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Reggie noticed him for the first time. His eyes narrowed. “Who’s this?”

I folded my arms. “You sure have a lot of questions for someone who decided they didn’t want to be with me anymore.”

“Let’s go,” Derek said, leaning into me.

I looked up at him with a wide smile, one bigger than anyone I’d ever given Reggie. “Yes, let’s.”

We turned and walked away. Our night still had potential. I couldn't let
anything
ruin it. The ballroom was large enough for us to avoid each other’s paths for the rest of the evening. I just had to scrub my memory of the image of the two of them.

“You’re shaking,” Derek said once we got away from the two.

“Am I?” I took a long drink.
This is our last night.
I kept reminding myself. I took a soothing breath and forced myself to calm down.

“Want to dance?” he asked.

“Alright.”

He swooped me in his arms and we twirled around the dance floor, his heady scent in my nostrils soothing my rattled nerves. I loved the way he smelled, I loved his strong grip around me. Derek was a man I would never forget- and for so many reasons.

I buried my face in his chest, squeezing my eyes shut until the tear threatening to escape disappeared. For the second time in under two weeks, I was crying over the loss of a man. That had to be some kind of record.

Why was I crying over Derek? I knew from the beginning what was going to happen. I knew what we had was going to be incredibly short-lived. Derek just had a way of getting under my skin, of making me feel like a queen. Like I was one of a kind. Would I ever find a man like him again?

I looked up, my eyes darting over to Reggie and Danni, who were now on the dance floor. Reggie’s eyes were locked in on mine. I tilted my head back into Derek’s chest. Tonight was about Derek and me- no room for wondering what Reggie was thinking.

“What’s that?” I asked, pointing to a heavy crowd in the corner.

“Card tables. All the money goes to charity. Want to play?”

I shook my head. “I don’t gamble. You?”

He shrugged. “Last time I did, I gambled away my car and clothes. Spent the night in a police station, too. Unrelated, and I wasn’t the one locked up.”

I threw my head back in laughter. “Goodness, I don’t want to know.”

He smiled and kissed the top of my head. The band died down as a woman in a gold gown brighter than any candle in the room approached the microphone at the center of the stage. She took a long sip of her champagne, waving her date over so he could hand her a fresh glass.

“Hello, everyone. Are you having a good time so far?” Judging by her slurred her words; she’d had one too many “fresh glasses.”

The crowd cheered in response to her question, and she smiled. She must’ve been the host. I looked around the grand ballroom: the extravagant décor, the gaudy attire of the guests, and the
hors-d'oeuvre
s that doubled as works of art; it was a visual feast. Much like the Ethiopian restaurant, I felt like I was transported to another place and time.

“The silent auction will begin in fifteen in the adjacent room for those interested. And a poker tournament is starting now. Eat, drink, and have fun!”

“Silent auction?”

Derek shrugged. “Local art, donated items, and free vacation rentals. They donate the proceeds to charity, just like the card games. Sometimes there’s something interesting. Want to check it out?”

“Sure.”

The small room adjacent to the ballroom had a stage and several rows of seats. Derek and I took a seat in the second row, sitting next to an older couple. My eyes widened when I looked at the couple.

“Hi, Horace,” Derek said.

Horace looked at us with his always gentle smile. “You two still attached at the hip, huh?”

Derek smiled, nodding. “I don’t believe I’ve introduced you two. This is Shae. Shae, Horace and Matilda.”

I shook their hands. “Pleasure. I am in love with your shop. I’m going to miss that breakfast sandwich when I leave!”

Horace thanked me. “Make sure you tag along with Derek on his next trip here. I’ll make you my secret breakfast sandwich; not even on the menu.

“Wow, she gets the secret sandwich, and I’ve never even heard of it.”

Derek smiled as they continued their small talk. I think Horace greatly overestimated my relationship with Derek. There was no ‘next time’ for us; there wasn’t even a next
day
for us.

