“Hallelujah! Does that mean you’re not quitting?”
Victoria didn’t hesitate. “I’m still leaving. But I’ll see the wedding through to the end.” She still had to tell her father she was coming back, which was bound to be an unpleasant conversation. But no matter how much he made her grovel, she only had to endure two more days as his employee. Once the wedding was over, she was free.
“Sorry to hear it,” June said. “Let me know if you need help with the rehearsal or the dinner or anything else.”
“Thanks.” No matter how badly she was hurting inside, she took pride in the way she’d pulled the wedding from the brink of disaster. She ended the call and cued up her Mozart playlist. She was five minutes from Temecula when her phone rang.
Connor came on the line. “Hey, sis. Where are you at?”
The sound of his voice opened the floodgates. “I…I’m on my way back from Tres Hermanos. I convinced Missy to rehire Rafael. Then I drove to the restaurant to apologize. AndthenI confessed my love to him in front of his entire family. But…he left me hanging and I—”
“Slow down. You made a grand gesture? You hate that shit.”
“For good reason. They don’t work. I made a complete fool of myself, and Rafael didn’t want me.” Her voice broke. “It was mortifying.”
“What a prick,” Connor growled. “He doesn’t deserve you.”
“No. I don’t deserve him. Not after the way I treated him. But I thought he’d forgive me, and…” A sob broke out of her, and she wiped her eyes again. Stupid tears.
“At least you tried. Give him time to come around. Remember how mad I was at Jess after Marc’s rehearsal dinner? The next morning, I felt like shit for blowing up at her.”
“I don’t know. I think I ruined things for good. I’m the worst person, ever.”
“Don’t say that. You’ve been through a hell of a lot this month. So, if you’re not up for it, you don’t have to come with me to the airport.”
“What?” Caught off guard, she swerved to pass a slow-moving car in her lane.
“Mom’s flying in from New York today. Remember? I’m picking her up because I wanted to talk to her without Dad around.”
“Oh. Right.” Her life had been such an emotional roller coaster that she’d forgotten she’d offered to join him. Even if she was a complete mess, she didn’t want to let him down. “I’m still coming. I’ll be there in five minutes.”
Keeping an eye out for cops, she booked it back to his condo. She parked outside his building and sprinted up two flights of stairs. He had the door open before she could punch in the code.
Leaning forward and clutching her chest, she took a deep breath. “Sorry. I spaced about Mom because of the wedding chaos. But I’m totally here for you.”
Connor placed his hand on her shoulder. “You sure? You look kind of frazzled. And if you’re still in charge of the wedding, shouldn’t you get back to the office? When’s the rehearsal?”
“At five. But it’s fine.” Still panting, she pulled out her phone. “It’s only one. Mom’s plane is coming in at two, right? If we go get her and then come right back to Temecula, I’ll be at the office by three. Three thirty at the latest. June can be the point person until I arrive. She knows what to do.”
“Okay. Thanks. I could use the support.”
She dashed into his condo and took stock in the bathroom mirror. Not good. If she was going to greet her mother at the airport, she needed to pull herself together. She splashed cold water on her face, then undid her braid, brushed out her hair, and twisted it into a topknot. As she shucked off her shirt and leggings, she thanked her past self for having the good sense to hang up a few of her dresses in the guest room’s closet. She selected one of her favorites, the navy sheath dress she’d worn when she first gave Rafael a tour of Blackwood Manor. Maybe it would give her luck.
She slipped on a pair of heels and grabbed her makeup bag, then rushed out to meet Connor, who stood by the door. “Can you drive? I need to do my makeup. Mom won’t approve if I show up with a naked face.” She fished her keys out of her purse. “Here. We’ll take my Audi.”
“What’s wrong with my truck?”
“For starters, it smells like fermented grapes. You haven’t cleaned it out in months. My car’s pristine. I took it in to be detailed last week.”
“Fine,” he grumbled. “But no backseat driving.”
During the drive to the airport, Victoria applied her makeup with careful precision while updating Connor on the latest developments in the wedding saga. When a traffic snarl slowed them down, she used the time to review her messages, check her email, and text June, asking her to make sure everything was in place for the rehearsal at five.
June replied immediately.Will do. I’m trying to steer clear of your father. He’s in a MOOD right now.
Ouch. Victoria set down her phone. “Connor?”
“Huh?” He startled, as if his mind had been elsewhere. “What is it? More bad news?”
