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  Devon, a broader, older, more serious-looking version of Keiran, shook Tyler’s hand as they perused the desserts. Tyler was related to one of the executives at Devon’s firm. “Thanks for supporting,” he said to Tyler before turning to her. “Hi, Cherisse.”

  “Hi, Devon.” Cherisse gaped down at the desserts inspired by geometrical shapes. “Holy shit. This is amazing.” She loved coming up with unique creations for her desserts, but these were just mind-blowing, and she was in awe.

  “Yes. We’ve been working on this since last year. Conceptualizing et cetera. Didn’t think we’d pull it off. Hopefully, now my boss will stop looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.”

  “Wait, this was your idea?” Cherisse checked out a dessert that looked like a chocolate geometric abstract art piece, the grooves of the cube-like shape filled with some sort of red jelly. It looked like a design you’d find displayed on someone’s desk, rather than something edible. She was beyond impressed, and obviously not the only one. Guests were oohing and ahhing over everything on display.

  “Well, no, not really. We have an intern who also studies the culinary arts. The idea was hers. I just ran with it and helped get it in the door to the company’s higher-ups. Other firms will definitely try to snap her up after this, but they better back off.” The steely glint in his eyes made Cherisse raise a brow. So, Devon did have feelings under that cool façade.

  The intern in question was one of the students smiling at guests from behind the display tables, eagerly explaining the inspiration for and technicalities of their creations.

  “Oh! I know you!” the short woman exclaimed when Devon introduced them. Kim Cole was bubbly with long box braids and a dimpled smile. “I was rooting for you on Pastry Wars! Someday I’ll make it on there.”

  Kim’s excitement was catching, and Cherisse found herself grinning back at the younger woman, in spite of her awful memories of the show. “I’ve no doubt you’ll get on there and win. These are so amazing!”

  “Aww, you’re sweet.” Kim said. “Anyway, boss man, you better go make the rounds, talk up the company. I’ll be over here holding it down.” Kim’s hand swept over some smaller versions of the bigger-sized chocolate cubes. “There are minis for sampling, so take as many as you like!”

  Cherisse didn’t have to be told twice. The designs looked too pretty to eat, but damn if she wasn’t going to anyway. She was curious about the taste. Tyler didn’t look as excited.

  “Not a fan of sweets,” he admitted when she asked what he was having, which wasn’t a strike against him because the way Cherisse saw it, she could take his share.

  They took in the other desserts on display, while Cherisse sampled and snapped pics to tease Reba and Remi. She basically blew up their group chat with the tantalizing photos.

  Reba: Ohhh myyyy gawwwsh. I want this in my face.

  Remi: You are a cruel woman. How dare...

  Cherisse: these are so good. If only you could taste them LOL

  Reba: smuggle some downstairs in a napkin.

  Remi: If I show up with my camera no one’ll know I’m not really scheduled to take pics at this event.

  “You’re eating all of that? That’s a lot of sugar.”

  Cherisse stiffened. And there was that strike. She hated people commenting on her food choices. She got enough of that from her mother and other family members. Who the hell did Tyler think he was?

  “It’s why I’m so sweet,” she quipped, instead of handing Tyler his ass. He had the sugary treats to thank for making her so mellow. There was certainly not going to be a third date after this.

  She was grateful for the moment Tyler ran into some “very important people he just had to catch up with” because she was quite fine on her own, roaming, admiring the backdrop of the expanse of glass that ran along the side of the cocktail area. The lights from the Waterfront down below illuminated the sea that surrounded the Hyatt.

  With a plate of sweets in one hand and a glass of wine in the other, Cherisse ducked outside onto the balcony area, enjoying the feel of the cool night air against her skin. She plopped down onto the cushions of the wicker couch and balanced the plate of desserts on her knee carefully. Her tight white dress may not have been the best choice for tonight, considering she’d been surrounded by sticky treats, but she hadn’t had any accidents yet. Plus, she looked damned good in it. It was worth the risk.

