Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

D eclan's house was gorgeous.

Truly breathtaking.

Piper couldn't help but pause to breathe in the magic of his home when she stepped into his family room through the patio doors. He was such a sweaty grump that she would have expected the house to be a sparsely decorated man cave.

But it was the exact opposite.

The kitchen was spacious and bright, with sky lights, huge windows, and granite counters. A huge, beautiful stone fireplace took up almost the entire end of the adjoining family room, which was filled with a cozy sectional couch big enough for a thousand dogs…but only one was on it.

A large, black, shaggy dog lifted her head to stare at Piper.

Piper paused. She'd met Angel a couple times when Declan had been walking her, but invading the rescue dog's home unescorted was different. With the exception of her friend Maddie's therapy dog, Violet, Piper wasn't a dog person. They didn't like her, and she had no idea how to interact with them.

So, yay for this moment of personal growth or death. "Hi, Angel," she said softly. "We met before, remember? "

Angel slowly rose to her feet, her fur up.

A low growl echoed from her throat.

Umm... "Angel," she said again. "I'm not the enemy. It's okay. Violet loves me, and Violet doesn't like most people."

Angel growled again, then lowered into a crouch position, as if she were preparing to launch.

"Angel," she said, taking on a firmer voice. "Sit."

Angel didn't move.

"Angel. Sit. "

Slowly, Angel lowered her butt to the couch. Piper almost started laughing at how slowly the dog sat. "I get it," she said. "Who likes authority? How about we be friends?"

The tip of Angel's tail wagged once, and Piper relaxed. She went down on one knee and held out her hand, palm up. "Friends, sweetheart. Girl power means we need to stick together."

Angel watched her for a moment, then eased off the couch, and slunk across the room toward Piper, almost crouching. Piper's heart turned over for the dog. She knew Declan had rescued her, but it was clear the pup still lived in the shadows of her past.

That was something she understood. "Come on, Angel," she said gently. "You're safe now. Declan will never let any harm come to you, and neither will I."

The dog reached her, and instead of pausing, she pushed right into Piper's chest, and buried her face against her.

Piper's heart softened, and she wrapped her arms around the dog. "I've got you," she whispered. "You're so beautiful, Angel." It felt so good to hug the dog. She felt settled, safe, for the first time since everything had fallen apart. Months. Maybe longer, because things had been falling apart long before the world found out.

For the first time, she fully understood why Maddie had her therapy pit bull, Violet. Hugging Angel felt like a part of her soul could breathe for the first time in months.

She took a moment to sit with Angel, to remember what it felt like not to have tension radiating through every muscle in her body. Maybe it would be okay. Maybe she had a chance. Maybe she would feel okay again someday.

Piper wanted to stay there forever, but she knew the clock was ticking on Declan's return. The last thing she needed was his royal moodiness invading this precarious moment of peace. She kissed Angel's head. "I gotta go shower." She stood up, patted Angel, and then headed for the stairs.

Angel trotted along beside her, so close that her fur was brushing against Piper's leg.

Piper knew what the dog was feeling. Safety was precious, and Angel didn't want to leave it. "I get that, honey. You can stay with me."

Angel followed her up the beautiful, curved front stairs and right into the most gorgeous bathroom Piper had ever been in. Angel curled up on the thick, blue bathmat as Piper shut the door.

The molding around the door was intricately carved, the tilework detailed and artistic, and the shower appeared to have been hand-built, one flat stone at a time. "Did he do this himself?" she asked the dog as she set her supplies on the sink.

Declan had mentioned that he'd rehabbed the house himself, but this was truly extraordinary. "If he did this, he's an artistic genius." Piper couldn't wrap her head around her grumpy, reclusive landlord having the vision to create something so beautiful.

Maybe he hadn't. Maybe he'd hired someone. Or maybe he was so much more than she'd realized…

Not that it mattered who he might be. Their relationship wasn't personal and never would be. Which was fine. Right now, she had time for only one focus: finding her way past the catastrophic damage she'd done to her life and her career. She didn't have time for Declan or any other man. Not today, and quite frankly, ever.

She'd learned her lesson.

But she would thoroughly enjoy his shower, his dog, and his tilework, and then she'd get back to finding the elusive emergency solution that would fix her life .

Well, not her life . That was a big ask.

She'd go with fixing the situation with April as a start.

The world could be conquered one bride at a time, right?

Her phone rang as she turned on the shower. She looked down and saw it was her friend Tori Cardenas. She picked up, because she knew all her friends were worried about her after the fiasco of yesterday. "Hey, I'm getting in the shower?—"

"How are you doing, sweetie?"

Sudden tears filled Piper's eyes at the sound of a friendly voice. "I got fired by two brides today."

"Crap. Don't let them get to you. You did the right thing yesterday."

"I know." Piper took a breath. Yesterday's wedding had been the biggest one of the year for the tiny firm she worked for, and she was the one who was being blamed for what had happened. "April Hunsaker has called me three times today. She's trying to fire me. I'm avoiding her, but I don't know how to fix it."

"April? She's here."

"Here? Where?"

"I'm meeting Maddie and Keira at the French Quarter Bar and Grill," Tori said. "April's here with her friends. You want me to kneecap her? I'll do it for you, but you need to promise to come visit me in prison."

Piper laughed through the tears. "You deserve better than prison."

"I know, but saving my bestie might be worth it. Might be. I can't promise."

"I appreciate that you're even considering it."

"Always, babe. Seriously, though. You want me to talk to her?"

"What would you say?"

Tori paused. "That you're freaking amazing, and she's lucky to have you at her back. You think that would work?"

Piper smiled. "You're not fancy enough to convince her. Maddie's fiancé might be. Is Lucas coming tonight?" Lucas Hart was a cowboy billionaire who'd fallen madly in love with one of their squad, Maddie Vale. He was a celebrity, but he was one of the nicest, most loyal humans Piper had ever met. The whole Hart family was, actually. She was glad Maddie had found a place with them.

"Lucas is in Oregon at the Hart Ranch," Tori said. "He left earlier today. Those private jets are so damned handy. I want one."

Piper laughed again, her heart lightening the longer she spoke to Tori. "Me, too. Let's steal one."

"Great. I'll meet you at the airport in twenty."

"Perfect." The idea of heading off in a private jet made Piper smile. It was the kind of banter her mom would have loved. Her mom also would have told her to stop running away from April and find a way to fix it. "Look, I'm going to take a quick shower and then head over there. If April starts to leave, maybe stall her?"

"I'm on it. I'll throw myself on the ground in front of her and block her exit."

Piper grinned. "Subtlety is overrated."

"Right? Oh, I see Maddie and Keira. We'll keep April here until you arrive. It should be fine. They haven't even ordered their dinner yet. You're amazing. You'll figure out the right thing to say. I have faith."

Piper sighed. "Thanks."

"See you soon." Tori hung up, and Piper's energy faded almost right away.

The weight of the last few days and last year settled back on her, pressing down relentlessly.

She leaned on the sink and stared at herself in the mirror. Around her neck was the necklace her mom had given her on her sixteenth birthday, just before she died. It was a tiny little diamond, barely even visible, but it had been her mom's only treasure in a life that had been a grueling disappointment.

Piper touched the necklace and took a breath. "Come on, Piper. You can fix this."

But the woman staring back at her didn't have any answers.

Yet.

She'd find them.

She had to.

She hadn't come this far only to fail now.