The pieces being auctioned were certainly unique. I got a kick out of watching people bid. I gasped when a blue and tan vase came on the bidding block. Derek must’ve heard it, because he leaned over and whispered in my ear.

“You like it?”

“It’s lovely.”

My eyes shot over to him as he raised his paddle to bid. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Too late,” he said, my anxiety growing as the bid passed eight hundred dollars.

“This is too much!”

“Sold!” I heard seconds later, the boisterous announcement making me jump.

“It’s yours, sweetheart. They’ll hold onto it until we leave.”

I sighed; the damage was done. “Thank you. It’s perfect.”

It matched my living room décor perfectly. I knew just the place for it, too- right on my fireplace mantel- the focal point of my living room. It would forever serve as a discreet reminder of my time with Derek.

“I’m glad you like it.”

After the last item was sold, the guests stood to leave. A woman in a red dress locked eyes with Derek from across the room, a small smile on her lips.

She was gorgeous, confident, poised, and looked like she had eyes for Derek. My cheeks flushed in discomfort, but I quickly calmed. I had no reason to be jealous; Derek wasn’t mine.

He responded to the woman’s gaze by wrapping his arm around my waist and leading me out the room. A smile crept on my face as we breezed past her, dropping once we made it back out to the main ballroom as I spotted another pair of eyes on us.

“I take back what I said before,” Derek said, leaning into me to an obnoxious level, making sure Reggie noticed. Even in the dim lighting, I saw his eyes narrow at us from across the room.

“What’s that?”

“When I said they looked happy. He looks like a man who finally realized the best one got away.”

I smiled, leaning into his chest as we carried on with our business.

The band started a new song, and he swung me around to face him, swaying us to the beat. “So, you head back to work on Monday? To that accounting job you hate?”

I sighed in his chest, his scent warming my skin. “Yes. I don’t even want to think about it right now.”

“A life you have to avoid is no life at all.”

I blew out a breath. “Yeah, well that’s my life.”

“If you don’t like it, you should change it.”

“Easier said than done.”

He shrugged. “Not really. You just need to do it. What would you be losing?”

My lips formed a deep scowl. “The only thing I have left.”

“I guess I haven’t done as good a job as I thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“All life- even yours- can be beautiful. You just have to take a few risks. If you learn anything from me this week, let that be it. I wouldn’t be where I am today without making some crazy decisions of my own.”

“So, now you view me as the boring, old Shae again because I appreciate financial security?”

“There’s always a way to make money. You have no man bogging you down, a career you hate, and your life bothers you so much, you tried to end it. It’s the perfect time to reinvent yourself. That prudish woman you’ve been pretending to be your whole life isn't you anymore. And you know it.”

My cheeks heated. The new woman I was- the woman Derek helped me uncover. The fun, liberated, laidback person- was that the real me?

Sure, I’d had fun letting loose, but I didn’t know if that was the person I wanted to be from here on out. But even if I didn’t want to be a more laidback person, could I be happy- no
content
- with my old life?

I let out a long sigh.

“What?”

“Nothing. I just need another drink.”

I left the embrace of his dance, but he stopped me from heading to the bar.

“Something just changed. What’s wrong?”

I didn’t understand him. I prided myself on being a stone cold statue, of having unreadable emotions and proper manners in public. Derek had just met me. How could he read me so effortlessly? How could he so easily convince me to drop my carefully curated manners? I sighed.

“I like the new me. Generally, I’m wary of change in my life, but no matter what happens, I don’t think I want to go back to the way things were. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m going to miss you.”

His eyes widened, body tensed, but he quickly composed himself. But not quickly enough for his dazed expression to go unnoticed.

I knew what he was thinking. He thought I was pathetic for getting attached to him so quickly. He was used to people drifting in and out of his life, but I wasn’t.

Kim had been my best friend for 15 years, and I’d only made one other new friend since. The people I invited into my life stuck around. But I’d invited a man like Derek- a man I knew wouldn’t stick around- in, and now I was paying the price. I was going to miss him.

I shook my head. “Never mind. Forget it.”

