Perfect Fit - Brenda Jackson [43]
“Oh, all right. I promise that I’ll at least think about it.”
Not wanting to be too obvious, Sage watched through the window as Gabe Blackwell angled his way up the sidewalk toward the restaurant. She had to hand it to the man; he certainly looked good. In fact, he’d always been the epitome of male-model material each and every time she saw him. Because she’d been engaged to Erol when she and Gabe had first met, she hadn’t allowed herself to think such thoughts, but now she did, even if it was with a “look but don’t touch” policy. She couldn’t imagine it being anything else beyond that.
He was tall and had broad shoulders and trim hips—a really nice physique. He was definitely the kind of guy single women would check out. His whole persona made a statement that he was a man who was successful in his own right. The expensive suit he was wearing definitely alluded to that fact, as well as the way he walked—as though he was sure of himself and his abilities.
Sage sighed when a depressing thought entered her mind. Erol had possessed that same air about him. But then, a part of her knew that in order to be a successful black businessman, you had to be sure of yourself if you wanted to hold your own and be competitive in a society that already had placed one strike against you.
A part of her couldn’t help but wonder if Gabe Blackwell was the type of man who could be trusted. Not just in the business arena but on a more personal level. Could a woman place her trust in him and believe he would do the right thing by her in all areas of their relationship? Her nightly prayer to God continued to be to not let her view all men through distrustful eyes. She didn’t want to become a person who was insecure and suspicious of any man who got close, business or otherwise. She still found it hard not to be that way.
Deciding to focus on business matters, Sage thought about her and Gabe’s impromptu luncheon meeting and wondered how receptive he would be to her idea about adding the dinner theater. She was sure Mr. Landmark had already briefed him on it since the older man had been impressed with what she had presented. In fact, he had been so impressed that he had called one of his junior executives into his office to take a look at it.
The man had also thought her idea had merit. But he’d also been critical of the Denmark Group for not having thought of it before the architectural plans had been finalized. He didn’t like the thought of having to make such a major change at this late stage of the game and felt that Gabe Blackwell would feel the same way. He did, however, go on to state that there was a provision in their contract with the Regency Corporation that allowed for building changes not resulting in undue hardship for the construction team. As CEO of the Regency Corporation, Blackwell would be the one to determine just what would be considered an undue hardship. So in essence, the decision rested with Gabe, although it would be in his company’s best interest to be flexible to Mr. Landmark’s wants if the Regency Corporation wanted to be considered for future projects.
A part of Sage regretted having to place Gabe in such a position—between a rock and a hard place—but her job as marketing manager was to do whatever she could to make Eden the number one ski resort in the country, and she felt that adding the theater would certainly help with her marketing strategy.
She met Gabe’s gaze when he entered the restaurant, and by his frown she could tell John Lancaster had spoken with him and he wasn’t a happy camper. But she was determined to be undaunted by his disposition. They were business associates whose only concern and whose sole connection was the success of Eden. She was sure she could convince him that her proposal was well worth the trouble.
Sage tried not to focus so directly on Gabe as he made his way to her table. But to avert her gaze and look either to the right or the left, or even out