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She blew out a breath and fussed with her spectacles. “No. Neither did Alicia,” she added, referring to one of my younger sisters. “But we figured there was no harm in me taking a shot at convincing you.” She sulkily slid her gaze to the large window of the multi-office building.
In my opinion, it was one of the swankiest buildings here in Redwater City, Florida. Like many company directors, I rented an entire floor. There was therefore an office for each employee, a break room, a conference room, and also restrooms.
Sabrina had handled our floor’s interior design, including that of my office. Bright and airy, it was very chic. Aside from the wall behind me—which was pure white covered in black, decorative swirls and lined with shelves and cubbies—the walls were a striking royal-purple.
The company logo in a moss design hung on one wall—a gift from my mom. A bonsai potted plant sat in the far corner. There were a few other pieces of wall-mounted artwork, including a black, metal tree.
There was a lounge area at the rear of the office. It had a gray-velvet sofa, a glass coffee table, two cushioned swivel chairs, and a coffee machine.
The entire space was clean and tidy. But there was nothing neat about the dry-erase board. It sported haphazard scribbles in various colors, along with an endless amount of sticky notes for a number of upcoming events. This particular summer was proving to be busy for us so far. We were only in the third week of June and already—
“At least let me handle the wedding,” implored Sabrina, her blue eyes pleading. “You don’t need to be there. I’d make sure it all runs smoothly.”
“I know you would.” I hadn’t made the brunette my event coordinator because she was my best friend—one I’d known since childhood, since our moms were close; I’d assigned her the role because it fit her like a glove. “But I always attend such huge events to oversee everything. If I wasn’t there, people would guess why. And their respect for me would dwindle at the idea that I’d allowed my personal shit to get in the way. There’s no chance in hell I’ll let Grayden or Felicity haveanyimpact on Sapphire Glade.”
With the help of my team, I’d built it up through sheer hard work. A lot of blood and sweat and soul had gone into it. I would never do anything that would trample on the company’s success and reputation.
Her shoulders drooping, Sabrina let out a resigned huff. “I don’t know what he sees in her. I mean, okay, she isn’t evil or anything. In fact, she’s apparently a total dear to all the elderly people in the nursing home where she works. But she’s so damn cattyand sly.I’ve never heard her say a kind word about anyone. All she does is bitch about others—including people who think she’s their friend. Why he chose her over you, I’ll never know.”
“You can’t really blame him.”
“Oh, I can, and I do,” she insisted.
“Okay, you can’trationallyblame him.”
“Rationality isn’t required here.” She shifted in her seat. “You’re my BFF, I love you, and I don’t like that he hurt you. That means I don’t have to be understanding—you can’t make me.”
My lips twitched. “Fair enough.” I took in a deep, cleansing breath, pulling in the intoxicating scent of the candle my mom had bought me. It smelled like old books, bringing to mind my parents’ home library. I’d practically lived in it growing up.
Thinking about them made my eyes fall to the framed family portrait on my desk. Alicia and I stood on one side of our parents while our younger siblings, Oliver and Harriet—or Harri, as we called the baby of the family—flanked their other side.
“You’re seriously not in the least bit mad at Grayden?” asked Sabrina, tucking a brown curl behind her ear.
“A little, but Idounderstand why he walked away. What else could he have realistically done? Felicity would have moved to Denver with their kids if he hadn’t agreed to make another go of things.”
Sabrina scoffed. “She was bluffing. She didn’t like that he was serious about someone, so she made a play to reel him back.”
“Maybe.” My desk chair squeaked as I leaned back in the exceedingly comfortable leather monstrosity that my dad had recommended. According to him, it wasthe bestoffice chair in the world. I could agree. “It doesn’t really matter either way, does it? What’s done is done.”
Honestly, what bummed me out more than losing him was that I’d wasted time out of my life on him. Time I could have spent with someone who I could possibly have a future with.
I knew the whole “marriage and kids” thing wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Alicia, for instance, loved children but wasn’t so certain she wanted any of her own. I’d wanted to be a mom as far back as I could remember.
I’d been one of those little girls who’d mothered her younger siblings and had a passel of dolls she’d bottle-fed, rocked to sleep, and all that jazz. I’d even chosen my future children’s names. According to my maternal grandfather, Simon, my mom had been the same when young.
Sabrina heaved a sigh. “Love sucks sometimes, huh?”
Oh, indeed. Society encouraged you to seek it; essentially told you that everything else would fall into place once you found it. Only that wasn’t always how it worked.
I honestly wasn’t as enamored with love these days. It had never brought me hearts and rainbows. Aside from the short period I’d had with my college boyfriend, my dating history was sad as shit. I’d always envisioned that I’d be married with kids at this point in my life. But here I was, a week away from turning thirty,stillsingle and childless.
Meanwhile, many of my friends had moved onto the next stage of their lives, including Sabrina. She and her partner, Tamara, were talking of having children. And my brother was engaged to be married to a total sweetheart who happened to be Sabrina’s younger sister, Marleigh.
As part of my job, I often organized weddings. Each time I watched yet another couple say their vows while I remained single, I felt a pinch of envy. And each time one of my relationships failed, I felt further away from the future I sought.
It didn’t help that I had to always be on my guard when it came to dating. The thing with having a rich family and a hefty trust fund was that you could easily find yourself being pursued by guys for thewrongreasons. Especially if they were also people in the same business as your father who thought that being with you could grant them an “in” with him.
Hell, one of my dates had actually broughthis resumewhen I’d introduced him to my parents.
