“You mean for her? Sure.” She chuckled. “I am working closely with the wedding planner and trying to pry decisions out of Lindsey. She made me her Maid of Honor, which was really exciting until I figured out exactly what that meant. Lindsey is like the opposite of bridezilla. The guests she invited are expecting this big shindig, but I am pretty sure she would be happy getting married in her living room.”
“Poor girl.” I laughed.
“No, I don’t think she truly understands everything going on,” she said, rolling her eyes. “She is caught up in this love cloud and just signs the checks. If I weren’t there, we would still be on track for floral, and no one would be eating anything but the lobster rolls she said she wanted there. I really don’t know why she is having food anyway. Half the list is made up of models from the industry. She could have just served lettuce and water.”
“But then I would be hungry,” I said, smiling. “How long have you and Lindsey been friends?”
“Gosh, our entire lives pretty much,” she said. “My mom used to babysit her when she was like two, and we became inseparable after that. I thought when she got picked up for modeling, things might change, but she is the same old girl I used to sneak out of the house with, just with better style.”
“It’s nice to have those kinds of friends,” I said, smiling. “Ones you know will always be there, no matter what is going on in their lives. My right-hand man, John, is that guy for me. We met in college and have been best friends ever since. I don’t know what I would do without him sometimes.”
“He sounds like a great friend,” she said, smiling. “I don’t know what I would do without Lindsey, either. She has kept my feet on the ground for a long time.”
“You seem so level-headed,” I said.
“I am, but I’m still human,” she scoffed. “Making mistakes by the handful as I figure out life.”
“That’s me through and through.” I laughed.
“How long have you known Jordan?”
“Man, I met Jordan at a tech conference in college,” I said, thinking back. “I trusted him right away, and I could see how brilliant he was. It was right before I started the company. He loved the idea and has been on board with it ever since then. As soon as I could afford it, I made him VP of technology, and he is next in line for the President position. My main guy was in place right before I met Jordan, so they are kind of neck and neck for seniority. He is one of my greatest assets professionally, though. He is the mind behind some of the biggest technological creations that the company is known for.”
“Wow, I had no idea,” she said. “I knew he was really smart and successful, but I didn’t know how far that really went. Lindsey doesn’t really understand his job, not that I’m a whizz at it, but it keeps her from really discussing it with anyone. She is very careful with what she talks about since she doesn’t want to be given the ‘dumb model’ label that goes around in her world.”
“I can understand that,” I said. “It’s a smart choice. To be honest, I don’t always understand everything that Jordan does. We are close and work closely together every day, but we aren’t best friends or anything. Someti
mes, it’s hard to be that close with everyone in your company. It can mess things up for you. I do know that he is a great guy, though. Oh, it looks like we’re pulling up now to Iliad’s.”
The driver opened the door to the limo and helped Amanda out, with me scooting out behind her. Before we had even reached the door, the hostess had it open, greeting us like old friends. I had been going there since my company had its first stock exchange. Most people would need to make a reservation there at least six months in advance, but since I was who I was, and since I knew the owners pretty well, there was always a table available for me. It was one of the perks that I had grown accustomed to, and I liked how doe-eyed the attention made Amanda. I wanted to impress her, and I was starting to think that I was doing a really good job at it. Either way, I was just happy to be there with her, holding her hand as we walked through the restaurant and over to our table in the corner by the window.
The hostess pulled out Amanda’s chair and pushed it in as she sat. Immediately, we were rushed by servers, prepping the table and bringing my usual choice in wine over. Amanda watched them hurry around us, treating us like we were part of the royal family. One of the servers smiled sweetly at her as she tasted the wine, smiling and nodding her head. I could see by the look in her eye just how excited she was to be there, especially when she reached over and took my hand. The staff lit the candles in the center of the table and retreated, waiting in the wings for when we were ready to order our appetizers.
“Do you like it here?” I asked.
“It’s amazing,” she whispered. “And I think that is Robert Deniro over there, eating dinner.”
I smiled and turned around, waving at him from a distance. He waved back and nodded at Amanda, blushing her cheeks. She shook her head and laughed as she placed her napkin in her lap.
“I can’t believe that,” she said, trying to keep her voice down. “You are crazy.”
After a glass of wine, she began to relax, and we talked about everything from our childhood to my company. She told me the history behind the loss of her mother and how close she was to her father. My heart almost broke when she talked about it, flashes of sadness crossing her face. But then, as if her inspiration returned, excitement burst from her as she explained that it was the reason she wanted to start a clinic for children. I was finding that I really liked this girl, and it wasn’t just infatuation driving it. Everything she said was right on cue with how I felt about the world, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I could actually be comfortable talking to a woman.
When dinner and dessert were complete, I led her out to the street, watching and smiling as she closed her eyes and breathed in the warm air. We got in the limo and headed back to her house. I walked her to the door, feeling as nervous as I had the first time I took a girl out when I was just a teenager. She turned at the door and smiled at me.
“Do you want to come in?” she asked.
“I would love to,” I said. “But unfortunately, I have a very early meeting, and I think if I come in, I might not be able to leave you.”
“Then we’ll end things like a first date should end,” she said, smiling.
I wrapped my hands around her face and pressed my lips to hers, kissing her gently as the warm breeze blew around us. I could feel electricity shoot through my body as our skin touched, and it was hard to pull away. When I finally did, I looked her in the eyes for several moments.
“Sweet dreams,” I said, turning and walking to the car.
Sweet dreams, indeed.
Chapter 5