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  “Grandmother, I sensed the same thing, but as much as I tried to talk her into rethinking her relationship with Brandon, she didn’t see it until she was good and ready.”

  “At least I’m not the only one who had doubts.”

  “Try telling the folks.”

  Dorinda waved a hand. “They wouldn’t have listened.”

  True. Her folks didn’t listen to Dorinda any more than they listened to Nealy.

  “Maybe they didn’t want to know.” The thought made Nealy sad. Frustrated. And a little bit angry for Juliet.

  “Give them time.”

  “I won’t be here long enough for it to make a difference. Once you get back from your cruise, I’m flying to L.A. I think I’ve done enough to cement my reputation in this family.”

  Dorinda touched Nealy’s cheek affectionately. “Oh, Nealy.”

  The last of the guests departed. Both sets of parents exchanged uncomfortable goodbyes. Nealy noticed the senator stop to talk with Dane before leaving. Keeping busy, she signed off on a number of invoices and checked her voice mail. As she picked up a centerpiece that she intended to bring back to her grandmother’s house, Mrs. Mason came up alongside her.

  “Well, this didn’t end as I expected.”

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Mason. My sister isn’t a flighty person. I’m as surprised about all of this as you are.”

  “Sometimes it takes a major life event to realize your best-laid plans might not be best for your future.” The woman beamed at Nealy with a genuine smile, not a fake expression, which Nealy had expected. She had to hand it to Mrs. Mason. The sophisticated lady had taken the evening in stride. Must be what made her popular in her own right. “In spite of the outcome, Nealy, you did a fabulous job with the party. I’ve been to a great many events since we’ve been in politics and I have to say, I’m impressed.”

  “Thank you. And again, I’m sorry.”

  “Better to find out now, rather than after all the planning and expense of a large wedding.”

  Exactly. Why couldn’t her family be rational like this woman?

  “I know you’re based in L.A., but if you ever want to make a change, let me know. I could refer you to many of my friends and political associates.”

  “Thank you.” Surprised, and touched, Nealy thought about her clientele and said, “I’m afraid I have plenty to keep me busy, but I appreciate the offer.”

  Mrs. Mason pulled a business card from her purse and handed it to Nealy. “Just in case,” she said before she rejoined her husband.

  Nealy stared at the embossed card. She’d never worked with politicians before. How different would it be than working with celebrities? Lost in thought, she started when Dane spoke to her.

  “New business?” he asked.

  Nealy folded her fingers around the card. “More of a thank-you.”

  “You did a great job. I heard quite a few people say so.”

  She shrugged. “Wish things worked out better for Juliet.”

  “Still, people took notice. No wonder you’re in demand in L.A.”

  Right. L.A., not Cypress Pointe. While the idea of working with the Masons intrigued her, she’d hopefully have her plate full with Ashlee James’s business, once she made her decision about signing an exclusive contract with Milestones by Crystal.

  “You know we could use a premier event planner in Cypress Pointe.”

  She shook her head. “Not interested.”

  “Hey, it was an idea.”

  “An idea you need to get out of your head.”

  He grinned and walked away, leaving Nealy to wrap things up.

  The tables had been undressed and stored beside the stacked chairs. Decorations had gone into boxes. She put aside the special novelty keepsake items specially made for Juliet and Brandon. Juliet could decide what to do with them later. She’d made arrangements for the leftover floral arrangements to be used around the hotel and donated to some of the local churches.

  The string quartet had long since left, but the dance floor remained. Under the starlit sky, Nealy kicked off her shoes and raised her arms above her head to stretch. Alone, she let out a long sigh of relief. One job down, one more to go. Please, no calamities like this when she managed Grandmother’s coffee shop.

  From the outdoor sound system, the up-tempo song changed to a bittersweet ballad. Nealy closed her eyes and swayed to the music. She cleared her mind of worries about Juliet and disappointing her parents. She’d take these hard-earned quiet moments to let the stress flow from her before rejoining the real world and its responsibilities. After all the excitement of the day, she deserved this downtime.

  Suddenly, she sensed someone nearby. Her eyes flew open to find Dane grinning at her as he took one of her hands in his, putting his other hand around her waist, bringing her to him. “You still owe me a dance.”

  “Quit doing that.”

  “What?”

  “Sneaking up on me.”

  “Hey, I saw a beautiful woman who promised me a dance. I couldn’t resist.”

  “I didn’t promise you a dance,” she protested, but found she wasn’t ready to push him away.

  “Not in so many words, but I saw the yes in your eyes.”

  She rolled her eyes to mask her pleasure. “In your dreams.”

  Dane twirled her around then wrapped his arms around her as he hugged her close. With her back against his warm body, his spicy cologne enveloping her, Nealy’s heart hammered out of control.

  “Don’t tell me you haven’t dreamed of this over the years,” he said in a low voice against her ear.

  They swayed to the beat before he twirled her again and they came face-to-face. When he put some space between them, she exhaled with relief.

  “Even though you made sure we didn’t stay married?”

  “Even so.”

  “Why?”

  “You were the only girl for me?”

