“You’re going to have to practice walking,” Linda instructed.

They were in a downtown department store, hunting for the right look for next week’s reunion. Linda was holding on to a pile of clothes while her newly hired personal assistant, Beatrice Arden, was staring at her nails, obviously bored.

Heather felt like an idiot, walking across the department store in heels that were way too high. She wobbled, her arms shooting out as she fought to catch her balance. “How am I supposed to walk in these?” Her arms were still flailing around, but at least she was still standing.

“It’s so easy,” Beatrice said, demonstrating an elegant walk in her own eye-poppingly-high stilettos. “Heel toe, heel toe.”

Beatrice had been at Dover on the same day of Heather’s interview, when they were both candidates to be Linda’s personal assistant. Beatrice eventually got hired to work for Linda. Like Heather she was still very new to Dover, but Beatrice’s glamour and style had already earned her a reputation with the other employees.

How Heather wished some of that glamour would rub off on her. Right now, she was awkwardly stomping around the store, trying out some shoes while shoppers stared at her as they walked by.

“I think I’d rather go with the wedge heels,” Heather said. “They’re more comfortable.”

“But these shoes are killer,” Beatrice protested, gesturing to the strappy red heels Heather had been forced into.

“Yes. Literally. If I wear these to the reunion I’ll break my neck,” Heather said.

“Fine, you can wear a pair of wedges,” Linda said. “But at least try on some of the clothes I picked out.”

After she slipped out of the uncomfortable shoes, Heather made her way to the dressing room while Linda and Beatrice waited outside.

Once she wiggled her way into a sassy red number that stopped just above her knees, Heather had to admit she liked how she looked. She hated admitting that, but she loved the way the dress hugged her body. It made her feel sexy. The same way Simon always made her feel when he gazed at her with that smoldering fire in his eyes.

She groaned inwardly. It didn’t matter what she did, her thoughts always drifted to Simon. This reunion was supposed to prove that she was totally over him, but just thinking about him made her heart flutter.

Enough. Get out there and be professional.

Shaking off her nerves, she stepped out of the dressing room to get Linda’s opinion.

“Wow.” Linda’s eyes widened in delight. “You look absolutely gorgeous.”

“Don’t look so surprised,” Heather said in indignation. “I might not be a supermodel, but I’ve still got it.”

“You do,” Linda agreed. “It’s about time you realized that, missy. And showed it off.”

Heather smiled despite her worry about still being hung up on her boss. “I like this dress. I’m going to try on all the others, but this is a strong contender.”

“I agree,” Beatrice piped up. “You look ravishing.”

Having the two of them compliment how she looked was making some of the weight of the reunion seem lighter. Heather hadn’t been treated like she was beautiful during her marriage. Truth be told, most of the time she felt like someone Gary tolerated rather than his wife. It made sense, considering they’d only gotten married because she got pregnant, but her new job kept reminding her just how badly Gary had treated her. If there was one thing she’d take away from working at Dover, it was the extra boost of confidence everyone on the staff had given her.

By the time they finished shopping, it was time for Heather to pick up her son from her parents’ house. When Finn hopped into the car she flashed him a big smile in the mirror.

“How was your day, pumpkin?” she asked as she drove away.

“It was the best, Mom!” her son replied excitedly. “Today was animal day, and a zookeeper brought a bunch of snakes and frogs.”

To her that sounded like a nightmare, but if Finn was delighted by scary animals then she’d be excited right along with him.

“That’s great,” she said, her smile widening.

Her son was the most important thing in the world. The best thing that had ever happened to her. The reunion was going to be worth it if that meant she could protect Finn. It didn’t matter how deeply she cared for Simon... there was only enough room in her heart for her son.

~~*~~

HE HADN’T BEEN TO HEATHER’S house since the day she’d slammed the door in his face.

Now, as he walked towards the door, his chest tightened. Linda had instructed that they needed to show up at the reunion venue early, and he’d volunteered to pick her up from her place.

Simon rang the doorbell and Heather opened it moments later.

Damn. She looked so beautiful he was actually at a loss for words.

Here he was, standing at her front door, gaping like a fool. This was a little bit too much like prom night for his liking.

He cleared his throat. “Heather. You look...”

Don’t say adequate.

Her lips twisted up into a shy smile that made his heart hammer.

“Honestly, I don’t think beautiful is a good enough word,” he forced out, still grasping for the right words. “You look stunning.”

