Stella in Stilettos (31 page)

Trish guided them to Sloppy Joes, the famous bar frequented by Hemingway and then to Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville where they listened to a rockabilly band and sipped margaritas while wearing Parrot Head t-shirts.

RedHairedHoney talked them into joining the group for a ghost tour which took them off the beaten path; along the shadowy streets and lanes of Old Town while a narrator entertained them with ghost stories and legends.

Of course, their trip to Key West wouldn’t be complete without checking out the shops that lined Duval Street. Actually, Stella and Trish shopped while the guys drank beer and ate conch fritters.

Their time on the island was fast coming to a close. In fact, tonight was New Year’s Eve. Tomorrow they’d board the express catamaran that would take them back to reality.

Stella checked her look in the mirror. The low-cut red dress she’d bought in one of the shops on Duval Street fit her like a glove. The red stilettos with rhinestones on the ankle strap she bought to go with the dress lengthened her legs and finished the look. As long as she could walk in them without snapping an ankle in two, things would be perfect.

Alex came up behind and nuzzled her neck. “That dress was made for you, sweetheart.” He nipped the tender spot just below her earlobe that seemed to flip on her pilot light. “And those shoes, Stella, wow! You are sexy, woman!” He made a throaty noise at the back of her neck. “Let’s skip the party so I can slowly undress you and make love to you while you wear those shoes.”

Heat blasted through Stella like he’d taken a blow torch to her body. “I would love to stay here too, with nothing on but my shoes, but you know Trish and Steve.”

Alex growled. Stella laughed.

He turned her around so their foreheads touched. “We’ll let the world have us until midnight. After that, it’s just you and me and that dress and those shoes.” He brushed his lips across hers, making her tremble.

A knock at the door was followed by “Helloooo! Are you decent?”

They danced and sipped champagne until the stroke of midnight. Alex divvied out hugs to Trish, Steve, and Red, but he dove at Stella like they were the only two in the ballroom. “Happy New Year, sweetheart.” They kissed until Steve nudged them.

Party horns and noisemakers added to the atmosphere of joy and hope that always came in those first few minutes of the New Year.

Alex grabbed two more flutes of champagne. He handed one to Stella. “To new beginnings,” he said, clinking his glass against hers.

A strange look darkened Stella’s face for no more than a second, but he’d seen it. Whatever she was thinking, she covered it with a smile.

“To new beginnings,” she seconded.

He thought about the phone call he’d made after shortly after loving Stella the day they arrived. The change that call was sure to bring might put a small crimp in their relationship. But the love they’d expressed over the last few days was surely solid enough to withstand a minor crimp.

Stella tugged on Alex’s tie. “Any chance you’d like to go to the room?”

“You don’t have to ask twice.” Alex took her hand and led them toward the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Trish chimed.

Alex gave Trish a pointed look. “Where do you think?”

“You can jump each other’s bones when we get back to Ohio. It’s our last night in Key West, come on, let’s stay up all night. I’m itching to see what’s going on outside. Let’s go.” She linked arms with Stella and Alex and nodded for Steve to do the same.

* * * *

Stella was jarred awake by the prearranged wakeup call from the front desk. She groaned into her pillow. It couldn’t be seven-thirty already.

Alex slowly opened his eyes. “Five more minutes, please?”

“No problem. I’ll shower first.” Stella kissed the tip of Alex’s ear and pulled up off the bed with her head feeling like it was stuffed with Styrofoam. What a night! They appeased Trish and Steve until three-thirty in the morning by joining the party going on outside the hotel, then by walking to Whitehead Street to the southernmost point monument because Trish wanted to visit it one more time and finally finishing the night by feasting on Cuban sandwiches at a Caribbean restaurant. She and Alex indulged in a bit of
dessert
when they got back to the room. It was a sweet treat that kept them awake until five o’clock.

Stella yawned her way to the shower. She was overtired but it was a delicious fatigue she wouldn’t mind experiencing every morning. Turning the shower on to the hottest setting, she spared a look in the mirror. Looking back at her was a happy woman; a woman in love.

The small bathroom quickly filled with steam. She drew a heart on the mirror and stepped into the shower. Hot water cascaded over her tired muscles. She closed her eyes and thought about the magic of the last few days. She’d found love…and her Mr. Right. A woman couldn’t ask for more. Well, she could ask for one more thing – to stay in Key West forever.

The thought of boarding the express catamaran that would take them back to the mainland made her sigh. Today they would fly back to cold, snowy Ohio. Tomorrow she would start her new job with Barton James Enterprises. She was filled with anticipation to make the change, but dreading the fallout from keeping it a secret. Alex wouldn’t take the news well. They’d just worked through the promotion issue and now she was leaving. Stella winced. He’d get over it. He’d have to or… She didn’t want to think along those lines. She’d convince him it was just a change in venue, not their relationship. Trish, however, would act as though Stella broke off her pinky finger. She’d whine that best friends shared everything. A quick reminder to Trish that she was pretty good at keeping secrets too would stop the bellyaching. Stella still couldn’t believe that Trish knew who Mr. Right was from the get-go. Sneaky little minx. And then there was Maggie. Argh! Things would definitely get ugly there. That rabid badger would be so pissed that her prized flunky had moved on she’d bite everyone in the department.
Poor Corrine
.

Lost in her thoughts, Stella wrapped her arms around her. Once she got through today and tomorrow, life should be smooth sailing. After all, she was in love.

“Stella, we have to go.” Half-dressed and looking as though he’d pulled an all-nighter, Alex slid open the shower door. “Steve and Trish are here. We have to go now or we’re going to miss the boat.”

All that thinking must’ve taken a lot of time. Stella dried off at record speed, pulled into a pair of jeans and t-shirt, and grabbed the suitcase she’d been wise enough to pack last night.

