“Are you chilly?” he asked, not missing a thing. “I think we’re standing under an air-conditioning vent.”
When he reached for the shawl she had draped over her arm, she took a step back. “Thanks, but I got it.” She quickly handed him her clutch, along with her glass of champagne, and then slipped the shawl over her shoulders to avoid him touching her. However, when he handed them back, his fingers brushed hers a few seconds longer than necessary and that only added to her uneasiness. Especially when she recalled Katie’s earlier words of mistrust. She scrambled to find an excuse to leave him without appearing rude.
Luckily, she was let off the hook when Maggie appeared at her side. “I didn’t see you come in.”
“I just got here and spotted you immediately. But how could I not? You’re the tallest, most beautiful woman in the room,” she said without a hint of jealousy.
“Do you know Dan?” Ariana asked.
“Yes, we met at your housewarming.”
Her cheeks warmed. “Oh, that’s right.”
Maggie flashed him a wide smile. “Hi, Dan. Nice to see you again.”
“You too.” His gaze flicked over her quickly. “If you’ll excuse me, I should find Zoe.”
After he walked away, Maggie said, “The shop looks spectacular. The last time I saw it, you guys were painting the walls, and everything was covered with tarps. What a transformation! I’m sure you gals will do fantastic!”
“I hope so.” Ariana wasn’t relying on the income—she’d made enough money modeling to last a lifetime—but Zoe and Katie were, and while this would be their livelihood, it would save her sanity. So even though her needs varied from theirs, the three of them had a vested interest in the Rosebud’s success.
Maggie gave her a hug. “Don’t worry. If this turnout tonight is any indication, you’ll be fine.”
Ariana smiled at her friend but knew they had a long road ahead of them. Starting a business was never easy. And as she’d learned from past experiences, even though things seemed to be going her way now, that could change on a dime, and her world could come crumbling down all over again.
Chapter Two
Katie grimaced as she watched Dan laugh at something a pretty redhead whispered in his ear. She’d been keeping an eye on him since she’d spotted him flirting with a group of women earlier. It had been at least an hour since he’d been with Zoe.
“Come on,” she said, grabbing hold of Jake’s hands and pulling him to his feet. “Zoe might think Dan is her Prince Charming, but to me he’s a toad, and I’m not going to let him ruin the night.”
Jake followed her gaze across the room and then shrugged. “I know you don’t like him, but I don’t see what he’s doing wrong.”
She scowled. “You don’t think there’s anything wrong with him flirting with other women?”
“Maybe he’s just mingling? After all, Katie Bug, this is a party.”
“Typical man. Always sticking up for one another.”
He chuckled while he pulled her into his arms. “I’m not sticking up for Dan. I just know you get a little hot under the collar sometimes. Might be best to keep your nose out of their business.”
“Well, I know one thing, if you ever left me for an hour to go talk to other women—party or no party—you’d be wearing your drink by now.”
He laughed. “I’ve no doubt of that, babe. I just don’t think interfering in Zoe’s love life is a good idea. It could wind up backfiring, and I’d hate to see anything hurt your relationship with her. You two have been best friends for a long, long time.”
“And that’s exactly why I can’t stand by and do nothing.” She smoothed a frown line from his forehead with her fingertip. “Don’t worry. Let’s just go over, say hello, and then guide him back to Zoe. You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”
“As long as you hold that sharp tongue of yours,” he whispered against her hair.
“I promise.”
They made their way through the crowd and over to where Dan stood.
“You look gorgeous as ever,” he said to Katie before kissing her cheek.
“Flattery will get you everywhere,” she replied, although she’d bet he said that to every woman.
Dan shook Jake’s hand. “Good to see you again.”
“You too. How’s business? The market picking up any?” Jake inquired.
“Things aren’t bad. Sales could always be better, but I’m starting to see more first-time home buyers again, thankfully.”
As the guys chatted about work, Katie scanned the room. People seemed to be having a good time, and why not? The cocktails were flowing. When her gaze landed on Zoe, she knew instantly that something was wrong. Her usually rosy complexion was pale, and she was waving her hands in the air as she spoke to one of the servers.
“Excuse me,” Katie said to the guys, who’d shifted topics and were now discussing sports. “I think Zoe could use my help.”
“No problem, babe. We’ll come find you ladies in a bit.” Jake squeezed her arm before she made her way through the crowd, and she knew she didn’t have to worry about Dan flirting with any more women, at least not right now. Jake would keep him occupied. Those two could discuss football for hours.
When she reached Zoe’s side, her friend was more than flustered, she was irate. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you enjoying yourself?” Katie asked.
Before Zoe could answer, Ariana appeared. “Are you okay?” She placed her arm across Zoe’s shoulders.
“I don’t know how to tell you guys this.” She twisted her hands together.
Katie’s heart raced as she tried to think of what could’ve happened. “Just spit it out, Zoe. It can’t be that bad.”
“It’s pretty bad.”
She felt a headache coming on. “Enough. I can’t take the suspense. Just tell us what’s going on!”
