the silver satin inside the flat, rectangular box. I ran the tips of my fingers over the smooth fabric. It was so soft.
I pulled it from the box and held it up. Again, very reminiscent of the formal dress I wore to prom. It was a different fabric and a slightly different style, but it still had the same overall shape. It was fitted with a slight flare at the bottom. The spaghetti straps were more mature than the full cap sleeves on my prom dress. It was the grown-up version of my prom dress.
I was so confused. It was unlikely anyone knew what my dress looked like back then. This seemed like a very Oliver Rook move. The silver was probably because it was New Year’s. Gold and silver were very common colors for a New Year’s party. Oliver probably had a personal shopper pick something out. The guy was relentless. I could not possibly endure another evening with him. He could send me a hundred dresses and I wouldn’t accept his invitation.
I gently laid the dress back in the box and picked up the invitation again. The party was supposed to start at nine. That wasn’t exactly proper notice. I thought about it for about three seconds. I wasn’t going. The last place I wanted to be was within a mile of Chase. That was not conducive to me cutting Chase out of my life. The distance was necessary. I couldn’t see him or risk running into him. No Chase.
I would send Oliver a note politely declining and thanking him for the offer, but I couldn’t go. I wasn’t in the mood to party. I wanted to keep moping. I liked moping, which was probably unhealthy, but I felt like I deserved a little pity party of one.
I carried the box into my bedroom and tried to forget about it. I went back into the kitchen and opened the fridge, pulling out some cheese and crackers for a snack. I was immediately taken back to that night in his room when I had been starving.
I groaned. “Now, I can’t even eat cheese and crackers.”
He ruined me forever. There were so many little reminders of him and our time together. I munched on the cheese and thought about the party tonight. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been invited to a party. I hosted a few but I never really was invited. It was then I realized how boring my life really was. If I wanted to find happiness, I was going to need to find a man. I wasn’t going to meet a man hanging out in my apartment all day. But did I really want a man? I didn’t think I wanted the hassle.
Truthfully, it was because I wasn’t certain I could find a man that would come close to measuring up to Chase. I knew there would never be another man like him. I needed to put him out of my mind. He was not for me.
Before I knew it, I found myself back in my bedroom, staring at the invitation. I was intrigued. It was mysterious and exciting. I wanted to go. Not because I wanted to see Chase but because I just wanted to have fun. And the dress was gorgeous. It had been a long, hard few months. It would be nice to kick up my heels and let my hair down.
Staring at the dress wasn’t doing me any good. I decided to call the one safe person that would answer all my questions and give me the real story about the party.
“Hello,” Cori answered.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hey, you. Where are you?”
“I’m at home.”
“In Boulder?”
“Yes.”
“Oh wow,” she said.
“I got an invitation to a party at the resort tonight,” I started. “Are you still there?”
“I am. Are you on your way?”
“No.”
“Harper, the party starts in a few hours. You have to come.”
“What party is this? There was nothing on the books when I left.”
“It was a last-minute thing.”
“Do you know anything about this party?” I questioned.
“I do, and you should come. You have to come.”
“I don’t think I can.” I hesitated.
“Why not? Are you telling me you have other plans?”
“No, I don’t but things are kind of weird between me and Chase right now. I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to be in the same city, let alone the same party. I’m assuming he’s going.”