Five Star Romance. Jacquelin Thomas

      Chapter 2

      Livi Carlyle stared at the picture located near the center of the front page of the newspaper she was reading while she waited for her friend Sybil to arrive. Sybil worked close by and they met for lunch at least once a week.

      She read the article before her eyes strayed back to the picture of the Alexander family and one person in particular.

      Blaze Alexander.

      Livi stared at him with longing as she fantasized about being crushed in his embrace.

      “Helloooo...”

      The sound of Sybil’s voice drew Livi out of her daydreaming. Her face flushed as she murmured, “When did you get here?”

      “Just now,” Sybil responded. “I could tell that you were a million miles away from the look on your face. What were you thinking about?”

      Livi quickly put away her newspaper. “Nothing.”

      “What have you been up to?” Sybil asked.

      “Just steady working,” Livi responded with a smile. “We’re getting ready for the Fourth of July sale, and preparing for the fall season.”

      “Girl, I am loving that dress,” Sybil murmured. “And those shoes.”

      “Thank you.” Livi had on a floral-printed, V-neck dress in fuchsia, navy and green. The pewter metallic belt accentuated her tiny waist and matching sandals adorned her feet. “I found this dress when I was in New York buying for the fall season. I fell in love with it.”

      “I need to go on one of these buying trips of yours.”

      Livi chuckled.

      Sybil pointed toward the newspaper sticking out of Livi’s tote. “I’ve been reading about the new homeless shelter. I have to say that I really admire Malcolm Alexander. Building that facility is a wonderful thing to do.” She took a sip of her ice water.

      Livi nodded in agreement. “They’re a family with strong character. In my opinion, Robert DePaul knew exactly what he was doing when he left everything to Mr. Alexander.”

      Sybil smiled. “So, have you and that handsome son of his run into each other yet?”

      She shook her head. “I haven’t seen him. He works out of the corporate offices on Wilshire Boulevard. From what I’ve heard, Blaze hardly comes to the hotel, and when he does, I never know about it. I hear he travels a lot.”

      “You have his company email address,” Sybil stated. “Why don’t you send him a note? I’m sure he still remembers Vegas.” She gave Livi a knowing look. “You two were inseparable.”

      Picking up her menu, Livi muttered, “That was a long time ago.”

      “It wasn’t that long,” Sybil countered. “To be honest, I don’t know why you haven’t said anything already. He’s part of the reason you moved back to Los Angeles, so what are you waiting for?”

      Livi stared at her menu as if she hadn’t heard Sybil’s question.

      “Call the man. You keep this up and, the next thing you know, Blaze will be getting married to someone else. It will be too late then.”

      Sybil’s words struck a chord with Livi. “I’m not calling him. What would I say?” Livi asked. “Hey, I’m the girl you partied with in Vegas. I know we haven’t seen each other in two years, but I was wondering if we can get together.”

      Sybil chuckled. “Hey, it might work.”

      “I don’t think so,” Livi murmured. “I’ll just wait until we run into each other.”

      “You two make such a cute couple. Who knows, maybe this is fate, and you two will end up married and living happily ever after.”

      Livi did not respond. Instead, she turned her attention back to the menu in her hand.

      Livi felt a thread of guilt snake down her spine. She was keeping a secret from Sybil. Sybil and Amy were Livi’s closest friends and the three of them shared much of their private lives. But Livi feared their judgment, so she kept mum.

      After lunch, she headed back to the boutique situated on the first floor of the Alexander-DePaul Hotel & Spa Resort. Livi had completely revamped Parisian Maison into one of the premiere boutiques in the hotel industry by adding a few couture collections. The boutique used to carry mostly souvenir items designed to appeal to hotel guests who were pressed for time. Livi changed all that by adding high-end clothing and fashion accessories.

      Livi had a quick meeting with her staff before retreating into her office. She sat down at her desk and opened her email.

      Her heart raced at the prospect of seeing Blaze again. Maybe Sybil was right. She could write Blaze an email, but Livi could not summon up enough courage to actually send it. Initially, she was terribly angry and hurt when she thought of Blaze, but over time her anger had dissipated. She wondered how he would feel about hearing from her after all this time. Would he be angry?

      * * *

      Blaze was the last to arrive at the hotel for Sage and Ryan’s family dinner. He had hoped to work out in his personal gym before heading to his sister’s place, but got home later than he planned. Kellen and Zaire were leaving tomorrow, heading back to school in Atlanta. Blaze was not going to miss spending this evening with them.

      “It’s about time you got here,” Sage said as she embraced him. “We’ve been holding dinner for you.”

      “I’m sorry,” he responded. “You all could’ve started without me.”

      “You’re here now,” she stated, leading him into the dining room. “I’m surprised that you’re the last one to arrive. You are always so prompt.

      “Blaze is here,” Sage announced. “Everyone, take your seats at the table.”

      He sat down next to Kellen, the youngest of the Alexander siblings. “What time are you and Zaire leaving tomorrow?”

      “Around eight, I think.”

      “I’ll be in Atlanta the first week of next month,” Blaze said. “We’ll all get together and do something while I’m there.” Whenever he had to travel to Georgia, Blaze made sure he spent time with his younger siblings, who were in grad school.

      Kellen nodded. “Cool.”

      Blaze glanced around the room. “Where’s the little man?” he asked, referring to Joshua, Ari and Natasha’s son.

      “He’s with my sister,” Natasha responded. “She’s in town for a couple of days, so they’re doing dinner and a movie.”

      “I can’t help but notice how Sage is glowing,” Zaire said. “If marriage does that to you—I can’t wait. You look really happy, sis.”

      Sage and Ryan responded in unison, “Thank you.”

      They looked at each other and laughed.

      Blaze eyed Sage. “I don’t know. I think she looks the same.”

      “This coming from the man who said he would never get married,” Ari noted.

      Blaze wiped his mouth with his napkin before saying, “Not everyone is cut out for marriage.”

      Ryan took a sip of water, and then said, “I wrote an article a couple of years ago on the benefits of marriage. Did you know that being married can help you beat cancer?”

      “Really?” Malcolm asked.

      “I did some research and found that men who have never been married