Zoe stared at the floor. “Our grand opening cake… Our beautiful cake…” Her gaze drifted to the dessert table that she’d painstakingly covered with pink and white rose petals. “…is splattered across the parking lot.”
Ariana gasped. “What!”
That’s not at all what Katie had expected to hear. Naturally, she’d assumed Zoe was ticked at Dan and it had something to do with him. She never would have guessed that it had to do with their cake. “How’d that happen?”
“A couple of servers had just taken it out of the truck and were carrying it across the parking lot, when some super-fancy sports car drove by. One turned his head to check out the car and tripped over a speed bump…and that was the end of our cake.”
“Oh, Zoe.” Ariana hugged her. “It’s okay. I thought you were going to tell us something a whole lot worse… Something that would’ve ruined the night.”
“So you’re not upset?” Zoe asked, her eyes misty.
“I only wish I could’ve seen it happen.” Katie’s bottom lip trembled as she fought to hold back a grin. “Imagine the horror on those servers’ faces when our cake went flying.”
“I’ll bet it would have been pretty funny to see.” A smile formed on Ariana’s full lips, and a moment later, the three of them were giggling like teenagers.
“We don’t have any dessert now,” Zoe said on a serious note.
“I doubt anyone will even notice with all the food and drinks they’ve consumed.” Katie grabbed three glasses of champagne as a waiter walked by and handed one to each of her friends. “Let’s have a toast.” She raised her glass. “To a fabulous party, to years of success, and, most importantly, to our friendship. I love you guys.”
****
Zoe was relieved that Katie and Ariana had taken the cake news so well, and not just because it had been quite a job to get the three of them to agree on the white sheet cake with raspberry filling and buttercream frosting, but because the cake with their Rosebud logo on top was to have been the finale to their grand opening party. Despite them laughing it off, she was still very disappointed.
She glanced over at Dan,
seated on her right, and then over to her mom, who was on his other side and was glad they got along so well. She remembered what a difficult time Katie had with her family when she’d gotten serious about Jake. Not because he wasn’t a great guy, but because his work required traveling to places that could be dangerous. The last thing her four brothers wanted was for their baby sister to wind up a widow. But watching them all having a wonderful time tonight confirmed that they’d finally come to terms with Katie and Jake getting married.
“Are you going to eat that?” Dan asked, jabbing his fork into the last remaining meatball on her plate and bringing her back to the present.
“No, no. Go on, you eat it. I’m finished with dinner. Stuffed, as a matter of fact.”
“I thought you’d say that.” He popped the meatball into his mouth. After he finished chewing, he took hold of Zoe’s hands. “Now that we’re both finished eating, there’s been something that I’ve been wanting to say to you.”
She stared at him with wide eyes. What in the world?
“You’ve been so busy preparing for your grand opening,” he went on, “there just didn’t seem like a good time, but now that things are winding down…”
Her mind was awhirl and her heart was racing. She couldn’t imagine what he was going to spring on her.
“Zoe, I love you, but when you refused to move in with me…well, that made me even more determined to give you…”
He let go of her hands and reached into his jacket pocket. Zoe thought for a moment that her heart might stop. She couldn’t believe it. He was going to propose to her. A wide smile lit her face as she anxiously awaited a dazzling diamond engagement ring.
But instead of presenting her with a black velvet box, he held out a key. Her smile quickly faded, replaced with a simmering anger that was about ready to explode. “What’s that?”
“The key to my heart,” he said sheepishly.
“Looks to me like it’s the key to your apartment.”
He smiled boyishly. “It’s that too.”
She wasn’t amused. Apparently their earlier conversation meant nothing to him, or the one before that. Was he going to just continue with this nonsense until she broke down and agreed to move in with him? Well, it wasn’t going to happen, and if he pushed her much further, not only wouldn’t she move in with him, but she’d say good-bye.
“That’s not the reaction I’d hoped for,” he said, his gaze flicking back and forth across her face. “I can see that you’re angry, and I’m sorry.”
“Then why are you pushing me?” She dipped her head toward him after her mother sent her a disapproving glance, indicating her voice had risen a bit too high.
“This wasn’t meant to push you to move in with me. It truly is the key to my heart. Use it anytime…anytime at all…whenever you need me. If you’ve had a bad day and just want to talk or if you’re feeling lonely. I’m there for you. Always.”
She chewed the side of her lip and studied him closely. He seemed sincere enough. “Really? That’s what you meant?”
“Yes, babe, of course.”
Convinced he was telling the truth, she pulled him closer so that his lips touched hers. Their kiss was longer than she’d expected, and when it ended, she noticed quite a few eyes directed their way. She didn’t care, though. But when he pressed the key into her hand and curled her fingers closed around it, she started to protest.
He held a finger up to her lips. “Shhh, don’t say a word.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to use it.”
He shrugged.
“I’m not.”
“Okay. I believe you. Keep it, though, as a reminder that you have my heart.”
With what seemed like perfect timing, a server came over and poured steaming-hot coffee into their cups.
Ariana whispered in Zoe’s ear, “Think this is a good time to give your little speech?”
