Chapter 18

While I was preparing for the meeting with Dash and Diana, I couldn't stop thinking about our night together. While I knew it had really happened, I still felt a little bit surreal that he actually wanted to try a relationship with me.

It also hadn't helped that I'd arrived at work this morning to find flowers in my office. My heart had leaped with joy—until I'd seen the name on the card. From Your Loving Husband, Ethan.

The joy had crashed and burned, and I'd sent the flowers to a local home for the elderly after tossing the card in the trash without reading the message on the other side. Either way, the flowers had been a reminder that, while what had happened with Dash last night had been real, it was also complicated.

If someone had told me a month ago that we would hit it off so well, I never would have believed them. How two such different people could fit together so well, I didn't know, but I couldn't let myself get immersed in whatever this was with him.

Not when there were so many hurdles for us to get over, the biggest of which had sent me flowers this morning. Ethan was an ultra-possessive tool and I had no doubt that those rumors about Dash and me were what had sparked this sudden interest of his in a reunion.

It wasn't going to happen. I was never, ever going back to him, but the fact remained that he wasn't going to just let me move on with another man. I hadn't even considered before how he might react to news like this, but obviously, it had set him on a mission.

At least I knew it would be a fruitless one, but I needed to warn Dash, which meant that at less than one day old, our relationship was about to hit its first hurdle. I dragged in a calming breath, holding it before releasing it slowly.

As much as I liked Dash, the reality of my life after Ethan was that any man I might become involved with would have to live with my history. He would have to deal with relentless interference by my ex, and if he wasn't prepared to do that, then we might as well end things today.

A soft knock at my door jerked me out of my thoughts and I blinked hard, mentally shaking myself as I stood up. "Come in!"

Amelia popped in first, opening the door wider to reveal only Diana standing with her. "Ms. St. Clair is here, Serenity."

"Thank you, Amelia." I headed toward Dash's mom and gave her a hug. "Would you like something to drink, Diana? Or are we waiting for Dash before we continue?"

"Unfortunately, he won't be able to make it today," she said as she released me. "I'd love some tea, though. Earl Grey if you've got it."

"Coming right up," Amelia said as she bowed out.

Trying my best to mask the disappointment, I smiled instead of letting her know how deflated I was by the news that Dash wouldn't be here. "It's nice that we finally have some time alone, Diana. Dash has been incredibly supportive and helpful during this process, but now I get to ask how you're holding up."

The older woman smiled serenely at me, but I saw a hint of sadness in her eyes that I recognized because that same sadness was in my own eyes every time I looked in the mirror while thinking about my parents.

"I'm okay, darling. Thanks for asking. It will always be hard for me to know that my William is gone, but Richard and I are happy. I'm doing my best to be excited about the future, which is why I didn't want to wait to see you even if Dash did have to cancel."

My heart ached for her, but I couldn't help but take the opportunity to ask about Dash. Why hadn't he come when I'd been itching to see him all damn day long? "It's not like him to cancel, is it?"

"No, not at all. There's nothing that man hates more than a flake, but something came up at work." Julie brought in the tea, but Diana stood instead of taking it from her. "Before we get started, I just need to run to the ladies' room. Would you girls excuse me for a minute?"

"Of course," I said, watching as she left before I turned to my friend. "Where did you come from?"

"Oh, I ran into Amelia in the kitchen while she was making the tea and she told me it was for Diana. I have some feedback for her about the menu cards I'm having printed and I thought I could show her the mockup I received from the designer."

"Oh," I said. "Right. Of course. I'm sure she'd love to see that."

Julie frowned at me with questions in her eyes. "Who peed on your parade?"

"It's nothing," I lied, but I folded like an outsmarted poker player when she arched an eyebrow at me. "Fine. It's not nothing. It's Dash. He's not here. He was supposed to come with her, but he got caught up at work."

She stared at me for a moment before a knowing grin split her face in half. "You're with him, aren't you? The rumors were true. There's something going on between you!"

"The rumors weren't true when they were printed, but we went out last night and, uh, we've decided to give it a shot."

She squealed. "I'm so happy for you. I can't believe you're going for it with the grump, but that's awesome. Did you bump your gorgeous uglies? Did you?—"

She stopped speaking abruptly when we heard Diana's voice coming from right down the hall, and we dropped it immediately, jumping right into planning mode instead. After discussing transportation for everyone and the timetable we wanted to work with on the day, we started on services for makeup and hair.

