Victoriously Yours

“You’ll have to travel thousands of miles for that cup of coffee with her,” she told me, and I was honestly happy she hadn’t told me to go to hell for it. “One cup with me, but you’re buying, and you better believe I am picking the most expensive place, too.”

I grinned. “Of course. Where do you want to go?”

Reece rattled off the name of a nearby place that was also close to the studio where she was now working. I had a few questions about that, but waited until we had arrived and were seated with our cups in front of us.

“Studio? Are you in fashion now?” I finally asked.

Reece flashed a cheeky grin at me, then nodded. “I’ve just been booked for my first show, but I’ve been doing commercials prior to that.”

“Interesting,” I remarked, then removed the lid from my coffee.

“How so?”

“I have a friend in the business and something as simple as a commercial often takes time to get right. It’s amazing how you manage to find time for all of that and cook.”

Reece set her cup down, and I could tell she knew where I was going with that. “I’m not cooking anymore. I—”

Not cooking anymore? “Did Kenzie hire someone else?”

“I would hope so,” she replied, then reached over to lay her hand over mine. “Kenzie left for Phoenix after the competition, and she is now running a restaurant there.”

“Phoenix?” I blinked once or twice as if that would help what Reece was saying make sense. It didn’t. “What the hell is she doing in Arizona?”

I knew I hadn’t seen or heard from her, but the truth was that we’d been in the city for months before the competition and we’d never run into one another simply because we didn’t run in the same circles. I didn’t realize she had left town, although I had a good reason why she did. Something sharp, but not unexpected, twisted in my chest. I was used to a similar feeling every time I thought about her lately. So much had finally made sense for me, and the key denominator in it all was now gone.

“She initially went to visit her sister, then got an offer she couldn’t refuse. I’m actually excited for her, and once the upcoming fashion week is over, I plan to take a trip to see her myself.”

I still couldn’t believe I had run her off once again. Last time, she had less choice in the matter, but this time... “Phoenix.”

I had to repeat it as if the very thought was that preposterous. I’d rushed back to this godforsaken city to work on myself all in hopes of one day trying to make amends with her, only to find out that she was gone, and would likely stay that way. I had placed a wager and lost. So much for players and the game, especially this one where the rules and everything else made little sense.

“She’s throwing herself into work,” Reece admitted. “It’s healthier for her to do that than...”

Her voice trailed off, but I knew where she was headed. It didn’t make me feel any better. In fact, it only twisted the knot in my chest more. “Healthier than being around me.”

Reece threw her hands up. “I didn’t say that, but if the shoe fits.”

She really didn’t have to say it. “I truly am sorry for all that happened between us. I don’t know how much she told you about us, but...” I could tell by her expression that it’d been a lot, so I continued. “I really do care about her, and I suppose I always have.”

“You have a funny way of showing it?” she replied, stating the obvious.

“I know. It’s taken some time for me to figure things out, but it’s always been her. I’ve run from the consequences of it long enough. I—”

“You should be telling her all of this.” Reece gave my hand a squeeze. “I’ll give you the address of the restaurant where she’s working. What you do with it is strictly on you. Just know that if you hurt her again, there will be hell to pay.”

I wanted to promise I wouldn’t hurt her, but it seemed to be par for the course where we were concerned. I placed my other hand over hers. “Thanks, Reece.”

Moments later, she slid her soft hand from between mine and scribbled an address on one of the napkins. She handed it to me, then left me there alone with my thoughts and the bill.