The Little Black Dress (Love in Las Vegas)

“Oh, God.”

“She didn’t love him, but she would’ve married him for the wealth and prestige being Jared Hart’s wife would’ve afforded her. That’s all she ever wanted. She used him to get it.”

I don’t miss the meaning in her words. Jared had been betrayed in the worse possible way at the worst possible time. He loved that woman, and she broke his heart.

And he thought I’d done the same thing. Used him to get what I wanted. Or, what my supposed boss wanted, anyway.

I shake my head. “That doesn’t give him the right to put her transgressions on me. I gave him no reason to believe I was being anything but true and honest.”

“No, you didn’t,” she agrees. “I’m afraid that blame lies firmly with my ex-husband.”

“What do you mean?”

She heaves a sigh. “Harrison came into my life when I was lonely and susceptible to his charms. He fooled me into believing he couldn’t live without me, and I married him, not because I really loved him, but because I didn’t want to be alone, anymore. I craved companionship. It wasn’t long before his true nature came to the surface, and the marriage only lasted a year.”

“Jared told me about the painting,” I say quietly.

“Harrison is a spiteful man,” she says in response, “and his spite isn’t just reserved for me. The day you came to meet me, you were out of the office for a while in the morning, correct?”

I nod. “I had some errands to run for Jared.”

“Harrison called him, and without you there to screen his calls, he got through to Jared. Long story short, Harrison told him Stephen Hatfield is still after my Pollock and implied you are still on his payroll, working undercover to get it for him.”

“That’s ridiculous,” I say, my hand flying to my chest.

“Of course, it is, Sophie,” she says, reaching out to pat my knee. “And Jared wrote it off as more of Harrison’s machinations. But his past reared its ugly head, and he couldn’t stop thinking about how Victoria had betrayed him. How he’d put his heart in her hands, and she stomped all over it.”

“I’m not her,” I say quietly. “I’d never use anyone that way.”

“He knows that,” she says, her voice almost desperate. “He just got…all mixed up for a moment. He realized his mistake the moment you walked out of that dining room. I’ve never seen my son look so devastated as he did when he watched you drive out of his life. Not even when he lost Victoria. Because when that ended, he realized he never really loved her. He loved the idea of her. It was different with you. He was different with you.”

She lets that sink in for a moment, then pushes herself to her feet. I look up at her, and she gives me a soft smile.

“I’m not asking you to forgive him. That’s only for you to decide. I just thought you should have all the facts so you can make the decision that’s right for you.” She holds out a hand, and I take it. “It was good to see you, Sophie. I hope we meet again.”

Then she’s gone, and I’m sitting on the bench alone, my mind whirring. Shaking my head, I get up and head back inside to rejoin my friends. When I sit down, I tell them everything Bethany said, and they sit silently for several moments as it all sinks in.

“What do you think?” I ask when their silence all but deafens me.

“Do you really want to know?” Ava asks.

“Yes.”

“I think you should talk to Jared.”

“I second that,” Zoey says. “It’s obvious you’re miserable without him.”

“But he––”

“Made a mistake,” Ava cuts in. “We’re not saying you should just forgive and forget, but at least talk to him. Give him a chance to explain.”

“And grovel,” Zoey adds with a devious grin. “There should be lots of groveling before you forgive him.”

“I don’t know if I can,” I say quietly. “He hurt me.”

“That’s part of being human,” Zoey says. “We make mistakes. We hurt each other. But we also give each other chances to make up for those mistakes. To earn forgiveness. That’s the beauty of living.”

I arch a brow at her. “When did you become so philosophical?”

“It was good, right?” she asks, her grin widening.

“Very good,” I say, feeling the tiniest spark of hope bloom in my chest as the truth hits me like a bag of bricks.

I want to forgive Jared. I want him to convince me he made a mistake. One he’ll never repeat.

I just need to give myself permission to do so.

I look up at Zoey, and she smiles. My gaze moves to Ava, and she gives me a firm nod.

“Go get your man.”