Page 143 of Dream Chaser

“See you, amor.”

Alejandro headed for his car. I adjusted the strap of my purse over my shoulder, watching him.

“Nova?”

My breath caught. I haven’t heard that voice in months. Not since my anniversary. When I turned, Kate stood in front of me, arms full of shopping bags.

“Kate,” I said. “How are you doing?”

Her eyes lingered on my purse—my Christmas gift to myself—then the Aeterno gift bag and finally my black patent leather stilettos.

“Not as good as you,” she said, looking toward where Alejandro had walked away. “I guess your new friend does well for himself. You always hear divorce is hard, but I suppose it’s easier if you do it that way.”

Her pursed lips and judgy look shredded my composure. Rage bubbled under my skin. I shoved it aside, faking a smile. “I make my own money. Preston and I have been separated since August. If he’d stop refusing and sign the papers, we’d already be divorced.”

Kate shrugged. “You’re still married, and you vowed to take care of him. Marriages have ups and downs. If I ran away every time David and I argued—”

“My marriage is my business. You shouldn’t be so quick to judge.”

“I wouldn’t leave David over something as insignificant as not liking my dress.”

My grip on my purse tightened. “You have no clue why I left, and we clearly have different ideas about what should and shouldn’t be tolerated. Glad you’re doing fine. I need to go.”

“I won’t lie to Preston,” she said.

“Good. Tell him whatever you want.”

I left her gaping on the sidewalk and hurried home. As I walked, anger vanished, giving way to exhaustion. I wouldn’t be surprised if I received another call from Preston as soon as Kate told him she saw me. I hadn’t ruled out another ridiculous demand from his lawyer, either.

Once at home, I busied myself making dinner for Alejandro and me. The intercom buzzed as I took the mushroom cream soup off the stove.

I let Alejandro in and waited in the foyer.

A minute later, he stepped out of the elevator, massaging his temple.

“You okay?” I asked, hugging him.

“Yeah.” He kissed my cheek and unbuttoned his coat. “Just a headache. The meds should kick in soon. How was your afternoon?”

Telling him I’d run into a member of Preston’s fan club wasn’t worth it. He had enough on his plate.

“I cooked,” I said. “Mushroom cream soup and Caesar salad. Thought you might be hungry.”

“Delicious, amor. Thank you. And yeah, I’m starving.”

Alejandro hung his coat and headed for the bathroom to wash his hands.

“How were the meetings?”

He rolled up his sleeves and shoved his hands under the stream of water. “The certification is a bigger pain in the ass than I thought. But if we don’t do it, we’ll be leaving money on the table.”

“You’re capable, Mr. Guerrero.” I hugged him from behind. “I believe in you.”

He let out a tired chuckle, angling his head to kiss me. “Careful, or I’ll skip dinner and take you to bed instead.”

“Can’t let the food go to waste. Come on.”

I led him to the table I’d set. A candle burned in the middle, and I’d used the plates he’d given me for Christmas.