Zoe set her box of vibrators down on the hardwood floor and took in her new office space with pride. She’d only moved in on Monday and already it was coming together nicely.
Aiden had really pulled through for her. She knew he had properties all over the city, but he’d really outdone himself. The office was spectacular, with a view of the bustling shopping area out front to match.
The building had retained the rustic charm of late 1800s Italianate, with the bonus of being on 24th Street with ample parking nearby and only a ten-minute walk from her new-slash-old house. She could run home and check on her mother whenever she needed to.
It had taken some major hoop jumping with the lender, but she’d been approved to be added to her mother’s mortgage. In addition to the lump sum of savings she’d already had for a down payment, she also had an impeccable credit score, thanks in part to her OCD tendencies. They’d been to the lawyer, and the papers were signed. Zoe was officially a home owner.
The feeling was strangely foreign, and yet it felt natural to be moving back into her childhood home, even though she was regressing to a point before she’d moved away and found her independence. It had been a time and place where she was dependent on others, where she needed her parents. Only now it was her mother who needed her.
Zoe checked the time once again. It was nearly 10 A.M. She began rearranging her decor in the bay window for the tenth time that morning, fluffing up her bridal mannequin’s wedding dress, angling the groom’s top hat just so, anything to keep busy. To keep from imagining how her first appointment of the day was going to go.
After Levi stormed out on Sunday night, she returned to her apartment to find Taichi and Sean still bickering—well, mostly it was Sean.
She’d sent her ex away to cool off for a few days. She didn’t know what to say to him at the time, anyway. Then she’d had a talk with Taichi, explaining that an arranged marriage just wasn’t going to work for her.
Now that she’d had most of the week to calm down, she agreed to meet Sean in—she checked her watch again—fifty minutes. And although she’d been imagining their conversation all week, making lists of the things she wanted to tell him, she still wasn’t sure what she would say.
To kill time, she perched on the edge of her antique desk, an office-warming present from Piper and Aiden—like they hadn’t done enough already. Raising her phone above her, she snapped a selfie, making sure to get the big bay window in the shot. She sent it to the both of them, along with a text.
See you guys at the wedding rehearsal tomorrow night. XOXO.
The office couldn’t have come at a better time. She didn’t exactly feel comfortable using Levi’s apartment when they weren’t even on speaking terms, even though he’d been gone on his rock tour all week.
At the thought of him, she picked up her cell and called him. Again.
Ring, ring, ring.
She held her breath. After having called him so many times that week, the noise had become as aggravating as the Chicken Dance to her ears.
If she could just talk to him, explain that things weren’t how they seemed. But it wasn’t the kind of thing she wanted to leave on his voicemail either.
Three weeks before she didn’t even know the man existed and now she couldn’t seem to go five minutes without thinking about him. She missed talking to him, missed hearing his voice. She’d even downloaded his album and played it on repeat just to hear him sing.
Surprise, surprise, there was no answer. Zoe waited until the voicemail kicked in to hear his voice.
“This is Levi Dolson with Reluctant Redemption. Sorry I missed your call. Please leave your name and number, and I’ll get back to—.”
Zoe quickly hung up before it finished, as she always did. Or else he’d have gotten ten silent voicemails by now, like she was some creepy mouth-breathing stalker. Okay may be fifteen … or twenty.
Yup, nothing crazy about Zoe Plum. She was as cool as a cucumber.
There was a knock on the door. A thrill of excitement rang through her. Was it her first customer in her new office?
But when she swung the door wide with a welcoming smile, she nearly slammed it back shut.
“Zoe!” Juliet Fisher squealed. “It’s so good to see you.”
Zoe gaped at the woman beaming in her doorway. Expecting a setup, she took an automatic step back and tried to close the door. But the ex-bride wedged herself inside like she thought the wind had blown it shut. Her look of euphoria didn’t change.
