AllFreeNovel
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The gold hoops with offset diamonds glimmered in the light.
“She’s incredibly talented. Where does she sell her work?”
The woman named a local jewelry store, then held out her hand. “Bonnie Winter.”
“Erica Sawyer.”
The other people introduced themselves. One of the men asked where she worked.
“I own a company called Twisted. It’s a—”
“I know it,” another man said. “Salons, right? My wife loves the Bellevue location.” He gave her a self-deprecating grin. “I keep a gift certificate in my desk. If I mess up and she’s mad, it’s my go-to get-out-of-jail-free gift.”
One of the women laughed. “You’re a good husband.”
“I try. She’s amazing.”
Conversation shifted to sports. Erica excused herself to freshen her drink. As she walked to the bar, she made a mental note of the man’s name. He was a senior executive at a local tech firm. Killion would want to meet him. Not because he shopped at her salon, but because he was organized, willing to admit he was wrong and cared about someone other than himself.
“White wine,” she told the bartender, then took the glass.
The volume continued to climb. In an hour it would be loud enough that real conversation would be difficult. At that point, Killion would find her and they would leave.
Her gaze drifted across the crowd until she located him. He looked good, she thought. Not just handsome, but also at ease. He knew who he was and what he was capable of. He was the kind of man others instinctively looked to for leadership. Yet he didn’t dominate—not her or anyone else. He didn’t need to announce himself or draw attention, and she liked that.
He was so different from Peter, she thought. Peter had been funny and kind when they’d met. A little younger, a lot less experienced. She supposed she’d been attracted to his awe of her as much as his smile. After men telling her she was too driven, too determined, too everything, it had been nice to find someone who admired her.
She’d always known theirs wasn’t a level playing field. He’d been a junior accountant and she’d been a business owner planning to acquire an empire. She bought the house on her own. After the wedding, he’d moved in. She’d always meant to put him on the deed, but somehow never had, so the house was never community property. He’d come into the marriage with no real material assets and had left with little more beyond half their joint bank accounts. She’d signed off on her half of his business—because that had been considered community property. In return he’d released his share of her retirement plan.
Once she’d pulled her account from his business, he’d been struggling. Of course after finding out about the money he’d stolen, she had no reason to feel guilty. But sometime after the divorce, he’d changed.
She shook off the past and told herself to focus on the party. She glanced around, searching for another group to join, when she felt her phone buzzing in her small clutch. She pulled it out and glanced at the screen.
We’re both okay physically but Summer is nearly hysterical about Allison and I can’t calm her down. Can you come home early?
Erica walked quickly to the foyer, where it was quieter, and called her mother.
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. She’s not making any sense. Something about Allison and the baby and a paycheck. She won’t stop crying. Summer can be moody, but I’ve never seen her like this. I’m worried.”
Considering Mara was basically unflappable, her concern wasn’t happy news.
“Let me tell Killion goodbye, then I’ll be there.”
“Thank you. I wouldn’t normally bother you, but under the circumstances...”
“You did the right thing. Tell Summer I’m on my way.”
She hung up and turned to find Killion, only to see him walking toward her.
“Something happened,” he said when he was in front of her. “I saw it on your face when you looked at your phone.”
“Later we’ll discuss your ability to read me from a distance. Summer’s upset. My mother described her as almost hysterical, which isn’t like my daughter. She’s worried about Allison. They’re so close.”
He took her hand in his. “She loves you.”
“I know that.”
