by Bella Andre
When Lola emerged from the back, wearing her own clothes again, she was immediately surrounded by admirers. “You were my star of the evening,” Serafina gushed. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Your clothes are absolutely beautiful.” Lola smiled fondly at the woman who looked to have become a new friend. “It was an honor to wear your wedding dress.”
Not wanting to intrude, Duncan stood on the periphery until Serafina waved him over. “Congratulations on your best collection yet,” he said.
“Thank you,” she said. And then, she added, “Like I was telling Lola earlier, partnering with you is the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Lola’s expression was inscrutable. Did she believe Serafina? Or did she think he’d put her up to praising him?
“I always knew you would go far,” he said, “and your success tonight proves you’re going to eclipse even my highest hopes. I also want you to know that if you’re looking to source new fabric in the future, Lola is a brilliant textile designer.”
“Wait a minute.” Serafina turned to look more closely at the fabric of Lola’s dress, a batik style hand-drawn vegetable garden in an array of bright colors. “Did you design that fabric?”
“I did.”
“I have been admiring it since the moment you walked in,” Serafina exclaimed. “The only reason I hadn’t mentioned it before now is because I was so frazzled before the show. If the rest of your designs are anything like what you’re wearing right now, I’d love to work with you.”
“I’d love that too. And thank you, again, for letting me be a part of your show. Now go mingle with your adoring public.” Lola gave Serafina a hug, then edged away from the group, not seeming to notice the lingering stares from the men in the room.
“You did a great job tonight,” Duncan told her. “I can’t thank you enough.” It killed him to speak to Lola as though she were nothing more than another colleague. “I know Serafina will be forever grateful.”
She shook off his praise. “It was my pleasure to help her.”
When she yawned, he realized how tired she looked. Probably because she hadn’t slept well over the weekend after she’d learned the truth about his past.
Wanting desperately to make things right, he began, “Lola—”
She cut him off before he could say more. “I need to head back to Bar Harbor before it gets any later.”
A flash of lightning, followed by a loud crack of thunder, surprised them both. Outside the windows of the art center, the trees were practically blowing sideways, and rain was falling in sheets.
“I had no idea a storm blew in while we were inside,” Lola said at the same time that her stomach made a serious growling noise.
Though Duncan knew it was the last thing she wanted, he couldn’t stop himself. “I know a place nearby where we could get something to eat while you wait for the storm to pass.”
She looked like she was going to refuse. Until her stomach growled again at the same moment that a huge yawn overtook her. “I suppose a cup, or twelve, of coffee might be a good idea before I hit the road. Some food wouldn’t hurt either.”
Instinctively, he placed his hand on her lower back as they headed through the crowd to the exit. It wasn’t until he felt her spine stiffen beneath his fingertips that he realized what he’d done.
He was just removing his hand when he realized they were being watched.
How had he missed seeing the man earlier? The same one who had come into his office, sent by his brother.
A chill moved through Duncan. And though he tried to shake away his uneasy sense that Lola was about to be pulled even deeper into the tangled mess of his life, he knew better than to underestimate Alastair. Only this time, Duncan had no intention whatsoever of letting his brother get the upper hand.
For Lola, Duncan would risk absolutely everything. Even his own freedom.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Lola knew she shouldn’t be going to a restaurant with Duncan. And she definitely shouldn’t be aware of every move he made, the raindrops on his eyelashes, or the fact that he was heart-stoppingly gorgeous.
On the contrary, she should be hightailing it back to Bar Harbor to put as much distance as possible between the two of them. Especially given that she hadn’t been able to forget the heady sensation of his fingertips against her skin when he’d fastened the buttons of the wedding dress.
But she was starved. After not having any appetite all weekend, it had suddenly come roaring back to life.
At thirteen, like many teenagers she had tried a few fad diets, but none of them had done a thing to diminish her bountiful curves. It had been yet another reason to embrace her figure. Thank God she’d learned that lesson early, rather than wasting countless years fighting against who she was.
Right now, however, she was fighting big time against her inner urges. Embracing her curves was great. But embracing her unquenchable desire to be with a man who wasn’t worth her time wasn’t great. Which meant that she needed to eat as quickly as possible, then get the heck away from temptation.
Rather than continue on to whatever restaurant he had in mind, she pointed to the lit-up windows of the one they were in front of, only half a block from the Boston Center for the Arts. “This looks good.” She headed inside before he could argue.
Lola was so flustered that it wasn’t until they sat down that she realized the restaurant had white tablecloths and candles on every table and that couples were slow dancing to a live band at the back of the restaurant. She nearly groaned aloud at her choice. There must be twenty restaurants within a half mile of the fashion show, and somehow she’d chosen the most romantic one.
She studied the menu as if her life depended on it, when in reality the words were blurring together. Lola was always focused, never scatterbrained. But being this close to Duncan made it impossible for her to think straight, let alone corral her careening emotions and attraction to him.
“Good evening,” their waiter said. “Would you like me to tell you our specials?”
“No, thank you.” She didn’t have time for a leisurely meal, didn’t trust herself to be with Duncan a minute longer than was strictly necessary. She just needed to wolf down some food and go. “The meatloaf looks good.” Meatloaf? She hated meatloaf. Whatever, she’d eat a couple of bites, and then she’d leave.
