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Lately? We’d been basically platonic for over a year at least.
Girl. Get your shit together. You deserve better than this.
“I don’t honestly know,” I said.
“Then let’s get out of here. We can still catch a flight to St. Martin,” Amelia suggested, only half teasing.
Gregory Hampton the third had insisted that we go to Paris for our honeymoon. Really?
“Sounds tempting.” I heard the pop of the bottle and sighed, pressing my fingertips on the cool glass. Everyone had said we’d make a great team, a powerful couple to be reckoned with. Once, a long time ago, that had mattered. Not any longer.
“I love the sound of St. Martin. Imagine the sexy Frenchman you could meet. And fuck.” Jessica’s laugh was boisterous.
The girls were right. The love I’d felt had ended a long time ago. I’d tried to break up with him three times, only to allow him to woo me back. Why? Because I didn’t have the self-confidence to stand alone? Hell, no. I’d been mostly alone for years, losing my parents before I’d finished college. Being a parent to my sister had precluded dating. Maybe my relationship with Gregory had all been about the promise of power and influence.
So I’d given him another chance. And another.
“I’m curious. Have you seen Gregory wandering the halls?” I asked, noticing a man standing barely fifty yards away still on church grounds. While the glare of the sun prevented me from identifying him, there was no doubt he was staring into the window. A cold shiver trickled down my spine. As a well-known prosecutor, I’d had my share of threats and weirdos, but for some reason this bothered me more than any of the others. The man was well dressed, as if he was attending the wedding ceremony.
“I’ll go check,” Amelia chirped in her happy little voice.
The mystery man wasn’t moving, just… staring. Even as a few latecomers moved past him, he didn’t budge.
“Here’s some bubbly, girl,” Maggie said, shoving a champagne flute into my hand. “What are you looking at?”
“Him.”
She peered around me. “What’s he doing?”
“That’s just it. I don’t know but I don’t like it.”
Maggie huffed. She was the kind of girl who would wrestle an alligator. “You want me to kick his butt?”
I gave her a hard look and she winked. “Let’s not ruin your pretty little party dress.”
“At least he’s gone.”
I’d only turned my head for a few seconds, but she was right. He’d disappeared. I remained unnerved, reminding myself that it was a symptom of my profession.
Amelia returned to the room, a real smile on her face. “He hasn’t arrived yet.”
“Huh. What time is it?” I took a sip then a gulp of champagne, almost knocking back the entire glass.
“Five minutes to go. His groomsmen are out there but Gregory hasn’t arrived.”
“He’s always fashionably late,” I snarled. I’d planned on ruining his day in person, but at this point, I just wanted to get it over with. Yes, it was horrible timing and yes, I should have done this a lot sooner, but at least the wedding presents could be returned. I’d paid for a good portion of the expenses, Gregory only insisting he pay for the reception. We were even going to share the cost of going to Paris. I needed to have ‘dumbass’ tattooed to my forehead. No more. “Will one of you beautiful ladies please hand me my phone?”
“What are you doing?” Suzi asked, giving me a sly look.
“Something I should have done a long time ago.”
All four of their squeals echoed in the room. I was certain the entire congregation had heard them as well. Why should I care? They were mostly his family and friends. His colleagues. They weren’t mine. The handful of friends I had were standing in this room and my father would likely roll over in his grave if he knew I’d planned on marrying a man like Gregory.
I dialed his number, tapping my foot on the carpet. When it went to voicemail immediately, I was surprised. He always answered his phone. “Gregory. Look, it’s Stephanie. I was hoping we’d get a chance to talk, but it would seem you’re busy.” Busy. I knew what his kind ofbusymeant, at least lately. I was no fool. I’d gathered a whiff of someone else’s perfume more than once, had noticed him being defensive about his phone calls. I’d been the idiot to ignore the signs.
“I think we both realize that we weren’t meant to be together. Before we do something that we’re going to regret, I think we should call it off.”
When the girls started jabbering, I waved my hand to try to keep them quiet. It was a lost cause.