  “Thought that was you.” The voice floating out of nowhere almost made her knock over her plate and drop her glass. Keiran emerged from a semi-lit corner. Guess the balcony wasn’t as deserted as she’d thought.

  “The fuck are you doing here?”

  He stood a little off to her side, not quite hovering over her, a small smile playing on his lips. “Here to support Devon. The entire fam’s here.”

  Keiran hadn’t mentioned he would be attending, but then again, why would he? She hadn’t mentioned she was going either. “Why are you lurking out here?”

  “Not lurking. Avoiding my parents being in the same place after so long. Divorce is fun.” His tone dripped with sarcasm. “My dad brought his girlfriend, who’s younger than us, so you can probably imagine how well that’s going.”

  “Well, damn. How’s your mom doing?” Cherisse remembered Sheryl King as a vibrant, funny woman who, whenever they’d run into her, would always go on and on about cavities and proper dental care. To be expected, when she was a dentist with her own practice.

  Keiran shrugged. “Last I saw, she was on her third glass of wine. Could be more by this point. It would’ve been best if he’d just refused the invitation. I’m not even sure Devon knew he was bringing this woman.”

  If she remembered correctly, the divorce had gone down five years ago, after Sheryl had apparently caught wind of her husband’s infidelity. Gossip had been rampant. It couldn’t have been easy for any of them to deal with.

  “I can’t even avoid the asshole if I wanted to.” His laugh was brittle. “What I get for going into basically the same business as my dad, I guess.”

  Cherisse had completely forgotten. Mr. King ran King Kong Entertainment, where he managed talent that included musicians. They were bound to run into each other. Even Sean was signed with the label. It seemed assholes of a feather flocked together.

  “I’m sorry.” She didn’t even know why she was saying that. It wouldn’t help put his family back together. She just didn’t know what else to say. Keiran looked dejected. She’d never seen sadness like that in his eyes.

  “So, Tyler, huh? That’s still happening? Quite an entrance you two made. You’re not exactly blending in that dress. Which is my terrible way of saying you look really good in it. Sorry,” he tacked on after an awkward beat of silence. “I’m in a shitty mood.”

  The media had fussed over her arrival with Tyler. Not something Cherisse had enjoyed, but Keiran was right. She didn’t blend in this dress, and certainly not at Tyler’s side. “Not happening for much longer,” she admitted.

  He leaned against the railing, legs crossed, silence growing thick between them once more when Cherisse had expected some sarcastic remark from him.

  She shifted, switching her crossed ankles from one side to the other, refusing to be the first to break this intense quiet.

  “You think I’m like him, don’t you? My father. That’s why you were so quick to believe the rumors.”

  She clutched at her glass. “Keiran, I...” And what could she say to that? He wasn’t wrong. Her bad experiences with Sean had colored her experiences with men in the music industry, and Keiran’s cockiness hadn’t helped her think he was any different. Which may have been wrong of her, but cautious was the only way she knew how to be. He hadn’t exactly helped his case by that foolish joke, but clearly, he was torn up about his dad. “Do you want a hug?”

  Ill-timed. So out of left field. What the fuck was she doing? The question clearly surprised them both. Keiran blinked down at her, brow furrowed. It was possibly time to lay off the wine now.

 
“I’ve been told I give good hugs.” The words kept pouring out. Why was she persisting with this? Yes, she was a hugger, loved giving them and receiving them, but this seemed like a bad idea, and yet, he looked like he could use one. It had to be hard facing his father at all in any setting, let alone one where he’d brought along a date, a much younger date. Cherisse could only imagine what his mother was feeling in this moment. The passage of time didn’t always mend all wounds.

  “I mean, if you’re sharing them, I wouldn’t say no to one.” He was back to looking slightly amused. Now was a good time to backtrack, say she was joking. Get back inside and find Tyler. Hell, ditch Tyler entirely and go meet Reba downstairs. Tyler didn’t deserve another moment of her time. She’d given him a fair chance, and boy, had he not earned it.

