Diary of a Wedding Planner in Love (Tales Behind the Veils Book 2) by Violet Howe Page B

work, I had decided I would drive to his mom's and if he wasn't there either, I'd just sit in her driveway until he came home.
    I found his car in the parking lot at work right away. I don't know if I was more relieved or pissed.
    I marched right into the receptionist and asked to see Cabe Shaw. Probably the first person ever to do so since his job description does not involve direct contact with the outside world. She looked a little hesitant at first, which may have had something to do with the dark circles under my eyes, the crazy puffiness of my face from days of tears, and the slightly crazed vibe I was giving off.
    She went and got him though, and when he walked into the reception area, I felt torn between wanting to collapse against him in relief and wanting to tear out his throat with my bare hands.
    He didn't look at me. He walked toward me with his head down, hands in his jean pockets. I took it to mean admission of guilt, and I decided to catalog every aspect of his appearance so the moment would be committed to memory forever. His crisp, white linen shirt, casually unbuttoned to reveal just the tips of dark blonde hair peeking up from his chest. His gold chain laying against his neck in the exact spot my tongue had traced mere days before. The top of his tousled head reflecting the sunlight from the window in sparks of gold and bronze with deeper undertones almost brown.
    When he lifted his eyes to mine, they took my breath away, the normally clear blue clouded by an expression I didn't want to decipher. His lips, so soft and velvet against mine in these last few weeks, stretched tight into a line across his face, just above the strong, chiseled jawline that takes the edge off his pretty face and secures his masculinity. He stared at me, motionless. Emotionless. Silent.
    I stared back. Unable to breathe or speak. I took in a short gasp of air to fight off the lightheaded swirl of darkness that threatened to overtake me, and the breath rushed back out of me with a gargled sigh against my will.
    "What the hell, Cabe?"
    He looked down again, kicking the toe of his boot against the triangular pattern on the carpet.
    "Look at me." I fought to keep my voice from shrieking. The receptionist busied herself with shuffling papers, but I could feel her sonar hearing zoned in on our every word. I trembled all over with the effort to stay calm and not lash out at him with fists and fury.
    He looked up, casually, as though he had heard a bird in the distance and thought perhaps he could see it fly. His eyes met mine, but they stared right through me, a force of cold slapping me so hard it almost knocked me back a step.
    "Cabe," I said his name again, not sure how much longer I could hold on to any measure of calm.
    "We need to talk," he finally whispered, looking down at the carpet again. "I'll call you tonight."
    "What? Let's talk now!" My voice came out shrill, crackling with emotion. I knew standing in the office lobby with Rosie Receptionist listening in was not the time or place, but fear of what he had to say gripped me, and I didn't think I'd survive waiting until night. Besides, what if he didn't call? I wanted answers while I had him standing in front of me.
    "I can't talk now. I left a meeting to come down here. I know I should have called you. I just didn't know what to say. But I'll call you tonight, okay? I gotta go."
    He turned, and I lurched forward to run after him as he walked away. To force him to turn back and talk to me. But Rosie Receptionist's eyes met mine, and I stopped in my tracks. There was no judgment there. Not even pity, really. Just a shared female understanding. I could feel her eyes willing me not to make an ass of myself. Maybe I'll send her a thank you card one day. When all this makes more sense. If it ever does.
    He texted me an hour ago. Said he could come over around eight if that's okay. I am on pins and needles. I want to tell him not to come. There is absolutely no way this is going to