“I’ll have the salmon.” Duncan’s deep voice reverberated over her skin, even though he had been talking about fish…not what he was planning to do to her in bed. “And two coffees, please.”
In her desperation to avoid conversation after the waiter left, she picked up her water and guzzled it. She needed to do something, anything, to stop herself from asking Duncan why. How could she do that when she’d told him she didn’t care about his past and that he no longer meant anything to her? How could she betray her desire to know more about him when she was supposed to be cutting him completely out of her life?
“Serafina is clearly very interested in working with you,” he said, breaking into her tormented musings. “I had been planning to speak with her about you soon, but it was even better that she was able to meet you and see one of your designs in person.”
Had he really meant to introduce them? Lola wondered. He sounded totally genuine. Then again, he always sounded genuine, didn’t he?
“Serafina is extremely talented.” Though she shouldn’t have said anything more, she couldn’t help adding, “You’ve done well surrounding yourself with excellent people, haven’t you?” She didn’t bother to hold back the bitterness and cynicism in her tone.
“I’ve tried to,” he said. “In the past five years, at least.”
Pushing aside all the questions about his brother that were so close to bubbling over, she asked instead, “How did you discover Serafina’s work?”
“I was lucky. A friend from college bought one of her dresses in a store in the South End. When she told me what a hit her outfit was with her friends and that Serafina seeks out women in developing
nations to help create her garments, I reached out to see if she would be interested in working with me.” He paused a beat before saying, “If you would like to work with her, I won’t stand in your way. I’ll make sure you don’t have to deal with me.”
Of course Lola was interested in partnering with Serafina. But even if Duncan kept his distance, couldn’t he see that just knowing he worked with Serafina would mean he would always be inside her head?
Thankfully, the waiter brought their coffees, so Lola could turn her focus from Duncan to the process of dumping in sugar and cream, then blowing the steam off the top. All the while, however, she could feel Duncan’s intense gaze on her.
Ugh. Avoidance mode wasn’t her style. She wasn’t someone who hid from things, no matter how difficult. It was long past time to buck up and deal with the situation calmly and coolly.
“Duncan,” she said in as impersonal a tone as she could manage while looking into his eyes, “I appreciate that you’re willing to work things out with Moira. I’m planning to run everything by her by midday tomorrow, and after that, she’ll hopefully be in touch so that you can work out the finer details of the agreement.”
She could easily read his expression, because it was exactly what she was feeling herself. Longing for things to be different, to go back to being as perfect as they had seemed just days ago. Longing for the happy ever after that had seemed like it might actually be within reach. Longing for the love they’d thought they’d found with one another.
“I’ll do right by her, I promise.”
Just then, a gray-haired couple approached. The man, whom she guessed to be in his seventies, reached out a hand. “Come dance,” he insisted, leaving Lola no room to argue. Not that she would have, given the twinkle in his blue eyes and the fact that he had just given her the perfect excuse to put some distance between Duncan and herself.
The woman Lola assumed was his wife pulled Duncan up from his seat, as well. “We can’t let them show us up, can we?”
The band was playing one of Lola’s favorite big-band songs, “Lady Be Good.” Lola let herself be swept up by the music and her very talented dance partner. As the band segued smoothly into “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You,” it was lovely to let her guard down for a few minutes, to dance and laugh and pretend this last weekend had never happened. As long as she didn’t accidentally catch a glimpse of Duncan looking handsome and charming as he swept his partner across the floor.
By the time she realized her partner was twirling her straight into Duncan’s arms, the older couple was dancing away together.
Lola knew exactly what she needed to do: wrench herself away from Duncan, grab her things from the table, and leave. But now that his arms were around her, and his mouth was so deliciously close, she simply couldn’t find the strength to do it.
Time stood still as they danced, and Lola was taken back to their first night together when they’d been so close. Being in Duncan’s arms had felt like the most natural, perfect thing in the world. And no matter how she tried to tell herself it didn’t feel that way anymore, she couldn’t manage that big a lie. Not when all she wanted was to take his hands in hers, pull him off the dance floor, and kiss him the way she’d been longing to kiss him all day.
Neither of them spoke as she clasped her hands around his neck and he moved his hands to cradle her waist and hips. The utter sensuality of their dance took her breath away. But even bigger, even more powerful, was the heightened emotion of the moment as they couldn’t look away from one another, and both knew another kiss was inevitable.
His kiss was everything she knew it would be. Desperate. Full of longing. Sinfully sexy.
But it was also bittersweet after everything that had come between them since Friday night at her parents’ house, when Moira had walked in and interrupted their joyous dancing.
Oh God. Moira.
Somewhere in the dance, in the kiss, Lola had let herself forget how Duncan and his brother had nearly ruined her friend’s life.
Guilt gave Lola the strength to finally tear herself away, quickly cross the dance floor, grab her things, and dash out of the restaurant to hail a cab.
She could sense Duncan behind her and knew that if she looked at him again, she’d be lost. Thankfully, luck was on her side as a taxi skidded to a halt mere seconds after she raised her hand. Throwing herself into the backseat, she told the driver where to take her to pick up her car, her heart racing as they drove through the rainswept streets of Boston.
