Daughters Of The Bride(107)
“Do you really have to work late, or are you still angry with me?” David asked.
A legitimate question, Sienna thought as she shuffled through the piles of paper on her desk. She shifted the phone so she could cradle it between her shoulder and her ear. She was still at work and busy—so the last thing she needed was a call from David.
“I’m dealing with a lot right now.”
“But you’re still angry.”
“Angry isn’t the right word,” she admitted. “I’m hurt. I worry about why you want to marry me.” And maybe why she’d agreed to marry him.
“I was wrong,” he told her. “I’ve apologized more than once. I don’t know what else to do. I never meant to hurt you or imply I’m only interested in your looks. I love you, Sienna. All of you. I want us to be together always. I want to have children with you and watch them grow. I want to make you happy.”
All the right words, she thought. So why couldn’t she believe them?
“David, I just don’t know. I worry things are happening too fast.”
“Then we’ll slow it down. Whatever it takes. I don’t want to lose you, Sienna. Was my mom visiting a problem? I know she has a big personality.”
“The dress didn’t help,” she admitted.
“We already talked about us going wedding gown shopping together. I thought that meant you knew I wasn’t expecting you to wear that dress.”
He had a point there. “What if I don’t want to get married in St. Louis? That’s really important to you.”
“It is, but there are ways to make it work. We could have two receptions. One here and one there. Or what we talked about before—a destination wedding.” He paused. “Sienna, this is about us. I’ve been focused on the wedding too much. You and I being together is the important part. You’re right. Things have been moving too fast. Let’s put wedding talk on hold for a while and focus on each other. Let’s get us right first.”
Her throat got a little tight and her eyes burned. Finally, she thought with some relief. “I didn’t know that was what I needed you to say, but now that you have, I realize that’s what’s been missing. I need there to be more us.”
“Then there will be. I love you, Sienna. I mean that.”
“I love you, too.”
“Good. Now go do your work. If you’re not too late, call me and we’ll get dinner or something.”
“Okay. Bye.”
Two hours later she’d nearly caught up with her quarterly reports. All she needed was a quick check of her email and she could leave. Maybe she would call David so they could grab dinner after all.
Their conversation had helped, she thought. She felt better—less weight of the world and more like herself. Her cell phone rang.
She glanced at the unfamiliar number before answering. “Hello?”
“It’s Erika Trowbridge. Don’t hang up. I need your help.”
Sienna thought of her high school frenemy and knew the situation had to be bad for Erika to reach out to her. “Where are you? Do you need either police or emergency medical aid? I can call 911 for you or come there directly myself.”
“Okay, wow. I was thinking maybe I could ask you some questions. I’m outside your office.”
Sienna was already moving. The familiar worry/panic threatened, but she told herself to focus on the task at hand. “I’ll be at the front door in ten seconds. Stay on the line with me.”
“I’m fine. No one’s hurt me.”
Sienna ran to the main hall and to the foyer. She unlocked the door. Only when she saw Erika standing there did she hang up on the call.
“What’s going on?”
The other woman stared at her. “You take this stuff really seriously.”
“It’s my job.” Sienna looked her over. “You’re all right? No one’s hurt you?”
“I’m fine. Sorry. I didn’t mean to start anything. I just wanted to talk about someone I know. I think she’s in trouble.”
“It’s not you?”
“No.” Erika’s mouth twisted. “I’m sure you find that upsetting.”
Sienna drew in a breath. Her heart rate slowed to normal and the panic faded. “I’m glad you’re all right. You can believe me or not.”
“Were you really going to call the police or an ambulance?”
“Of course. That’s what we do here. We help women in trouble. The thrift store is simply a means to help with the funding.”
She closed and locked the front door, then led the way to the lunch room. She opened the refrigerator and had Erika choose a drink. She pulled a bottle of iced tea out for herself, then motioned to the sofa and chairs set up in the corner.