Page 39 of Magnetic God

Is Brooks Henderson worth it?

That remains to be seen.

Renee rounds the corner and spots me. “Oh my god! Hannah, are you okay?”

I straighten and nod. “I’m fine. I need you to get a bottle of champagne and two flutes and bring it in. Act like this was part of the plan, okay?”

“Of course.” Her gaze searches mine. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.”

The words sound fake to my own ears.

She hurries off, leaving me alone. I need to get my shit together.

Now.

I inhale before entering the room again, going right to my seat behind the desk.

“So sorry about that. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Minty-Smith.”

I make eye contact with her and not him. Definitely not him.

“Please, call me Jacqueline.”

Jacqueline smiles at me, and I smile back. She’s older, closer to Brooks’ age than to mine. She’s pretty, but there’s something about her that feels…fake. Like, she’s smiling right now, but it’s not friendly. Not in the least.

“Jacqueline, we’re honored that you reached out to Hannah Lee Bridal to plan your big event. Now, I’ve?—”

“Is Lee your married name?” Brooks asks, leaning forward.

“Pardon?”

I make the mistake of making eye contact with him and wish like hell I hadn’t. Because as soon as our gazes meet, it’s like I’m where I was six years ago, the last time we were together, before everything went to shit. The only thing that’s different is that he looks older. I don’t mean that he’s aged a lot, but the carefree glint that used to be in his eyes is gone. It’s now replaced with a hard look that I’m not familiar with.

“Is Lee your married name?” He says the words slower, emphasizing each one.

Ignoring him, I turn my attention to the bride.

“I’ve looked over your file and see that you’re aiming for a June wedding. Are you wanting to stay in the Dallas area?”

“Yes.”

“No,” Brooks says at the same time.

Jacqueline glances at him before saying, “Yes, we want to stay in the Dallas area. We’d love either the Dallas Arboretum or Knotting Hill Place.”

“In June?”

“Yes.”

I’m not even going to point out that it’s March and that both venues she mentioned book years in advance. Years.

“We’ll make it happen. I just need the two of you to lock in a couple of dates to send to the venues.”

“It has to be June 27th.”

“Is the date important to the two of you? An anniversary? Perhaps the date that the two of you met?”

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