Josie wanted to correct them; she wanted to confide in someone that this was all a farce and there was no way she could marry Reese.
He didn’t actually mean what he’d said. He’d gotten caught up, that’s all. He would realize once he had time to come down from this high of the opening that they were better off as friends.
That nice, safe zone they’d lived in for so long was just waiting for them to return. Josie wanted that normalcy back because being in limbo with her emotions, her hormones, her heart...it was simply too much to bear.
She’d felt so brave wearing this red gown, but when it came to her feelings regarding Reese, she wasn’t feeling so bold anymore. She’d tried. She wanted to be that daring woman. But...what if the r
isk was too great? What if they destroyed the life they’d built during all those years of friendship?
“I see the guys are talking with Reese’s mom and dad.” Josie nodded to the bar area. “I’m so glad this is all working out for him.”
Silvia nodded. “Nick was worried if the third brother came forward that he would be like Rusty. I’m just grateful they’ve all found one another. Nick said he’s going to do everything in his power to buy out Rusty, and Sam and Reese are joining forces.”
Reese had mentioned that to Josie. She couldn’t believe he was adding more business ventures to his plate, but that was Reese. He lived for success and to her knowledge, he’d never failed at anything.
Maybe that’s why he didn’t want to let her go. Would he see this public announcement calling off their engagement as a failure, like she had said at the start?
“Is everything all right?” Maty asked, placing a hand on Josie’s arm.
Josie blinked back to the moment. “Oh, yes. Sorry about that. It’s been a long couple of weeks.”
Understatement.
“Would you two excuse me?” she asked.
The ladies nodded and Josie stepped aside to go get some fresh air or a moment to herself. Even with all the chaos of the successful opening, she was having a difficult time concentrating on anything other than this ring weighing so heavy on her hand.
The ring that Reese wanted to mean more than it could.
Josie made her way to the private office Reese kept in the back. Once inside, she closed the door and leaned back against it. She just needed a minute to compose herself, that’s all. Then she could go back and play the dutiful, proud fiancée.
Because at midnight, this Cinderella story was over.
Sixteen
Reese stood on the second-floor balcony once again, staring down onto the empty first floor. The launch had been a huge success. The reservations were all booked up for the next three months and several reviewers were already talking about them during some prime spots on their social media accounts.
He wondered if Josie took mental notes or if she’d just checked out after he’d dropped that bomb on her.
Reese trusted her. He knew she’d still cover the event and make a good article for Cocktails & Classy.
Which reminded him, he still hadn’t seen their post on the blog. Part of him didn’t want to see it, if the images had impacted Josie so much. Was that why she’d been so scared? She’d seen the photos and realized what they had was real?
Reese pulled his cell from his pocket and quickly found the site. He skipped the dialogue; he knew exactly what they’d said during their interview. That had been the easy part.
The first image he came to was the one where Josie had her eyes closed, her head turned toward her shoulder and he had placed a kiss on her head. The tender, delicate picture made him smile.
He scrolled through more words and stopped when he came across the picture of when they had to lean in for the “almost” kiss. His fingertips splayed over her jawbone and neck as he tipped her head back. Josie’s eyes were locked onto his, her lips slightly parted.
Even though he’d been right there in that moment, he’d had no clue what this shot had actually looked like. They definitely looked like they were in love, like they were literally half a breath away from closing that narrow gap between them. She’d been nervous, worried what this would do to them.
If only she’d let those fears go and see what she had right in front of her.
Heels clicked on the tile below and Reese glanced from his phone to see Josie step into view. She immediately glanced up and caught his gaze.
“I thought you took a ride back to the penthouse,” he told her.
“I was going to, but I couldn’t leave.”