It felt like being in a getaway car after a bank robbery. Only she wasn’t the one who had stolen something—it was Duncan.
He had stolen her heart.
And despite everything she now knew to be true about him, she wasn’t sure she’d ever get it back.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
It wasn’t until Lola was on the freeway heading home that she felt like she could breathe again. By the time she got to her Bar Harbor cottage, it took all her remaining energy just to crawl beneath her sheets fully clothed to fall into an exhausted sleep.
When she woke at sunrise, she was momentarily disoriented. Too soon, it all came flooding back. Unfortunately, she hadn’t dreamed her broken heart, as her brain replayed her best—and worst—moments with Duncan on continuous repeat.
Enough!
Determined to stop feeling like a heartbroken zombie, she stripped off her clothes and headed into the shower, hoping the hot water would wash some sense into her brain. After she dried off, she did her makeup more carefully than usual to hide the ravages of her nearly sleepless weekend and exhausting trip to Boston. If anyone knew how to transform themselves on the outside, even when they were shattered on the inside, it was Lola.
When she was confident that she had her game face on, and that her parents would be awake, she walked to their house. Her mom and dad were having breakfast, and they lit up when she walked in.
Her mother gave her a big hug. “Can I get you anything to eat or drink?”
So very glad for the warmth and comfort of her mother’s arms, she said, “Thanks, but I’m fine.”
The truth was that she was anything but fine. But what was the point of working so hard on her appearance if she was going to admit that the moment she walked in?
When her father hugged her, he held on a little longer than usual. Clearly, he could see beneath her mask. From the look in her mother’s eyes, she guessed that Beth did too. Thankfully, neither of them said anything that might break Lola’s composure.
“I’ve come to talk with Moira. Is she in the guest cottage?”
“We returned from a sunrise walk along the waterfront a half hour ago,” her mom informed her. “I know she’ll be thrilled to see you.”
Not entirely sure that was true—especially given that Lola came bearing news of Duncan’s offer—her heart started pounding hard when she saw Moira in the garden deadheading roses. “Hello, Moira,” she said softly. “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
Her friend turned around with a wide smile, her arms opening automatically. “Of course you’re not,” Moira said as Lola stepped into her embrace. “As always, you’re a sight for sore eyes. Although,” Moira added as she pulled back to study Lola’s face, “it doesn’t look like you’ve been sleeping any better than I have.” She stroked Lola’s back, just as she had when she’d comforted Lola as a child. “Please don’t lose sleep over what happened. You had no way of knowing who he was. It’s just one of those strange coincidences.”
“It was an awful coincidence,” Lola said, her words drenched in guilt. Especially in the wake of her kiss with Duncan last night. The best kiss of her entire life, even when she included all of their kisses that had come before. “Again, I’m so sorry. But today, I have what I hope will be good news.”
“Come inside, then, and have a cup of tea with me.”
Lola followed Moira into the cottage, and as she watched her friend boil water and get out the teapot and loose-leaf tea, she tried to convince herself that eve
rything was going to be okay.
Setting two mugs of steaming peppermint tea in front of them, Moira said, “I can’t wait to hear the good news.”
“I went to see Duncan yesterday. In Boston.”
Moira’s mug slipped from her hands onto the table, splashing tea over the rim. “Why would you do that?”
“Because he needs to make things right for you.” Hating that she’d caused Moira’s rosy flush from the sunny garden to go pale, Lola rushed to say the rest so that her friend would see it truly was good news. “He’s agreed to give you the money you were promised by Brilliant Funds. All five hundred thousand dollars. Not as an investment, but as a payment with no strings attached.”
“I don’t want it.” Moira’s voice was firm, her mouth a hard line.
But Lola was desperate for her friend to understand that Duncan could help her this time around, rather than harm her. “He also wants to give you every contact he has that will help grow your business in both the US and abroad. Everything you dreamed of five years ago can finally come to fruition. And you won’t owe him anything.”
Moira pushed away from the table. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do.” She sounded like she was working hard to stay calm. “Truly, it means so much to me that you want to help, just as you always have. But I’m doing fine on my own. I don’t want anything to do with Duncan or his money. And I definitely don’t want to be pulled back into the past. Not when I’ve worked so hard to move on from it.”
Lola understood why Moira was reluctant to take anything from Duncan, yet she still couldn’t let it go. Not when Duncan’s funds could make such a difference in her friend’s business, and life. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to convince you to reconsider?”
Moira’s expression was firm. “I’m afraid not. The best thing for all of us is if we simply move on and forget about one another entirely.”
Lola knew she should accept Moira’s answer. She should give her friend a big hug, then drop the whole thing. Instead, she found herself saying, “Yesterday, I met a woman he’s worked with for the past three years. Serafina is really happy with what he’s done to help build her fashion business. I asked her a ton of questions, and she swore everything has been completely aboveboard. She even went so far as to say that working with Duncan is the best decision she’s ever made.” Words continued to tumble out. “I also met the women who work in his office, and they seem great too. So maybe—”
