A Fortunate Arrangement

* * *

When Kevin called, he’d caught Felicity at a weak moment. He’d texted her about an hour after she’d put Macks’s art event on Austin’s calendar and had been stewing on the thought of Austin taking Macks to the ball. It was one thing to think, in abstract, of Austin dating Macks, but to have to watch them together at an event she had to attend... Well, that sounded like cruel and unusual punishment. Utter torture.

That’s why when Kevin asked her to go to dinner that evening she said yes. On any other night she would’ve declined. But tonight, she had absolutely nothing going on, except plans to brood over Austin’s interest in Macks. And how next to gorgeous, willowy, sophisticated Macks, Felicity felt like a hairy chimp—despite having every waxable region of her body serviced.

So, in a split second, she’d weighed the pros and cons of seeing Kevin tonight. And now he was picking her up at the office at 6:30.

She stole a surreptitious glance at Austin and her heart melted a little. She couldn’t help it. His hair was a little longer than it should be because a meeting had preempted the hair appointment she’d made for him and he’d said he was too busy this week. But his hair was exactly the length she liked because after he raked his hands through it, as was his habit when he was focusing on something important, it got mussed and she’d decided that’s exactly what he would look like when he woke up first thing in the morning. Felicity blinked away the thought, smiling secretly to herself. He was wearing a blue shirt and a navy tie. It was a great color on him. But, come to think of it, had she really seen him in a color that didn’t look good?

Your sister approves of me, even if you don’t think of me as anything more than an employee.

That’s when he suddenly looked up and caught her in a full-on mooning daydream. She was too deep in her trance to look away quickly before he caught her. So, he caught her staring at him, with her elbow on her desk and her cheek resting on her hand. The only thing missing from the picture was her doodling his name on a notebook while cartoon hearts and flowers danced over her head.

He gave her a little wave, which was humiliating, and, of course, meant to convey that he had caught her daydreaming. The thing about Austin, though, was that he would never call her out for slacking off. Even if it appeared that she was coasting for a moment or two, she knew he knew her work ethic and respected the fact that she worked long, hard hours and was dedicated to her job. Still, it didn’t quell the embarrassment of being caught in the act of staring at him. She figured it was the perfect time to go to the restroom and fix her makeup. Kevin would be there to pick her up in about twenty minutes.

Austin was still watching her when she stood up from her desk. She grabbed her purse and gave him a little wave that echoed the one he’d offered a moment ago. He smiled at her and laughed a little in a way that seemed an awful lot like flirting. With the exception of his mild freak-out yesterday when Savannah had invited her to their family dinner, Austin’s mood had seemed lighter lately.

Probably because he’s in love...even if he doesn’t know it.

Because wasn’t that what happened to a person when they fell in love? It transformed the way they looked at the world, the way they treated others. No wonder he didn’t want her to come to the dinner last night. How in the world would he explain her presence at an intimate family gathering to Macks? Or maybe he’d invited her to the dinner. He’d said he’d talked to her last night. Maybe he was taking her home to meet the family? But his father was out of town. It seemed like he might wait...unless Miles had already met her. She was a prospective client of Fortune Investments, after all.

Felicity sighed. Her heart felt heavy as she made her way down the silent hallway to the ladies room. Since it was creeping up on 6:30, most of the employees had already gone home. She and Austin were two of the only people in the office.

She studied her reflection in the mirror. Her cheeks were flushed—probably from the lingering embarrassment caused by Austin catching her staring. She smoothed her cream-colored top down over her black pants. It wasn’t what she would’ve chosen to wear if she’d had advance notice of a date, but it was good enough for tonight.