“I wish I could say the same, Juliet. And…” Zoe did a double take. “Owen? What are you doing here? Together.”
She remembered the last time she’d seen Owen, which was just before her last office blew up. Her eyes automatically flitted toward the window—her nearest exit.
“Look.” Zoe held her hands up. “I already told you that I won’t be held responsible for the cost of your wedding. You can check our contract.”
“No. No.” Juliet’s titter sounded so sweet that it hurt Zoe’s teeth. “We’re not here for that.”
Zoe’s heart was racing, Juliet’s uber-sweet disposition freaking her out. “Then what is it? Because I’ll call the cops if you try anything funny.”
Juliet gave her a look like she thought Zoe was adorable and pushed past her until she was deeper inside the office. Zoe put up a fight, trying to block her path, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“About the expo. I’m sorry,” Juliet said. “I was hurt, and angry, and hadn’t slept in days. I was losing my mind without my munchkin.” She reached up and pinched Owen’s cheek.
Owen grinned, and Zoe wondered if it had been the chocolates that had won Juliet over.
Zoe eyed the two of them like psych-ward escapees. “I see you two have worked things out. When did this happen?” She hoped she sounded casual enough as she dug for information to feed the police.
“Just the other day,” Juliet said like she was gushing. “Monday, I think it was. Wasn’t it, pookie?”
Monday. So Juliet would have still been pissed at Zoe for ruining her wedding on Sunday when Chef Glazier was killed. Which meant she wasn’t out of the running for potential suspects. Zoe mentally tucked that note away for later. It wasn’t like she could just bust that question out and hope Juliet would answer honestly.
“When you say that you’re sorry about the expo,” Zoe began, “are you talking about the van?”
“No, the van wasn’t me. I swear.” Juliet shook her head. “I mean that I’m sorry for yelling at you and making that announcement over the PA system.”
“Right, well I think that’s best for the police to determine.” Zoe casually inched toward her desk where her feathered pen rested next to an inkwell. It was purely decorative, however the pen’s metal tip was sharp enough to be an improvised weapon, if needed.
But Juliet didn’t seem to notice. “I came here because I wanted to put all that behind us. To move on.”
Zoe narrowed her eyes. “Move on to what?”
She slid her hand into Owen’s, batting her eyelashes up at him. “To our wedding, of course.”
Zoe gaped at the two of them. But it was Owen she addressed. He was the only one who was ever reasonable. Well, except when it came to his fiancée, she supposed. “Your wedding? You’re going to try to get married again?”
It was Juliet who answered. “Of course. We’re not going to let one bad day ruin what we have.”
Zoe thought Juliet and her family had done a fine job doing that all on their own. “Well, congratulations. I’m thrilled you two worked things out.” She went to the door and held it wide open, hoping they would take the hint.
“So you’ll do it?” Juliet asked hopefully.
She glanced from bride to groom. “Do what?”
“Plan our wedding?” Juliet squealed happily again.
“Plan your … No. No way. I can’t possibly.” Zoe began backing up, wanting to leave her own office.
Juliet grabbed her arms, squeezing hard like she was desperate. Or maybe because she wanted to rip Zoe’s arms off and beat her with them. “But you already know our tastes and our must haves. It would be a piece of cake.”
“I’m actually booked solid.”
“But it’s not for another year. We’ll offer you double.”
Not even for a million dollars, Zoe thought. “Yup, sadly booked for the next two … make that three years.”
Juliet’s hands dropped in disappointment. “Oh, well that’s too bad.”
“If you want my advice,” Zoe said. “Elope. So much cheaper.” But as the couple trudged out of her office, Zoe thought of even better advice. “On second thought. I know of someone who might be able to help you.”
She ran to her purse and dug her way to the bottom. Things had been so crazy that she hadn’t had time to clean it out since … yup, there it was. Natalie Evans’ scrunched-up business card from the expo. Straightening it out as best she could, she handed it to the Juliet.
