“I hope you’re right, because if he hurts her in any way, he’ll—”
“Have us to contend with,” Ariana said, finishing Katie’s sentence.
“Exactly. Now we’d better get to work. There’s lots to do before tonight’s party, and I don’t want anything to go wrong.”
Ariana squeezed her arm. “You worry too much. Everything’s going to be fine. We’ve been planning this event for weeks.”
For the second time that day, Katie hoped Ariana was right. However, she couldn’t shake that nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that was always there when something bad was about to happen.
****
Ariana pulled her long hair back into a high ponytail, wrapping a section of hair around the elastic and securing it with a bobby pin, then she finished her makeup with two coats of black mascara and an iridescent shell-pink lipstick. While studying her reflection in the full-length mirror, she smoothed a wrinkle from the front of her favorite black cocktail dress, and said to her orange-and-white short-haired cat, “What do you think? Good enough?”
The only answer she got from Tabby came in the form of a long meow. “A lot of help you are.” As she headed for the kitchen to feed the cat, loneliness stabbed at her heart. She hadn’t been on a date in ages, and her birthday was in eight months. Looked like she’d break the pact she’d made with Zoe and Katie when they were teenagers to be married by twenty-five. It was a silly thing to have agreed to anyway. You couldn’t predict when you’d meet the right person and fall in love. Yet, somehow it looked like both of her friends were on their way to fulfilling that promise.
With a sigh, she filled Tabby’s food bowl. After that, she grabbed her black lace shawl and satin clutch from the hall table, then checked her appearance one more time. Even though she’d left New York and the modeling world far behind, people still always expected her to look flawless. And despite being in remote Lakefield, a photographer just might show up and snap a picture that could wind up on the cover of some tabloid. She wiped away a mascara smudge with her fingertip, then headed out the front door.
As she walked to her car, Maggie Sheridan, her next door neighbor, yelled to her from the condo’s front step, “Hey, Ari! Want me to bring anything to the party?”
“No, thanks. It’s being catered. Just bring yourself.”
“Okay. See you later.” Maggie waved at her before going back inside.
Besides Zoe and Katie, she was the only other friend Ariana had. Maggie had welcomed her to the complex when she’d moved in four months ago by bringing her a huge fruit basket. With the attractive brunette’s outgoing personality, it had been easy to get to know her, and before long, they’d become pretty close. Both of them were single and, up till now, dateless, so they’d gotten into the habit of spending Saturday nights together watching movies. However, Maggie had bowed out the last few weekends using some vague excuse, leading Ariana to wonder if she’d started seeing someone. If that was the case, she’d be spending her Saturday nights alone from now on.
As she drove to the Rosebud, her palms began to sweat and the flutter in her stomach that she always got when going to an event turned to nausea. Great. The night hadn’t even begun yet, and already her nerves were getting the better of her. She needed to get them under control, or she’d never make it through the party, and the last thing she wanted was to embarrass Zoe and Katie by having a panic attack.
Ariana took a long, deep breath, then slowly blew it out. After doing that a few more times, she began to feel a little bit better. When she arrived at the shop, there were already quite a few cars in the parking lot. She pulled her BMW between Dan’s black SUV and Katie’s fiancé’s car. Her loneliness started to set in again, but she shook it off. Right now she was better off without a man in her life. Besides, this was their big night, and she wasn’t about to let anything put a damper on it.
She crossed the parking lot with a determined stride. A warm breeze caressed her cheeks, making her happy they’d chosen mid-June for their opening. They couldn’t have asked for a more perfect evening.
Inside the Rosebud, waiters dressed in black tuxes carried silver trays laden with glasses of champagne. A good-looking young man handed her one as she scanned the room for her friends.
Zoe was over by the buffet table, chatting with one of the caterers. She looked gorgeous in an ivory beaded dress that shimmered every time she moved. Her hair was up in a French twist, making her look even more elegant.
Katie and Jake were sitting on an antique settee, holding hands. Katie tipped her head closer to him, bringing her mouth just inches from his as the decibel level rose with the steady stream of people pouring into the shop. A moment later, Jake kissed her in a way that made Ariana blush and confirmed that they were madly in love.
Ariana continued to scope out the room while she sipped her champagne and spotted Dan chatting with a group of women. He had on a dark gray suit that fit him perfectly. His dirty-blond hair was slicked back, accentuating his chiseled features. He knew he was hot, and that cocky confidence was one of the things Zoe found irresistible.
As if sensing her gaze was focused on him, he looked over at her with a wry smile curving his full mouth, and then made his way through the crowd to her side.
“You look more beautiful than ever, Ari, as if that was possible.”
She was used to men flirting with her, but not Zoe’s boyfriend, and the way his hooded eyes scanned her from head to toe made her think there might be more to his statement than just a polite compliment, and that sent goose bumps over her skin.
“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.
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.