Page 42 of Chance of Romance
He stared at her in shock. “Sabrina! I thought you were in LA!”
She gestured to the gate. He nodded, went back inside, and pressed the button. Claire had given him instructions on letting a visitor in, just in case he wanted to have Olivia over. But it was Sabrina. He still couldn’t believe she was actually here. Now he didn’t have to celebrate alone. She parked in the driveway behind his rented black BMW.
He held open the front door. “Come in! What’re you doing here?”
She wore one of her professional outfits—red lacey short-sleeved top with white dress pants and beige flats. He was still in his business-meeting clothes, a white button-down shirt, gray suit pants, and black leather shoes. He’d figured he’d need the outfit for the fancy restaurant tonight with Olivia.
Strangely, Sabrina didn’t smile at him like she normally would. She walked at a brisk pace and stepped inside, her expression serious. “Claire told me you were staying here. I wanted to stop by.”
“You okay?” he asked. “How was the drive?”
“I’m good.” Her tone brightened. “Drive was good.”
“I was just about to have a celebratory glass of champagne. We got an incredible offer from Elias. Done deal.”
She beamed, and it was like the sun came out. “Oh, Logan! That’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you and Ben!”
He smiled back, thrilled to share this with her. “Thanks. Want some champagne?”
She got serious. “Maybe we should talk first.”
His brows drew together in concern. “Did something happen? Is that woman harassing you some more? What a bitch.” Sabrina had been through the wringer with all the media attention.
She bit her lip. “How much time do you have before you meet Olivia for dinner?”
He glanced at his phone. “About an hour.” He studied her. “What is it?”
She went to the overstuffed white sofa and patted the seat next to her.
He took a seat and looked at her expectantly. “Well?”
She took a deep breath and folded her hands in her lap. When she spoke, it was in her reserved professional counselor tone. “I have a theory that people become most upset about what they themselves are guilty of.”
“O-kay,” he said slowly, not sure where she was going with this. He hadn’t done anything to feel guilty about.
“Shit.” She pressed her fingers to her forehead and closed her eyes.
“What?”
She met his eyes. “I just realized how that applies to me. I have a thing against commitment-phobes—” her palm rested against her heart “—and I’m a commitment-phobe. That’s why I haven’t had a relationship in years. Ugh. The irony. I’m the person I warn people about.”
He cocked his head. “What? No way. You dedicate your life to helping couples commit to each other. That’s your thing.”
She sighed. “That’s my thing for others, yes. But, for me, I haven’t had a committed relationship since my ex left me at the altar.” She paused, and when she spoke again, her voice was real and raw. “Logan, it was so humiliating, me standing up there in my wedding gown, all of our family and friends there, and then he just walked out the back door of the church and never looked back.”
“Bastard,” he spat. He wanted to punch the guy.
She gave him a tight smile. “Thanks.” She hesitated before saying, “I think it affected me more than I realized. I longed for a relationship, yet did nothing to find a meaningful connection that might one day lead to that.”
His brows scrunched together in confusion. “So you drove all the way up from LA to confess that you’re a commitment-phobe? Don’t feel bad. Obviously you know what you’re doing with other people. Now you can just apply the same advice to yourself.”
She stared straight ahead. “I stopped by the Slater Foundation.”
An uneasy feeling went through him. Olivia would tear sweet Sabrina to shreds. “You did?”
She faced him. “I wanted to fix what I’d screwed up for you. I just wanted to assure Olivia she had nothing to worry about where you and I were concerned.”
He grimaced. “I’m guessing it didn’t go well.”
