AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No, I’m ending our professional relationship. Feel free to pack your bags and leave whenever you’re ready.”
AT A RED LIGHT, Jane peered into the visor mirror and inspected her face for major flaws—no mascara smears, no lipstick on her teeth, no hairs sticking out from her head in odd places. She looked presentable, maybe even hot, if such a look was possible for her. Bradley Stone, it’s now or never.
Tonight, at the wedding rehearsal dinner, she would ask Bradley out, once and for all. If he said no, she wouldn’t be heartbroken, and at the very least, she wouldn’t feel like a coward anymore. If he said yes, then maybe she’d be able to get her mind off Luke.
It had been a month—what felt like the longest month of her life—since she’d told him she wouldn’t need his services any longer. She realized now that her decision had been a bit rash, based more on her desire to gain some control over her sex life again than any sort of common sense. She still had angry readers, still faced the possibility that someone could do more than just write a letter, but it didn’t seem likely.
Ever since the lawn-service guy had been arrested, she’d actually felt safe. She went about her normal life free of fear, and it was wonderful.
Well, except for the gaping hole Luke had left in her personal life. She’d underestimated how much she had come to enjoy his companionship, how much he’d become a part of her life. And then, he was gone. She’d wanted it that way. She’d made it clear that ending their professional relationship also meant ending whatever other connection they had.
So why the hell did it hurt so much that she hadn’t heard from him even once? And why did she find herself wondering what he was doing, or letting her mind linger over memories of him?
The traffic light turned green and Jane drove through the intersection and turned into the parking lot of the church where Heather and Michael were having their wedding. Cars she recognized populated the lot, and some members of the wedding party were standing near the church entrance talking.
She spotted Brad right away. He wore a crisp blue button-down shirt with a tie, and he had a sports coat slung over one shoulder, looking for all the world like a catalog model.
Strangely, her heart didn’t skip a beat upon seeing him. Instead, she found herself looking away from him, searching the parking lot for Luke’s SUV. Then she saw the familiar Land Cruiser, and her stomach clenched. Memories of their last night together flooded her mind—the way he’d tied her up and teased her, the way he’d made love to her, the way he’d looked at her with such emotion in his eyes.
Her stomach tightened into a ball, and she banished the memories from her mind.
Jane parked and got out before a case of nerves could send her speeding from the parking lot. As she walked toward the church, she rehearsed the steps of her Bradley plan in her head. First, she’d wait for a moment when he was alone and no one else was within listening range. Then, she’d casually approach him and…
And what? Her mind was a complete blank.
She smoothed the fabric of her little green dress over her hips as she climbed the steps to the door where Bradley still stood, oblivious to her approach. Now that she was close enough, she could hear that he and two other groomsmen were discussing some clandestine details of the bachelor party. She heard words like surprise and keg and G-string, and she suddenly wasn’t sure what bothered her more, the idea of Bradley attending a wild bachelor party—or Luke.
Jane passed the groomsmen, tossing them a cursory smile. Instead of meeting Brad’s gaze like the bold and empowered woman she was supposed to be, she let her gaze fall to the ground and stared at his shiny black wingtips. Without saying a word to him, she entered the church.
Inside, the sanctuary was quiet, except for echoes of the flower girl and the ring bearer playing somewhere nearby. With her parents, her sisters, and the bride and groom nowhere in sight, she allowed herself to relax a bit, let out a pent-up breath, and absorb some of the tranquility of the dimly lit setting.
That is, until she saw Luke sitting in the last row. He stared straight ahead at the altar, seemingly deep in thought.
She was about to turn around and walk back out when he saw her.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude,” she said.
“You didn’t. I was just daydreaming,” he said, his tone neutral and his expression unreadable. He motioned to the empty space beside him. “Have a seat. Your sisters and parents are coming in the same car, and they just called the church to say they were running late.”
“No surprise there.” She smiled, but the tension in the air between them was nearly palpable.