  But she found herself resting the dessert plate next to her and tossing back the dregs of her wine, stashing the empty glass on the floor before she stood. Her heart was hammering away in her chest. Why? This was just Keiran, just a hug. She hugged her friends all the time, was great at it. Except, they weren’t friends. They were two people who’d butted heads for years and were now forced to work together for the sake of people they cared about. Two people who had a shaky understanding that they’d ease up on antagonizing each other, for now. There was no friendship in that.

  Why was she even making a big deal of this?

  Hug and retreat. Not that hard.

  So why the hell was her heart still trying to pound itself right out of her chest?

  Chapter 12

  Keiran

  TONIGHT HAD SWIFTLY moved into surreal territory. The audacity of his father flaunting his date in his mother’s face. Keiran would have never imagined he’d pull such a move. He didn’t care one shit who he dated, but the over-the-top PDA was so unexpected. Even his date had looked slightly uncomfortable over the extra-long kiss his father had planted on her.

  He didn’t know who this man was anymore. Who had such blatant disregard for the woman he’d once professed to love so deeply?

  You would think a man who’d been blasted in public after the news broke about his having fathered a child while still married to his wife would be sensitive to keeping a low profile, but the flack hadn’t lasted long. His father hadn’t truly had to pay any price. He had issued some half-ass statement, looked appropriately contrite, and then continued on with his life.

  While his mother still got pitying looks and had to deal with randomly encountering his father’s outside woman and child in the grocery. Keiran hadn’t been present, but his mother had calmly mentioned it and gone about her day. Except he’d definitely heard her sniffling silently in the bathroom. They’d never talked about it because that’s what his mother preferred, but Keiran could never and would never forgive his father.

  No wonder Cherisse was leery of guys in this industry.

  But in this moment of emotions battering his insides, he could admit it hurt. The idea that Cherisse thought he was like his father, another no-good, piece of shit guy. He’d brushed off her coming at him about that rumor, but it had fucking hurt.

  Like you’ve given her a reason lately to think otherwise.

  He shushed that voice and focused on her in that damn dress. It clung to every curve. When he’d seen her coming up those steps with Tyler, everything had fallen away. His father’s annoying presence, his brother’s uncomfortable stance as he pretended the awkward tension around his parents wasn’t growing thicker by the second.

  Hadn’t lasted long. The moment Tyler casually slung an arm around her waist to pose for a photo op, Keiran had tossed back his drink and guided his mother over to check out the desserts.

  And now, here they were. He’d word-vomited all over her, and she’d felt enough pity to offer a hug, of all things. Talk about bizarre.

  Her body language indicated she regretted her casual offer. Keiran wasn’t about to push. If she wasn’t comfortable hugging him after all, so be it. It was probably for the best. There was something about those startlingly pink heels that was sending his thoughts into overdrive.

  Thoughts that conjured up silky sheets, bare skin, and just those bright shoes, heels digging into his back as she wrapped her legs around him.

  He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels, nonchalant. As if his mind hadn’t gone there. As if his stomach wasn’t twisting at the thought of exiting this tiny bubble of quiet he’d stepped into, to get away from family drama. Watching his father not give a damn about any of them.

  “Hey, no worries. I’ll get me some of those cool-looking treats and not think about pushing my father down the stairs.”

  “Shut up,” she said, and then he was wrapped up in her softness. Her bun tickled his jaw, and Keiran allowed himself to relax, drink in the feel of her. Allowed himself to slowly return the embrace as his arms came around her.

  He’d never in a million years pictured he’d be here. Ever. Having Cherisse willingly hug him, and it was a good hug. She really was good at this. She threw her entire self into it, and God, she smelled amazing. Like vanilla. Like something good enough to devour whole and go back for seconds.

  She mumbled something against his neck, her breath washing over his skin, and Keiran nearly shivered. He didn’t want to let go but figured he better not push his luck. He was about to pull back and ask her what she’d said when someone cleared their throat.

  The way they both pulled away had to make them look guilty as hell—not that they were doing anything wrong. Just super-weird because they did not do this—but he hadn’t actually expected anyone to walk in on this hug.

