Page 78 of Unmasking Mr. Crown

Natalie’s eyes then darted to Kate’s, hers bright and cheerful and flirty, for the first time since Malcolm’s passing. Like death by a thousand cuts, agonizing questions severed her thoughts as she focused on the glow of her sister’s face.

Does Dash look at her the way he looked at me?

Kiss her the same way?

Touch her the same way?

Dash extended his hand. "Very nice to meet you." His voice, still low and gravelly, but somewhat improved since their conversation at the opera gala.

No. No, no. no.

We have met. We danced. We kissed. We had hot sex on your couch. You begged me to stay. Tell me you remember.

She hand moved on its own, wooden and numb. "Natalie Powell."

In all her thirty-four years, she and Kate had shared everything. Barbies. Clothes. Tears. Laughter. Secrets. But never men. Not even celebrity crushes. Her beloved Mr. Crown was now her sister’s boyfriend. No amount of wishing, crying, or pleading with the universe would change that fact.

Her heart plunged like an Olympic diver, slicing through her deepest emotions into a cold, merciless truth:

Kate had finally found happiness.

And Mr. Crown could never be hers again.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

NATALIE

First: Breathe! Passing out is not a good look on anyone.

Smile. Keep it light. Upbeat and light.

And brief! You’ve got investors to impress.

Natalie stumbled through a short conversation with Kate and her new beau, though she wouldn’t remember a single word of it later. Kate chatted in her animated way, and Dash hung on every word. Natalie wilted beside them, offering only an occasional nod while drinking in every impossible detail of him.

Crisp shirt. Herringbone vest. Dark tweed blazer. Starched Wrangler jeans stacked perfectly over polished Lucchese boots. Vintage blue knit tie that made his eyes pop, not that they needed help. If he’d dressed to score points with her horse trainer father and every woman within a thousand-mile radius, then mission accomplished. Dash Benning, the picture of Texas business casual, more gorgeous than she remembered … and now he belonged to someone else.

Kate. He belonged to Kate.

Natalie’s cell phone rang, the perfect excuse to escape the cruelest déjà vu of her life. She slipped back inside the restaurant, fully out of earshot of the party guests. Hart's name on her screen sent her blood pressure sky-high.

Remember, you're in a public place, running on high emotion and a mostly empty stomach.

Don't do anything you'll regret.

Call him back and find out what’s going on but stay calm.

She clicked his contact. He answered immediately.

"This is the part where I tell you I haven't been able to get you off my mind,” he said seductively. “And then you tell me you've been counting the hours until I called.”

Natalie’s free hand curled into a fist. Had the walls of Terrace Oak been composed of something other than brick she’d have punched one. She paused, mustering all the ladylike reserve she could.

"Are you not able to make it after all?" Natalie asked through clenched teeth.

"No, I’m coming. Five minutes out. Sorry I haven't touched base. It’s been a crazy weekend."

Yes, I'm sure rambunctious twins keep you on your toes, you married POS.