Friends & Lovers Trilogy (31 page)

Roni felt her throat tighten and the tears
begin to form, as her heart beat wildly in her chest. She’d never
seen her brother so happy, and although she was surprised at how
quickly their relationship was progressing, she trusted Kent’s
instincts more than anyone she’d ever known.

“
You’re not crazy, Kent. Of
course you have my blessing. I love Nicole, and I think the two of
you are perfect for each other. I know you’ll have a marriage that
lasts. It’ll be nothing like Mom and Dad’s, or mine for that
matter. It’s wonderful. Nicole is going to be thrilled. When are
you going to propose?”

“
I’m taking her away this
weekend. I have the guys coming over tonight, and I’m going to have
them help me get everything set up. I can’t wait to see the look on
her face.” Kent reached into his pocket and pulled out a small
velvet box. “This is the ring I picked out for her; do you think
she’ll like it?”

Roni gasped and put her hand over her mouth,
“It’s beautiful.”

She reached for the box, so she could look
more closely. The platinum ring had a petal design with diamonds
all along the band. It was delicate and beautiful, and would fit
Nicole perfectly.

“
She’s going to love
it.”

“
You think so?” Kent asked
eagerly.

“
Absolutely,” Roni couldn’t
help the pang in her stomach. Seeing that ring reminded her of her
engagement to Hank, or lack thereof.

It had been the day before her high school
graduation. She and Hank were sitting in his car after having
pizza, and she was telling him that she wasn’t sure what she was
going to do next. Her parents were going to kick her out, and she
didn’t want to leave Hank, but she had nowhere else to go other
than Kent’s. Hank said he didn’t want her to leave, and suggested
they move in together. She’d told him that she wasn’t sure her
parents would allow her to live with him. Although they didn’t want
to support her, she was pretty sure they would go crazy if she
attempted to move in with Hank.

She’d never forget that moment as long as
she lived. Hank had shrugged his shoulders, took a drag of his
cigarette, and said, “I guess I’ll marry you then. Make it
legal.”

She’d been young and in love enough to be
excited by his statement. Now she realized how foolish she’d been.
Looking at Kent, seeing his excitement and obvious love for Nicole,
she saw everything that had been missing from her relationship with
Hank.

Roni shook the memory off and looked into
her brother’s bright eyes. “Congratulations. You deserve to be
happy, Kent. I’m so excited for you.”

Kent got up and walked around the table to
pull her up into a big hug.

“
Thanks, Roni. I love
you.”

“
I love you
too.”

He pulled away and looked
into her eyes. “You’ll find someone who deserves you, don’t worry.”
He ran a hand over her hair and put his finger under her chin,
lifting it so he could look her in the eyes. “You
will
find your happily
ever after. In the meantime, don’t spill the beans to
Nicole.”

Roni smiled up at him, nodded and said, “I
promise.”

Kent pulled her into another hug.

“
Alright, I’ll let you get
back to work. I’ve gotta go get ready for the guys tonight and make
sure everything is set for this weekend. Wish me luck!”

“
You don’t need it,” Roni
assured him.

She laughed as she watched him walk away
with a spring in his step. It felt great to see him so totally
happy.

As he drove off she sat back down in the
chair and slowly tore apart a napkin. She couldn’t help but feel
envious of Nicole and Kent’s relationship. It was so different than
her relationship with Hank.

She’d been young and stupid. Totally
disillusioned. And she’d paid a price for it. Not just the broken
bones and surface injuries, but she was worried that she’d never be
able to trust herself again.

She’d been so wrong about Hank. She’d always
wanted a happily ever after.

Chapter Five

When Rich walked into the Bar & Grill,
his eyes automatically sought out Roni. She was walking back from
seating a party in the center of the room, a small smile played
across her lips. He felt the lust pool in his belly. Just watching
her walk across the room turned him on. He’d been thinking about
her way too much, for way too long. The kicker came when she
noticed him standing by the hostess stand. She seemed to miss a
step, started to fidget with the ring on her right hand, and her
smile was replaced by a scowl. God, she was sexy.

