Page 17 of Little Gray Dress

“A woman.” He winks at me. “Isn’t it always a woman that drags a man across the country?”

“I don’t know. I don’t have a lot of exper—” I stop before I can announce how few men I’ve dated. “I mean… wow. So, you’re married to a girl from Portland?” I glance down at his hand but see no ring.

“No, not anything actually.” Liam shrugs his shoulder with a sad smile.

“Why not?”

“Why not what?”

“You said you moved here for a woman and now you’re not anything, what happened?” I ask him, being far too nosey. If we’re gonna talk, though, why not talk about anything but me?

“Hmmm…” Liam is taking some time pondering his answer, which makes me worry that I’ve asked a question far too personal for someone I’ve just met five minutes ago. “She broke my heart, actually. It sounds like we have that in common.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” I force a frown. “Wait, why do you think I’m broken-hearted?”

“Seems kind of obvious, you see him again, meet his new fiancée and you run away. It screams broken heart, don’t you think?”

“I guess maybe…” I reluctantly agree with him even though he’s making complete sense.

“Ah. And this ex, he’s moved on before you have?”

“I’m not still in love with Jack, if that’s what you’re getting at. I’ve moved on; he just got engaged before I have.”

“Why run then? If you’ve moved on, shouldn’t you be OK with seeing him?”

I sigh and drop my head in shame. It would figure I would meet someone who could read me better than I can read myself.

“Can I get another shot?” I ask the bartender before turning on my stool to face Liam. “Fine, I’m not exactly moved on, per se. I don’t want him back or anything… He just... He’s engaged to a girl who made my life miserable.” The bartender hands me my shot and I swallow it as quickly as possible. “I’ll tell you this but only because I don’t know you and because of that you won’t tell my family and friends.”

“Fair enough.” he says. His dark eyes almost sparkle with intrigue and he sets down his water and gives me his full attention.

It’s far easier to explain your devastating past to someone who knows nothing about you. Maybe, since he seems to be able to read me as well as he has so far, he can give me some insight as to why I’m acting like a complete loon. After all, he too is suffering a broken heart. He said so himself.

Chapter Six

Three Years Ago

Downtown Portland, Oregon

The Mayfairs

“Tonight is the Christmas party, so please tell me you’ve made sure you can be home by five to get ready?” I ask Jack who’s standing at the kitchen counter waiting for his coffee to brew.

“Yes, I’ll be home by six at the latest and ready to go by seven.”

“Good. Cause I hate work functions alone.”

“You hate work functions at all,” Jack laughs.

He’s right. I’m not the biggest fan of work functions. I do all the PR and advertising for Mayfair Homes, so I should probably go and show my face and pretend that I love spending my evenings with the people I already spend eight hours a day with.

“I know. How about we go out for drinks afterwards?”

“Perfect! Maybe we can just make a quick appearance and leave early.”

“Maybe, but then how would you mingle with all the contacts you’ve brought to the business? You’re good at your job, Emi. You should put on a smile and be proud of that.”

“Why do you always have to be so good at making me feel better? Maybe I wanted to pretend I’m always irritated, instead of proud of what I’ve done.” I can’t help but laugh because even though I put on a serious face at work and around the clients, Jack knows I love what I do. I may not love the furniture business, but I love that I’ve helped grow this company into one of the top home stores in the area.

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