“Listen. You know better than anyone else that
you
have complete control of your life and what happens from here on out. How much or how little changes is up to you. You have all the time in the world to figure it out. For now, let’s enjoy our last night in Colorado.”

He wanted me to emerge from the trip a better person. He was doing everything in his power to help me forget about Reggie, and to show me that my life wasn’t over.

In my head, I was going to go back home and make Derek proud. I was going to find love again and live happily- fully. But I just couldn’t see how I could continue my revamp without him there to guide me, to push me.

Well, that’s what I told myself. In actuality, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to concentrate on a new life because I was going to miss Derek. We weren’t even apart yet, and I already wondered if he’d miss me, if he’d think about me. I knew I was going to pay for letting him in, and the tightness in my chest as I realized I wouldn't see him another night set in.

Once I relaxed, the week turned out to be magical. But the universe was doing everything in its power to make sure our last night was a disaster. First, Reggie and Danni, and now... Katya.

My eyes narrowed and Derek spun around to follow my line of vision. He sighed.

She walked by us without a word, but made sure she strutted slowly so we could take in her skin-tight, low-cut dress.

Derek turned back to face me with a scowl on his lips.

“Huh?” I asked once he started spewing out words in Russian.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. “Sorry; nothing.”

I didn’t have to understand him to know he was not pleased to be under the same roof as her.

I didn’t blame him. I’m sure I was thinking the same thing about her as he was. Another factor ruining our last night. Despite his relationship with Katya or any other of his women, I knew Derek wanted our last night to be special. He had me for one last night, and was considerate about my feelings to the last minute- and that was all I could ask or expect from him.

He sighed, combing his fingers through his hair. Now,
he
was the one with agitation on his face. Only I couldn’t bring myself to cheer him up like he tried to do me.

Our evening was winding down and with that- our romance. And our moods couldn’t have been more sour.

The hostess reappeared back on the stage, startling us out of our thoughts.

“Let’s hear it for the Saint Laurent Band!” The crowd erupted in a fit of applause for the quartet. “You guys were wonderful, as always. We have a DJ setting up right now, so it’s time to really get this party started!”

A few minutes later, the DJ began playing contemporary music and people flocked to the floor. Katya had a man on her arm, but it still didn’t stop her from shooting us looks through her mask. I didn’t know if Reggie was still there, but no doubt he would be doing the same thing if he was.

Derek wasn’t paying her any mind, but I know what she did next was on the off chance he
did
turn to look at her.

She hiked up her already short dress and bent over, her backside directly in sync with my line of vision. The song was fast, but her gyrations were slow and exaggerated. My cheeks flushed at her impropriety. I felt like I was a voyeur.

If I wasn’t gawking at her myself, Derek never would have seen her showing off. But he turned, his lip in a hard line when he turned back to me.

“Didn’t I say not to worry about her?”

I pointed at her, and her lip curled into a smirk.

“But she’s doing this
just
to get attention!”

“And you’re the only one giving it to her. Come on; let’s move to the other side.”

He grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the scene, and I bumped into a person, not paying attention as my eyes were still on Katya.

I opened my mouth to apologize until I realized it was Reggie.

He gave me a weak smile. “Having a good time?”

My eyes narrowed into slits so thin, I could barely see him.

“Excuse me? Where is your girlfriend? Shouldn’t you be asking
her
that?”

I looked around him; Danni was nowhere in sight. Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen her since the initial run-in.

His eyes widened; I was sure he wasn’t expecting such a mouthy response. I looked up at Derek, and he had a smile on his face.

I brushed by Reggie, this time I was dragging Derek around instead of vice versa.

“Hey, hold on. Calm down.”

Blowing out a sharp breath, I dropped his hand and tossed mine in the air, shaking my head. He grabbed my shoulders to steady me, but I pushed him away.

Shaking my head, I took a step back. “I just need to run to the restroom. Excuse me.”

I stumbled to the restrooms, pausing when I approached. They were individuals rooms, arranged down a long hallway. The first two were occupied, so I entered the third.