Page 49 of Red Velvet

"So, you guys aren't close?" Kade assumes. "That surprises me, considering you were her maid of honor."

I chuckle. "Well, we used to be close, sort of. And it's not like we don't like each other. It's just… things have changed."

"How so?" He locks me down with his dark gaze, his eyebrows arching with interest as he awaits my response.

"We both had a certain place within our family, a role, so everybody always knew who we were and how we'd live our lives," I tell him. "It was easy, clear, well defined. Elene was the bad girl and I was the good girl. I was the only one who didn't criticize her for the jobs she chose and for the way she lived her life, and she never put me down either. I guess that's sort of what we bonded over. Agree to disagree, without judging."

I sigh, taking a much-needed pause as I verbalize thoughts that have been running wild inside my head for months. This is new to me. I’ve never talked with anyone about any of this, and I'm surprised to hear myself make sense of it only now that someone’s asking.

And it's him! He's the one asking, caring, showing a kind of interest in me that I never considered part of the deal.

"And then we switched places," I continue. "Now she's the one with the perfect husband, and I'm the one who turned the world upside down by what I did."

"By leaving Jim, you mean."

I nod. "Yes. By calling off a wedding that everyone expected me to go through with. Everyone except Elene."

"Did you ever regret it?" He doesn’t seem to be judging, just genuinely interested in my tale.

I need a moment before I shake my head. "No. I don't think so. I think I did the right thing."

"You think?"

I press my lips together, feeling like he caught me lying.

"It was hard," I admit. "And sometimes it still is. I had something with him: security, a clear future, stability. He never hurt me—"

"Unlike me," Kade interjects, winking at me.

I regard him with a coy smile. "I don't think it counts when I beg you to do it."

"That's correct."

"But to answer your question, no, I don’t regret it. It was the right thing to do."

He responds with a solemn nod, and we take another sip of champagne as the appetizer is placed on the table between us. As exotic as the list of specials sounded to me, this dish just looks like a very fancy version of bruschetta, next to an arrangement of mozzarella cheese.

"They're known for this," Kade enlightens me. "But they don't always serve it. You're lucky."

"Lucky," I repeat, smiling at him. "Yes, I truly am."

Chapter 26

Kade

"I didn't know you're actually working with my sister's husband," she says, giving me a curious look across the table as she takes another bite of the best caprese bruschetta this town has to offer. "Why did you never tell me? I mean, you mentioned that your families somehow know each other through business and that's why you were at their wedding, but this is—"

"We're not working together," I clarify. "Not yet, at least."

The D-ring of her collar dangles when she tilts her head to the side, arching her eyebrows in question.

"I'm considering a collaboration with them," I explain. "They made me an offer. That's what we talked about during dinner."

"Why was Elene there?"

"Because it was at their house, like I told you. It's not uncommon to have the host's wife around when you're invited to their home, even if it's for a business dinner."

She nods, looking unconvinced. "I see."

---