Page 52 of Dimitri
"Has he been seeing the therapist?"
The man nodded. "It's helping. I just don't want this to undo what has been done." He smiled slightly. "The house is lovely. There's a big backyard. We're planning on planting flowers as soon as the spring weather comes along." The smile widened. "I'm seeing someone. She's a nice woman. Works at the Burger Shack a couple of blocks away from the shop. Her name is Mandy, and she loves Simon. They get along very well." Helooked over at the skinny window. "I won't allow anything to upset his life again."
"I'm happy for you."
"Will you tell Mr. Dimitri thanks? He's been to the shop to see me and check on Simon. Wanted to know if we needed anything else. He has done so much already."
He had not said anything to her, but she was not surprised. The man she was engaged to had more layers to him than an onion and she was enjoying seeing them peeled off to reveal what was underneath. It made her love him even more, if that was at all possible.
"I'll tell him. Look, Justin, you have my number. Call me if there's anything you need. I've a vested interest in Simon's future."
"He has a future because of you."
"And you of course." She glanced at her watch. "Now, I'm afraid I have to get out of here."
He rose and came over to offer his hand. "I cannot thank you enough," he said sincerely.
"Thank me by taking care of Simon."
"I will."
*****
She glanced in the rearview mirror with a frown and wondered if she was seeing things. The same vehicle had been following her since she left the firm. Shaking her head at her paranoia, she decided to test the theory by switching lanes. When the vehicle, a dark blue sedan, stayed in the right lane, she huffed out a breath. She was working too hard and with the wedding only a month away, she was stressed.
Which should not be the case. She was barely contributing anything. Elizabeth and a team of wedding planners had taken over. She had also met with some of the "wives" of the members of Dimitri's club and was taken with them. Leesa and Kelly, who were the leaders of the "pack," had reached out to her and wanted to have lunch.
"Now that you're almost a member of the clique, we have lots for you to do."
"I don't do cliques."
They had both laughed at that. "We said the same thing before we became members. We're movers and shakers in the industries that matter and we're making strides."
She had looked them up and knew they were making a hell of a difference. So, she had decided to have lunch. Aside from Jessica, whom she had known since she was a child, her circle was small. It was time to widen it. And these women were not pretentious bitches with too much money and not enough sense. They were the genuine deal. They made a difference. She had seen where they took on politicians and won. They were into everything, from women's shelters, rescuing children to donating to countries around the world.
She liked that.
With a sigh of relief, she pulled off the main road with its stranglehold of after-work traffic and turned onto the private road that led to her place. If she hadn't been so preoccupied with her thoughts, she would have noticed the same sedan trailing behind her and turning off to the left.
March had arrived and already dumped several inches of snow on the ground. The wedding was supposed to be outside, and they were hoping for a beautiful day. Her delight came whenshe parked behind the familiar muscular vehicle in her driveway. Dimitri had told her he would not be home until late because he was helping with paperwork and they had gotten in some new cattle. But he was here. She felt a spring in her step and laughed ruefully at how giddy she was at the prospect of seeing him.
He had gotten into the habit of bringing over food for her, so they would not have to prepare anything. The man thought of everything and made certain she was well taken care of. She had come home one evening to see the place stocked with food. She had never seen that many fruits and vegetables in her fridge before.
He was a treasure. And here he was, opening the door as soon as she cleared the steps.
"Hi."
His devastatingly sexy smile had her going weak and that was before he lifted her clear off the floor and carried her in, closing the door behind them.
"I have to take my jacket off."
"Hmm." His lips seized her in a kiss that had her forgetting everything else. The frustration of the day, the fighting withafter-work traffic, all of it slipped from her mind as well as the briefcase she had on her left shoulder. Wrapping her hands around his neck, she sank into the kiss with a sigh.
When he dragged his mouth from hers, she was too weak to do anything else other than rest her head on one broad shoulder and fight to get her breath back.
"That was some greeting."
"I missed you."