“
Hey, Sunshine,” Rich said
with a cocky grin. “Happy to see me?”

He got the eye roll he’d been hoping for and
leaned over onto the stand, purposefully invading her space. As she
grabbed two menus from the slot underneath, he grabbed her free
hand and brought it to his lips. Roni froze and stared at him.

“
What the hell are you
doing?”

Rich let his lips linger for a moment,
enjoying the feel of her soft skin. He inhaled deeply, letting the
scent of strawberries fill him momentarily.

Roni broke out of the temporary shock and
pulled her hand away.

“
Just wanted to say hi,
sugar,” Rich drawled as he stood up and gave her space.

“
You can say hi without
touching me,” Roni said between clenched teeth.

Rich couldn’t help but grin at her. Roni
liked to act like he made her skin crawl, but he was sure she
couldn’t be completely immune to him. The tension was palpable, at
least on his end. She had to feel the chemistry between them,
didn’t she?

The door opened behind him and he turned to
see Colin walk in.

“
Hey, brother,” Rich said,
slapping Colin on the back. Then he turned to Roni and said, “It’s
just the two of us.”

Colin wore a U of T Jersey and a smile. His
dark hair was ruffled a bit and he looked relaxed and happy.

“
Someone got lucky this
morning,” Rich said under his breath to Colin as Roni led them to a
table.

Colin chuckled deeply, put his hand on
Rich’s shoulder and squeezed. “A great way to start the day.”

“
Don’t I know
it.”

They sat down in the booth and took their
menus. Rich held Roni’s hand before she could turn to leave.
“Thanks, sunshine,” he said with a wink.

Roni just looked at him and turned to walk
away, but Rich could’ve sworn she was hiding a smile as she walked
away.

“
Well, I know you had a
great morning, anything else new since we left each other last
night?”

Colin leaned back in the booth and put his
arm up over the bench. He really did look happy. “Nah, not really.
That was some pretty great news Kent had last night though,
huh?”

Rich thought back to the look on his
friend’s face when Kent had told them that he was going to propose
to Nicole this weekend. He’d never seen the man so excited. Kent
always seemed pretty reserved and put together; it was great to see
him acting like a little kid on Christmas morning.

“
Yeah, it’s awesome,” Rich
agreed. “I think those two are great together.”

“
It’s hard to believe how
much has changed in the last year,” Colin added.

“
You ain’t kiddin’,” Rich
began. The waitress came over and they ordered some coffee and
their breakfast. When she turned to put in their order he looked
back at Colin and continued, “I never would have guessed I would be
back home opening a Rec Center, or that you and Bree would be
living in sin in Austin, that’s for sure.”

Colin’s grin got wider at the mention of
Briana’s name. “Things are better than I ever could have hoped. I
love my job. I love my girl. Life is good!”

Rich chuckled and brought the coffee that
had just been dropped at the table to his lips. He inhaled deeply,
then opened his eyes and caught Roni watching him from her stand in
the front. He nodded slightly to acknowledge he saw her, took a sip
and smiled when she frowned and turned away from him.

Colin followed the direction of his gaze and
said, “Anything new on that front?”

Rich turned his eyes back to Colin and shook
his head, “Not in the way you mean.”

Colin raised an eyebrow and Rich’s response.
“In what way, then?”

“
She stopped by the
warehouse and asked about renting space for a dance
studio.”

“
I didn’t know she was a
dancer.”

“
Me neither. Kent had
mentioned knowing someone who could run a dance class at the
Center, but I’d never imagined he was talking about Roni. She
doesn’t just want to run a class, though, she wants to rent the
space and open a studio. Have full creative control.”

“
What are you thinkin’?
Were you planning to rent space?”

“
It hadn’t occurred to me,
but I’m not opposed to it. Lord knows, I know nothing about dance.
I figured I’d offer classes and leave the logistics of those
classes to the people I hire to run them, but I can see the benefit
of having a permanent studio on site. We don’t have one in
town.”

