Until I Met You

‘You heard what’s going down, right?’

‘Not sure what you’re talking about?’

‘Don’t be cagey. I’m talking about Jason’s proposing to Jas in these enchanted waters.’

‘Shh! What if she hears?’ Samantha whipped around to make sure no one had overheard. She spotted Jasmine at the far end of the pool, hanging out with Jen and Chris. All three were attempting tree poses in waist-high water.

‘What’s the protocol?’ Hugo asked. ‘Are we cool with this or what?’

‘We play it cool, obviously. We can’t do or say anything to tip Jasmine off.’

Hugo’s expression clouded. ‘That’s not what I meant. I specifically remember Jas saying she didn’t believe—’

‘I know what she said!’ Samantha said. ‘But this is her moment. Whatever happens, they’ll work it out. We have to trust the universe.’

‘The universe is such a bitch. How we gonna trust her?’

Samantha dissolved into laughter. Hugo splashed her with water and took off to join Adrian.

Roman waded his way toward her and she instinctively reached out to him. She was feeling too good to play it cool.

‘Are you all right?’ he asked.

‘What do you mean?’

‘You looked preoccupied earlier. Am I wrong?’

He wasn’t wrong. ‘How could you tell?’

He dragged a finger along her jawline from her chin to her earlobe.

‘It was just a feeling.’

Samantha had to steel herself. This man was giving her all the feels. ‘I have a question. Was it tough leaving your job to start out on your own?’

Roman took his time, considering his words. ‘It was one of the toughest things I ever did. If anyone tells you different, they’re lying.’

‘What prompted you to do it?’

His gaze skidded along the water’s glistening surface. ‘For reasons I don’t want to get into right now, it was time for me to leave my firm. I’d been growing bored with the work for a while.’

‘Bored? On Wall Street?’

Maybe she’d bought into the stereotype, but she imagined there was never a dull moment at the centre of the financial world.

‘I worked the tech division. Which may sound cool. At the end of the day, my job was to approve financing for apps invented by Ivy League grads that did little or nothing to help anyone. Most ended up losing money which should’ve been better spent elsewhere.’

Samantha understood completely. What the world needed now was love, not another dating app that put love on an algorithm.

‘Why do you ask?’ he said.

‘Maybe I’m bored with work, too.’

‘Don’t do anything rash.’

‘Now you sound like my mother.’

‘It’s true,’ he said. ‘Make a plan, then do something rash.’