“I have never had a spa day,” Regan confessed as she dipped her feet into the footbath filled with rose petals.

“Oh, mon ami, you will need to become accustomed to this.” Simone sipped at a glass of wine as the manicurist massaged her feet. “This will be our very own tradition. We will start it today. When I am in town.” She tipped her wine glass toward Regan. “Or when you are in France, we will spend the day being pampered by strangers and drinking champagne.”

“I do feel a little guilty skipping work to be here.” But she couldn’t feel too guilty. Zach had sent her.

“I think you definitely should quit your job when you and Zachary are married. There are many fine things for a woman who is married to wealthy man to enjoy.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of quitting.” Regan’s eyes were wide. “I love my job.”

“Well, that itself I do not understand. How could anyone love working?” Simone laughed. “Well, when I am in the country you will take a holiday and spend it with me doing wonderful things like this.”

“That is assuming I marry Zach.” She bit down on her lip. “There is the matter that I turned down his proposal last night.”

“Stupide! Zachary had a temper tantrum, and I’m still angry that he woke me at four in the morning.” She set her glass down on the table and switched feet for the manicurist to massage the other.

Regan shifted in her chair uncomfortably. “He called you?”

“Of course he called me. He calls me for every damn thing!” She raised her shoulders and let them drop. “He’s not used to people telling him no or making him wait. When you did not accept his proposal, his feelings were hurt.” Simone turned her head toward Regan and locked her eyes on hers. “Tell me you do not plan to tell him no. You do plan to marry him, don’t you?”

Regan looked away as she felt the piercing in her chest of sadness and regret. “I plan on him walking away.”

Zach had gotten close to other women, and he believed Simone had chased them off on purpose. But her motives were different now. He knew she had finally come to grips with the fact that he didn’t love her. If anything, she was the sister he’d never had. Even better, she lived in France and only visited a few times a year.

The thought amused him as he rolled up the blueprints for the L.A. project and secured them in their tube. He laid it on his desk and opened the drawer.

The blue box from Tiffany’s sat there with its glistening silver bow. It would be his secret that Simone had helped him pick out the ring. However, it would ensure Regan would love it. He envisioned giving it to her in L.A. A nice dinner, champagne, and a moonlight stroll along the beach. He’d move her with his romantic plans. He’d get down on one knee and promise to her that he’d love her forever. No matter what or who had come before him.

Chapter thirteen

Regan hurried to pack the last items in her suitcase while Carlos waited at her bedroom door. He’d offered to drive her to the office, and he’d more than once told her he was sincerely regretting it.

She’d made a list of everything she’d need for the trip and the meeting, but she’d left it at the office and was racking her brain trying to remember what was on it.

Carlos checked his watch, leaned against the doorjamb with his arms crossed over his chest, then checked his watch again. “This is not the first business trip you’ve been on with the man. Why are you taking so long?”

“This one is very important. It’s the biggest build he’s ever taken on. He sold it, he designed it, and he’s in charge of seeing it through. I want to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible.” She flew through the room gathering the last of her toiletries.

“God, you’re going to walk into that boardroom and fall through the door, aren’t you? Flat on your damn face.” He had a crooked little smile that made him adorable, and she worried he was dooming her success.

“You’re a shit.” She threw a shoe at him only to have him catch it before it hit him.

“You’ll be fine.” He handed the shoe back to her and turned her from her suitcase. “I don’t think you could ever disappoint the man. He loves you too much.”

“I love him too, and that’s why I’m so nervous for him.”

“Love, it sucks doesn’t it?”

“Yes, in the most wonderful way.” She touched her brother’s face. Then she turned back to the suitcase and pushed in the contents until she could zip it shut. When it was zipped, Carlos pulled it from the bed.

“God, did you forget anything?”

“You’re a big, strong man. You can handle it.” She passed by him, headed toward the stairs, and led the way down. “So what are your plans this weekend?”

“Christian’s birthday.”

“Oh, Carlos. I forgot. I’ve never missed his birthday.”

“Damn you.” He laughed as he dropped the suitcase at the foot of the stairs. “He’ll get over it. Besides, I recall you missed a few when you were in Hawaii.” He raised his eyebrows.

“Yes, I did. I am very sorry about that.”

“You couldn’t help it.” He rested a hand on her arm. “There was no coming home.”

“It was a year ago.” She looked down at the floor, feeling ashamed. “I called in sick on Tuesday,” she admitted, and her voice shook. “Audrey brought me soup, and Zach left work early to sit with me.” She wiped a stray tear that ran down her face. “I didn’t even have the courage to tell him why I’d stayed home.”

“You deserve to mourn.” His touch comforted her and his voice was soothing.

Regan shook her head and pursed her lips. “It’s been a year. I shouldn’t be mourning. Everyone was better off.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, and Regan shot him a look. “Don’t be mad. I was just asking.”

Regan ground her teeth. “Look at me and Arianna and yourself. You tell me how things would have been for us had Mom and Dad not happened into our lives. I did the right thing. I will never regret that. I gave a woman like Mama a gift. I only regret loving the man and believing him.”

“And now you hold that against Zach?”

She wanted to swing at him with her fists. She wanted to beat him to the ground for making her think about it. If he wanted to make her feel bad, he was doing it. If it was his intention to make her second-guess everything she did, it was working. But in all their life, Carlos had never meant her harm. He’d always had her back, and that would never change. She fought back tears and nodded. “What will he think of me?”