The four of them ran to the dock and were the last to board.

Out of breath, they climbed to the top deck. Alex pulled Stella to his chest, smoothed her damp curls away from her face and planted a soul-reaching kiss on her lips. “Good morning. I love you.”

Stella stretched her mouth into a big smile. “Good morning to you, too. I love you as well.” She kissed the tip of his nose. “I’ll love you more if you get me a cup of coffee.”

* * * *

Alex handed Stella another piping hot cup of coffee and a cheese Danish. “We need to talk.” They were almost back to Ft. Myers and he had to get things off his chest before they boarded separate flights back to Ohio.

“Oh-kayy.” Curiosity sparkled from Stella’s green eyes.

Alex swallowed the knot in his throat. She probably thought he was going to propose. Hell, proposing would be a breeze because he knew she was the one; telling her about the phone call he’d made, not so breezy.

He connected gazes with Steve.

“What’s going on, buddy?” Steve asked.

“Tell ya later. Right now I need a few minutes alone with Stella.”

Trish crinkled her forehead. “You better be nice to her or you’ll have to deal with me.” She issued him a toothy grin. Alex had no doubt Trish would tear him apart limb by limb if he hurt Stella. Well, he wasn’t going to hurt Stella per se, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to make her happy.

Alex guided them to a table on the lower level.

“I could tell a few days ago that you had something on your mind.” Stella almost upended her coffee. She was trying to appear relaxed, but he could tell she was rattled. He’d learned early on that when she was nervous, she turned into a klutz. He smiled. She had no idea how endearing that was.

Alex took her hand in his. “That whole VP fiasco was the pits. I learned a lot from it though. I found out that working for Marc Thompson wasn’t where I wanted to be. Actually, I’ve known it for awhile. But I couldn’t quite get the gumption to quit.” Stella’s eyes went wide. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You helped me with that.”

Stella’s silky, blonde brows dipped to the center. “I don’t understand.”

Alex worked his thumb to her palm and moved it back and forth over her soft skin. “While Marc doesn’t have a no-fraternizing policy in place, he would frown on our relationship. I decided I want you more than him.” He studied Stella while the information sank in.

Stella hopped out of her chair, threw her arms around him and sat in his lap. Of course, she spilled her coffee. Instead of sopping up the mess, she kissed him full on the mouth.

The clatter of glasses at the bar made them pull apart.

Stella moved back to her chair and soaked up the spill with a napkin. Without making eye contact, she said, “Same here.”

Alex chuckled. “What exactly does that mean?”

She twisted her mouth to the side. “It means you’re not the only one leaving the company.”

Alex couldn’t stop his mouth from dropping open. “Seriously?”

“After Maggie so easily dismissed me for the promotion, I decided to take my loyalty elsewhere. Tomorrow I go back to being a peon who will most likely make coffee and type up reports. I’m okay with that. I have my whole work life ahead of me and I don’t want to spend it with a boss who doesn’t appreciate me.” She tilted her head to the side. “What are you going to do?”

Alex took a sip of his coffee. “Work for my dad. He’s nagged me for a long time to make the switch. I made his day when I gave him the news.”

Panic edged Stella’s voice. “Please tell me the job is in Ohio.”

Alex grinned. “It is.”

Before they could delve into details, Steve, Trish and Red, along with everyone else who had been on the two sun decks crowded into the lower level to disembark.

“We have some news,” Alex said.

“You’re an hour early,” Barton James said, unlocking the main door to the office.

Stella shifted nervously under the careful scrutiny of her new boss. “I didn’t want to be late.”

Barton smiled and motioned for her to follow him. “I was going to have the office manager show you around, since you’re here and I’m here, I might as well do it.”

They milled past real offices, not three-walled pretend offices.

Pinch me
, Stella thought happily.

The old guy stopped in front of a door at the far end of the hallway. “Your new digs, Stella.”

When he opened the door, her mouth fell open. The room contained two large oak desks, complete with computers and printers. A white-board filled one wall, while a flat screen TV covered another. Her eyes darted to a wood-grained nameplate that read: Stella Matson. She broke into an ear-to-ear smile. “A hug would be totally inappropriate, but a mere thank you doesn’t seem like enough, Mr. James.”

Barton laughed. “You’re welcome, Stella. And please, call me Barton.”

“Barton,” she repeated.

Stella wandered to the windows that provided a magnificent view of the Scioto River. Snow had altered the landscape and the rivers’ bank. It was hard to tell where one stopped and the other began. Trees, naked from their autumn fall, stood sentry over the frozen tributary and a chunky assortment of ice was waiting patiently for the air to grow warmer. “It’s incredible.”

“Same reaction I had the first time I set foot in my office. When the day gets crazy, a person needs something tranquil to focus on to help them keep their sanity. The river has always done it for me.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “I’d like to run something by you.”

Stella nodded. “Okay.”

“I have business on the fifteenth floor of the building that housed your old job. I’d like for you to accompany me. While I’m taking care of my business, you could meander to whatever floor you were on so you can say your goodbyes and clean out your desk.”

Stella’s initial reaction was no, but she declined using different words. “There’s not much to clean out, sir, and I’d prefer to say my goodbyes over the phone.” She hadn’t actually severed ties with Maggie yet. She’d left word on her answering machine that she was taking another vacation day; this one from her new vacation entitlement for the New Year.

“Nonsense. It’ll give you closure.”

Barton’s tone said it wasn’t a suggestion.

* * * *

“That did not go well,” Alex muttered under his breath as he punched the elevator button for the twenty-sixth floor. Marc had lost his cool. So did Jett. Marc called him an ingrate. Jett fell short of calling him stupid.