Seeing the Love (10 page)
Authors: Sofia Grey
Natalie walked back to her car, her head spinning. She’d done it. She’d
done
it. She’d saved the Bryce account. Chris Fitz had been more than willing to talk to her over lunch. Even though they’d mainly discussed art, he’d agreed to continue with them as primary supplier, for the short term at least. They’d conduct a six-month review as normal, but he was happy to accept the mistakes at face value.
It probably helped that Natalie had set him up with the painting loan scheme, from which he could lease some of her father’s works. He made her promise to have lunch again sometime, and to bring her partner with her. There was no romantic intent on Chris Fitz’s part; he genuinely enjoyed talking art with her.
God, it had been nerve wracking. Her hands still trembled from the aftermath of the day’s events. She let herself into the car, and then checked her phone for missed calls. There were two voicemail messages, the first from an unrecognized number.
“Hello, Natalie, this is Elsa Stafford. We met when I was Procurement Manager at Bryce Electronics. I moved recently, to head up the Contracts Team at Jen-Tech, and I’d like to invite you to bid for a big implementation we’re planning. Please call me back. I’m hoping we can continue doing business together.”
Natalie listened to the rest of the message in a daze. She had to be dreaming. Not only did she save the Bryce account, but also had another to potentially add to her client list. She had to share the good news with Lucas.
The second message was from him. “Hey, it’s me.” His voice bubbled with tension. “I don’t know what to say, apart from thank you. You made me stop wallowing and get things sorted out.” He paused, and she heard a muffled noise in the background. A woman’s voice, slightly distorted. Where was he? “I have to go now,” he continued. “I’ll ring you later. Talk to you this evening.”
Natalie stared at her phone, puzzled, and then hit speed-dial and rang his number. It went straight to voicemail.
“Lucas, I just picked up your message. I have so much to tell you, and yes, I’ll wait for your call this evening. Looking forward to talking to you.” She blew a kiss down the phone, and then hung up.
Happiness warmed her chest. Taking back control in one tiny part of her life felt pretty good, and she hoped Lucas had been equally successful with whatever he was doing. She couldn’t wait to find out, but for now, she had work to do.
*
One of the things Lucas learned on his recent course, was that asking for help didn’t make him weak. Instead it empowered him, weird though it felt. This morning he’d asked his colleague for help and had an amazing result. Lucas had been re-instated in his role, and Dave was currently suspended while they discussed his options. This afternoon, though, was even more important.
He stood at the check-in desk at Wellington Airport, and handed over his ticket. His luggage was minimal—one bag—and like last time, he was travelling without Molly.
Sarah took his arm and walked him to a sofa, where they could wait until he boarded. She was as excited as him, and her enthusiasm buoyed Lucas’s spirits. It
would
be okay. He couldn’t think otherwise.
The details had fallen into place with ease. A seat on a late afternoon flight to Auckland. One of the counsellors from his course to meet him when he landed. A room at The Langham in Auckland, one of the city’s five star hotels. Too easy. Something was bound to go wrong. What if Natalie said no?
His nerves kicked into high gear when he sank into his seat on the plane and fastened the lap belt. He had to be crazy. Natalie said she loved him, but did she love him enough? He’d find out soon. In the meantime, he had to figure out how to survive the flight without freaking out.
He disembarked into hot and humid Auckland in the late afternoon, and walked slowly to the concourse, on the arm of one of the flight crew. They’d been fantastic and treated him with respect and dignity. In a world filled with people who treated him as a freak, he appreciated that.
The moment he switched his phone back on, it trilled into life with a message from Sarah. She sent him good-luck vibes and told him to go get his girl. After seeing Natalie over the weekend, Sarah now liked her. Approved of her. Would she grow to love her?
“Are you here for business or pleasure?” The chirpy flight attendant sounded young, but her innocent question put a smile on Lucas’s face.
“Pleasure. Definitely.” Despite his heart racing and stomach churning, he managed to get to the Arrivals Hall without making an ass of himself. There, waiting, was Paul, his counsellor. So far, so good.
Lucas’s nerves shredded more with every minute that passed. He debated whether to phone Natalie or just turn up at her door. He preferred the second option, with the element of surprise. Paul was completely behind his plan, which boosted Lucas’s confidence.
Get your girl,
said Sarah. Well, that was his plan.
“This is it,” murmured Paul. “Should I wait with you? In case she’s not home?”
