A Fortunate Arrangement

“The art show sounds very Alice in Wonderland–esque.”

Austin chuckled. “I definitely felt as if I’d drunk the shrinking potion and fallen down the rabbit hole, which, according to the artist’s statement, is exactly what she intended, but I don’t want to talk about that right now.”

She loved the feel of his gaze on her. In a split second, she tamped down the temptation to ask him where Macks was and why he wasn’t with her, but why invite the woman to wedge herself between them if she wasn’t there?

Okay. If this was her chance, she was not going to blow it by talking about Macks or suddenly becoming awkward and difficult to talk to. The two of them had never had trouble making conversation. Why was her mind going blank now?

“This is a nice little spot.” Even if she had to grab onto the obvious, it was better than talking about the weather. “You know, despite the number of times I’ve been to the Roosevelt Hotel on errands for the ball, I’ve never been in here.”

“I’m glad we’re here tonight,” he said, and it made her heart thud a steady cadence that sounded an awful lot like me too me too me too in her own ears. “So, how are you?”

“I’m fine. Fine.” She glanced around the room at the huge mirror behind the bar that reflected the moody lighting, the elegant woodwork and art deco murals. She felt suddenly shy, again at a loss for words. Not really knowing how to navigate the intimacy of the situation, should she dive into business discussion, which was comfortable territory? It wasn’t very conducive for relaying the vibe that she was open for less business-y talk, or no talk at all...because she wouldn’t mind one bit if he wanted to maybe, say...lean in and kiss her.

The thought made her breath hitch and Austin must’ve noticed because he squinted at her as if trying to assess if he should ask her what she was thinking. But he didn’t. Instead, he surprised her with something totally unexpected.

“Good,” he said. “And I’m about to make your night even better.”

“Oh?” The word squeaked out. Because, again, she lost her breath at the thought of him leaning in and tasting her lips right here in front of everyone in the Sazerac Bar, in the Roosevelt Hotel, where next weekend they would host one of New Orleans’s most exclusive charity balls.

Austin cleared his throat. “On my way over here, my father called. He wants to interview you about your ideas for advertising Fortune Investments.”

“What? Are you serious?”

Austin smiled. “Believe me, I wouldn’t kid about something like that. I think we need to celebrate.”

He signaled to the server and ordered a bottle of Chandon Brut before Felicity could object. And she really didn’t want to object because opportunities to sip bubbly with Austin didn’t come along every night.

“Thanks, but aren’t we a little premature celebrating at this point?” she said.

Austin smiled that smile that turned her inside out every single time. “I’m a firm believer that you need to celebrate every step along the way, no matter how small.”

She laughed. “I like your style, Fortune.”

He laughed, too, leaning on the arm of his chair. She mirrored him, angling toward him. When the laughter trailed off, their gazes snared, and they were looking at each other in a way that made Felicity’s stomach do a double loop.

“What does this mean?” she asked, realizing too late how personal it sounded. “I mean, what will Miles expect in the interview?”

Austin sat back in his chair and seemed to seriously consider her question from the business angle, which left her with mixed emotions. “I can find out more, but from what I gather, he wants you to outline how advertising will benefit the company. You know Miles. He is driven by the bottom line. If you can show him in black and white how you, as director of advertising, will help Fortune Investments make money, he’ll hire you in a heartbeat.”

Felicity blinked. The only problem was she hadn’t yet worked in advertising. Her experience was all academic. She stopped herself midthought. This was the opportunity of a lifetime—or at least for this moment in her lifetime. It wasn’t the time to weigh herself down with negative thoughts. She had resources through her professors. She would ask them for help—