Page 15 of With This Ring

His bright-blue eyes widened for a second, and then a guarded expression overtook his face.

Her belly clenched as she studied him. A few days’ worth of stubble lined his chiseled jaw, and his features were more mature than she recalled.

She mentally took hold of her herself, lifted her chin, and shot him the coldest expression she could muster. “How may I help you?” she asked as she slipped behind the counter.

“I’m here on behalf of Layla,” he said, joining her by the cash register. “She sent me to pay for her dress.”

Dakota nodded and focused on her computer, but her thoughtskept swirling like a cyclone. She’d never expected to see him in her store, but here he was, standing in front of her in the flesh.

“Let me find the invoice,” she mumbled, taking her time and deliberately making him wait longer than necessary.

“This place is yours?” he asked.

She trained her eyes on her computer screen. “Last time I checked.”

“Wow,” he quipped. “I wouldn’t have expected you to own a place in Flowering Grove.”

“Stranger things have happened.” She narrowed her eyes and pasted a wry smile on her lips. She supposed he couldn’t have imagined her ever being successful in their tiny town, which he’d once called a dead-end place for people trying to make ends meet.

A few beats of silence passed between them, and an instrumental version of “I Will Always Love You” filled the awkward silence between them.

After deciding she’d made him wait long enough, she pulled up Layla’s invoice. “Here we go.” She told him the total.

Without batting an eye, he yanked a leather wallet from the back pocket of his jeans and handed her a black credit card.

She was careful not to allow their hands to touch when she took it from him. She stared down at his name—Hudson Nathaniel Garrity—words that felt familiar and foreign at the same time.

She could tell the card was exclusive—the kind only successful people would carry. A strange feeling rippled through her. Hudson had made it just like he always planned to. Surely he thought he was better than everyone else who chose to stay in their sleepy hometown.

Dakota felt his eyes scrutinizing her as she ran the card. She held her breath, grateful the confirmation popped up quickly.

“Sign this copy,” she told him, handing him a pen and a printed receipt.

He took the pen in his left hand, and while he scribbled his name, she noticed his ring finger was naked. The only piece of jewelry he wore was a silver watch on his right wrist. Such a watch might’ve been worth more than her car.

Was he still single?

She chided herself for bothering to wonder. All she wanted was for him to leave—quickly.

Hudson left the signed receipt on the counter and then perused the itemized invoice. His brow furrowed, and he lifted his eyes to meet hers. “Friends and family discount?”

She nodded.

He snorted. “Why?”

“Because I like Layla, and I want her to have the wedding of her dreams,” she said curtly.

His lips formed a thin line, and a look of disbelief overtook his face as he folded the extra receipt and pushed it into his pocket. “Don’t I need the dress?”

She shook her head. “She asked me to alter it so it resembles your mother’s.”

“Oh. Right.” He cast his gaze in the direction of the racks of gowns behind her. “She mentioned that.”

“Plus, she’ll need to come in for fittings.”

“I see.” His blue eyes scanned the boutique before his focus returned to her face. “Thanks for your help.”

“It’s been a pleasure, Hudson,” she responded, her voice sugary sweet.