“Okay,” I said, but the screen had already gone dark.
Right, that settles it. My decision has been made.
I took a deep breath and opened Sebastian’s message.
If you change your mind, I’ll wait for you.
Was he trying to read my mind? I hit the Reply button.
Meet me in the breakfast room. Tomorrow morning. 9 a.m.
CHAPTER16
SEBASTIAN
Time is money, as the saying goes. For important events—namely, anything related to work—I liked to be on time. Obsessively so. When in Japan, I considered not having arrived five minutes before the appointed hour to be something worth holding a grudge over. But when it came to anything out of the office, I tended to operate on “tiempo colombiano.” Mostly, because I don’t want to be there.
But Elly’s nine a.m. was not a date. Not a social one, at least. It was a business meeting.
I had to remind myself of that.
As I walked through the lobby of the hotel, I was confident she was going to give me the nod of approval. Why else would she have invited me to come? She’d made it quite clear she didn’t particularly enjoy my company…socially.
Although, there was that moment. Her chocolate hair blowing gently in the light sea breeze that filtered through the half-ajar windows. Her eyes were full of the moon and the stars and the ocean’s depth. Her eyes full of faraway places. Even now, I could feel something inside me tense just at the image of her eyes. She was so…
So much like every other woman, of course. She only wanted me for my money. That was why she was calling me today.
Well, fine. She can have it. It’s a trade. I get what I want and she gets what she wants. No feelings attached.
No feelings attached.
Elly was sitting in the corner of the breakfast room, sipping coffee. Her breakfast plate was stacked with two pieces of toast, one spread with avocado and beans, the other with peanut butter and jam. Savory and sweet. Neither had been touched.
She looked up as I approached.
“Good morning.” I couldn’t help but smile.
She smiled, but the expression on her face was more strained than anything else. I noticed dark circles under her eyes, but I didn’t think it was appropriate to say anything.
We were business colleagues. Not friends.
“Good morning. Please, have a seat,” she said, gesturing at the chair opposite her.
“I’ll just grab myself a coffee. Would you like anything?” My eyes involuntarily fell back to her plate. She followed my gaze and blushed a little.
“I’m good, thanks. I’m…I’m not very hungry today.”
“Sure.” I nodded again. I wondered when I was going to stop nodding. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
I didn’t need another cup of coffee but seeing Elly upset was clearly affecting me, and right then I needed to remain cold and neutral. Business-like.
She had clearly been crying that morning, though. I could see the puffiness even under all of that concealer. And my heart…
There is no place for the heart when it comes to business transactions, Sebastian. Don’t become your father, or Elonzo. You will lose everything you have ever built if you let your heart rule over your logic.
I ordered atintofrom the barista. I leaned against the counter, doing my best to not glance back at Elly. I glanced at my watch, then at my phone. Doing everything in my power to look bored, and nonchalant. The barista kept glancing up at me as he poured my coffee into the small cup.
“So,” I said when I finally returned to the table. I noticed Elly hadn’t made any progress on either food or drink. That little detail made me nervous. “I suggest we jump right into it.”