Page 49 of Against All Odds

“I talked to Alexa,” I told her.

She nodded and waited.

“She’s pretty broken up about what she did.”

She looked at me in disbelief, which rankled a little. Sable needed to trust me to know my ex-wife. But she didn’t say anything, and I knew I didn’t have much standing here since Alexahadcome into Sable’s business and made a scene. I didn’t have the details, but I could guess.

“She’d been hoping we’d get back together, and my moving on publicly with you has hit her hard.”

Sable put her hands on my shoulders and squeezed but didn’t say anything. I was grateful.

“I made it clear to her that we’re never getting back together. It’s over. It’s been for a while now.”

I could see the conflict in her eyes. She wanted to believe me but wasn’t sure she could.

“Sable.” I looked her in the eyes. “I can’t change what Alexa did, but I’m asking you for grace while I sort this out. For Juno’s sake.”

Her shoulders sagged just slightly, and she nodded. “Okay. What do you need?”

Fuck me! There was no anger, no manipulation, no nothing—just plain concern and acceptance. I was a lucky son of a bitch to have a woman this compassionate with me when my ex was losing her shit.

“First, I want you to know that I’m sorry and hate that you’re in the middle of…my divorce.”

She laughed softly. “Hey, from one divorcee to the other, I get it.”

“Second, I think we should keep things…quiet.”

She raised an enquiring eyebrow.

“We don’t have to flaunt it. Maybe we can meet at each other’s homes and not in public. You know what I’m saying?”

I saw concern move in her eyes.

“It’s not like you’re some dirty secret, Sable,” I quickly said in case she misunderstood me.

“Never thought I was.” Her back straightened, andshe stepped away from me as if she wanted to put space between us. She didn’t like what I said or maybe how I said it. I knew she didn’t want to be out in the open. I mean, I kept asking her to go out, and she wanted to stay home. So, what was her problem? Maybe she didn’t have one. Perhaps I was imagining it.

“Come home with me tonight,” I pleaded softly. I had thought we’d go to her place, but I suddenly wanted her in my bed. I wanted…to stake my claim. What the fuck? But the feeling was almost overwhelming. I didn’t want to lose Sable, and I was feeling like I might.

She hesitated, and for a second, I thought she might say no. But then she nodded. “Okay. Let me close up.”

That night, there was a desperation in the way I touched her. I worried that it would be the last time—because I knew something had gone wrong between us. I didn’t know what or why, but it was there—so I tried to light a fire with passion, which was always red hot, and this time was no different.

But in the morning, when she kissed me goodbye—refusing breakfast and coffee because she had things to do—I couldn’t shake the fear that this was the beginning of the end, which stung hard because we hadn’t really begun.

CHAPTER 16

sable

Ishould’ve taken Alexa’s threat to ruin me seriously because she’d started the process. A week after she came storming into the Wildflower, the change was undeniable. Business had slowed to a crawl. The tourists were still coming, but they didn’t make up for the loss of the locals.

At first, I didn’t quite understand what was going on, but after a week of low revenues,Mackenna explained it to me.

“Alexa’s told everyone that going to your place is going against the Vikar family.” She tightened her apron as we stood by the bar, anger radiating from her in big, fat waves. “And since her daddy sort of indicated the same at a Better Business Bureau meeting...well, the cowardly people of Aspen are staying away.”

I stared at her, feeling like the floor had dropped out from under me. “Daniel Vikar said that?” I squeaked.

He was the freaking ex-mayor, the uncrowned king of Aspen. How could he do this to me? And why? Because his daughter’s ex and I were in a…what the fuck were we in?

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