Page 123 of An Inconvenient Marriage
“Yolanda, hold my calls for the next hour, will you? It would seem Miss—” When she looked at me again, she narrowed her eyes. “Wait. Aren’t you the daughter of Trent Stevens?”
My heart all but jumped into my throat. I’d never once considered that the rumors might impact my future beyond getting out of an unwanted marriage before it happened. But if she knew who my father was, then she must have known about the rumors, too.
“I am.”
Because I wasn’t expecting it, her smile caught me off guard.
“Congratulations on your recent nuptials. Getting married in black is quite bold and daring.” She winked. “I love it.” Her gaze flicked back to Yolanda. “Be a dear and bring us refreshments.” To me, she simply said, “Let’s talk in my office.”
Walking into Aurulia’s space was like walking into a dream. It was all I imagined it would be and so much more.
Almost everything was white, making the ruby-red couches stand out. And even though they popped, they didn’t hold my attention for very long. I was more drawn to the rack of clothes hanging next to her desk.
“It’s for my spring line.”
Aurulia stood off to the side with her hands tucked inside her colorful linen pants. The way she was studying me had me fighting the urge to shift from one foot to the other and fidget with my hands.
If ever there was a moment I wanted someone to see me for me, it was this moment, and it was her.
“Again, thank you for seeing me, Mrs. DuBois.”
“Aurulia,” she corrected and motioned me toward the couches.
She waited until I sat on the two-seater against the wall, then positioned herself next to me. It was oddly less intimidating having her so close.
With a smile, she put on her glasses and held out her hand. “Let me take a good look at your designs.”
My heart pounded as I handed over the sketches. And then it stopped beating altogether when she studied them. Without showing what she thought of them, she wordlessly moved from one sketch to the other.
It was a little unnerving. So much so, I was actually relieved whenYolandaslinked into the office holding a tray of drinks and pastries.
“This is just… absolutely stunning.” Aurulia didn’t even glance up when her secretary set the tray on the coffee table in front of us. “Magnificent.”
“Anything else you need?” Yolanda asked.
Aurulia shook her head and waved a hand toward the door. “No, no. You can go.”
Yolanda didn’t wait. Immediately turning on her heels, she hurried out of the office. She closed the door with a soft click, but I was so on edge, my body jerked.
Not that Aurulia noticed. She was too invested in whatever sketch she was scrutinizing.
Gosh, this was brutal. Like one of those horror movies where you didn’t want to watch but couldn’t look away either. My legs felt restless and jumpy; tingles shot up my fingers and arms.
My mouth was so dry, my tongue stuck to the roof of it. And even though a tray with water and tea was right there in front of me, I couldn’t bring myself to move an inch.
All I could do was wait.
And wait.
And wait.
Until Aurulia finally lifted her gaze from the sketch. She pulled her glasses from the bridge of her nose and let out a long, slow breath. I stopped breathing completely. Her gaze found mine, and other than her earlier cooing, I had no idea what she was thinking.
“All right.” Still holding my sketch, she pushed to her feet and loomed over the coffee table. “Can I pour for you?”
Because I’d apparently swallowed an entire bag of cotton balls, it took a few hard swallows before I found my voice. “Please.”
With a smile, she gave me a nod and prepared two cups. And since she still had a death grip on my sketch, she did it all one-handed.
