21

Liliana

Alex and my immediate supervisor, Charity, had a tendency to surprise me and the other managers with unexpected assignments.

I had no prior indication that I would be assigned to the Hard Rock account until Alex announced it to the entire room.

What caught me off guard wasn't the job itself or the tasks involved, but the suddenness of seeing Alistair Ashford again. I'm certain I looked stunned, like a fish out of water, the moment I laid eyes on him.

He was dressed in a finely tailored dark grey suit that complemented his broad shoulders and tall stature perfectly.

He looked so damn good. Even after three years, my knees went weak at the sight of this man.

I’d thought about the night we shared almost every day while I was in New York.

His hug was as warm and firm as I remembered. His body felt just as good as it had back then. And the way he smiled at me sent shivers down my spine.

The way he asked me to dinner. To catch up.

I stared into his eyes, knowing exactly what he meant. What he wanted.

I wanted that too. So damn much. But I had moved on.

“I’d like to catch up sometime, Alistair,” I said. And though the words were hard to say, I made myself say them. “I’ve missed our friendship. But my boyfriend’s coming over tonight, and I don’t want to change our plans this late in the day. Maybe we can have you over for dinner sometime soon?”

His soft brown eyes hardened when I saidfriendshipandboyfriend. He seemed to lean back, further away from me, and dropped his hand with a slight nod.

“Boyfriend,” he said, not making it sound like a question.

If he was trying to hide his disappointment, he was doing a bad job of it.

"Austin and I have been together for a few months. He's a great guy." I said.

He nodded again, his jaw twitching. But after a moment, the corner of his lips turned up slightly.

“A few months isn’t very long.”

“No. I guess not,” I admitted.

Was he going to try to convince me to have dinner with him anyway?

“How’s Julian doing?” I asked, both to bring him to Alistair’s mind, and because I really wanted to know.

“He’s actually doing great. You’d be proud of him,” he said with real pride in his voice. “Liliana, I’ve thought about—”

“Excuse me.” Charity, my boss, popped her head in the room. “Liliana, we need you for a meeting with the Neighborhood Pharmacy people.”

I could have kissed her for interrupting us when she did, because I didn’t know how to handle the conversation I thought Alistair wanted us to have.

“Of course. Excuse me, Alistair. Really great seeing you again,” I said quickly. “I’ll call with ideas soon.”

I got out of there before he could say anything else. Naturally, I kept thinking about him for the rest of the day, even after I arrived home.

I sighed and flopped back onto my bed. Seeing Alistair today had stirred up so many old feelings and memories.

The morning after our night together, Alistair had kissed me with a passion I’d never felt from anyone else.

He’d said, “I know you’re heading for a new life. But you remember what I said, Liliana. You call me anytime you need something. I’ll always show up for you.”

Then he’d kissed my forehead and left.

Living in a new city was tough at first. I missed Grandpa and my friends like crazy. And most of all, I missed Alistair.

I thought about him a lot those first few months. I wondered if he ever thought about me too. I wanted to call him so badly.

I’d dialed his number countless times since then but never let it ring through. He was Julian’s brother. I should never have slept with him, even though I couldn’t really bring myself to regret it.

Julian was still calling and sending me texts. Leaving everything in the past felt like the right thing to do.

In New York, I had the opportunity to do that by simply not calling Alistair, no matter how much I wanted to.

So I didn’t. It was tough, but I made the decision to let Alistair go.

I focused on building my new life, diving headfirst into work and getting to know my new friends.

I went on dates and met some decent guys, but none of them compared to Alistair. None sparked the same feelings in me. I started to wonder if I would ever find that kind of connection again, if I would always feel a void without Alistair.

I didn’t mention to anyone that I had returned to Everbrook six months ago to be closer to Grandpa and keep a better watch on his health.

It had been three years since that one night we shared.

Surely, by now, he would have moved on. Maybe even remarried.

Even if I hadn’t moved on myself, it would have been foolish to reach out to him after all this time.

Now that I was working on his brewery’s account, avoiding him was going to be impossible.

I knew I needed to be strong and leave the past where it belonged, no matter how much old feelings resurfaced.

I was done with messy relationships. I wanted simplicity, smooth sailing, no complications, and no more guilt. No more feeling like I was doing something wrong or experiencing feelings I shouldn’t be having.

I craved a normal relationship. Man and woman meet, fall in love, get married, have a family. Happily ever after. It seemed so straightforward for everyone else.

