“I don’t want things left like this between us.”
His tortured expression pulled at her heart. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she needed time. His latest news and actions threw her emotions into a new tailspin.
“Can you wait until later to leave so we can talk tonight? I’ll come home early as planned.” Nate never pleaded. Right now his voice bordered on it.
Some of her anger faded. He really didn’t realize he’d been in the wrong. “It’s not about talking.” She let her arms fall by her sides. “It’s about what I need, Nate.”
“Lauren . . . “ His voice trailed off as he nodded and walked into the room. “This is yours.” He dropped the ring on her bureau. “Have a safe trip.” He placed a kiss on her cheek. “I love you.”
Lauren’s heart cracked open, and words failed her as he walked back out of the bedroom. Then she heard the kitchen door open. Alone at last, she sank onto the bed. Dropping her head into her hands, she let the tears come. God, she’d come so close to having her dream come true. Now, thanks to his arrogance, it was in jeopardy. Maybe Kevin and his family had the right idea about marriage after all. Maybe it shouldn’t be about love. A marriage formed like a business kept your heart safe.
“Enough crying for now.” She raised her head and wiped the tears from her face. She had too much to do before she left, including a call to Callie to tell her the wedding was off.
Chapter 14
Cliff House sprawled out before her. Designed to resemble Alexander Palace in Russia during the late 19th century, the mansion amazed her every time she saw it. The amount of time and money that went into constructing and maintaining the building boggled the mind. Just a few years earlier, she and Callie toured mansions like this one, awestruck by their beauty and the people who had once owned them. Now she got to sleep in places like this on a regular basis, and her best friend and her family owned them. How quickly life changed. Too bad it didn’t always change for the better, as it had in Callie’s case. She’d gone from thinking her father was dead, to meeting a family she didn’t know she had, and meeting the love of her life. Now she and Dylan were starting a family of their own.
Lauren parked in front of the mammoth garage, a building bigger than her house. Time to put on a happy face. Tomorrow when Callie arrived, she could spill her heart, but for now she needed to keep it together.
The Sherbrookes’ butler opened the door and, as usual, greeted her in his monotone voice. Someday she’d love to see the guy get angry. He always appeared so calm. Almost to the point of being bored.
“Great. You’re here.” Sara appeared behind the butler. “Charlie and Allison are here, too.”
Sara gave her a welcoming hug. Once again, Lauren thought of how much things had changed. Not that long ago Sara would have said hello and kept on walking. Now, though, she treated Lauren as a friend.
“Allison called me and asked if she could help,” Sara explained, referring to Allison Sherbrooke, her and Callie’s cousin. “They’re outside.”
Sara led her out onto the veranda where Charlie and Allison sat, the remnants of lunch still on the table. Immediately, Lauren took a deep breath and enjoyed the smell of the ocean. Off in the distance she saw the sailboat Jake kept moored at the estate, bobbing up and down as the waves crashed against its side.
“Are you hungry? We just finished lunch, but I can have something prepared for you.” Sara took a seat next to her cousin. The two women looked so much alike they could be sisters.
“I’m good.” Lauren hadn’t eaten since the night before, but even still she had no appetite.
With a nod, Sara pulled the tablet computer from the case by her feet. “Now that Lauren’s here we can start.” Her fingers flew across the screen, causing the light glittering off the large diamond ring to hit Lauren square in the eye.
“Is that what I think it is?” she asked, all thoughts of Callie’s baby shower pushed aside for the moment.
A giddy smile formed, and Sara nodded.
“Why haven’t I read about it?” The media loved the Sherbrooke family. How had they missed that Sara Sherbrooke and Christopher Hall were engaged?
“After our trip to Connecticut, we stopped at Martha’s Vineyard for a few days, and he asked me then. We haven’t told anyone except family yet.”
“Congratulations. Can I see?”
The ring on Sara’s hand was breathtaking. She couldn’t even imagine how many karats the thing was. Actually, in a way it reminded her of the ring Kevin had proposed with, although that one hadn’t been quite as large. Despite the beauty of Sara’s ring and the one Kevin had offered, she preferred Nate’s. She glanced down at her own hand. She hadn’t worn the engagement ring long, but her hand looked strange without it now.