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.”
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 wanted.”
“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.”
“Maybe not, but I know harassment is against the law.”
Ariana took a deep breath and wiped her hands over her cheeks. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t want the night ruined. We’ve worked so hard for this.”
“Don’t be silly. Nothing’s ruined. I’m just sorry you had to go through this, but at least Phil didn’t make his appearance until the end of the night.”
“That’s true, but he was responsible for what happened to our cake, and that makes it my fault too.”
Katie scowled. “It wasn’t your fault. Besides, he replaced it, and it was pretty good too. But I don’t care about a cake. It’s you I’m worried about.”
Ariana’s stomach clenched tight. “I’ve tried and tried to put the past where it belongs, but now…well, everything’s come flooding back like it was yesterday, and I just don’t know if I—” She began to shake as fearful images built in her mind.
“Look,” Katie said, cutting her off. “I have an idea. Let’s have a slumber party. The three of us—you, me, and Zoe. Just like old times, and in the morning, things’ll look much better.”
A flicker of apprehension coursed through her. Maybe she’d be better off alone tonight rather than rehashing things with her friends. “Oh, I don’t know.”
Katie planted her hands on her hips. “I’m not taking no for an answer. Come on, let’s go say good-bye to our guests.”
Ariana ran her fingers under her eyes. “I must look a wreck.”
“Thank goodness for waterproof mascara. In all seriousness, you could never look bad.”
She pursed her lips. “Well, we know that’s not true, but thanks for saying it.” Ariana remembered back not so long ago to what the diet pills had done to her. She’d looked great in pictures, but in person, she was a mere fraction of the small-town girl she’d been. Ariana shuddered and then blocked those awful memories from her mind. At least for now. “I guess I’m ready,” she said softly.
When they entered the Rosebud, Zoe raced over to them. “I was just about to come out to check on you guys. I’ve been so worried.”
“I’m okay,” Ariana said solemnly. “Thanks for caring.”
“My goodness, you don’t have to thank me. Somehow, though, I don’t believe you’re fine.”
“She will be,” Katie interjected. “We’re going to spend the night at her place.”
Zoe’s brows shot up. “Really? What a great idea.”
“What’s a great idea?” Jake walked over and wrapped his arms around Katie’s waist.
She smiled up at him. “We’re going to have a girl’s overnight party.”
“You two probably already have plans…” Ariana piped in.
Jake took hold of Ariana’s hands. “The three of you three have been planning this opening for a long time, and continuing on with your celebration is what you should do. I’ll see Katie tomorrow and the day after that, and after that.”
Ariana had to admit she was happy that Jake felt that way because although she didn’t want to interfere with whatever plans they might have had, she was grateful, after all, that her friends would be spending the night with her. Being alone tonight wouldn’t be a good idea. It might have caused her to spiral downward again.
“I’m so glad I have you guys in my life.” And she meant that more than they would ever know.
****