Page 9 of Our Chaotic Love Affair

I kind of liked how she made me feel off kilter. Like I might have to actually pay attention instead of operating on autopilot.

It was terrifying. It was also exhilarating. Just like staring at an approaching storm. Cyclone Cleo had arrived and I was going to have to hold on to something solid to keep from being swept away.

CHAPTER 4

CLEO

Cash and I made a surprisingly decent team. As the party hummed along around us, I had to admit we moved well together. I would never admit that, though, not even under the threat of never having another Diet Coke.

He handled drinks and kept guests circulating. I handled food and kept Melody’s hands empty every time she reached for something she shouldn’t be doing. We didn’t even have to coordinate. We just read the room and filled the gaps.

It was deeply annoying.

At one point, Melody drifted toward the kitchen with a look on her face that meant she was about to start organizing something or refilling something or generally taking over her own party. I caught her eye from across the island and shook my head.

She opened her mouth. I winked. I’ve got this. Go be with your people.

She understood immediately. Years of working together meant we communicated in full sentences without saying a word. Her shoulders dropped, relief softening her expression. And then Austin was right there. Like always. He was always within reach.

I wasn’t jealous.

Nope.

I’m so happy for her.

But in a perfect world, I could have a man that catered to my every need and loved on me no matter who was watching. Austin had stepped into her life and filled all those little spaces I couldn’t. I was a damn good friend and assistant, but sometimes, a woman just needed what only a man could give.

And I wasn’t talking about the D. There were other things Austin provided.

I was a giver. The kind of friend who showed up before you knew you needed her, who stocked your fridge when you were overwhelmed, handled your emails when you were falling apart, and stood in your kitchen managing your party so you could enjoy the most important announcement of your life.

It was my identity, woven so deeply into the fabric of who I was that I sometimes forgot where the job ended and I began. I had dedicated my life to being there for Melody. She had gone through some shit and I was the one to pull her through.

Well, Austin and me, but mostly me.

But lately, now that Melody was taken care of, I’d been thinking about what I wanted. Not for Melody. Not for her brand or her career or her happily ever after. For me.

I wanted what she had. That was the truth I kept turning over in my head, examining it from every angle. I wanted someone who looked at me the way Austin looked at Melody, like she was the only interesting thing in any room they’d ever been in together. I wanted someone to build something with. A family. A home that felt like a choice instead of a landing pad between work trips. Someone I could pour my whole self into and who would pour themselves right back.

I’d been telling myself for years that romance was on the backburner. Career first. Financial stability. Independence. Build yourself before you try to build a life with someone else.

All true. All reasonable. All very mature and self-aware.

And all very lonely, if I was being completely honest.

I refilled a champagne glass without being asked, accepted a compliment about the bruschetta I hadn’t made, and redirected Armand Bancroft toward the patio. I was surprised he was so pleasant. Anyone that spawned something like Cash would have to be at least half monster.

But Armand was nice with a genuine smile. Or maybe I was just falling for the pleasant facade he wore.

Cash appeared at my elbow as I was rearranging the last of the appetizer platters. He didn’t say anything, just picked up a platter of stuffed mushrooms and took them to the cluster of guests near the window.

I watched him go, surprised again by how naturally he’d slotted into this with me. I had a feeling he was not the servant type. He probably never served anyone anything a day in his life.

When the crowd started drifting naturally toward the back of the house, following Austin’s gentle herding and Melody’s bright suggestions about the view, I felt the shift in energy. This was it. Whatever they’d been building to all afternoon was about to land.

Well, I suspected what she was about to announce. I positioned myself near the back, my camera already in hand, because whatever was about to happen deserved to be documented.

The back deck was stunning. Wide and sprawling with the ocean stretching out endlessly beyond it. The late afternoon light was golden and soft, the kind that made everyone look like they’d been lit for a film. A warm breeze moved through the crowd, lifting hair and rustling sundresses.