Chaz shot up out of his seat, his face red with fury. “Don’t you utter another word.”
Startled, she stared up at him blankly. “I beg your pardon?”
“While this arrangement might not be traditional in the sense you are referring to, I assure you, I will uphold my vows for what they are.”
A deep, heated flush crawled up her neck. She had no intention of finding solace in the arms of another man while being married, but she hadn’t expected Chaz to do the same when she wasn’t willing to be the wife he deserved. In fact, she’d planned on speaking to a lawyer in the near future to discuss how a divorce would affect the company.
Blinking several times, she continued to observe her fiancé. He was angry. More than that. For the first time since she’d met him, Kat could see he was utterly and truly livid. She cleared her throat and squirmed beneath his scorching gaze. “Okay, then.”
“Okay,” he snapped.
Kat looked away. “I’m sorry if my words offended you.”
“Thank you,” Chaz muttered stiffly.
They remained like that, silently staring at one another for several minutes before Chaz cleared his throat. “I’ve got some meetings I need to prepare for. I’ll speak with you later.”
She nodded curtly. “Okay.”
The rest of the morning had Kat fidgeting and unable to get comfortable. Her skin itched with the irritation of her decisions. The resentment she felt toward her father only continued to grow. She’d wanted to have the best of both worlds. She’d thought it would be possible.
But her father had made it perfectly clear there would be no chance of that.
At some point, she found herself wandering toward her father’s office. She didn’t know why. He’d left the city for some meetings earlier today. Kat would be leaving soon as well. There was no reason for her to be sitting in the waiting area before her father’s office door except for the fact that a couple of months ago, Leo had been here.
Maybe he’d sat in this exact location while he waited for her father to see him.
Had he been nervous? Excited?
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before letting it out.
A soft hand landed on her knee and she jumped.
“Sorry,” June murmured. She’d been the secretary to Mr. Jerris since before Kat could remember.
“Oh,” Kat exhaled, “June, you surprised me.”
She smiled sadly. “You look like you could use a friend.”
That was the understatement of the century.
“Prewedding jitters?”
June had been helping out with some of the wedding preparations when Kat’s own secretary hadn’t been available. She’d also been friends with Kat’s mother, and she was the last motherly figure in Kat’s life.
Well, except for Sonya.
Just the thought of that woman had Kat’s heart twisting painfully.
Kat nodded. “I guess you could say that.”
June patted Kat’s knee. “For what it’s worth, I think your mother wouldn’t be too thrilled about what’s happening.”
The sharp intake of breath was unmistakable. And June hadn’t missed it. She let out a quiet laugh.
“I’m guessing you’re wondering how I know.”
Kat continued to stare blankly at June.