I turned my computer screen toward Diana and Julie to show them the portfolios of my top two choices for both services. "As you can see, Maggie V. works with a lot of older brides. She's not going to make you look like mutton dressed as lamb and she's wonderful. She's who I would've recommended to my own mom."

"I love her work," Diana said, leaning forward and studying the picture. "It's very natural and not at all gaudy or tacky."

I laughed softly. "Exactly. That's what I love about her. Mia May is also great. She has a real knack for making dramatic look classically stylish, which is amazing. She's won awards all around the world, and as it happens, she owes me a favor, so she's promised to be available if we decide to go with her."

Diana took the mouse from me and scrolled through some of Mia's work, but then she shook her head. "I think I prefer Maggie, so perhaps you should use your favor for a bride who wants Mia specifically."

"Okay, then." Julie grinned. "That's makeup sorted. On to hair."

I moved to the next folder I'd prepared for her, flipping through some of the recent work of the two hairstylists who worked with Maggie the most often. "Of course, we can work with anyone you like, but Maggie prefers these two gentlemen. They know each other well and they know not to get in each other's way, so my advice would be that unless you've got someone in mind, we go with one of them."

Diana flicked through the pictures once more, settling on one of the two hairstylists I suggested before she suddenly smiled at me. "As always, I'm so impressed with you, darling. You're such a natural at this and I know from personal experience that not everyone is. You're doing a remarkable job and you're excelling at making this process so unbelievably easy for me that I can't actually believe we've almost planned an entire wedding."

I chuckled, but she reached across the desk and took my hand. "I mean it, Serenity. This is what you were meant to do with your life. I'm glad you got this company in the divorce. You deserve it."

I flushed, accepting the compliment but turning the conversation away from myself as fast as I could. We slipped into casual conversation first, talking about the industry and her experience with it, having been married to one of the legends of the game for so long.

Eventually, of course, that brought us to the topic I was most interested in today—Dash.

"I love all my sons equally," she said, smiling as she spoke about them. "They've all got their strengths and their weaknesses, but that boy is my pride and joy. I know he hasn't always been kind to you, but that's only because he's a bit of a lone wolf. I think growing up with four brothers got overwhelming for him at times, and he started breaking away from the pack more and more often as they got older, but his bark is worse than his bite."

I laughed. "I'm starting to realize that, and don't worry about me. He's been better recently."

Julie winked at me and I almost rolled my eyes before I caught myself. Instead, I listened as Diana boasted about her son and I loved hearing her talk about him this way. "At his core, he really is a good man. Sometimes, it takes him a beat to understand the reasoning and emotions of the people around him and even of himself, but once he understands, you will never find anyone as supportive. Or as efficient."

I leaned back in my chair, relaxing and content to keep listening to her tell me more about him. The door suddenly opened again and I stiffened. My heart jumped into my throat, but then Dash walked in and it was like I could feel the tension in my muscles being replaced by warmth.

Now that I knew it wasn't Ethan dropping in for another impromptu visit, a grin curved on my lips and relief made me feel lighter than air. Our eyes met just as Diana spun to see her son standing in the doorway.

She smiled. "Your ears must've been burning. We were just talking about you."

He arched a dark eyebrow and I blushed when his gaze moved back to mine. After holding it for a beat, he smiled and walked further into the room. "I'm sorry I'm late. How about I take you all out to lunch so you can catch me up on everything I missed today?"

"That would be lovely." Diana beamed at him.

Julie nodded. "I'm in."

Not about to be sole holdout, my smile widened. "Of course. Do you have someplace in mind?"

He nodded, but before we could leave, my phone rang and my stomach turned into a pit of dread when I glanced at it and saw who it was. The call ended, but it was followed immediately by a text that popped up, short enough that I could read it in its entirety.

"Serenity?" Diana said as the phone started ringing again. "Are you okay?"

I cleared my throat, my chest burning with panic and my hands shaky, but I looked up at her and forced a smile. "I'm fine. You guys go ahead without me. I need to take this and I, uh, I have to leave."

Without any further explanation, I gave them a tight nod and picked up my phone, racing out of the office to take the call where no one would be able to hear me.