  “You have to ask?”

  He chuckled. “Yes, sweetheart, you were the only girl for me.”

  Now she didn’t know if he was serious or teasing her. She should leave, but her heart rebelled. For her own sake, she should run, except curiosity got the better of her.

  “I’ve got to say, I love your choice in shoes, but seeing you barefoot like this reminds me of how we used to dance on the beach.”

  Immediately, Nealy was transported back to being the carefree teen she once was. How many nights had they danced on the beach in the wavering light of a bonfire? Dane had promised he’d love her forever then callously ended their marriage.

  Cold reality hit her. She wasn’t a teen, Dane wasn’t the love of her life and she didn’t live here any longer.

  “It was ages ago, Dane.”

  “Doesn’t make it any less memorable.”

  She stopped, looked into his eyes. “We can agree on the memories. They, you, were an important time in my life. But it’s the past, Dane. Maybe it would be better if we left them there.”

  His eyes turned weary for a second before he sent her a sweet, secret smile she remembered. Her treacherous heart skipped a beat.

  “Doesn’t mean we can’t make new memories,” he said in a husky voice.

  She halted. No. Too much, too soon. “To what end? If I wanted to spend time with you, which I don’t, I’m leaving in two weeks. I have a job, a life, in L.A.”

  “So you keep telling me.”

  “Two weeks is barely enough time to get to know each other again.”

  “But plenty of time for me to explain why I wanted the annulment.”

  Her throat grew tight. “At this point, does it matter?”

  “It does. And after, maybe we could reconnect. Like old friends.”

  His idea felt as if he’d insulted her to her f
ace. Nealy removed her hands from Dane’s. “Friends?”

  He sent her a fierce look. “We were once.”

  “Yes, we were. But that was before.”

  “Look, I’m not suggesting anything more permanent than two people who were once important to each other getting reacquainted. What could it hurt?”

  It could hurt plenty. This time she had to be the strong one. The one to stop them from making another mistake. Trying to rekindle their old...friendship would bring regrets. Face it, once upon a time they’d been more than friends. Dane might have been the one to put an end to their marriage twelve years ago, but tonight she would be the one to end this...this...whatever was happening between them.

  With all the willpower she could muster, she turned, snatched up her shoes and walked away from him.

  * * *

  LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON, Dane entered his office to catch up on paperwork. With all the projects he had going on, he’d been on site seven days a week. The idea of turning off every device he owned and going an entire day without communicating with anyone—with the exception of Nealy—appealed to him.

  After she shot down his suggestion of getting reacquainted last night, she was the last person he should want to spend time with, but still, he found himself intrigued, despite her rebuff. Yes, he understood he’d hurt her all those years ago when he filed for the annulment, but there was no denying the still-powerful spark of attraction between them. After spending just a few days with her, Dane was curious to find out more about the woman she had become. Wanted her to see he wasn’t the boy she remembered but had indeed made something of his life.

  His phone buzzed to announce an incoming call. He picked up the handset. “Dane Peterson.”

  “What happened this weekend?” Uncle Hank’s voice vibrated with displeasure.

  Dane stared out his window at the beach and the clear blue water beyond. A sailboat skimmed over the slight surf, heading south. Dane would love to have been onboard, enjoying an afternoon off like most nine-to-fivers. Or maybe tossing the baseball around with a few buddies to keep his arm loose for the softball game against their rivals this weekend.

  “There was a slight change during the event.”

  “Dane, I told you this weekend needed to go well. The point was to make Senator Mason see the benefits of using the hotel in the future.”

  “Look, despite the canceled engagement party, the senator and his wife were more than gracious under the circumstances. Rest easy. Before everyone left, the senator told me he liked the facility. Said his staff would be calling to book a fund-raiser soon.”

  Hank expelled a deep breath. “I have to say, when I heard what happened, I was worried.”

  “Have I ever let you down?”

  “Not yet.”

  Dane chuckled. “You taught me well, Uncle Hank. I can handle a crisis.”

  “I must admit, when I heard the Grainger clan was involved, I had my concerns.”

  At the negative tone in his uncle’s voice, Dane braced himself. Due to Dane and Nealy’s history, there was no love lost between the two families. “Nealy handled the upset with professional expertise. The Masons were impressed with the party and the way we took care of the situation.”

  “We? As in, you and Nealy? Where was Angela?”

  Here came the tricky part. “Angela quit.”

  “Quit?”

  “Yes, sir. Turned out to be a good thing. If we do work with Mason’s campaign team, there will be time-consuming demands. Better to find out now she couldn’t handle the pressure.”

  “If this goes how we hope it will, giving the senator our support will up our visibility. I want this, Dane.”

  Yeah, Dane knew.

  “I’ll be in town soon. We’ll sit down and compare notes then.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And one last thing. Stay away from Nealy. You don’t need her kind of trouble.”

  Dane’s spine went stiff. “Excuse me?”

  “She took the wind out of your sails once, son. Almost ruined your life. Don’t let her get to you again.”

