The Best Bet by Roman Hebby

Author:Roman, Hebby [Roman, Hebby]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Hebby Roman
Published: 2013-10-24T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

“Hey, what are you doing?” It was Rafael’s voice on the phone.

A sensation of warmth spread through Adriana at the sound of his voice. Since she’d come to work this afternoon, she hadn’t been able to concentrate, waiting for him to call or text, wondering if he would. Considering the way she’d treated him on Saturday, she wouldn’t have been surprised if he hadn’t.

“Hey, yourself. How are you?”

“Can’t complain.”

“Really? That’s good.” She paused, wondering if he would discuss his interview. But she couldn’t contain her excitement. “Okay, I’ll cry uncle. I’m dying of curiosity. How did your interview go?”

He chuckled. “Pretty well, I think. At least, I got past the first interview. They want me to come back in a couple of weeks and meet with the president of the university.”

“Oh, Rafael,” she squealed, “that’s wonderful!”

And she meant it. Joy bubbled inside of her, delight for him, for his success. It was a strange sensation, this sharing of happiness. She couldn’t remember sharing her feelings with anyone, except her mother.

“I’m glad you’re happy for me.” His deep voice reverberated over the phone, making chills run up and down her spine. She closed her eyes and wished herself in his arms with his mouth pressed against hers and . . .

“And there’s more. The Dean of Humanities was impressed by my credentials. I’m under consideration to head up their new multicultural department.”

“That’s a promotion, isn’t it?”

He laughed. “Yes, it’s quite a step up. I’m not even tenured yet. Heading up a department is beyond my wildest dreams.”

“You deserve it, Rafael. You know you deserve it.” She felt so proud of him.

“Hey, I appreciate that. You’re kind of special, too, you know.” He hesitated. “I missed you, Adriana.”

She didn’t want to talk about him missing her or her missing him—that would open a Pandora’s box of emotions. Instead, she said, “We’ve got to celebrate tonight. You’ll be leaving tomorrow, won’t you?”

“Yes.”

She would have never thought that a simple one-syllable word could convey such sadness, such haunting regret. She’d missed him these past two days, and she would miss him when he went home. But she didn’t want to think about that now. They had tonight.

“What about tonight?” she asked.

He laughed again. “I could get used to this, you know. You asking me out. I like it, and I’m game. What do you want to do? Dinner and a show?”

“That’s fine, but this time, let me make the arrangements. Okay?”

“Sure, you did the asking.”

“See you in the lobby at eight.”

“I’m counting the hours.”

He wouldn’t be the only one.

#

They lingered over drinks in the lobby bar. For Rafael, it was obvious that neither one of them wanted the evening to end. They’d had a wonderful time, dining at an Italian restaurant and seeing the latest Cirque du Soleil show at the Bellagio.

“It’s getting late.” He reached across the table and took her hand in his.

“Do you have an early morning flight?”

“No, early afternoon. I mentioned the time because I was concerned about your schedule.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.