Read An Uncertain Affair (The Affair Series Book 2) for Free Online Page B

again. “He was
sold after the presentation on Friday, but I had dinner with him Saturday
night.”
    Dane
raised an eyebrow. “Really. And how did that go?” he asked, somewhat
facetiously.
    “Quite
well, actually,” I said, smiling, not offering any other details.
    “Uh-huh,”
Dane said, not asking for details, either.
    Valerie
pranced into the studio with equal excitement. When she joined us, she realized
we were in the middle of a discussion.
    “What’s
going on?” she asked.
    “Nothing!”
I insisted.
    “Bridget
just used all of her persuasive powers to land this job for us,” Dane said,
looking at me as he offered the explanation to Valerie.
    “What’s
up with that, Bridget?” Valerie asked. “Have you been fraternizing with
Sergio to get this job?”
    “No!
I mean, sort of, I guess. He was sold on it when I left him on Friday, but we
had dinner Saturday, and that’s when he told me it was a done deal.”
    “You
had dinner with him Saturday!? Where?” Valerie was incredulous.
    “Buena
Comida. He invited me to join him after his dinner shift.”
    “Really!?
Well, I guess you’re now in the inner circle.” Her retort was sarcastic. It was
none of their business how dinner had evolved, but I was glad to have it out in
the open that I had seen Sergio Saturday. I didn’t think that was what sealed
the deal exactly, but it felt good to know that I had been an integral part of
the process of securing the job for Dane.
     
    **
     
    Sergio’s
restaurants were closed on Mondays, so he had the evening to himself. He invited
me to join him at his flat for dinner at seven. He greeted me with a passionate
kiss and escorted me to the kitchen. Candles filled the room, the flickering
light bouncing off all the shiny surfaces. Sergio had prepared a pitcher of
margaritas and some small appetizers. He poured each of us a drink and joined
me at the bar.
    “Something
smells amazing. What are you making?” I asked.
    “We
tasted the new dishes that will be on the menu after New Year’s this afternoon.
There are some outstanding new flavors I’m anxious for you to try. I really
liked the spicy flounder and thought you might enjoy that this evening.”
    “Ooh,
that sounds yummy. Seems like you had a busy day.”
    “It
was busy but productive. Oh, and…um, Adele got back this afternoon,” he said tentatively.
    “Oh?
I didn’t think she was due back until tomorrow. Is everything okay?”
    “Mostly.
We took time to review Dane’s proposal this afternoon, and she had some
recommendations about the photography.”
    “Really?
Have you decided to work with someone else?” I asked, sitting up in my chair,
bracing for bad news.
    “No,
no, Bridget. Not at all,” he said, leaning over to kiss me. My relief must have
shown in my body language. He hugged me to allay my fears, and then explained, “I
went through the presentation with her and she had to admit it was impressive,
even though I could tell she was trying to find fault with it. She took it to
her office to review it on her own, and a couple of hours later, she came back
to talk about it. She believes Dane’s the right choice for the photography, but
she feels strongly that we should bring Nicole Terry in to do the food styling.
Nicole’s been working with us for a while and knows the recipes. I told her that’s
exactly why Nicole shouldn’t do the food styling. First of all, Dane
should have the person he knows and is comfortable with. Second, Valerie could
shake things up a bit, rather than ending up with more of the usual we get from
Nicole. We all know Valerie’s talented and can handle it. Adele stood her
ground, though. Nicole needs to be the lead stylist. She conceded that Valerie
can assist, but she feels it is our project and we should call the shots on this.
I had to acquiesce, Bridget. I’m so sorry.”
    I
was shocked. Based on my experience, photographers always had their choice of
who they worked with as their crew, particularly when it