  Tyler was the first one he saw, face blank, not one indication of what he was thinking as he let the balcony door slip shut behind him. Then Maxine, whose mouth was hanging open. His mother was busy sipping from her wine, seemingly unconcerned by anything they’d walked in on.

  Cherisse put space between them immediately, and Keiran figured he better tackle the giant elephant in the room. “Sorry for taking up your date’s time. I was being a whiny baby about something, and Cherisse was nice enough to offer a hug.”

  Tyler’s face remained impassive, but his mother squinted at Cherisse. “Cherisse Gooding, is that you?”

  “Hi, Ms. King. Nice to see you.” Cherisse gave a little wave, then looked startled when his mother clasped her hands in hers.

  “Haven’t seen you in so long. Look how lovely you are!”

  “Thanks, Ms. King. It has been a while.”

  “Well, we must change that. Come over for Sunday lunch sometime soon, okay? I’m having a barbecue soon.” His mother held Cherisse at arm’s length and smiled. “That dress.” Then she looked to Tyler. “And who’s this? Your boyfriend?”

  “No.” Cherisse seemed unbothered by her forceful reply and didn’t seem to care about Tyler’s frown. Looked like this date wasn’t heading for a happy ending. How sad for Tyler. The man now appeared utterly confused.

  “Okay, mummy, we need to get some food in you. Let’s see what they have downstairs because I don’t think those dessert samples did much to soak up that wine.” Maxine didn’t wait for confirmation, just linked their arms and dragged their mother towards the door.

  “Food sounds good,” Keiran agreed. Anything was better than the discomfort that was settling in the longer they all stood here.

  After a short conversation with Tyler, who looked displeased, Cherisse left him scowling after them and followed downstairs, where they all met up with Reba. She jumped up, waving them over to where she was having sushi with friends at the bar. It wasn’t long before they all ended up outside, claiming a table that faced the waterfront.

  Keiran kept an eye on his mother. Maxine was steadily supplying her with water, but his mom was still very much tipsy. Somehow, she had Reba’s friends eating out of her hand, cackling, gesturing wildly as she recounted some hiking trip gone wrong. The two guys with Reba were enthralled by his mother’s story. One of them was hanging a little too closely on her every wor
d. Keiran narrowed his eyes at him.

  “Your mom’s still got it.”

  Cherisse’s voice in his ear startled him. When had she moved to sit next to him?

  “I’m keeping an eye on that dude. He best not get any ideas.” He glared at the guy to drive the point home. Pointless move because the dude was too busy staring into his mother’s eyes to notice anything around him.

  “He’s cute.”

  Keiran swung his gaze to Cherisse, who was trying, and failing, to hide her grin behind her glass of juice. She’d switched from the wine a while ago.

  “Not happening.”

  “Your mother’s an attractive woman. Come on, don’t cramp her style.”

  “There is no way in hell that dude is...” He narrowed his eyes at her. She was biting her lip, barely keeping her laugh in. “You’re joking, aren’t you?”

  “Yup.” She looked so pleased with herself.

  He liked this, them hanging out. It was tipping the weird balance they had into unchartered territory. Them maybe being friends, outside of their truce, something they’d never been the entire time they’d known each other. It was odd, yet he liked it. Didn’t want to look too closely at why that was. Like you don’t already know. He brushed that pesky voice away. His teenage self was living a long-buried dream right now. He’d never actually hated Cherisse, not really. She’d frustrated him, sure, but at some point, their back and forth had gotten fun. He’d just kept that to himself.

  As the night wore on, his mother sobered up enough to be less chatty, but clearly not enough to realize this Adam dude was full-on flirting. The last straw was Adam asking his mother for her number.

  “Hey, whoa.” Adam threw up his arms when Keiran got to his feet the minute the question left Adam’s mouth. “She’s a dentist. I need a dentist. Teeth care is important.”

  Adam had asked for the number of his mother’s practice, but Keiran wasn’t buying that shit. His mother’s laugh was loud enough to have some patrons, dining inside, look out to where they were all still seated.