Page 80 of Love Like This

Spencer blinked at them.

“We were thinking when you were home for Christmas, we might havea small ceremony. Make it forever then.”

Forever.Spencer grappled. “I don’t even know what to say. This is so bizarre.”

“Say you’re happy for your old man and his lady,” her father said,and clapped her on the shoulder. “We are.”

“In fact, never happier,” her mother said. “We were meant to be,plain and simple. Just took us a while to settle in and realize it. Getcomfortable.” She hooked a thumb at Spencer’s pop. “He still annoys the helloutta me. But that’s part of it, too, I suppose.”

Spencer replayed the first part of that sentence in her mind.Meant to be. Itregistered. Maybe it was possible. A pause. “Okay, then. This will take somegetting used to. Um, gotta rewire my brain somehow.” She made circles with herhands near her head. “I’m gonna get back out there and see to the guests.” Shegrabbed a bottle of Kentucky whiskey for reinforcement. “You guys coming?”

“In a minute,” her mother said, and sent her father sexy eyes.

Oh, good God. She opened the whiskey and poured.

What in the world had she done to deserve this? But as shereturned to the party, something in her loosened and a small smile took shapeon her lips. Her parents were not only happy, but they were happytogether. She couldleave them for Paris knowing they had each other’s back. They’d keep each othercompany in ways she politely chose not to imagine. She sipped her now hardlemonade and exhaled, refusing to be jealous. She reminded herself who she’dalways been, and what her priorities still were. Strangely, she didn’t feellike that same person from before. She wasn’t sure how to cope with thatreality other than to focus on the good.

Life had a lot of exciting things in store for her.

She just had to keep her eyes trained forward, as she’d done amillion times in the past. She’d get there. She would, too, no matter howdaunting it sounded.Staythe course, Spence. Stay the course.

Chapter Fourteen

The pastries had been scarfed, the coffee sipped, and everyonebegan to shuffle in their seats, checking their phones as they looked aheadtoward their respective days. All signs that Breakfast Club was winding down.Hadley, for one, had a lot on her to-do list: orders, delivery, and thenegotiating of some important vendor contracts for the upkeep of the building.The less glamorous side of fashion. She let her mind linger on those mundanework tasks as long as possible, a tactic she’d developed over the last fewweeks, ever since Spencer had left for Paris. It had been good for her self-preservation.Well, what little there was. Going through her day with a conscious sterilitywas her new normal.

Just as she reached for her bag, Autumn exchanged glances with Giaand Isabel, who each gave her a silent nod. She set the bag down again. Interesting.Hadley watched as Autumn sat a little taller in her chair and tucked a strandof curls behind her ear. “Before we go, Had, I think we’d all like to check inon you.”

“On me?” she asked. “Why? What did I do?”

“You haven’t done anything wrong,” Gia said, with kindness in hereyes. “You’ve just not been yourself lately.”

Hadley scoffed, knowing full well she was downplaying, but notwilling to concede. “Not sure what you mean. Yes, I’ve been a little sad thatSpencer left, but I’m still me.”

“You’re robot-you,” Isabel said forcefully. “And it’s killing mysoul. You don’t smile. You don’t joke. You never gush, and you’re our residentgusher. You barely contribute at Breakfast Club, just nodding along likesomeone’s programmed you to do so, and it makes me so sad I could melt. I mean,when was the last time we had an ‘Oh, my dear goodness’? I can’t even rememberthe last time!”

Autumn held up a hand for Isabel to throttle back. “I think whatIsabel is trying to say, in maybe extra-dramatic terms, is that we’re allreally worried about you.”

Hadley nodded. “I appreciate that.” She didn’t expand or explainherself further. She didn’t have the capacity. Deep down shefeltlike the robotversion of herself and wasn’t sure how to get out from underneath that withoutcompletely falling apart. She hadn’t shed a tear over Spencer. She couldn’t orit would all come tumbling down, and then where would she be?

“And?” Isabel asked.

Hadley blinked. “And I’m managing.”

“Yeah, but you’re not Hadley,” Isabel said.

“Look, guys, I’m doing the best I can, okay?” She retrieved herbag and stood. Her tolerance fell to an all-time low. “I’m sorry that I’m notas cheerful as I normally am. I’ll work on gushing over you all more later.”

“No. Wait,” Gia called to Hadley, as she headed for the door.“That’s not what we meant. There’s nothing to apologize for.”

“Okay. Then I’m not sorry,” Hadley said, with measured control.“Just trying to get by, guys.”

Gia nodded sadly. Isabel stared at the table in defeat and Autumnlooked at her with so much sympathy that Hadley had to turn away or risk losingit entirely.

“I’ll see you all later,” she said over her shoulder, and hurriedthe hell out of there.

Silhouette, while the best place to distract herself from thememories that tended to tap her on the shoulder when she least expected it, wasstill not a stress-free environment. When she’d explained to Trudy that theywouldn’t be getting Spencer’s order after all, the exchange had been heated.

“What do you mean she’s now designing for Bertrand?”

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