“Natalie Evans?” Juliet read. “Isn’t that your assistant?”
“Natalie works for Enchanted Events now. And she worked very closely with me on your wedding, so she understands all your needs.” As in, everything under the sun, Zoe added in her head. She gave the couple a cheerful wave as they headed out her door. “Tell her I sent you.”
“Thanks. I will!” Juliet called back.
“Good luck, you crazy kids.” Emphasis on the crazy.
Rushing over to her bay window, she watched them walk down the street, mostly to make sure they left, but also staring in amazement. At both the fact that Juliet had actually believed Zoe would say yes to planning her wedding, and at the fact that there would be another wedding.
Once they were out of sight, she shut the door and locked it, just in case they came back. Grabbing her phone, she ran through her list of contacts and found the one for Detective Warner to let him know Juliet had popped by. She didn’t know if it was important, but the more information to absolve her and figure out who was making Zoe’s life hell, the better.
She was about to hit the call button when there was another knock on her door. She gasped and spun to face it.
For a moment, she considered pretending she wasn’t there, but of course where else would she be? Juliet was crazy, not stupid. When the knock came again, she sidled closer.
“Who is it?” she called through the door.
“It’s Sean,” came the muffled response.
Now her heart was racing for a whole different reason. With a shaking hand, she flicked the deadbolt. Gripping the handle, she took a deep breath and opened the door.
Sean was grinning from ear to ear, clutching a bouquet of flowers like they were about to go on a first date. He handed them to her. “For your new office.”
“Oh.” She blinked down at them in surprise. “Thank you. You’re early.”
“Sorry,” he said. “I was just anxious to see you. I’m so glad you called. Can we go somewhere? Maybe grab a coffee? Some lunch?”
“Look, Sean. I wanted to talk to you about Sunday night. What you said—”
“Was all true. Every word of it.” He grabbed her hands in his, squeezing them. “I was an idiot to ever let you go.”
“You mean stand me up.” She tugged her hands away. “You didn’t let me go. You didn’t respect me enough to be up front with me. You just ran away.”
“I know. I owe you an explanation.”
“No. Don’t.” She held up a hand. “I don’t want to hear it. I don’t really care. All I wanted to say is that you can’t just show up at my apartment like that. You can’t just come waltzing back into my life unannounced. I don’t know you. You don’t know me. Not anymore. I’m a different person.”
Maybe he’d forgotten how blunt she could be, or maybe she’d grown less patient for subtlety over the last six years, but he winced at the no-nonsense tone in her voice. “I know. And I want to get to know that person.”
Zoe tried to remind herself that she’d loved this man once, and that, despite the sheer insanity of it, he’d come because he clearly had feelings for her still.
Uncrossing her arms, she softened her tone. “But that person doesn’t want to get to know you. I’ve moved on. I’m over it.”
Walking over to her desk, she slid open the top drawer and grabbed the ring box she’d dug out of her closet that morning. She’d never been able to get rid of her old engagement ring—she supposed in the way she’d never let go of her wedding dress. Or that day.
She handed it back to Sean. “I’ve moved on with my life. You should too.”
Sean didn’t quite know what to say after that. Hell, neither did she. Her revelation came as much of a surprise to her as it probably did to him. Maybe more so.
Zoe had been dreading this moment all week, and probably for much longer than that. It was as though she’d been afraid of the memory of him.
And yet, as he finally stood there in front of her after all these years, she found she was rather tired of wasting her time on him, on their past, on her memories and fears. After six years of letting that one day control her life, she didn’t want to waste another minute on it.
She held the door open for him. “Thanks for stopping by. And for the flowers.”
Sean took a deep breath and nodded. “Take care of yourself.”
“Thanks. I will,” she said, and meant it. And when she finally closed the door on that chapter, she knew the first place to start.
Picking a pair of scissors off her desk, she took care of that hideous old wedding dress, once and for all.