Page 56 of If We Never Met

"Because I'm the last single girl standing."

"Hey, Chloe is single now."

"It's not the same. She was married. She has a kid. But you don't have to worry about me. I am not in a hurry to couple up and walk down the aisle. I have a lot going on in my life. I don't need a man."

"Of course you don'tneeda man, but you still might want one. Anyway…" Hannah got to her feet. "I have to run. My brother is arriving tonight, and it's family dinner time."

"How is the family doing?"

"Everyone is good. My mom is sober and involved with a man who seems to treat her well. My sister, Kelly, is turning out to be a very good mom. And Tyler is coming home, so I can't complain."

Hannah's family had been through a lot, so she was more than happy to know how great everything was now. "Was it difficult seeing your mom date again?"

"Yes. I didn't like it, especially because he seemed like a partier to me at first, and when my mom is involved with a man, she tends to lose track of her own sobriety. But that hasn't happened. He's cut back on his personal drinking and he seems to make her happy." She paused. "Is your mom still seeing her old friend?"

"Unfortunately, yes," she said, getting to her feet.

"Do you still have doubts about him?"

"I do," she admitted. She had even more after Dante's call the night before, but she hadn't had time to look into Mandy yet.

"Well, it's good to be careful."

"Unfortunately, it's my mother who's in the relationship, and the last thing she wants to be right now is careful." She walked Hannah back into the shop. "I'll have your dress to you by Monday."

"All right." Hannah gave her an impulsive hug. "It's all going to work out, Keira."

"I hope so. I just don't know how."

Dante's phone was blowing up when he left the rehab center Friday afternoon. There were texts from his brother, Micah, from his agent, Phil Aguardo, and his publicist, Elaine Robbins. From what he could see on his phone screen, Nikki's name was coming up a lot.What the hell had she done now?

He got into his car and called his agent first. He'd been with Phil since he was twenty years old. Over the past twelve years, they'd grown up together. Now, Phil managed a dozen professional athletes across a range of sports.

Phil picked up almost immediately. "Dante, have you seen what's going on?"

"No, I've been in the rehab center all day. But I have a lot of texts referring to Nikki. What did she do?"

"She made several social media posts claiming that you cheated on her with her former friend, the one in the photos from last night, and that you both lied to her. She feels like a fool for having believed your story. It goes on like that."

He blew out a frustrated breath. "It's all bullshit. I broke up with Nikki after she manipulated those ridiculously fake photos. And she and Keira met for ten minutes years ago. They're not friends."

"I figured. The media loves a good scandal, and you and Nikki have been a hot item for the last several months. What do you want to do?"

"Ignore it."

"That would be my usual advice," Phil said slowly.

"Not now?" he asked in surprise.

"It may go on longer if you don't respond. They're going to keep hounding you, and I don't want this to jeopardize your recovery."

"I won't let that happen. I can't believe she did this."

"I can," Phil said. "Nikki only dates high-profile men who raise her profile and give her more followers and more clicks."

"Why didn't you say that before? I thought you liked her."

"What's not to like? She's hot. And you were having fun. Not my business. Why don't you talk to Elaine and see if you can craft some kind of statement?"

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