my life walked through the office lobby to the front door of the office suite, and I admitted to myself that although he might have been the biggest, he was also the best. Toby was nothing compared to Marcus. I cringed at the memory. My ex-husband had been a gold digger, and I had been burned so badly by Marcus that I had never seen it until after the exchange of rings. One thing was for sure, the history of my love life was a mess.

But now, watching my best mistake leave for his lunchtime walk, I could feel my heart skip a few beats. Holy shit, I was in trouble. Not only did Marcus have too many redeeming qualities, but in a white dress shirt and with that blue tie on, he was a show stopper. He was powerful, and despite his lack of knowledge, he was on the right path to becoming a force to be reckoned with in the business world.

I leaned back in my chair and looked up at him. Without thinking, I blew out a low whistle.

Marcus cut his eyes to me and straightened up—like a good military boy. Then he adjusted his tie. It was a tell, but what did it mean today? Narrowing my eyes at the challenge this presented, I called out, “That is an excellent shirt.”

“It better be, Ms. Saccone.” Marcus smirked. “It cost enough.”

“Nonsense,” I responded sharply, even though I still felt bad about the seemingly random things I was making him buy. “It will all come out in the warsh.”

Marcus threw his head back and he let loose a great belly laugh at my mimicking of his Southern drawl. “Getting better at that, Ms. Saccone.”

“Yes, yes I am.” I smiled at him. What are you doing?Keep things professional, my rational mind screamed. My body, however, had touched something it was familiar with, and my heart was ready to let go. The burns from the past were healing in this new environment. I reached out a hand to touch a red petal. “These flowers really are beautiful. They’ve lasted a long time too.”

Suddenly conscious of his silence and what I was doing, I waved my hand to dismiss my comment and said, “I need Harold to have that prototype ready for the dinner this evening.”

“He hasn’t been in all day.” The smallest of creases appeared between Marcus’ brows. “However, I have faith in the little bugger. If I had my druthers, he’d work from the office. However, he’s a partner, and he swears his computers at home can provide what he needs.”

I watched Marcus shrug, but I would be a fool not to notice the worried look on his face. He genuinely wanted to make the right choices for this company and learn everything possible there was about business. That internal drive was just as attractive as his hardened body, clothed in that beautiful suit.

What would be so wrong about having a good time with him?

You’ll give yourself to him and wind up with the short end of the stick, I reminded myself. Even though it was my own inner voice, my immediate response sounded like Auntie Gi’s voice in my head. And dammit, she was right. I couldn’t forgive him. I couldn’t get close to him. But I could be less hostile. Conscious of that decision, I said aloud, “Thank you again for the flowers, Marcus. I’m going to take them home for the weekend so I can enjoy them a while longer.”

Marcus bowed his head in reverence to my non-verbal apology before leaving for his walk around the block to the hot dog cart.

Hazel, our receptionist, chose that moment to bounce back from the copy machine. I rolled my chair out of her way. She had been with us for three days and I already found her indispensable, unlike my secretary at the university. It was clear that I needed to fire Nora and search for someone else—someone capable like Hazel.

“Harold totally has the hots for you,” she whispered as she clicked into the computer.

Okay, so her gossipy nature was a little hard to swallow, but I let her comment pass. We needed her and she had to stay. They need her, I corrected myself. I’m only temporary here, bowing out when I am no longer needed. The one who has never worked in the real world. That horrid thought came unbidden and I swallowed hard. It was a consistent fear of mine that I grappled with every so often. The most frequent criticism I heard in the business world was that I was only a professor and knew nothing of real work. Sometimes, I even let myself believe that I didn’t deserve to tell people what to do in their business. And it was when I let those dark thoughts consume me, it always took awhile to fight them off and bring back some much needed self-confidence.

Hazel must have seen my expression. “I know he’s major yuck, but you look like you’re going to vomit,” she murmured, scooting her chair back to allow me access to the waste bin. “Just don’t hit my shoes, please.”

I waved her hand back. Yeah, I liked her. “It’s okay, I’m good.”

Suddenly the doors burst open. Two young men—full of piss and vinegar—bounded into the room. What they lacked in height, they made up for by radiating vitality and stamina.

“Sorellina!” one of them yelled.

“Felìcita!” the other cried.

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