Page 128 of Red Hot Harmony

“I knew it,” Renn whispered under her breath.

“Yep, that’s me. The one and only,” he said unceremoniously, then offered an apology and a hand. “Dante. Very nice to meet you. I really like your daughter and…” His gaze slid to my father, who moved closer to stand next to his wife of forty years. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to your anniversary. Congratulations.”

“Hmm.” Alfred Rockwell didn’t look happy as he slowly took in Dante from head to toe. “What is that you do for a living again?”

“Dad,” I said in a hushed voice. “Let’s not do this right now.”

“They already made up,” Ally added.

“It was my fault,” Malik called, pausing his dusting duties.

Everyone turned to look at him.

He raised his arms in the air and shook the towel as if he wanted to make sure people saw him.People definitely saw him.

Two-hundred and fifty pounds of pure muscle was impossible not to notice.

“He cooks,” Malik continued, his attention switching to my parents. “He’s funny. He’s good-looking. He has a huge heart and he’s totally into your daughter. You should give the guy a chance and get to know him a little better. He’ll surprise you yet.”

The boutique was silent.

“He did adopt a disabled puppy from BrightSide,” my mother whispered to my father.

Next to me, Dante was tense when he spoke. “His name is Snowflake. He’s a trooper. And yes. I do like Camille a lot.”

“Okay then,” Alfred Rockwell said, clasping his chin.

“Oh, how wonderful!” Renn clapped her hands as if she’d been waiting for this moment all her life. The mop she’d been hugging landed to the floor with a loud clunk, which was a great reminder that we all had work to do.

“Okey dokey, folks!” Harper announced. “Show’s over. Leave the lovebirds alone and let’s get that plastic taped up!” He headed over to the broken window and everyone started to return to their tasks.

“What happened?” I motioned at the cracked glass. It was an unsuccessful attempt to ignore my raging emotions that seemed to be only growing stronger and stronger.

“Oh, that,” Harper drawled. “Some kids. A couple of other businesses in the area got hit. The bakery. The jewelry store. Stanley’s shop. Nothing was taken. Just minor vandalism.”

“Don’t worry.” Renn smiled. “I already called the contractor. Should be here later on to get the measurements.”

I drew a deep breath and moved past the empty racks and stands. Dante was on my heels, following me quietly.

When I got to the opposite end of the main floor, I spun and stared at the people, who, for some reason, had chosen to be here. They looked like a mess. One of those groups of misfits from an end-of-the-world blockbuster movie.

My mother must have noticed my distress because she was the one who spoke first. “It’s okay, honey. It’s just things. The dresses are all safe at Doug’s. Everything else can be replaced.”

Emotions began to flood me. I nodded. “Excuse me. I need a minute.”

I headed for the corridor and toward the office, but Dante caught up with me when I was at the door.

He gently guided me into the room that looked surprisingly clean and undisturbed, except for a few flakes of ash that slipped in along with us.

“Are you okay?” He cupped my cheeks and angled up my face a little, his dark eyes studying me for a long moment.

“I don’t know,” I confessed. My arms dangling at my sides didn’t seem to belong, so I reached for him, pulled him closer, let the heat of his body mix with my own.

Again, despite the wrongness of it all, his presence felt right.

“This is a lot,” I whispered. “The store and Ally and you and my parents. My life was fine and then it just...fell apart.”

Dante shook his head lightly. “You’re overwhelmed because so much happened in a short period of time, but it’ll pass.”

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