“Yeah, perfect time.” Zoe pushed her chair back, then cleared her throat as she stood. “I’d like to thank you all for coming tonight and supporting us in our new venture. Ariana, Katie, and I,” she raised her hands urging her partners to stand as well, “are excited to be a part of Lakefield’s business community. We hope you enjoyed this evening at the Rosebud. We’d planned to have dessert with the coffee, but due to unforeseen circumstances, the cake—”
“Has arrived,” the caterer announced. The two servers who’d dropped their cake earlier set a similar one—minus their logo—on the round table covered with rose petals.
“What?” Zoe looked from Ariana to Katie. Both of them seemed as shocked as she. “Where did that come from and how?”
“I have no idea,” Katie said, “but I’m thrilled we have a cake.”
“And a gorgeous one too,” Ariana added.
“I’m glad you like it.” The voice was deep and rich, and distinctive in its British accent.
Zoe saw Ariana sway and caught her around the waist just as Ariana’s knees began to buckle, keeping her from winding up on the floor. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
Ariana gripped the back of her chair so hard that her knuckles turned white. “Phil’s here.”
Chapter Three
Ariana’s pulse thrummed in her ears and her words, “Phil’s here,” echoed through her head. She squeezed her eyes shut. How was that possible? She’d made it perfectly clear that she was finished with modeling…and with him. And now on one of the most important evenings of her life, he showed up. For what? To ruin it?
Gentle hands guided her back into her seat. “Here, drink this,” Zoe said.
Ariana forced her lids open and took the glass of water from her, taking a quick sip before she scanned the room for the man she’d hoped never to see again.
With arms folded across a broad chest, he stood not ten feet away, leaning against the wall. His gray hair was cut shorter than she’d remembered, and was now styled to perfection. His ice-blue eyes caught her gaze and held it before he walked toward her. A second later, he stood beside her.
“Ariana.” The way he said her name took her back in time to when she was naïve and unjaded.
The spell he put on women was undeniable, but she wasn’t about to fall victim to his charms again. Those days were gone forever. However, despite what her head told her, her heart had a way of deceiving her. Before taking a chance that that might happen, she hissed, “What are you doing here?”
“I felt terrible about what happened to your cake. I couldn’t go back to New York without getting you a replacement.”
A terrible realization hit her. It must have been his Maserati that the server had turned to look at, causing him to trip over the speedbump and drop their cake. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” she said through clenched teeth. “This isn’t the place…” Ariana shifted her gaze to Zoe’s and Katie’s horrified faces. “Excuse us. We won’t be gone long.”
Before either of her friends could respond, she was on her feet and headed toward the front door. Phil’s heavy footsteps followed. When she was outside, she turned to face him. “You need to leave. Now!”
“Not until you tell me that you no longer have feelings for me.”
Ariana’s heart was racing so fast that she was getting lightheaded. She put her arm out, steadying herself against the brick wall. “Oh, I have feelings for you, all right. Just not the ones you have in mind.”
“Why do you hate me? What did I do that was so terrible? I deserve an explanation, if nothing else.”
A high-pitched laugh, very unlike her own, escaped from between her lips. “I told you over and over, but you refused to listen.”
“Told me what?”
“You really don’t know?”
“No. I’ve been trying to find out for months. Since you wouldn’t take my calls, what other choice did I have but to come here in person?”
“I left you a message that we were through. I asked you not to contact me, but in typical Phil style, you ignored my wishes and did what you wa
nted.”
“Ari, please. What we had was special.” He tried to put his hand on her arm, but she pushed it away.
She glared at him. “What we had was killing me. I’ll never go back to that life…or to you. Okay, I said it. Now go.”
“I can’t.”
Before she knew what was happening, he had her in his arms, and his mouth was pressed on hers. His touch, his smell, the strong hardness of his lips left her senses reeling, and for a moment, she almost gave in, but thankfully, common sense returned, and she pressed her hands against his chest and pushed him away. “Don’t.” Tears misted her eyes. “If you care for me, you’ll leave me alone.”
Phil stared at her, understanding registering in his icy eyes, but then his expression changed as he firmly set his square jaw. “I’ll never leave you alone, Ariana. You can count on that.” And then, without another word, he turned and strode into the parking lot.
Her hands were shaking, and her heart thundered against her chest. What he’d said was true. She wasn’t rid of him, and she didn’t know if she’d ever be.
Ariana jumped when she heard footsteps behind her, but relief flooded through her when she heard Katie’s voice.
“I’m sorry,” her friend said, “I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to come and make sure you were all right.”
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine. You’re shaking.”
The tears that she’d been fighting broke free and streamed down her cheeks. “I’ve been trying so hard to get my life back…and then this happens. He’s never going to leave me alone,” she sobbed.
Katie wrapped her arms around her. “We’ll figure out something. I promise.”
Ariana looked at her friend through tear-blurred eyes. “There’s nothing we can do. There’s nothing anyone can do. When Phil sets his mind on something, there’s no stopping him.”
“That might be true, but he can’t harass you. That’s for sure.”
Ariana shook her head. “You don’t know him.”
Chasing Happiness Page 2
