Page 41 of Some Kinda Romance

19

DASH

My mother and I eventually went to lunch alone, driving separately since we’d each arrived in our own cars. I wanted to know what they’d decided about the wedding during the meeting, but I was glad to have a few minutes alone.

Worry nagged at me as I drove away from Serenity’s office. Something about the way she’d changed her mind so fast and the look on her face when she’d taken that call didn’t sit right with me. It also wasn’t like her to take a phone call at all when she was still in a meeting, and even less so for her to leave completely while she did it.

When Mom and I walked into the restaurant, I could see that something was bothering her as well, and when we sat down, I realized it was the same thing that had been bugging me. “Do you think Serenity is alright? She was quite pale when that call came in.”

“It wasn’t just me, then?”

She shook her head, her eyes dark with worry. “I suppose it could be work. Perhaps there’s a hiccup with one of their important clients or something.”

“Perhaps,” I said mildly, but I didn’t really believe it was that. After she’d told me that she had far more experience than I’d thought, I knew that no hiccup would cause her to look like she’d seen a ghost.

In our industry, hiccups were par for the course. Regardless of how good you were or how meticulous, shit happened. Weather changed. Vendors didn’t come through. Brides got into disagreements with friends or family and grooms broke their legs or noses at the bachelor party the night before the wedding.

There were countless things that could go wrong, and by now, none of it would be news to Serenity. I’d been watching her work for a while now, and contrary to what I’d thought at first, she was professional and efficient.

Anything that could go wrong with an event, she would have a contingency plan for it, which pointed toward the fact that this wasn’t about work. This was something else, and after everything she’d told me about her marriage, I was concerned that it had to do with Ethan.

Either way, she would have asked for my help if she’d wanted it and she hadn’t, so I settled in for a meal with my mother, worried about my girl but doing my best to get on with my day. After lunch, I texted her to check in, then headed back to my office.

For a little while, I got lost in the work, but when I realized she hadn’t texted me back yet, I checked my phone and saw the time. My teeth sank into my cheek as I squinted at the screen, wondering if it would be totally out of line for me to show up at her office again.

Lance walked in before I could decide, and he sat down in the chair opposite my desk. “How did it go?”

“Fine,” I said curtly. “They covered everything that needed to be covered.”

He chuckled. “Well, of course they did. Serenity is an actual event planner and your mother is a bride like any other. I suppose the real question is why do you look like something went wrong when you just told me they were perfectly fine without you?”

I debated it internally before deciding to give him a quick breakdown of where my head was at. By the time I was done, he frowned at me. “Okay. I agree that it’s weird, but she runs her own business, bro. She might’ve been pulled into an emergency meeting or had a supplier cancel on short notice. Could have been anything.”

“I know, but I have a bad feeling about it,” I replied thoughtfully. “It could have been work, sure, but when was the last time work made you look like you were about to be sick?”

“Oh, all the time,” he joked before he realized I was serious. He sighed. “Why are you so worried about this, Dash? There’s got to be something you’re not telling me. Getting a call and looking stressed about it isn’t exactly concrete evidence that something is wrong. She’s not hurt. You just saw her and she’s at work.”

“Yeah, I know all that,” I snapped, then released a deep breath and studied his suddenly puzzled expression. “My relationship with her has shifted. We’ve been intimate and we intend on doing it again.”

Shock registered on his features for a moment. Then he grinned. “You devil! I knew something was going to happen between you too.”

I sighed. “Do you understand now why I’m so worried?”

“Nah. Not really. Again, bro. She’s at work. She’s fine. I know this is all new for you, but you don’t have to go all paranoid on me.” Checking his watch, he got up and strode to the door, glancing back at me before he left. “Give her some time. I’m sure you’ll hear from her later.”

After he was gone, I took a minute to process what he’d said before I got back to work. This was new to me and perhaps I was being paranoid. It wasn’t like me at all, but neither was becoming romantically involved with a competitor.

The remainder of the afternoon passed in a blur of playing catchup for the hours I’d been out of the office and trying to get ahead of things for tomorrow, but when the day ended and I still hadn’t heard from her, real worry set in. No longer simply a nagging voice, it was now a dark cloud hanging over me, sending thunderbolts through my gut with every breath I took.

Something was not right and there was no way I would be able to sleep until I knew she was okay. Deciding that I would stop by her place this evening to check on her if there had still been no word by the time I got there, I started gathering my stuff and checked my phone one last time as I parked in front of her building.

Still nothing.

I glanced up at the penthouse, but it was no surprise when I didn’t see any clues about her state of mind from all the way down here. Honestly, I hadn’t even known why I’d looked. It wasn’t like she’d hang a sign in the window spelling out her woes for the world to see.

I sighed, shaking my head at myself. I reached for the door handle and started climbing out of my car. I was halfway to her door when I paused, watching as Ethan strode through the lobby and exited the building.

My heart thumped against my ribs, but I didn’t run or try to hide. What the fuck is he doing here?