“I’m sorry for not coming forward sooner.”
Blaze met her gaze. “That would have been nice. You owed me that much.”
Hearing a noise, Livi gestured toward the door. She did not want her employees listening in on their conversation. “Blaze, can we finish this discussion at another place and time? I really have to get back out there. Martha may need some help. An employee called in sick and another one is on vacation.”
“Can you meet me for lunch tomorrow?” Blaze asked.
“I’m actually hosting a baby shower for one of my employees. She’s going on maternity leave in a couple of weeks.”
“What about dinner?”
“I have to check my schedule, but right now I need to help Martha close up.” Livi quickly wrote down her home and cell numbers. “Give me a call tomorrow and I’ll let you know about dinner.”
She handed the paper to Blaze.
“I’ll talk to you soon,” he said, then strode quickly out of the office without a glance backward.
“It was nice seeing you, too,” she whispered softly. She shrugged off her disappointment, and then headed out to the sales floor.
“Are you okay?” Martha asked.
Livi nodded. “Yes, I’m fine.”
Disconcerted, she crossed her arms and pointedly looked away.
“What was that all about? I’ve never seen Blaze Alexander in here before.”
“I guess he decided to check out everything,” Livi responded. “Martha, let’s focus our attention on getting the shop in order. I don’t want to stay late tonight.”
She felt like kicking herself for not contacting Blaze. Although he had tried not to show it, Livi could tell that he was angry that she had chosen to keep her whereabouts a secret from him.
Livi had chosen to keep her heartbreak a secret from him, as well. However, that wasn’t the only secret she was keeping.
Chapter 4
Blaze silently noted that Livi was more beautiful than he remembered. She looked much younger than her twenty-seven years. When they’d met in Vegas, her hair had been shoulder-length, but Livi now wore it short, the dark brown color complementing the warm glow of her sienna complexion.
His mouth tightened as he forced himself to remember the way she had treated him while they were in Vegas. Blaze left the hospital looking for her, only to discover that she had checked out of the hotel. He had heard from one of his frat brothers that Livi had come to the hospital, but she left without seeing him.
Livi’s reaction to seeing him just now puzzled Blaze. She looked guilty, as if she were hiding something from him.
But what did she have to hide?
There was no point in speculation, he decided.
“Livi and I are going to sit down and have a discussion,” Blaze whispered to himself. “I have to know why she ran off like that.”
Strange and disquieting thoughts raced through his mind, but his heart rate increased every time he pictured Livi’s smile. His first impulse had been to wrap his arms around her, but he wisely held back. He couldn’t deny how much he longed to feel her in his arms or her soft lips against his. Seeing her and not being able to touch her proved to be unbearable. Blaze did not want to ignite any rumors among the hotel staff. He knew how quickly things spread along the employee grapevine. He refused to subject Livi or himself to the unwanted attentions of their coworkers.
Whatever happened in Vegas was just between Livi and him. Blaze wanted it to stay that way.
* * *
Later that evening, Livi found Sybil waiting for her when she arrived home. She was surprised by her friend’s visit. She thought Sybil would be spending the evening with her fiancé.
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
Sybil had a key to Livi’s condo, but she rarely used it. When she did, it was only to water Livi’s plants whenever she was away on a buying trip.
“Todd and I had a fight,” her friend told her. “I didn’t have anywhere else to go, so I came here. I hope you don’t mind.” She swiped at her tear-streaked face.
“Of course I don’t mind, Sybil.” Livi tossed her purse on the leather ottoman, and then sank down beside her friend. “What happened this time?”
Sybil seemed to have the worst taste in men, as far as Livi was concerned. She loved her friend like a sister, but Sybil had constant drama in the relationship department.
“I think he’s seeing someone else.” Sybil released a long sigh. “Go ahead and say it...you told me so.”
“All I’m going to say is that Todd is not worth all this heartache,” Livi said. “You deserve so much better.”
Sybil nodded. “I really don’t want to talk about that jerk. Let’s just focus on you. How are things?”
“I saw Blaze earlier,” Livi announced. “He came to the boutique.”
“Really?”
Livi nodded.
“What happened?”
“Nothing much,” Livi answered. “We talked for a few minutes and then he left. I had to get back to work, but mostly, the boutique wasn’t the right place to have that kind of discussion.”
“I take it that you two will be seeing each other again then,” Sybil queried.
“Blaze mentioned getting together for dinner. He was very nice to me, but that was about it, so I don’t know if there is anything to talk about.”
“I don’t believe that. You two were very intense in Vegas.”
“As the saying goes, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. What Blaze and I shared stayed in Vegas.”
“How do you feel about it?”
Livi shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“I guess he turned out to be a jerk, too.” Sybil rose to her feet. “I’m in need of a glass of wine. How about you?”
Livi looked up at her friend and smiled. “I have some in the fridge.”
She returned with the wine bottle and a glass, which she gave to Sybil. “I wouldn’t call Blaze a jerk, but he isn’t the same man I met in Las Vegas.”
“You’re not having any?” Sybil asked, pointing to the wine.
Livi shook her head no.
They lounged on the sofa and watched a