Lucas nodded. His mouth was so dry, he feared he’d not be able to speak all night. His stomach tied itself in a giant knot, and he had a buzzing stress headache. He didn’t feel very empowered.
He knocked on Natalie’s door and waited, listening for any noise inside the apartment.
Footsteps. A handle turning. A door opening.
A very feminine squeal. “Lucas?
Mon dieu,
what are you doing here?”
“That’s my cue to go.” Lucas heard the smile in Paul’s voice, as the man clapped him around the shoulder. “See you, Lucas.”
Natalie’s scent hung in the air, and he breathed it deeply. “Lucas,” she repeated and wrapped her arms around him. “I can’t believe you’re here. It is so wonderful to see you. Come in, please.”
He followed her lead, stepping with care into the unknown space.
Man up
, he told himself.
You’re here. Now, just do it
.
“Natalie.” He caught her hands, and tugged her to stand close. “There’s something I need to tell you, and something I want to ask you.” He squeezed her fingers when she tried to speak. “Please, let me finish.”
He shuffled his feet, and satisfied the floor was clear, dropped to his knees, still holding her hands. “Natalie Fontaine,
je t’aime
. I love you. I’m in love with you. I could spend the rest of my life telling you that, and it still wouldn’t be enough.” She gripped him tightly, her breathing ragged, and he plunged on before he could change his mind. “Marry me, Natalie.
Tu es l’amour de ma vie
.”
You are the love of my life.
There was a bump next to him, and he realized Natalie knelt too. “
Oui
. Yes. A thousand times yes.” Little kisses rained over his face. “I love you so much.”
Six months later
Natalie stood back and watched Lucas check them into the hotel. His French flawless now, he charmed the receptionist into upgrading them to a view of the Mediterranean, and then turned back to take Natalie’s hand. She led him to their room and guided him round the layout, so he knew where the doors and windows were and could avoid bumping into the furniture.
“We’re early. Grand-mére won’t be here for ages. Two hours at least.” She sank onto the double bed with a happy sigh.
“I need time to get ready for meeting all your cousins.”
“They’ll love you. Grand-mére adores you.”
“She’s pretty special.” Lucas sat beside her and reached for her hand. They laced their fingers together, and Natalie admired again the way her golden wedding band sparkled in the sunshine.
“Are you glad now that I insisted you continue with your French?” Natalie had brought him to a quiet village in the southern-most tip of Provence, to meet the rest of her family, since not everyone had been able to attend their wedding in Wellington. The trip also doubled as their honeymoon.
“What do you think?” He kissed her knuckles and played with her ring, sliding it up and down her finger.
He made her stronger and more confident, and she knew he felt the same. If she’d never bought Molly the Frisbee, would they have ever taken the first tentative steps into friendship, and from there into love?
“Your grandmother told me you don’t need your eyes to fall in love. Your heart sees it first.” His voice was warm and tender. “
Le coup de foudre
. For me, it really was love at first sight.”
THE END
~*~
If you enjoyed seeing Sofia Grey’s blind hero, Lucas, find love,
click here to purchase
Crash Into Love
. Talented guitarist Jonah struggles to get past the accident that left him mentally and emotionally scarred, and is locked in a near-silent world until he meets Cass.
~*~
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Playlist
Music is interwoven so tightly into my writing that I can’t untangle the two. Either I’m listening to a playlist on my iPod, have music seeping from my laptop speakers, or there’s a song playing in my head – sometimes on auto-repeat.
If
Seeing the Love
had a soundtrack, this would be the playlist:
Stereophonics: Dakota
Foo Fighters: Everlong
Lorde: Yellow Flicker Beat
Incubus: Wish You Were Here
Manchester Orchestra: Shake It Out
Soundgarden: Fell On Black Days
P.O.D.: Lost In Forever
Grinspoon: Passerby
Villainy: The Answer
Slash, ft. Adam Levine: Gotten
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Scar Tissue
Audioslave: Be Yourself
Listen along with my Spotify playlist:
Spotify
Check out the images that inspired
Seeing the Love:
Pinterest
If you enjoyed
Seeing the Love
by Sofia Grey, check out her other books, including:
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High profile couple Suki and Gabe Bridgewater have the perfect marriage, or at least, that’s the image they portray to the world. Behind closed doors, Gabe’s dominance in the marriage is unravelling and he decides to test Suki, using Josh as bait.
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