Page 51 of If We Never Met

"I do run a boutique, but I also design in my spare time. A few things here and there. I do mostly custom-designed gowns, but I've also made some summer dresses like this one."

"Keira designed a dress for Chelsea Cole," he said.

"Really?" Nikki said, surprise in her eyes. "Chelsea Cole is a big star. How did you get her?"

"She lives here." Keira set her glass down and stood up. "I have to go. Hopefully, this is the end of the problem. Goodbye."

Her words felt very final and put a pit in his stomach. He wanted to call her back, but he couldn't, not until he cleaned up the mess he'd made.

Nikki gave him a smile as Keira left. "Don't look so tense, Dante. Everything will be fine. You'll see."

Everything would not be fine. It was time he told her that.

"Nikki," he began.

At his tone, her smile dimmed. "Look, I know you're pissed that I didn't include you in my plan, but it worked. Can't you just appreciate what I did? You don't have to worry about rumors. You can concentrate on your rehab."

"You should have told me and Keira what you were planning. No one likes to be ambushed."

"I was ambushed when those photos appeared. Let's not forget who looked the worst in this whole scene."

He wasn't going to win that argument. "All right. Let's forget about the photos."

"Fine by me. Shall we order food?"

"No. I'm not hungry. Let's go back to the inn."

"Well, I am hungry, and I've been stuck in that inn half the day. So, I want to order some appetizers, at least."

"You can't keep putting me off, Nik."

For the first time since he'd arrived, there was uncertainty in her gaze.

"Just take a breath, Dante. Things are not as bad as you seem to think they are."

"And they're nowhere near as good as you think they are. I've tried to tell you that a few times. You need to hear me." He paused, glancing around the patio. Most people had gone back to their conversations, but he still didn't want to create a new scene. "I really don't want to talk here."

"Well, I'm going to enjoy my champagne, so you can do the same, or we can have some public and awkward conversation. It's up to you."

She was daring him to do it, because she didn't think he would. But she was wrong. Her challenge just made him more determined to speak.

"All right, we'll do it here," he said. "We don't work anymore, Nikki. We haven't in a long time. You know that as well as I do. I don't want to just take a break; I want to break up."

She sucked in a breath at his blunt words. "That's shitty, Dante. I've been so supportive of you."

"You haven't seen me in six weeks. You couldn't even sit at the hospital when I had my surgery."

"Hospitals make me nauseous, but I texted you all the time, and I sent you fun presents. It's not like I could do anything for you. And besides that, you didn't want me around. You didn't want anyone around."

She had a point. By the time he'd gotten to Denver to see Grayson, he'd been wrapped up in a cocoon of pain and misery. "You're right. I wasn't in the right space to deal with anyone but myself."

"I'm glad you can see that."

"But the surgery was six weeks ago. In all that time, we never got together. We barely texted."

"Again—your choice."

She was rewriting history, but she was very good at that. "I don't want to rehash the past."

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