they’re gone,” she replied, and then sighed because he was really trying. “Okay. I’ll put a smile on my face and get through the evening. If nothing else, this hopefully has been good for Sera and Harry.”
She liked the B and B. It had been nice to spend time out here.
“Has it been a total waste of your time?” Zep asked.
“No.” If she was really honest with herself, there was only one answer. “It was actually sort of nice to see them again. For the most part, it was good to catch up.”
“Then why the bad mood? I can promise you Sera’s cake is going to be delicious, and the rum punch is going to be extra rummy.”
That made her smile. She wanted a night with him where they stayed in and listened to music and drank all they liked until they fumbled into bed together after telling each other all their secrets.
Being with Zep was the best thing that had happened to her in a long time. She had her parents to thank for it. So why did she still have that terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach like something was going to go wrong? Like the bottom was still waiting to drop out.
But she was going to try to enjoy the evening, she vowed as Zep kissed her and moved to get out of the truck. He was around and to her door before she’d gotten her seat belt off. He opened her door and held out a hand.
“You’re in heels,” he said before she could protest. “I’m perfectly aware that you can get out of the car on your own, but the gravel can be hard to walk on.”
“And you’re a gentleman.” It had been weird at first. She wasn’t used to the gentleman routine, but she’d rapidly discovered that helping was his love language. Service. Sacrifice.
She’d learned they had so much more in common than she could have imagined.
She put her hand in his and let him help her down. She walked hand in hand with him across the lawn and toward the back, where she could hear music being played and people laughing.
How long had it been since she’d gone to a party where she wasn’t going to do anything but enjoy herself? Years.
She walked through the flower-laced arbor that led to the back of the B and B, where the patio overlooked the bayou. It was a spectacular space made more beautiful by Harry’s gorgeous work. He’d built the arbor with his own hands, and Sera had planted the flowering vines that gave it color.
It would be a gorgeous place to have a wedding.
She shoved that thought aside because she wasn’t even close to being able to process it. She wasn’t planning on ever getting married again. She hadn’t been good at it, hadn’t enjoyed it.
“Surprise!” Her mother was standing by a big gorgeous chocolate cake.
And she wasn’t alone.
Roxie’s ex-husband was standing right beside her.
At least the other shoe had finally dropped.
chapter thirteen
“Who is that?”
Zep knew something was wrong the minute Roxie had stopped and gone stone still. Her hand had been in his one moment and she’d dropped it the next. He could feel the distance between them, though she hadn’t taken a single step away.
And then there was the fact that everyone he knew was watching him as though they realized something had gone horribly wrong.
Maybe he should have checked his phone. It had buzzed as texts had come through, but he’d ignored it because he’d wanted to focus on her.
“That’s my ex-husband,” she said, a tight expression coming over her face.
“Roxanne, come here. Don’t be shy,” Pamela was saying. “He came all this way to see you.”
He. As in her ex, the police captain. He was a blandly attractive man in a suit that looked like it had been made for him. He probably hadn’t been forced to go through his entire closet to find two outfits for nice nights out because everything he owned was jeans and tees. He was a good eight to ten years older than Roxie, though they would make a handsome couple.
What had Roxie been like with this man? What had he given her that made her want to marry him and spend her life with him?
“Do you want to leave?” He suddenly wanted to leave very badly. He wished he’d done exactly what she’d asked him to do and turned the truck around and booked it straight to New Orleans. But no. He’d