“I’m sorry. I promise it won’t happen again,” Alistair apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. “The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”
“I can’t do this. We’re better apart,” I whispered, breath catching on the wreck of feelings tearing through me.
“Old sport, I thought you got lost on the way up here. Do you still want to see me about your case?” a familiar voice asked.
Alistair and I spun toward the doorway. Brenton leaned against the frame, eyebrows lifted, mouth tight. My boss wasn’t an idiot—he’d walked in at the worst possible moment.
“McCormick.” Alistair cleared his throat, nodding as if nothing was amiss. I fumbled with my denim skirt, tugging it down, heat still burning across my lips.
“You might want to button your blouse,” he murmured against my ear before striding over to greet his buddy with a pat on the back, smooth as ever.
I looked down and noticed Alistair had unbuttoned my garment, revealing a little lace.Guard your heart,a silent voice whispered.A storm is coming.
Guard your heart.
NEW YEAR’S DAY
Vera
January 1
“Shit, my shoe.” I stumbled like a giraffe with a pair of pumps on the velvet carpet at the crowded entrance of the New Year’s Day ball. Discomfort radiated from my heels to my toes.
“Oh, sweetie, please don’t tell me you’ve ruined another pair of Jimmy Choos,” Mindy lamented, flicking back her long, dark hair.
“Welp, it wouldn’t be the first time,” I snapped, adjusting the strap on my left heel.
“You’re lucky you’re tall. I could use some of your height,” she remarked, admiring my calves.
“Honey, it’s more a curse than a blessing when most of the men I’ve dated are shorter than me,” I replied. Alistair was the exception. He stood taller than me, even when I wore high heels.
“Where’s Saph tonight?” Mindy asked when we were inside, getting a drink at the bar.
“She’s sick. We ate out a few days ago, and the meal she ate had wheat, though she had asked for it to be gluten-free.”
“Poor thing. How about Julian? Is he doing anything?”
“He’s taking Mom out for dinner.”
“He could have joined us,” Mindy suggested.
“So I could be the third wheel? No thanks. Besides, your hookups with him are prehistoric, long before he dated Saph. You need to date more often.”
“I know, I know. How about you? Are you seeing anyone lately?”
I smiled at Mindy and said nothing, prompting her to nudge my elbow.
“You can tell me. I won’t tell a soul,” she whispered.
I slowly sipped my champagne, then replied, “I’m casually seeing someone, but it’s not serious. She’s dealing with some family issues tonight.”
“No relationship is ever serious with you.”
I raised my left eyebrow as my lips curled into a smirk. If she only knew the truth. I already cried my sad tears over a particular Mister Scott, but that was my secret to keep. A bachelor auction was part of the evening’s agenda. The names of the city’s most eligible bachelors appeared on a massive television screen above us, and there it was.
Alistair Scott.
“Great,” I muttered.
