Page 36 of Dreaming of You

"So, that's your ex," she murmured.

"I can't believe she came here. She always hated this place. She wanted to go to restaurants where she could be seen."

"She's very attractive." She licked her lips. "Any lingering feelings?"

"God, no." Anger tightened his lips. "Why would you ask me that?"

"That was a very tense conversation. You two were caught up in each other. You forgot I was even here."

"I didn't forget. I was just surprised to see her, that's all. There's nothing left between us."

"She wants you to come to her father's party. She looked at you like she'd forgotten how attractive you are."

He frowned. "If she wants me to come to that party, it's because she needs me for something. Vanessa is a user. She's your best friend when she wants something. It took me too long to figure that out, but I won't forget it. Our relationship has been over for three years. There's nothing left. I'm sorry if you felt left out—"

"I didn't feel left out," she interrupted. "I was just curious. That was one of the most awkward conversations I've witnessed in a while."

He blew out an angry breath. "I apologize for that. Vanessa never brought out the best in me, and that's apparently still the case. To be fair, I didn't bring out the best in her, either. We looked good on paper. Everyone said we were perfect together. Our families liked each other. In fact, my mother adored Vanessa. Vanessa was going to be the daughter she never had. But while Vanessa might have fit into my family better than I did, she did not fit with me. Or maybe I'm just not a man who should be married. I'm just glad we broke it up before we had a kid."

She inwardly flinched as his words reminded her of her past. "That was good. Bringing a kid into a terrible situation is never a smart idea."

His gaze filled with apology. "I'm sorry, Kate. I hit a nerve, didn't I?"

"It's fine. You and my father are not the same person."

"Definitely not. I wouldn't have walked away from my child, no matter how I felt about Vanessa. I don't have any respect for men who walk away from their kids. I dropped a client last month because he wanted to get out of paying child support."

"Really?"

"Yes," he said, holding her gaze. "The kid deserved better."

"I'm glad you stood up for what you believed in."

"I always do. I think you do, too."

"Most of the time. I bend a lot when it comes to brides, but I try not to cross any lines I shouldn't cross. At the end of the day, I have to be proud of what I do. It's not always easy, though. Sometimes I need money to make rent and pay bills. It's a juggling act."

"Which you seem to do well, even with one hand in a splint." He paused. "By the way, how did your friends like the favors?"

"They loved them and were sure their guys would, too."

"Are these friends from childhood?"

"No, they're from college. My freshman year in the dorms, I got into a group of girls, and we became very close, very tight friends. After graduation, we vowed that no matter where we were in life, we'd come back and stand up for each other. There are eight of us in the group, and Jessica and Maggie will be the sixth and seventh brides to get married in the past few years. It's been a crazy time."

"So, wait a second. Does that mean you're the only single woman left?"

She made a face at him. "Yes, and that's a fact everyone loves to point out to me. But I don't care. It's not a race to the finish, and I don't feel like an old maid yet. Maybe in a few years."

He smiled. "I don't see you as an old maid, not with your romantic view of life. Have you planned all the weddings?"

"Every single one, but this next one is a double wedding, and I've never done that before. I want to make sure that both Jess and Maggie feel like it's their special day. It's especially important because Jessica had a very short, very bad marriage when we were seniors in college. She got pregnant and she and her boyfriend decided to do the right thing and get married, but they weren't really in love, and her boyfriend quickly realized that he also didn't want to be a husband or a father, so Jess ended up a single mom. And before you try to blame the wedding, she got married in a courthouse, with about ten people there."

"I didn't say every divorce was because of the wedding."

"This one definitely wasn't. Anyway, for a long time, Jessica didn't feel like she deserved a second chance, nor did she have time to fall in love. She had a son to take care of. But last year she met Reid, and he swept her off her feet, almost literally. He's a fireman. He had to rescue her from a doghouse."

"That sounds like a story."

---