Page 3 of Conner's Choice
Lexi rolled her eyes. “Figures. I’m sorry, Elizabeth, but I’m not surprised.”
“Neither am I. Whatever garners him the most attention. Any messages?”
“No, but you have a potential client waiting to see you. Julissa Montgomery Turner Smith.”
Elizabeth’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re kidding.”
“I wish. You’d better get in there. She’s already annoyed.”
Elizabeth stepped across the threshold to her office, closed the door, and met the haughty stare of Christian Stone’s current fiancée. “Good morning, Mrs. Smith. What can I do for you?”
“I’m marrying Christian Stone on June thirtieth. It’s going to be the social event of the season, and I need an event planner to make it a success. I heard you’re one of the best in the business.”
Elizabeth frowned. “Mrs. Smith, youdorealize this is short notice. Your wedding is less than two months away. Most of the planning should have been done already.”
Julissa’s face turned pink. “No one else was available.”
“Let me check my calendar.” Elizabeth scrolled through her tablet. A moment later, she lifted her head. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Smith, but I’m booked that day.”
Julissa’s gold eyes narrowed. “Have your assistant handle it. I want you to plan my wedding, Mrs. Warner.”
“I don’t do business that way.”
“I will make it worth your while.”
“Sorry, I can’t be bought. Besides, Britain Sherwood is a friend from college, and until recently,shewas married to Christian.”
Julissa simmered with contempt. “That mouse? She scurried into the nearest hole in the wall as soon as Christian told her he was in love with me.” She rose to her feet. “You’re making a huge mistake, Mrs. Warner. When I’m Mrs. Christian Stone, I swear I will ruin you. You’ll wish you hadn’t insulted me like this.”
Elizabeth shrugged. “I doubt the Stones will help you in your childish endeavor to ruin me. Not only that, but youdoknow my husband Kevin Warner? He knows certain individuals, Mrs. Smith.”
Julissa raised a delicate eyebrow. “I guess we’re done here.”
“Yes, we are. Get out of my shop.”
Lexi’s brown eyes sparkled with mirth as she joined Elizabeth. “Mrs. Smith curses like a sailor.”
“She can go straight to Hell. The audacity of that woman. She tried to bribe me.”
“Forget about her. She doesn’t have any class. Are you ready to look at those fabric swatches we received yesterday?”
“Sure.”
Elizabeth spent the rest of the day finalizing an event she was catering on Saturday, meeting with a lovely bride-to-be, and planning the mayor’s birthday party in another month. When she arrived home after the long, productive day, she didn’t expect to find her husband waiting for her in the dimly lit dining room with several containers of Chinese food spread on the dark walnut table.
Kevin smiled and offered a welcoming kiss. “It’s not a standing rib roast, but I hope it will suffice. I ordered your favorite dishes.”
Elizabeth’s scalp crawled as cold fear coiled in her stomach. He’d never done anything thoughtful or considerate for her since they were married. There was an expectant look on his face that inexplicably frightened her. Acting on impulse, she gagged and rushed into the guest bathroom. Leaning over the toilet, Elizabeth pretended to vomit. She made sure he heard her.
Opening the door, she called weakly, “I don’t feel well, Kevin. I’m going upstairs to bed.”
She changed into cotton sleep pants and a tank top, feigned retching again, and crawled into bed. When she heard Kevin’s footsteps on the stairs a few hours later, she leaped up and ran into the bathroom. Kevin didn’t bother to offer any assistance.
Elizabeth joined her husband and fell onto the bed. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, sounding as miserable as possible.
“What is it?” he asked as he began to strip. Suddenly, he glared at her. “Are you pregnant, Lizzie? You know how I feel about having children. I don’t want them.”
Her heart dropped into her stomach. “No. How could I be pregnant, Kevin, when you haven’t made love to me in six months?”
