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She glanced at Brooks' door and bit her lip again. Maybe if she told him who Dominic was, he'd be able to steer them clear of him. But then again, if Dominic saw her with another man? Or even if he saw their picture together in the paper?
Her ribs hurt just thinking about it, and the noxious odor of the roses wafting from her wastebasket made her head swim.
She couldn't go to this gala. Restraining order or not, he'd kill her.
Or Brooks.
She picked up the receiver on her phone, then noticed the red blinking light and pushed the button for her messages.
"Natalie," Franco's rumbling voice floated through the receiver, and she pressed it to her ear, hoping it wasn't so loud that she might be overheard.
"I've just spoken to Brooks, and I requested to be transferred. I wanted to let you know that I'm hoping to see you at the gala on Saturday. I'll be there if you need me."
The line clicked off and she set the receiver down again.
She knew what he meant, and though she was sure he'd meant to comfort her, it was only a confirmation of the worst.
Franco's brother, Dominic, was sure to be there.
Which left her only one option.
She picked up the receiver, dialed, and when Eliza picked up, she spoke as quickly as she possibly could.
"Hey, Eliza. It's Natalie. Yeah, um, could you just let Brooks know I won't be able to make it on Saturday? Thanks."
She slammed the phone down before Eliza got the chance to crack a joke or make a comment. She could handle all that later.
For now, she was going to grab her coat and head the hell out of here before the smell of the roses made her sick.
Chapter Ten
There was nothing on TV except for old movies and press coverage of the gala. Apparently, celebrities had taken to the event in order to show their cultural and moral awareness.
Old, recognizable faces lit the screen from time to time and whenever she saw their itchy-looking close-fitting dresses she pulled her robe over her a little more tightly, thanking god that she'd made the right decision.
Or, at least what she hoped was the right decision.
She hadn't spoken to Brooks since she'd blown him off, too worried that he'd pry for an explanation she didn't want to give. If he knew she was scared, then maybe he'd think she wasn't over what had happened with Dominic.
And she was.
She'd been over it, and him, for years now.
That wasn’t the problem. The problem was if he saw Brooks. She couldn’t put him in danger like that. Even if Dominic didn’t come at him directly, lord only knew the lengths he’d be willing to go to for his revenge.
It wasn’t worth it to find out. She’d simply have to handle it all after the event. First, she’d take Brooks aside and explain why she’d been ignoring him. Then, she’d tell Franco about the flowers.
They’d both be able to handle things and she could go on with her life.
Easy, peasy.
It would all be taken care of. Just not tonight.
The camera panned left and Dominic’s brooding face and beady eyes consumed her television screen and she flipped the channel as quickly as she possibly could.
Look on the Brightside, Nat.
Now that she knew he was there for sure, she wouldn't have to worry about him showing up on her doorstep. The flowers hadn't been delivered to her house, after all, and that meant she still had some degree of anonymity from him.