My phone buzzed with a text. It was Austin, letting me know he was on his way to pick me up for our date. I smiled at the thought of him.

We had been dating for about three months, and he was really a great guy — smart, successful, sweet.

A bit of a control freak, but I found it endearing most of the time. I knew his heart was in the right place.

I finished my makeup and heard the doorbell ring. Opening the door, I found Austin standing there, looking sharp in a button-down shirt and blazer.

"Hey babe, ready to go?" he asked, giving me a quick kiss.

Then looked me up and down. He didn’t say anything, but I knew what he was thinking. If I was really going to wear it out.

I glanced down at my outfit - a short black skirt and silky camisole. Maybe a little sexy for a casual date night, but nothing over the top.

"What? You don't like it?" I asked.

Austin frowned. "I mean, it's just a little revealing, don't you think? I don't want other guys ogling my girlfriend all night."

Austin's jealous streak annoyed me sometimes. But I tried to brush it off as him being a caring boyfriend.

"It's not that bad," I said lightly. "Just thought I'd dress up a bit." I grabbed my jacket and bag. "Come on, let's go enjoy our night."

Austin still looked bothered, but he dropped it as we drove to the restaurant. He knew arguing with me about my outfit would lead nowhere.

At dinner, Austin talked about his week at the office, his upcoming business trip, and his tennis match. I chimed in here and there, but my mind kept wandering.

"You seem distracted," Austin commented over our entrees. "Everything okay?"

"I’m sorry," I said, snapping back to attention. "Just tired I guess. But tell me more about your meeting with the Caldwell Group."

Austin launched back into his story as I sipped my wine.

But I couldn't stop thinking about Alistair. His muscular arms, his warm smile, the heat in his eyes when he looked at me...

"Okay seriously, where are you right now?" Austin said, waving a hand in front of my face.

I snapped myself out of my daze. "Sorry, really. Just have a lot on my mind, I guess." I reached across the table to squeeze his hand. Time to refocus.

After dinner, we returned to my place. As I poured us some wine, Austin came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Why don't we take this to the bedroom?" he murmured against my skin.

He started kissing my neck and turned me around to kiss him back. I responded with more enthusiasm than usual, trying to stir up something.

But I quickly realized I was grasping for feelings.

I was striving for even a hint of the emotions Alistair had stirred years ago, and the feelings that surged when I saw him at the meeting.

But there was nothing remotely close. I couldn't engage with Austin when Alistair was on my mind. I gently pulled away and removed his hands from my waist.

"Actually, I should probably get some rest," I said.

Austin's face fell. "What? I haven't seen you all week."

I avoided his disappointed gaze, feeling guilty. "I know, I'm sorry. It's just been a long day and I'm exhausted. How about we postpone?"

Austin crossed his arms. "Is this because of what I said about your outfit earlier?"

"No, it's not about that," I replied shortly.

It had actually annoyed me. Alistair would have complimented me and spun me around. It suddenly hit me painfully clear that Austin wasn't Alistair.

"I'm just really tired, that's all."

Austin softened. "Are you feeling okay? Maybe you're coming down with something."

"I'm fine, just need some sleep, I think."

"Okay, you probably had a tough day. Get some rest." He kissed me again.

I held his face in my hands and kissed him gently. "Thank you. I promise to make it up to you this weekend, okay?"

After Austin left, I decided to call it an early night.

I lay in bed, ready to sleep when a text buzzed on my phone. It was Alistair suggesting he show me around Hard Rock later in the week so I could familiarize myself with the place and better assist in promoting it.

A dinner meeting and tour, he called it.

It made sense from a business perspective. But I knew it meant more than that.

I’d have to make sure it was a team meeting and not just the two of us. I quickly set up a formal invite with Bethany, Charity, and Maddie.

Maddie was my partner in crime at the office. She and I became close after working on our first project together. She was in charge of the visual side of the marketing campaigns. She was brilliant.

I wasn’t looking forward to working on the Hard Rock account with Bethany, another manager at the agency.

She was smart and good at what she did, and also my biggest competition. We didn’t always see eye to eye and tried to stay out of each other’s way. Working on a project together was going to make that hard.

We were the same age, twenty-seven, and had the same years of experience. Needless to say, we were both gunning for the upper management position that was opening up in a few months.

This was my chance at getting that promotion. And I wanted it so badly I could taste it. I’d have to stay focused on the job and it was going to be hard with Alistair being the client.

One thing was clear. My feelings for Alistair would have to remain in the past.