Head pounding and ears ringing, I finally leave the girls’ table nearly forty minutes later. The group has recently launched a cosmetics and fashion blog and are interested in how to promote it. It took some time, but I did finally convince them to come in next week for a consultation appointment. I have my doubts that the meeting will develop into an actual paying gig. I suspect that the girls are trying to get as much free information from me as they can, but sometimes those types of situations morph into a very lucrative contract for me when the start-up begins earning money and the business owner remembers the help I provided.

“Erin Burkley.” Donna’s strong voice has no problem carrying over the ambient chatter. “I’m so disappointed in you.”

“What?” Eyes wide and heart pounding, I spin around to face her. It’s no secret that my company handled the promotion for this event. If there’s a problem, I’d rather deal with it now than have word spread that she wasn’t happy with the work I did.

Donna grins at me. “Oh, you can relax. You and Tracy did a fantastic job promoting this thing. I couldn’t be happier.” Thankfully she uses the same loud voice as she did when she called me out. It helps unwind any damage her first statement did.

Looking immensely pleased with herself, Donna sashays close. “You didn’t tell me you knew Garret.”

My face flames. “Until two seconds before we walked into the door, I didn’t even know that he knew you, much less that he was a part of your business.”

Donna laughs. “I’m not surprised. When it comes to business things, Garret keeps pretty much to himself. I’ve known him his entire life. His grandmother and I went to school together and were good friends, and I still don’t know much about his professional life.” She reaches out and squeezes my hand. “I’m just so happy that you and he found each other. It’s high time he started moving on from his wife.”

The familiar knot of clotted emotions that I get whenever Garret mentions Maddie swells in my guy. “You knew her too?”

“Mm-hmm. Not well. She and Garret were working so hard to get their professional lives in order that they basically worked around the clock, but she was a lovely person, always quick to help out whenever needed. She liked to laugh. Oh, and all it took was one look to know that Garret was head over heels in love with her. Most marriages don’t work out, especially when the people involved are practically babies when they tie the knot, but I think that Maddie and Garret would have been a couple who defied the odds. If she’d lived, they would have stayed together forever.”

Her words don’t make me feel any better about Garret. How am I supposed to be with a man when he and everyone he knows is constantly comparing me to his wife, who apparently qualified for sainthood?

“I’ve spent a lot of sleepless nights worrying about Garret. He took her death hard. Practically became a hermit.”

“Did he?” And now he’s seeing me, his first relationship since the loss of his beloved wife. That can’t be good.

“Yes. I’ve tried setting him up with lots of girls that come into the store, but I never have any luck. He’s always polite, but he also always has a new excuse as to why he’s blowing them off.” Donna shakes her head in exasperation. “So how did the two of you meet?”

“Um, we live in the same apartment building. We bumped into each other in the elevator and just hit it off.”

“It must have been fate.” Donna clutches her heart. “How sweet. And how long have you been together?”

“A little over a week.”

Donna sighs happily. “Make sure you savor every moment of this time. There’s nothing quite like love when it’s brand new, is there?”

I shake my head.

Donna considers me for a moment. “You know, now that I think about it, you’re a lot like Maddie was. I think the reason I didn’t put the connection together right away was because you look completely different from her.”

“Is that so?” The clot of emotions grows, making my stomach burn with nausea. I can’t take any more of this. “Um, Donna, if you don’t mind, I’d really like to find Garret now. We have … a lot to talk about.”

I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but Donna’s grin grows even wider, encompassing her entire face. “I’m old, but I remember how that goes. Run along to your handsome young man. And if there’s anything you want from the shop, all you have to do is ask. Enjoy yourself.”

The place has gotten even more crowded than it was when Garret and I arrived. It takes a while before I finally track him down. He’s standing in front of a table, eyeing a painting of the sun setting over the Arizona mountains.

“Garret.” I reach out and touch his elbow.

He glances at me and grins. ‘You’re back!” He pulls me to him in a tight hug that has everyone around us smiling affectionately.“I was getting really lonely without you.” He nods at the painting. “What do you think about this? I thought if I bought it, I could hang it in my study. It’d give me something pleasant to look at while I wait for that damn computer to start working again.”

“It’s a nice painting.” I tug at his wrist. “Garret, can we talk?”

“Uh huh.” He releases me and bends over the piece of paper in front of the painting. “Just let me write down my bid.” He scrawls something which I’m too upset to pay attention to before straightening and turning to me.

“Okay, I’m all yours.”

“Not here.” The last thing I want is half of Tucson to witness my heart breaking. “Let’s go outside and get some air.”

Garret nods and follows me through the thick crowd and out the door. I spot a small gazebo near the building and lead Garret to it.

I settle in one of the Adirondack chairs that are chained to the floor and Garret hooks a hip over the side railing. “Why so serious? You should be happy. Based on the number of people in that place, whatever you and Tracy did to promote this thing did the trick.”

I link my fingers together to prevent them from shaking and rest them on my lap.

“I can’t do this, Garret.”

His back goes ramrod straight and his eyes hone in on me with hawk-like intensity. “Can’t do what?”

“I can’t see you anymore.”