“Humor me then,” she requested.
Derek looked at her seriously. “Of course, I love you. Now, what is this about?”
“I don’t love you.”
“What?” he screeched.
Diane drew in another breath. “I don’t think I was ever in love with you, Derek. I loved the idea of us as a couple, but the more we got into this relationship, the more I realized we weren’t compatible because we both wanted different things. I fooled myself into thinking that getting married would bring us closer, and we would start working on a common goal if we had to be around each other all the time, but then I realized it wouldn’t last, and I wanted something like what my mom and dad had.”
“So what are you saying?” Derek asked in a deathly calm voice.
“I’m sorry, Derek, but I can’t marry you.” Diane gave him an apologetic look.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he asked in a clipped tone.
Diane took a step back in surprise at the blazing anger in his brown eyes and his tone. He’d never spoken to her like that before. Sure, he had been condescending at times, but never this aroused with anger directed at her.
“Do you know how much I have sacrificed to be with you? You’re the one who wanted this stupid marriage in the first place, and now what? You think you can just change your mind like that?” Derek seethed. “You know you’re really selfish. But mark my words, Diane, you will never find anyone who will treat you the way I did and would put up with the little hobby you call real work.” He screwed up his face in disgust as he mentioned her café.
Diane’s lips sank into a sad smile. “Well, if you are all there is on offer, I guess that means I’ll have to be content with being by myself because the idea of finding another you is off-putting.”
Derek’s eyes flared with rage, and his lips curled back from his teeth in a snarl as he took a step toward her. Her eyes widened into saucers as she took another step back.
“You little—”
“Is everything okay here?”
The two of them turned at the same time to see a man standing at the door. His gaze was serious and fixed on Derek.
“Yeah, man, everything’s great. It’s no concern of yours,” Derek grated.
The man ignored him and turned his gaze to Diane. “Miss, are you okay?”
Diane managed to plaster a smile on her face. “I am, thanks,” she assured him. “We’re not open yet, but you’re welcome to come back in the next half hour.”
Derek stepped in front of her, blocking the other man. “You know what, Diane? It’s fine. I’m happy we’re over. At least I don’t have to look forward to your constant nagging because, news flash, you weren’t that great either.”
His words ran through Diane’s heart, and she had to use all her strength not to clutch her chest from the pain they inflicted. Raising her hand, she removed the ring and handed it to him. “Goodbye, Derek,” she spoke with finality.
Derek snatched the ring from her, turned on his heel, and headed for the door. He stopped to look at the man standing by the door with an assessing gaze. Diane was sure if a fight ensued between them that her ex-fiancé would surely lose. The man was tall and muscular, while Derek was more on the lankier side. She was sure he could bench-press Derek without much effort, judging by the size of his biceps. As if sensing that he was no match for the man, Derek muttered something under his breath and exited the café. Diane watched him enter his Range Rover and peel out of the parking lot. Her gaze finally landed on the man staring at her, his gaze unreadable.
“You know, you didn’t have to stay. I could have handled myself,” she assured him.
“I’m sure you could,” he responded in a deep voice. “But that’s not why I stayed. I needed to speak with you.”
“Oh,” Diane responded in surprise.
“My name’s Joshua.”
Joshua. Where had she heard that name before?
“I’m Beverly’s grandson.”
It all clicked now as to why he was sporting a buzz cut and dog tags hung around his neck.
ChapterTwenty-One
Diane
