Page 63 of The Breakup Broker

Richard's face contorted with rage. Henry was suddenly there, his hand on Richard's shoulder.

"I think it's time for you to leave," he said.

The silence in Rise and Grind was absolute as Richard looked around, realizing his reign had ended.

When he spoke, his voice was barely controlled. "You'll regret this. All of you."

"No," I said simply. "We won't."

The bell chimed as he stormed out, the sound oddly cheerful in the heavy quiet. For a moment, no one moved. Then, like a dam breaking, the room erupted in conversation.

I sank back into my chair, my hands shaking as I gathered the documents. It was done. My last breakup, my last ending.

Henry appeared at my side, his hand warm on my shoulder. "Are you okay?"

I looked up at him, then at the crowd of people around us—all of them talking, laughing, some of them crying with relief. This was what a real ending looked like—not clean and simple, but messy and real and full of possibility.

"Yeah," I said. "I think I am."

Through the window, I watched as Richard climbed into the back of his waiting town car, his driver pulling smoothly into the New York traffic. Somewhere in my apartment, Commitment was probably doing victory laps in his tank. I'd have to tell him all about it later, about how breakup three hundred and forty-six turned out to be less of an ending and more of a beginning for everyone.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Henry—Three Months Later

“Just imagine it,” Maddy said, spreading her hands against the dreary spring sky like she was framing a masterpiece. Her sleek black hair was pulled back in a precise ponytail, her slim dancer-like frame vibrating with barely contained excitement. “Fifty drones rising in perfect formation over the Hudson. The main group creates this gorgeous champagne bottle, while the secondary formation bursts outward in a celebration of lights.”

“What could go wrong?” Mason muttered from his spot against the rental van.

Maddy looked at me before turning to Mason. “Why are you even here?”

Mason laughed. “I’m the best man, and given your history of proposal disasters, Henry thought it might be good to have a lawyer nearby.”

“Those weren’t disasters,” Maddy interjected. “They were part of the learning curve. Besides, no one has lost alimb. A few feathers in the fountain, maybe a bride who took an unexpected swim, but nothing catastrophic.”

“Yet,” Mason said.

I chuckled, shaking my head. “In Maddy’s defense, every great event planner has war stories. At least hers are memorable.”

“This appears to be another in the making,” Mason added. “There’s an approaching storm, the wind off the river is fierce, and—” he eyed Maddy skeptically “—the fact that I heard about your last Valentine’s Day event with the painted pigeons, I’m not convinced this will go smoothly.”

Maddy spun to face him. “Those pigeons were a creative solution to a budget problem.”

“Didn’t they molt mid-flight? I heard you painted them pink and blue because white doves were too expensive, and the bride ended up looking like she’d been dive-bombed by a gender reveal party gone wrong.”

“The colors represented the merging of two lives! His and hers.”

The drone operators, a pair of increasingly nervous-looking guys, kept checking their tablets. The taller one spoke up. “Ms. Chen, about these wind conditions?—”

Just then, Victoria pulled up with Savvy.

“The timing is perfect,” Maddy insisted. “Get your bride and get her in place.”

As I walked to meet Savvy, I heard Maddy’s frantic whisper carrying across the deck: “No, no, that’s not right—the wind is pushing them?—”

Savvy kissed me and then stared at the drones. “What are you up to?”

I shrugged. “It’s a surprise.”

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