The CEO’s Quadruplets

Chapter 2

            One car came for Isabella and one came for Lizzie. Isabella hoped Amory would be inside, but instead she found her last note of the day.

            You’ll find me at the place where we began. I had the same booth reserved, and will be waiting impatiently to see you again, Isabella. All my love, Your Husband

            Isabella smiled, glad she had changed into the silk floral wrap dress as Lizzie suggested. They both knew wherever Isabella was going that it was going to be nice. She bought new red high heels to match the printed blossoms on her outfit, and cherry red lipstick to give her smile a little something extra. For some reason, her confidence was waning, but doubt had a funny way of creeping in when she was tired. Isabella had only slept for a few hours the night before, so she did not give much thought to her worries. She just needed to see him, and before she saw him with her own eyes Isabella knew just how he would look.

            At a restaurant on Sunset Boulevard, Amory Blake would be sitting in a pristine designer suit with a cheerful custom lining. Typically, it would be something paisley or floral, and the restaurant itself matched his fashion sense with its cheerful green wallpaper. Fingers nervously running through his dark wavy hair, his dark eyes would be set on the menu, but Amory would not be able to read a single word. Instead, he would tap his foot with the table of the circular corner booth covering his nervous tick. When he would finally look up, his eyes would brighten before he actually smiled. His grin would be eternally youthful, lopsided, and if it was big enough you could see the dimples in his cheeks.

            Traffic held her up, but everyone in Los Angeles already was accustomed to this. Amory would be no different. When Isabella finally arrived at the quirky Italian restaurant, she found everything she had imagined on the ride over to be correct.

            There he sat, one-part Italian and all-parts debonair, and almost didn’t notice her. He was staring down at the menu with too much intent to make his facade look real.

            “May I join you, stranger?” Isabella asked as she drew closer.

            “Bella!” Amory looked up just as she knew he would. It was a face that could melt the most frozen heart. He stood to kiss her softly and embrace her as he continued in his flattery. If this had not been such a public place, Isabella knew he would not have let her go to finally sit with him in the round booth. “You look like a new person! I almost can’t believe you look more stunning than you left.”

            “Well, the spa day did help.” Bella blushed. “Still, I feel like a new person. South Africa… I think it changed me a bit. I don’t think I will ever forget this past year. Even if become senile one day.”

            “Good. That was the point. I doubt your patients will forget you. Did one of them give you this new hairstyle?”

            Bella touched her locks. “There called Senegalese twists. Actually, I found out my third cousin owns her own salon in Cape Town. She did it for me while I was staying with her last week.”

            “She did a wonderful job. Have I met her?”

            Bella shook her head. “I only met them once when they came up for my brothers’ baptism. This particular cousin was not even out of diapers herself.”

            “Oh, well, I’m glad you actually get to know them all a bit better then.”

            Bella nodded. “It was good to find my roots. My mother’s family left when war was starting to overtake the country, and they have never really felt a desire to go back. After learning more of the history first hand, I get why.”

            “If you want to go back though, just say the word.”

            “Maybe in the next couple years, I can go back with you, Amory.”

            Amory grinned. “Sounds wonderful.”

“Speaking of new things, I had an offer from a university in town. They want me to teach some graduate courses over the next year as a precursor to possible a full-time position. They have a couple professors trying to scale back and slowly move towards retirement, so the nursing department wants some possible candidates to take over their positions. I worked with a master class a long time ago there, but they were impressed with my non-profit focus. They think it could add a new dynamic to the department.”

“That’s amazing, Bella! Would you prefer to teach than do patient care?”

“See, I still could do both. They run clinics with medical students, and I could help there. That means I could work with future medical professionals, while having the patient interactions that I love!”

“Wow, sounds too good to refuse. When would you start?”

“I would have a summer session to get my feet wet, and then teach a class in-person and one online during the fall. In the spring, I would be helping with some mentoring for graduate students, and shadow some teaching undergraduate courses. According to the email correspondence, they want to use my year just as a way for me to get a feel of what a full-time position would entail. Honestly, I like the idea of working a few days a week after working non-stop for the last several months.”

“Well, you don’t HAVE to work at all, Isabella. I mean neither do I, but we are both too devoted to not work.”

Bella laughed. “I don’t know if our marriage could last if we both did not have our work.”

Amory nodded in a good-humored agreement, saying, “I would go crazy after a couple weeks.”

            The waiter came over and took their drink orders, and inevitably their whole menu order. Amory loved this restaurant because they set their menu up like a traditional Italian meal, and Isabella loved the food. She could eat their fresh pasta every day of the year if they let her. As Isabella talked about her day with Lizzie Harris, the first round of cocktails came quickly. She thanked the waiter, and bashfully looked at her husband.