And he sounded like a babbling half-wit. But he couldn’t help it.

Her slender body was draped in a red cocktail dress that stopped right above her knees. The dress was strapless, and her auburn hair cascaded over her bare shoulders.

Heather didn’t usually wear much makeup. He didn’t know what the reason was, but he was almost positive it was because she didn’t need it. But tonight, her lips were a dangerous shade of red and she had put on her contacts, her hazel eyes dazzling even in the dim evening light.

“So do you,” she said before she flashed him another smile.

His pulse was racing. Simon could practically hear the blood rushing in his head and it was suddenly difficult to breathe. The way he was already reacting to her unnerved him. Tonight was about putting rumors to bed. If he came across like some love-struck admirer, their careful plans would blow up in their faces. Everything was on the line. Her son. His career.

Simon had been working on trying to get over her. Move on. But tonight, he was going to have to give it his all to set his feelings aside. Heather’s family and Dover’s staff were counting on them.

He cleared his throat and straightened. “Are you ready?”

“Yes, let me just say goodbye to Finn,” she said. “My parents are going to tuck him in and he’ll probably be asleep by the time we get back.”

“I can wait out here if that would make things easier,” he offered. “I know we’re not seeing each other anymore, but I figure you don’t want to confuse Finn by having him officially meet me.”

“It’s not that I don’t want him to meet you.” She inhaled sharply, her discomfort obvious.

“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” he said. “I totally understand. You’re trying to protect your son from all this chaos, and I respect that.”

“Thank you, Simon.” She let out a breath. “I’ll be right out.”

She stepped back out minutes later and he offered her his arm.

It was probably not a good idea for them to touch like that, but he wanted her to be at ease. Any high school reunion would be stressful, but with her name in the headlines the pressure must have been intense for her.

Without a word she took his arm and leaned against him, her warm body already making his thoughts spin out of control. As he led her to the car he inhaled the scent of her seductive perfume. The scent reminded him of spices. And something else. Something forbidden.

Simon opened the passenger door for her and then got into the driver’s seat. He navigated the car down the driveway and sped off.

“I called the reporter who will be shadowing us tonight,” he informed her, trying to keep his tone light.

Linda had chosen a reporter from a national tabloid that she trusted to write a favorable story. Tech wasn’t a tabloid’s usual beat, but for some reason the glossy rag loved getting access to young, wealthy CEOs. His scandal with Heather seemed to intensify interest.

“Okay, good,” she replied. “Linda sent me a message with some last-minute tips.”

“That sounds like Linda,” he said with a chuckle.

“She means well,” she murmured. “Besides, I think she really cares about you.”

He nodded. “She’s the one who convinced the board to let us go to the reunion tonight. I probably wouldn’t have held on to my position at Dover for this long without her. Linda isn’t just good at controlling the media, she’s good at internal corporate politics, too.”

“And corporate politics isn’t your thing.”

“Definitely not.” His grip on the steering wheel tightened. Playing the corporate game had never been his style, and now he was going against everything he believed in. Privacy. Keeping his head down and focusing on the work. Worst of all, he had dragged Heather into this.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to leave relatively early,” she said. “Ten or eleven o’clock would be good.”

“Do your parents expect you back at a certain time?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No. They’ll probably stay the night no matter what time I get in.”

“I remember how great your parents were with kids. They put up with my weird antics for my entire childhood.” He grinned.

She laughed. “Are you kidding? They adored you.” Heather paused, and her laughter died. “The truth is, I had hoped Gary would come over to watch Finn, but he flat-out refused. He won’t even take my calls anymore because he wants all our communications to be through our lawyers.”

Anger made his blood boil. What was wrong with her ex-husband? Was he really so jealous that he was willing to ruin his kid’s life to get back at her? “He’s still trying to get full custody of Finn?”

“Yes. But if tonight is a success, I want to use it to prove to the judge that I’m a responsible parent and that Gary and I should be sharing custody.”

He disagreed. Gary didn’t deserve any custody of Finn. He kept the thought to himself. “You’re a responsible parent,” he said. “A judge would be crazy not to see how great you are with Finn.”

“Thanks. Now, all I have to do is focus on working the room and convincing the tabloid reporter,” she said. “I’m not going to let my anxiety get the best of me. Especially since I’ve got a good feeling about tonight.”

He hoped she was right.