The Gift of Love by Peggy Bird

Monday after the gallery reception, he struck out there, too. Her assistant told him her boss was in Hawaii, but she took his phone number and promised to have her call when she returned.
    After another week or so, when he didn’t hear from either Marius or Sandra, he decided logic would dictate it was time to let go and move on. But for the first time in his life, logic wasn’t doing the job of persuading him to let it go even though it should have been the signal that the amendment to his plan was right. Meeting someone hadn’t been on his agenda at this point. After the breakup with Allison, he’d decided to take a year before getting involved with anyone again. He needed time to reassess his life plan, determine who would fit into it. The year wasn’t up. He hadn’t figured out what kind of woman he needed in his life so he had no idea if Isabella Rodriquez was whom he should be interested in.
    But damn it, he had to admit he was unduly attracted to her in spite of the fact his taste usually ran to tall, cool blondes, not short brunettes.
    As often happens—well, to everyone but Taylor who planned everything and didn’t need help—by the time he’d almost convinced himself it was best to forget about Isabella, fate took over and gave him a different outcome than the one he expected.
    He was in the process of packing up the last of his belongings from his old cubicle so he could move them into the office he’d finally been assigned as a new partner, one with a door and a view of the city street, when Nate Benjamin walked past. He was talking to two women. Apparently, from the bits of conversation Taylor heard, they were new clients. One woman, the person to whom Nate was directing his attention, was a tall, handsome blond with a winsome smile and a pleasant laugh. She was exactly the type of woman Taylor had always been attracted to.
    But, instead, it was the other one who caught his attention. She was a short, dark-haired, dark-eyed knockout of a woman—Isabella Rodriquez had been delivered to his doorstep.
    His memory of her curves had not been exaggerated, as he could see from the form-fitting skirt she wore with a soft looking shirt. He didn’t really know much about what women’s clothes were made of so he wasn’t sure if it was silk. But he did know it draped nicely over her breasts, making them look inviting. The shoes she wore had heels moderate enough to be businesslike but high enough to emphasize her lovely legs and firm-looking bottom.
    He stood up so fast he knocked both the chair over backward and a pile of papers off his desk. Without thinking, acting purely on impulse, he darted out of the cubicle to see the blond, his boss, and Isabella approach the small conference room where the partners often made pitches to new clients. He couldn’t wait until they came out. He had to talk to her now.
    Without thinking he called, “Isabella. Isabella Rodriquez. It’s you, isn’t it?”
    She turned. “Yes, I’m Isabella Rodriquez.” She cocked her head and frowned. “I’m sorry. Do I know you?”
    Their gaze met and the sizzle was probably felt as far away as Mount Rainier. Taylor smiled and motioned to her to break away from the group. “Can I talk to you for a moment? Before you go into the conference room, I mean?”
    Nate Benjamin interrupted. “Taylor, can this wait? We’re about to have a meeting.”
    “It’ll only take a minute. I promise,” Taylor said. “I have to apologize to Isabella.”
    Nate looked confused. Shrugging his shoulders, he said, “I don’t know what to say. He’s not usually like this.”
    The blond woman glanced at him, then at Isabella. “What’s this about, Bella? Do you know him?”
    “No, I don’t think so.” She seemed to be considering what to do. Finally, she squared her shoulders, touched the blond’s arm, and said, “But I’m curious. Give me a minute to see what he wants, and I’ll join you.”
    She walked toward him, and the rest of the