Page 68 of Wedding Season
“Did he tell you his family wants him to move back to New York?”
Luann’s head snapped up in surprise. “He forgot to mention that. He’s not considering it, I’m sure.”
“I think he is. So your business partner is getting ready to cut and run and you’re getting ready to cut and run and where does this leave the company and the town?”
“Hopefully, in your capable hands.”
Mariella growled in frustration as she parked on the west side of the inn near the cottage. “Why won’t you take no for an answer?”
“Because it’s not the answer I want.”
Mariella got out of the car and stomped around the front until she stood face-to-face with Luann. “I will consider your job offer.”
She wasn’t sure what possessed her to say that other than the fact that Luann was right when she guessed Mariella missed designing. Owning A Second Chance was fun and she enjoyed the customers but it wasn’t her passion. Slowly but surely, she was beginning to believe that she deserved the happiness she’d denied herself for so long.
Whatever form that took.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
MARIELLAWASWAITINGon one of the wrought-iron benches outside the shop when Alex approached that evening.
He’d clearly come straight from the office because he was wearing a pale blue button-down that had probably once been crisp but now looked rumpled, along with khaki-colored trousers. He could have been a Magnolia local. All surface Southern charm and easy swagger.
She knew she still didn’t look like she fit in. She could wear all the Reese Witherspoon–inspired fashion she wanted, but Mariella was a city girl at heart, and it showed.
It shouldn’t matter. She had her friends here and a good life. It also shouldn’t matter that Alex might have invited her to go out with him tonight because sweet-as-peach-pie Taylor wasn’t available. Maybe there’d been others he’d asked before her if Heather was right about the long list of women interested in dating one of the town’s most eligible bachelors. Mariella had no reason not to believe the girl. Alex would be a catch in any setting.
She squared her shoulders although she had no claim on him or any right to feel the way she did. Peevish wasn’t a pretty stance on anyone, and she’d been the one who asked to keep their association on the down-low. She’d only agreed to tonight because so many locals went to the farmers market each week that it would be easy to appear as if they were simply together with friends.
Friends felt like a pale endeavor based on what she truly wanted from Alex. She had only herself to blame, which irritated her all the more.
“You look lovely,” he said as he drew closer. Damn her stupid heart and the way it reacted to his words and the smile he gave her. The one he seemed to save for her.
“I do okay for sloppy seconds,” she said.
He frowned.
She hadn’t used the term in the right way, but he should be able to follow along.
“Am I supposed to know what you’re talking about? Does this have something to do with Amber?”
Mariella wished she could blame her current agitation on Amber. A story was easier to tell with a clear villain. She should know. She’d played that role often enough.
Taylor seemed like a nice person. A young woman who wanted to go on a date with a handsome, successful man. Somebody who might be worthy of dating a man like Alex.
“I met Taylor this morning,” she said as she stood, brushing invisible lint from the front of her dress. She’d chosen a striped dress in a fabric close to seersucker in its weight and drape. A nod to Southern fashion, although she’d paired it with a chunky statement necklace and Valentino gladiator sandals in black patent leather. Southern with an edge she could handle. She’d stand out like a sore thumb at a small-town farmers market, which hadn’t been her intention but fit her current mood to a tee.
Maybe she and Alex both needed the reminder that she wasn’t a complement to the life he wanted to create.
It seemed to take a few seconds to place the woman’s name. “Dylan’s assistant,” he said with a nod. “She’s a nice girl.”
“She’s real sad she had to cancel her date with you.” Look at that. A bit of a Southern drawl had found its way into Mariella’s tone. She had a glimpse into how and why decades of steel magnolias had perfected the art of wielding their soft words like knives.
His brows drew together. “I didn’t have a date planned with Taylor.”
“It’s fine.” Now Mariella felt like a fool for bringing it up in the first place. “It’s not like we’re actually dating or anything.”
“Yes. No. I mean this is...” He jammed his hands into the pockets of his khaki pants, and she had the distinct impression he was trying to stop himself from reaching for her. Quite possibly to wring her throat.
