Dancing with a Stranger

Chapter Thirty-Two

I study her face, trying to see if she's just putting this on or is actually upset. "I'm...sorry," I sputter, shrugging my shoulders.

"I didn't ask for an apology, I said we needed to talk. Besides, what would you even be apologizing for?"

"For having Nikolai over today..."

For some reason, I feel the nerves running through my body like I'm a child about to get scolded again. Lottie has never been any huge disciplinarian, she hasn't needed to be because I hate getting in trouble, but she's acting uncharacteristically and it's making me confused. Memories of my parents pretending to be angry at me on the night of their murder come flooding back and a single tear rolls down my cheek.

"Good heavens, Lacey. Why are you crying?" Lottie jumps up and rushes over to my sofa, giving me a tight squeeze. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I should've known better than to push this joke too far, especially today. It completely slipped my mind how it would impact you." She wipes my face and kisses my forehead. "I'm not mad, Lacey. I just have some questions, is all. But we can talk about those later."

"No, no, I'm good. I promise." Smiling weakly, I give her another tight hug, then lean back against the sofa. "What are your questions?"

Lottie makes herself comfortable on the other end of the sofa and jumps right in. "Lacey, exactly how close are you with this guy?"

"What do you mean? We've just been seeing each other for a few weeks. I told you that."

"Mmhmm," she hums, not looking entirely convinced. "He knows his way around your apartment, around your kitchen! I'd say that's more than just 'seeing each other'."

Damn! Nothing escapes this woman. "If you must know, he came by one evening and cooked me dinner, hence him knowing his way around the place."

Tapping her finger to her mouth, she says, "Okay, I suppose that makes sense."

"Of course it makes sense. Have I ever lied to you?"

"Now, now, no need to get testy," she chuckles. "And what's going on with Braden?"

I sigh and rub my temples a little. For some reason, any time I hear his name, my stress levels rise at rapid speed. "We broke up. You know this."

"I do, but I also know he sent you a bouquet of flowers today with a note that said, 'I love you'."

"Well, aren't you a nosy Nancy."

Lottie shifts in her seat and rolls her eyes. "Lacey, I'm serious. I need to know if I should be expecting "gentlemen callers" every anniversary," she says, feigning utter annoyance.

"Umm, excuse me? You're the one who called Braden over last year with your fake choking spell."

"I do not recall this occasion of which you speak."

"I guess that's what happens when you're pushing fifty."

She tosses a throw cushion my way, sticking out her tongue and laughing. "Watch your mouth, child! I'm on the eighteenth anniversary of my twenty-ninth birthday, thank you very much!"

Laughing, I hug the pillow and snuggle it close before continuing. "Honestly, Lottie, I wasn't expecting anyone. I had even told Nikolai that I couldn't attend an event with him because of today."

"I'm not upset he came by," she says, grabbing her forgotten bowl of ice cream and spooning some in her mouth. "It was nice to have a man cook for me for once and he's definitely easy on the eyes." She looks up at me and her face grows serious. "Just be careful, okay? He really does seem like a great guy, and if you had met him under different circumstances, we probably wouldn't even be having this conversation. But your emotions are still raw from everything going on and I just don't want to see you get hurt. You and Braden have a lot of history and you need to make sure there isn't a part of you that still wants him back. Nikolai's too hot to be a rebound."