  Dane almost laughed out loud, but his uncle’s warning wasn’t funny. Nealy almost ruined his life? More like he’d broken her heart. He didn’t blame her reaction to what he’d put in motion. Sure, he’d been down afterward, feeling all kinds of guilt about ending their marriage, and ultimately, their relationship. Once he told Nealy what he’d done, there was no going back. For all the pain, he’d never looked at the marriage and subsequent annulment as ruining his life. Just the opposite, actually. He’d gotten the annulment to save them from eventual heartache, not because he didn’t love Nealy.

  “Don’t worry. She’s only in town for a short time.”

  “Then steer clear. I don’t want her interfering with our plans.” With that, he signed off.

  Dane replaced the handset in the cradle and his gaze wandered over to the window again. Yes, it sure was a beautiful, sunny day. Another boat glided by on the water. While he’d have been glad to be on that boat, taking a break from work for a few hours, his uncle’s words haunted his thoughts. Stay away from Nealy.

  As if he’d ever been able to.

  She’d brought fun into his life when he’d been at his lowest point. News of losing the college scholarship had gotten him so down he didn’t know what to do. But Nealy had. She’d come up to him, all smiles, her eyes flashing with mischief. He immediately lost his heart. Only to break hers.

  He started to type an email on his computer, but his memory drifted back to an earlier time...

  Standing on Nealy’s front porch, ready to shatter her dreams after coming from the courthouse. Taking a shaky breath, he rang the doorbell. He heard running from the other side, then the door burst open. Nealy vaulted herself at him, her arms circling his neck.

  “I’m Mrs. Dane Peterson,” she said, followed by a giggle. “Can you believe it?”

  He eased her arms away to set her away from him. “Nealy, we have to talk.”

  “I know I promised not to tell my folks until you were here, but I couldn’t wait. I spilled the news to Juliet after I got home last night and before I knew it, we told the entire family. My dad isn’t even mad we took his car.”

  “Stole his car.”

  Nealy waved her hand in dismissal, as if taking her father’s car was a minor point. Since Dane had been on the police chief’s radar all summer for causing mischief with Nealy or his buddies, using the car could have landed him in hot water if Nealy’s dad decided to make it an issue. “We said we wanted to be together and we made it happen.” She giggled again. “The lady helping us at the courthouse must have thought we were crazy.”

  “We were.” After finishing their shifts at the hotel, Nealy had been upset about an ongoing argument with her parents. He found her sitting under one of the magnolia trees, crying her eyes out. His heart broke for her. He gathered her in his arms, whispering sweet promises to make things better. She suggested on a half chuckle they run off and get married. Sure, they’d joked about getting hitched a couple of times since they’d started dating, but it had always been just that, a joke.

  He’d pulled away, glimpsed her tear-stained face and told her he wanted to take care of her. Forever. Before he had time to think it through, he’d convinced her to go through with the idea. She agreed and they’d gone to Nealy’s house. She snuck inside, grabbed the keys to her father’s car, and they drove to the courthouse.

  “They aren’t thrilled. Dad wanted to storm over to your place, but I begged him not to.” Her eyes went big and round, pleading. “Forgive me?”

  “About the marriage, Nealy. I...I did something.”

  Her grin faded. “Are you okay? Did your family kick you out?”

  “No. They don’t know. It’s me. I changed my mind.”

  �
�About telling your parents?”

  “No. About being married. I filed for an annulment.”

  “What?” Her face grew pale. “Why?”

  After they’d driven her dad’s car back late last night, he left Nealy on her doorstep with a searing kiss, promising forever and an enduring love. Crazy about her, he went home, slipped in the back door to make his way to his room. Before he could get there, the loud arguing from his parents’ bedroom stopped him in his tracks. They tossed accusations at each other, debating money, questioning each other’s commitment to the marriage, to the family.

  “I didn’t sign up for this mess,” his father raged.

  “And I never wanted marriage. Kids. You ruined my life.”

  His blood froze.

  Yeah, his parents’ marriage was not the best, but his mother never wanted him or his brother?

  For as long as Dane could remember he, and his younger brother, Alex, escaped when their parents started in on each other. Dane had protected Alex. Together they’d forged a bond of shared pain, united in hiding the scars inflicted by their mom and dad’s loveless marriage. Their parents had tried to use the boys whenever they were on the outs. All they cared about was getting back at each other, never once considering the harm inflicted on their children. Still, the damage of living in a dysfunctional family had taken its toll.

  Had he run off with Nealy thinking her love was enough to heal him? He’d done exactly as his parents had, agreeing on the spur of the moment to get married, never thinking about the consequences they’d set in motion.

  Dane shut himself in his room and crawled into bed. He didn’t sleep while his parents’ argument continued on the other side of the wall. When the gravity of what he and Nealy had done hit him full force, he knew he couldn’t sentence both of them to the same fate as his parents. Getting caught up in an instant of craziness was one thing, but they’d made a decision affecting each other’s future. He had a minimum-wage job. No college education. How did he expect to take care of her? And what about her plans for college? He couldn’t go with her. And when she hinted about reconsidering college so they could start their lives together, he didn’t want her dropping out because of him.