High Stakes 1 by Douglas Cheryl

Author:Douglas, Cheryl [Douglas, Cheryl]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Romance, Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary, Literature & Fiction
Published: 2012-10-08T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Alisa’s week passed in a flurry of activity. Between preparing the store and finalizing the details for the party, she’d barely had time to think about Liam or be disappointed that he hadn’t called since she left his hotel room six days ago. She told herself that he was just respecting her wishes, giving her the space she claimed to need, but it still stung. Especially late at night when she fell asleep staring at her phone, willing it to ring. She hadn’t given him her numbers, but a man as resourceful as Liam would find a way, if she was that important to him. It hurt her to think he’d already resumed his busy life and relegated her to the back of his mind.

Lena rushed through the door, her arms overflowing with a colorful bouquet of fresh flowers.

“Honey, the florist is taking care of the balloons and flowers. What are you doing with those?” Alisa asked, checking her reflection in the mirror for the tenth time in the past hour. The soft blue and lavender fabric gave the illusion of a kaleidoscope of subtle colors as it fell in soft waves around her ankles. She thought the dress was perfect for her big night, but now that she was less than an hour away from being placed under a microscope by her friends, family, the press, and Tennessee’s elite, she questioned everything from her hair to her heels.

“Some delivery guy thrust these into my arms as I walked in,” Lena said through clenched teeth. “Apparently he couldn’t be bothered to walk the extra few steps to do the job he’s bein’ paid to do.” Lena turned her head to the side and sneezed. “You mind takin’ them? Something in there’s triggering my allergies.”

“Of course,” Alisa said, rushing forward to relieve her friend of the bouquet. Her stomach did a little flip as she considered who the bouquet might be from. Her absentee husband, perhaps? She’d mentioned the party to him in passing, but she hadn’t given him the details. At least a few hastily scribbled words on a florist’s note card would let her know he was thinking about her on her big night.

“Who’re they from?” Lena asked, reaching for a tissue from the box behind the tall, glass sales counter. “Please tell me they’re from that handsome hubby of yours.”

Lena, the hopeless romantic, had hassled her friend every day about Liam, whether she’d heard from him or worked up the nerve to call him.

“Um no, they’re not from Liam.” She tried to quash the disappointment as she crinkled the embossed linen notecard in her hand. “They’re from Nick. He said he’s looking forward to seeing me at the party.”

Lena gagged. “Don’t tell me he’s gonna be here. God, will that guy ever learn to take a hint?”

“Apparently not,” Alisa muttered. “It’s not like I invited him. He’s probably just coming to try and rattle me. He knows I can’t very well kick him out with press crawling all over the place, watching our every move.

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