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I cracked the door open, peeking my head in to glance at his bed. Still made.
With a huff, I began moving room to room, coming up empty. I trudged downstairs, headed to the one room I didn’t want to check on principle.
But as I approached the dining room, the softclinkof utensils drifted my way. I twisted my wrist to check my watch. Ten. Zach always ate dinner at seven.
My legs carried me forward. Soft light spilled into the hallway. Live music caressed my ears. Violins. Flutes. A freakin’ harp.
A tidal wave of delectable scents crashed into me. Lasagna. Cinnamon pudding. Candied bacon. All my favorites.
Zach knew this. I’d once told him after he caught me moving a stone in our never-ending Go game.
Anything that tastes like somebody else’s family. So, I can close my eyes and pretend I have one, too.
A seed of excitement planted in my belly, sprouting roots.
No way. Did he…?
I skipped to the doorway, the tiara clinging on for dear life. It tumbled to the rug when I rounded the corner, coming to a halt.
My heart crashed to my ribs with it. It was a wonder how something so painful could be so silent.
Zach sat at the long table, his back to me, eating dinner with Eileen. A lovely pale-pink gown draped over her lithe frame.
The room spun, a blur of red. Roses. Everywhere. Choking the room like a bloodbath. And the candles. God, the candles—lighting up every inch of the place.
I froze in place, unable to move.
Natalie’s words bounced between my ears.
Look at him with you, then look at him with her.
They were sharing a romantic dinner.
He was courting her.
Courting was never part of the contract.
I’d read the entire thing. Even peeked behind his back at the track changes on the Word doc.
Eileen leaned over the table, whispering something to Zach, who sat ramrod straight. I could see the moment she noticed me.
A small grin played on her lips. She maintained eye contact with me as she threw her head back and laughed at something he said.
Now I got it. Natalie’s smugness. Her warning.
She knew what I was stepping into.
I treaded backward, bumping into a lamp. The thud rang in the air, just as the ensemble played its last note of Beethoven. I caught the lamp at the last minute before it fell to the floor.
Zach’s head snapped up. “Farrow.”
Our eyes met.
I didn’t know why, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even bear the thought of facing him. Not now.
Back away. Leave. Abort mission.
And still, my feet remained rooted to the hardwood.
