Page 54 of Tormented Billionaire Romance Series

I hopped in and turned the key in the ignition, peeling out of the parking lot. I wanted to put as much distance between Gabe and me.

The more distance, the better.

CHAPTER14

Clara

I stoodin the middle of the park with my purse clutched to my side. The Oklahoma breeze greeted my cheek and caused me to smile slightly as I listened to the sounds erupting around me. It was a sunny Saturday, a wonderful day to take a walk through the park. I sighed as I turned about with my eyes sharply focused on every object in motion: the Frisbee flying through the air, the group of kids bouncing around a puppy, and the park attendees setting up a grill for cooking.

The smell of the grill danced under my nostrils. I inhaled the scent, suddenly feeling hungry.

“I didn't expect you to show.”

I flipped around and retained my grin. “Hello to you, too, Gabe.”

He flashed me his usual dazzling grin. “Hey.”

“Shall we?”

“Sure. After you.”

He gestured to the path near us and I stepped forward, tentatively trying to match his pace. I think he was trying to do the same thing. We wandered in silence, side by side, picking up a steady rhythm after a few minutes.

I sighed. “So, how's work?”

“It's work. You know how it goes in the business world.”

“I'm familiar.”

He nodded, tucking his hands into his pockets. “What about you?”

“I had a retirement party last week. I decorated and organized the event. It was nice.”

“Oh, yeah? Who retired?”

“Do you remember Marilyn?”

He smiled warmly. “Yeah, she was always a sweet woman. I'm glad she got to celebrate.”

“Me, too.”

“So, uh . . . How's the wedding planning going?”

I chuckled. “Well, it's been a lot.”

“I bet.”

“Jen is a stylish woman. She has a lot of ideas that are easy to put into practice, so I've been extra thankful for that.”

“That's good. We celebrated with Ryan last night.”

“I didn't realize he was holding his bachelor party so soon.”

“Yeah, we wanted to surprise him with it.”

I nodded. “How did it go?”

“Well, it was mostly fun.”

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