“
That’s true,” Colin
agreed. “And it’d be no different than having the gym and the
boxing ring. Those services are permanent, and you have plenty of
space to hold other classes.”

“
I agree,” Rich said with a
nod. “I’m holding interviews and auditions in the next few weeks,
and I’ve schedule an audition for Roni. If she has the talent and a
strong business plan, I think it would be great for the
center.”

“
An audition, huh?” Colin
asked with a grin.

As their food was brought out, Rich looked
at Colin, “I’m taking this business very seriously. I want to make
sure the people who are offering classes are talented, as well as
able to teach, and have patience with the kids. Hence, auditions as
well as interviews.”

Colin nodded as he picked up a piece of
bacon and took a bite.

Then Rich grinned, “But I will admit that
I’m looking forward to seeing Roni move.”

Rich poured some hot sauce on his eggs and
scanned the room to find Roni. She was standing by the bar talking
to Pam, an easy smile on her face as she laughed at something the
other woman said. The lone dimple on the left side of her face
peaked out when she laughed, and he let his gaze trail over her
long lean body. Her long blonde hair reminded him of the sun, all
soft and golden, which was why he couldn’t help but call her
sunshine whenever he saw her. She drew him in.

Colin cleared his throat, causing Rich to
turn back to his friend, who winked at him and said, “You’ve got it
bad this time, brother.”

He couldn’t deny what his friend was saying.
He could admit to himself that he liked Roni. A lot. Not just the
way she looked, which was spectacular, but he loved her saucy
attitude. The way she loved her brother and her friends. She was
loyal, and that was a trait he admired in a woman. From his
experience, it was hard to come by.

He looked back over at Roni, then brought
his eyes back to Colin and nodded at his friends’ words, “Yeah, I
think I’m in trouble.”

Chapter Six

Roni was a little unsettled by her recent
reaction to Rich.

First, there had been the physical reaction
to seeing him working out in his room, then, when she’d seen him
standing at her podium yesterday, her heart had jumped and she’d
nearly stumbled. She kept finding her eyes drawn to him while he
and Colin had eaten breakfast, and when their eyes met, she felt a
warmth flow through her.

She’d never had a reaction like this to a
man before, and she hated that her body was betraying her this way.
Rich was a total playboy. Why couldn’t some sweet, boring,
accountant set her blood on fire? Why did it have to be the ladies’
man with the killer body?

She tried to clear her head
of all thoughts
Rich
as she stretched, but she couldn’t help but feel excited at
the thought of her upcoming audition. Excited and nervous. The more
she thought about having her own studio, the more she loved the
idea.

Her body moved naturally to the music as she
envisioned what having a studio would mean for her. She wondered if
there would be enough space to have a small boutique as well. She
could sell shoes, leotards, and tutus. Her face bloomed at the
thought and smiled as visions of pink tights and sparkly hair ties
bounced through her head.

She was beginning her cool down when she
heard what sounded like a herd of elephants bounding up the stairs
to her front door.

She turned as the door busted open and
Nicole came bounding inside. Roni braced herself as Nicole ran full
throttle and launched herself into Roni’s arms.

Roni started to laugh until she realized her
friend was sobbing in her arms. “Hey, are you okay?”

Nicole pulled back and smiled threw her
tears. “I’ve never been better. I’m getting married!”

Nicole laughed loudly and pulled her hand
free to show Roni the sparkling ring that sat happily on her
finger. “Isn’t it perfect?”

“
Yes, it is,” Roni agreed.
“I’m so happy for you.”

Nicole hugged Roni tightly, then pulled back
and kissed her squarely on the lips. “We’re gonna be sisters.”

Roni felt her eyes fill at that and nodded
at Nicole, “Yes, we are.”

“
I’m so happy, Roni,”
Nicole put her hands on either side of Roni’s face and looked into
her eyes. “Will you be my Maid of Honor?”