Page 164 of Perfect Satisfaction

“Of course she did,” I murmur.

I resume clicking and find the event Danielle told me about. “Tomorrow night’s event is $10,000 a plate?” I exclaim.

“I know it’s steep, but it’s the only event Liza and I will be together in the coming months that I’m absolutely certain Sula will attend.”

There’s no doubt I’m going, but I have one question. “Danielle.”

“Dani. After that night in Dallas, you know I’m not formal with family and friends.”

Now I know why she’s as beloved as she is by fans and media alike, I think with admiration. “I saw a picture once. What does she do when... what I’m trying to ask is...?”

But Dani understands my incomplete questions. “Any time she’s faced with Liza, she immediately strikes up a conversation with her nearest neighbor. She’ll put her head in the program. Fiddle with her shoe. Excuse herself for a moment of privacy while the world is watching.” With that, Dani Madison disconnects the call.

I lie back against the pillows and murmur, “If I’d known what to ask, I’d have known the answers long ago. I should have looked beneath the surface. I’d have found the real you was hiding in plain sight. Scared.”

I think back to my last conversation with Liza.“Can you accept sharing her with him even as a friend? Because I can assure you, he will remain a part of her life.”

My fury with Liza mounts. I know she wasn’t just trying to help me but working on her own agenda. After all, it would be impossible for me to hate the man she loves.

“Oh, Sula, what’s going to happen when you know everything?” Fear courses through me. Sula is strong enough to walk away. My eyes catch sight of the SMAA webpage. “She’s strong enough to do anything.”

The question is, does she have a place for me in her life? A spot to grow our love? To nurture each other?

Do we stand a chance? Just the two of us in a marriage long overdue for an overhaul.

With that, I immediately begin making plans. I grab my cell phone and call Hastings, “Fair warning, I’m charging ten grand to the business account.”

“Do I want to know?”

“Let’s just say if it works, it will make one hell of a story.” With that, I add one ticket to my shopping cart and pray there’s time for my tux to be cleaned before tomorrow.

CHAPTEREIGHTY-TWO

I’m certain I just tipped my hair stylist fifty percent.

She deserves it.

I feel like a princess and look like a queen.

—Moore You Want

In the back of the car,I try to calm my anxiety.

The Safe & Sound Fashion Show is set to raise nearly three million dollars in entrance fees alone. I’m emotional about the work we’ve accomplished coordinating the event. It’s given me something to do while I’ve been trying to sort out my feelings for the man who advised me, just this morning, he purchased a ticket as he handed off his tux to the concierge for cleaning.

“You can’t get a press pass this late,” I blurt out.

His brow quirks. “Who said I was attending as a member of the press? Maybe I just want to support a noble cause.”

“At ten thousand dollars a plate?”

“I assume you’ve had it on your social calendar for some time.”

“Well... yes.”

“Would you like a date?” He stalks me, pressing my back against the wall. His eyes are glittering down at me as if my answer means something to him.

I flip the question back at him. “Do you need one?”