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Harrison looked from one kid to the other and wondered, Who names their kids rhyming names? But he knew: his ex-wife. She’d always been that way—making everything look flawless and perfect was what she thrived on.
“I didn’t know, I guess. Congratulations.” He pulled his eyes from the kids and looked at the kitchen door again.
“Are you here with someone, Harrison?” Of course, she knew he wasn’t. She had known he was there the moment he walked in. No matter how many kids she had, she had seen him and knew what he was doing.
“Not today. My girlfriend had to work.” He lied to her, and not for the first time. He didn’t feel any guilt about it this time, either.
“How long have you been dating her, Harrison?” Veronica knew he was lying and wanted to trip him up. They had been married for too long and lied too much to each other for her not to.
“A few months,” he said.
“Harrison, Lucy says I can be done soon. Did you want to go to your place?” Sera said with a grin, a tray still in her hand. Her perma-smile was in place, and her blue eyes were sparkling with mischief.
Trying to disguise his shock, he looked at her and mumbled, “Yes.”
“Good. I hated that I had to work, but I couldn’t let Lucy down today. Good help is hard to find,” Sera said to his ex with a grin, which made Veronica lose hers.
“And you are?” Veronica’s eyes narrowed as she looked her up and down.
“Sera Lovely. I would’ve thought that Harrison would have told you about me. And … you are?” Sera asked, all innocent.
“Veronica, his ex-wife,” she said between her teeth.
Over the years, he had introduced Veronica to a few of his girlfriends, and she had never had a reaction like this. This was instant jealousy, and it was new. Why would she be jealous of Sera? And why even be jealous at all? Could it be that she was nothing like the women Harrison usually dated?
“Oh, her. Harrison hasn’t told me much about you at all,” Seraphina said with her signature smile, dismissing Veronica as nothing special to him.
“He hasn’t told me much about you either. Didn’t you used to work for Rodgers and Associates also?” Veronica asked, and he looked at his ex. Did she remember this woman? It had been years since Veronica had been to a work event with him—how was it that she remembered Sera when he barely remembered her from back then?
“Still do. I’m just helping a friend out with the catering. She can never find staff for weekends,” Sera admitted, tilting the tray towards Veronica as she said it. In case his ex missed it in her hands.
“I can see that is an issue.” Her voice relayed her boredom and annoyance at talking about staff issues. It was a topic she cared nothing about, never had.
“It is, but it’s fun to do something different than my usual day-to-day. Gives me people-watching time,” Seraphina continued, even if Veronica was getting glassy-eyed. “Well, I have to make a few more rounds, then I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
With that, she actually kissed him on the cheek, brushing her breasts against his arm as she did. At that point, Harrison realized she should have been an actress because, based on Veronica’s face, she bought the entire thing. More than bought it—she hated it.
“So, she finally got you.” Veronica watched Sera walk around the room.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re blind, Harrison. That woman wanted you years ago. Even I could see that.”
“You were just jealous.”
She snorted a laugh as she walked away from him, leaving him wondering what she had meant by that. For years, he didn’t even know who she was, let alone have a conversation with her. And for that matter, she had been married until recently. Maybe not happily, but married.
He had only really learned who she was a few years before when she was promoted to the director job. Since then, he had thought her body was something, but her personality was above and beyond. Only recently had he seen a different side of her, a side he liked.
Since he had been invited into the kitchen, he headed that way to see what Sera said about them “dating.” Pushing into the room, he was surprised at how many people were in there, but his eyes instantly found Sera, who was standing at the counter pouring champagne.
“How many need to be filled?” she called over her shoulder.
“Ten bottles, and then we can start handing them out,” a blonde said from the other side of the kitchen without looking up from the sheet cake she was cutting.
“That’s not a real number, Harper. Seventy-five is a real number. Ninety-four is a real number,” she criticized.
“Bottles are easier to count, Sera. Just keep pouring until ten are empty, then count them and tell me how many there are. Then you’ll have your real number,” Harper spat back at her, making her laugh.
