CHAPTER 2
“Pink, eh?” Zitto squeezed my cheek the following evening as we worked side-by-side at an outdoor wedding in Malibu. The evening was warm and the ocean breeze made me want to sigh with each saltwater-tinged breath.
I grinned. “You know I like to keep things interesting.”
There were hundreds of guests and Zitto’s face was flushed as usual. “You okay?” I asked, concerned. The event space was large and Zitto was also… large. I always worried that he’d keel over on me.
“I’m perfect, bella.” He waved a hand at me. “You look nice.”
I looked down at the navy-blue dress I’d selected for the evening. It was formfitting, hugging my curves while still being professional. At formal events, we dressed up as well, so as to blend with the crowd. “Thanks.” I smiled, whisking a platter off to a nearby station.
“Sam.”
The deep, familiar voice nearly had me dropping my platter. I placed it on the table with shaking hands before turning to face him.
Sid was breathtaking in a tailored suit. His dark hair had grown out since I’d last seen him, the black locks gorgeously mussed on his head. His piercing blue eyes stared intently down at me while I desperately tried to recover my composure.
“Hi Sid,” I murmured, my heart pounding in my chest.
He didn’t say anything at first. He simply stared. His gaze slid over me, lighting a fire over every piece of flesh his eyes encountered.
“What are you doing here?” I managed.
His eyes met mine again, the tension zapping between us like a live wire. “The groom and I served together,” he explained. “You’re working?” His chin lifted toward the platter I’d placed on the table.
I nodded, wiping a hand over my dress absently as I stared back at him, feeling starved for the mere sight of him. He looked impossibly more handsome than the last time I’d seen him, which served to further lodge the knife in my belly that the mere sight of him provoked.
He reached a hand toward me. “Sam, I—”
“There you are.” A chipper blonde cut him off as she slid her perfectly manicured hand into his.
I felt that knife drive a little deeper. Time hadn’t helped soothe the burn, if anything it had grown stronger.
I knew I didn’t mask it, the ache. I’d been practiced at it when we’d lived together. Now, after our time apart, I knew it showed on my face and I was eager to make a speedy exit.
“Good to see you. Have a nice evening.” I swallowed hard, giving a jerky nod and making a beeline for the nearest exit point. In my haste, my toe caught on the sod, sending me into a free fall.
Familiar calloused hands caught me as they had so many times before. He pulled me close, my breath catching as my hands palmed his firm chest.
For a moment, it was as though time stood still. The conversation around us grew hushed, the pounding of the surf on the rocks below becoming a muted orchestra as we stared at each other.
A throat cleared indelicately behind us.
My face flamed as I pushed back from his chest, righting myself again. “Thanks. I never was good in heels.”
He offered a halfhearted smile as his eyes scorched down into mine. “Or in flats.”
“Or in flats,” I agreed, pushing back from him again, eager to break the contact and yet never wanting to let him go. “Take care.”
His gaze burned into my back as I scuttled away, feeling that familiar scorching pain that never seemed to heal.
I avoided him and his gorgeous date for the rest of the night. Zitto found me as we were packing the vans up. “Bella, do an old man a favor, eh?” he asked, huffing a breath at having to catch up with me.
I looked at him expectantly. “Sure.”
“I have a birthday present for Camille—can you keep it with you for a week or two? That sneaky wife of mine will scour the house for it.” He grinned.
They’d been married twenty-five years and I envied how much they still seemed to love each other.
