A T I Y A
Atiya stood in the kitchen and held her phone to her ear. It took him all morning to work up the courage to call Aquila . She had avoided calling him because she was so embarrassed to leave her house the week before, but April insisted she should every night. Well, when she heard his low, familiar voice on the other side, what she wanted to do was throw her phone across the room, among the flour and sugar bags in the pantry. All I had to do was hide in "Hello?" he asked again. She cleared her throat and prayed that her voice was normal. "Aquila ?"
"Atiya , I'm glad you called."
Relief flowed through her body. It wasn't just her wish that he wanted to talk to her. He seemed really excited. "How was your week?" She leaned against the counter and frowned. She had just finished rolling out the sugar cookie dough, and the flour strips adorned her back. Fortunately he didn't meet her. She reached out and wiped it off. "It's been a long time. I was in Baton Rouge negotiating a contract."
She frowned her face. Every time he talked about what he had done, she felt a nostalgic tightening in her chest. She shook her head. This was something she had to quickly forget. Aquila wasn't the company that put her father out of business and broke his heart. Just because Aquila is rich doesn't mean he's bad. She had to start trusting him. "Well, I hope you don't think I've forgotten you," she said, allowing herself to flirt a little. He chuckled. "That makes me happy."
His melodious voice made her heart beat faster. she swallowed. She had to brace herself. "There is another charity opportunity.
There was silence on the other side. She held her breath. Perhaps he didn't want to search further after the ballroom debacle. "Sorry, my assistant just asked me a question. Yes. I look forward to working with you to explore more philanthropic activities. When do you want me to come there tomorrow? "
"Shall we meet here at five o'clock? Wear something warm and something you don't mind getting dirty." She tapped her fingers on the counter. I hope he accepts her plan. Detty 's boyfriend worked at Tish's Children's Department at the Central Park Zoo. He complained that he couldn't find someone he could trust to help clean up every day. Before considering the idea, she offered to help him. Perhaps Aquila ' invitation had something to do with the fact that she didn't want to go it alone. Or perhaps - and more obviously - it had to do with her needing an excuse to see him again. "I will go there," he said. It wasn't just her imagination. She caught a hint of excitement in his voice. "Well then," she said, hoping she looked more stoic than she thought. They said goodbye and Atiya hung up. She tucked it in front of her apron and turned to the stretched fabric in front of her. She had an order for delivery tonight at a local church, but after our conversation I doubted she would be able to focus on anything. She quickly took the hot cookies out of the oven. As she sat down to mix the frosting and start decorating, April walked in. She had her hair tied up in a tight bun and wore ruby red lipstick. She smiled at Atiya . "How's it going in here?" "She reached out and brushed the cookie off the tray before Atiya brushed his hand away. Atiya gave her an annoyed look. 'Hey, I'm here.' I'm lucky I always make extra," she says, holding out a tube of frosting to her aunt, and April just smiles.
Atiya sighed as she turned to Cookie. "How's it going over there?" she asked, nodding in front of the shop. "Slowly," April said, chewing on a cookie. The loss was decided around Atiya . What does she do? It didn't work. Sure, we got orders here and there, but not the amount we needed to keep the business going. It could have closed by Christmas. She forced her smile anyway. No reason to think about it. "Hey, we'll be fine," she said as April reached out to put her hand on Atiya 's arm. There is also a handsome, not to mention rich boyfriend in the picture.
The heat burned her cheeks. "Aquila is not my boyfriend, so I don't need his money."
April raised her eyebrows and licked the icing on her fingers. "It's okay to ask for help. We're all in different stages right now. They're a fast-growing baby company." He runs a huge investment business. I'm sure they will help you if you ask. "
Atiya stood up, grabbed a piping bag, poured it into the sink, and began to wash. She didn't want to ask for help. And if Raquel did that, she was sure she would say something. After the conversation, she wasn't sure if she wanted to hear her thoughts.