all under control,’ she said as she passed him a bowl of raspberries.
‘I’m glad to hear that,’ he said, helping himself to the berries and then the ice cream. ‘Thank you for inviting me tonight and for introducing me to Hannah. The next step is for you and your business partners to come in to my headquarters for a meeting with my marketing people. Can the three of you make it on Friday?’
ANDIE AND HER two business partners, Gemma and Eliza, settled themselves in a small waiting room off the main reception area of Dominic’s very plush offices in Circular Quay. She and her fellow Party Queens had just come out of the Friday meeting with Dominic, his marketing people and senior executives in the boardroom and were waiting for Dominic to hear his feedback.
Situated on Sydney Cove, at the northern end of the CBD, the area was not just one of the most popular harbourside tourist precincts in Sydney—it was also home to the most prestigious office buildings. Even in this small room, floor-to-ceiling glass walls gave a magnificent close view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and a luxury cruise liner in dock.
Andie couldn’t help thinking the office was an ideal habitat for a billionaire Scrooge. Then she backtracked on the thought. That might not be fair. He hated the term and she felt vaguely disloyal even thinking it. Dominic was now totally committed to the Christmas Day feast for underprivileged families and had just approved a more than generous budget. She was beginning to wonder if his protestation that he was not a Scrooge had some truth in it. And then there was his gift to her mother to consider.
As she pondered the significance of that, she realised her thoughts had been filled with nothing much but Dominic since the day she’d met him. Last night he had even invaded her dreams—in a very passionate encounter that made her blush at the hazy dream memory of it. Did he kiss like that in real life?
It was with an effort that she forced her thoughts back to business.
‘How do you guys think it went?’ she asked the other two. ‘My vote is for really well.’ She felt jubilant and buoyant—Dominic’s team had embraced her idea with more enthusiasm than she could ever have anticipated.
‘Considering the meeting was meant to go from ten to eleven and here it is, nearly midday, yes, I think you could say that,’ said Eliza with a big smile splitting her face.
‘Of course that could have had something to do with Gemma’s superb macadamia shortbread and those delectable fruit mince pies,’ said Andie.
‘Yes,’ said Gemma with a pleased smile. ‘I thought I could describe until I was blue in the face what I wanted to serve for the lunch, but they’d only know by tasting it.’
Party Queens’ foodie partner had not only come up with a detailed menu for Dominic’s Christmas Day lunch, but she’d also brought along freshly baked samples of items from her proposed menus. At the end of the meeting only a few crumbs had remained on the boardroom’s fine china plates. Andie had caught Dominic’s eye as he finished his second pastry and knew it had been an inspired idea. The Christmas star shaped serviettes she had brought along had also worked to keep the meeting focused on the theme of traditional with a twist.
‘I think they were all-round impressed,’ said Eliza. ‘We three worked our collective socks off to get our presentations so detailed and professional in such a short time. Andie, all the images and samples you prepared to show the decorations and table settings looked amazing—I got excited at how fabulous it’s going to look.’
‘I loved the idea of the goody bags for all the guests too,’ said Gemma. ‘You really thought of everything.’
‘While we’re doing some mutual backslapping I’m giving yours a hearty slap, Eliza,’ said Andie. ‘Their finance guy couldn’t fault your detailed costings and timelines.’
Eliza rubbed her hands together in exaggerated glee. ‘And I’m sure we’re going to get more party bookings from them. One of the senior marketing people mentioned her daughter was getting married next year and asked me did we do weddings.’
‘Well done, Party Queens,’ said Andie. ‘Now that the contract is signed and the basic plan approved I feel I can relax.’ Her partners had no idea of how tight it had been to get Dominic across the line for the change from glitz and glamour to more humble with heart.
She and her two friends discreetly high-fived each other. The room was somewhat of a goldfish bowl and none of them wanted to look less than professional to any of Dominic’s staff who might be walking by.
Eliza leaned in to within whispering distance of Andie and Gemma. ‘Dominic Hunt was a surprise,’ she said in an undertone. ‘I thought he’d be arrogant and overbearing. Instead, I found myself actually liking him.’
‘Me too,’ said Gemma. ‘Not to mention he’s so handsome. I could hardly keep my eyes off him. And that voice.’ She mimed a shiver of delight.
‘But he couldn’t keep his eyes off Andie,’ said Eliza. ‘You’d be wasting your time there, Gemma.’
Had he? Been unable to keep his eyes off her? Andie’s Dominic radar had been on full alert all through the meeting. Again she’d that uncanny experience of knowing exactly where he was in the room even when her back was turned. Of hearing his voice through the chatter of others. She’d caught his eye one too many times to feel comfortable. Especially with the remnants of that dream lingering in her mind. She’d had to force herself not to let her gaze linger on his mouth.
‘Really, Andie?’ said Gemma. ‘Has he asked you out?’
‘Nothing like that,’ Andie said.
Eliza nodded thoughtfully. ‘But you like him. Not in the way I liked him. I mean you really like him.’
Andie had no intention of admitting anything to anyone. She forced her voice to sound cool, impartial—though she doubted she would fool shrewd Eliza. ‘Like you, I was surprised at how easy he is to get on with and how professional he is—even earlier this week when I switched the whole concept of his party into something he had never envisaged.’ That overwhelming attraction was just physical—nothing more.
‘And you totally didn’t get how hot he was?’ said Gemma. ‘Don’t expect me to believe that for one moment.’
Eliza rolled her eyes at Andie. ‘I know what’s coming next. He’s not your type. How many times have I heard you say that when you either refuse a date or dump a guy before you’ve even had a chance to get to know him?’
Andie paused. ‘Maybe that’s true. Maybe that’s why I’m still single. I’m beginning to wonder if I really know what is my type now.’
Her friendships with Gemma and Eliza dated from after she’d lost Anthony. They’d been sympathetic, but never really got why she had been so determined to try and find another man cast in the same mould as her first love. That her first love had been so perfect she’d felt her best chance of happiness would be with someone like Anthony.
Trouble was, they’d broken the mould when they’d made Anthony. Maybe she just hadn’t been ready. Maybe she’d been subconsciously avoiding any man who might challenge her. Or might force her to look at why she’d put her heart on hold for so long. Dominic would be a challenge in every way. The thought both excited and scared her.
Eliza shook her head. ‘It’s irrelevant anyway,’ she said. ‘It would be most unwise for you to start anything with Dominic Hunt. His party is a big, important job for us and we don’t have much time to organise it. It could get very messy if you started dating the client. Especially when I’ve never known you to stay with anyone for more than two weeks.’
‘In my eagerness to get you fixed up with a handsome rich guy, I hadn’t thought of that,’ said Gemma. ‘Imagine if you broke up with the billionaire client right in the middle of the countdown