Chapter 65

• Vanessa had continuously been the kind of lady who got what she needed. She had the charm, the looks, and the mind to drag anybody into her circle. When she and Haven were together, they were the envy of everybody they knew. They were the “it” couple—the idealised coordinate, everybody said. But that was a long time back, before Haven met Alexis, before everything changed.
• Vanessa stood at the entrance of the swarmed bar, filtering the ocean of faces until she spotted him. Haven sat at a little table by the window, nursing a drink and gazing vacantly out into the night. He looked good—maybe more than he had the last time she saw him, she thought. His shoulders were broader, his fashion more refined, but his eyes still held that recognizable thoughtfulness.
• Vanessa took a deep breath and walked over, her heels clicking against the wooden floor. “Haven,” she said, her voice light, nearly perky, as she pulled the chair over from him and sat down without holding up for a welcome.