Catalina's POV
The wedding cake was falling apart.
I stared at the top tier sliding sideways, my hands shaking as I tried to catch it. White frosting smeared across my fingers. This was supposed to be my masterpiece—three layers of perfection for the mayor's daughter. Instead, it looked like a disaster.
"No, no, no," I whispered, reaching for my spatula.
The bakery door slammed open.
"Catalina! Drop everything!" Mom rushed inside, her face flushed and excited. "The Castellanos just called!"
My stomach twisted. I hadn't heard that name in years.
"What?" The spatula slipped from my hand.
"They want to merge with us!" Mom grabbed my shoulders, practically bouncing. "Their resort empire with our bakery—can you imagine? We'll be huge! National! Elena Castellano herself called me!"
The room tilted. "Mom, I'm in the middle of—"
"Forget the cake! This is our future!" She pulled out her phone, scrolling frantically. "They want you as creative director. You'll work directly with their CEO on everything—menus, events, branding. Your business degree finally paying off!"
My heart pounded. "Who's the CEO?"
Mom looked up, surprised I didn't know. "Dominic, of course. He took over two years ago after that awful accident. Poor boy lost his fiancée, came home to run the family business. Elena says he's all work now, very serious."
The name hit me like a punch.
Dominic.
Dominic Castellano.
The cake tier crashed to the floor.
"Catalina!" Mom jumped back as frosting splattered everywhere. "What's wrong with you?"
Everything. Everything was wrong.
I pressed my hand against the counter, trying to breathe. Dominic was back. In Riverside Heights. And I was supposed to work with him?
"When?" My voice came out strangled.
"The meeting's at two! At their estate!" Mom checked her watch. "Three hours! Go home, change into something professional. This is the opportunity of a lifetime!"
She kept talking, but I couldn't hear her anymore.
All I could think about was the last time I saw Dominic Castellano.
Twelve years ago.
I was eight years old, drowning in the ocean behind our houses.
The wave had pulled me under, salt water filling my mouth, my lungs burning. I was going to die.
Then strong arms grabbed me, pulled me up. Air. Beautiful air.
"I've got you, Catalina. I won't let you go."
Sixteen-year-old Dominic carried me to shore, his green eyes worried. He wrapped me in his towel, rubbing my arms to warm me up. Sofia ran over crying, but Dominic kept his arm around me.
"You're safe now," he said. "I'll always keep you safe."
I fell in love right then.
A stupid, impossible, eight-year-old love for my best friend's older brother.
I thought it would fade. That I'd grow up and forget.
I was wrong.
For twelve years, I buried it deep. I watched him leave for Yale with his beautiful girlfriend. I smiled at family dinners while my heart broke. I dated safe boys my parents approved of. I built my whole life around being Sofia's loyal best friend and the good Harper daughter.
And I convinced myself I was over him.
Then two years ago, I saw the news. Car accident. His fiancée Lauren dead. Dominic survived.
I cried for three days in my college dorm, grieving for a man who barely remembered I existed.
Now he was back.
And I had to face him in three hours.
My phone buzzed. Sofia's name flashed on the screen.
Sofia: OMG DID YOU HEAR?!?! You and Dom working together!! This is PERFECT!!! My two favorite people collaborating!
My hands shook as I typed back.
Me: So excited! Can't wait!
The lie tasted bitter.
Sofia: Dom needs this. He's been so cold since Lauren died. Maybe you can help him smile again? Like old times?
Guilt crashed over me. Sofia had no idea. She thought I was just her childhood friend. She didn't know I'd spent years hiding how I felt about her brother.
Sofia: Meeting at 2 right? I'll be there! We can all catch up!
Perfect. Even better. Face Dominic for the first time in six years with Sofia watching.
"Catalina?" Mom waved her hand in front of my face. "Did you hear anything I said?"
"Meeting. Two o'clock. Professional outfit." I forced a smile. "Got it."
"Good! Now go! I'll handle the mayor's cake." She pushed me toward the door. "This is going to change everything, sweetheart. The Castellanos are like family. Working with Dominic will be easy!"
Easy. Right.
I drove home in a daze, my mind spinning.
In my bedroom, I stood in front of my closet, staring at clothes that suddenly seemed wrong. Too casual. Too dressy. Too obvious.
What do you wear when facing the man you've loved since you were eight years old?
The man who taught you to swim, who made you laugh, who promised to keep you safe?
The man who left and forgot you existed?
I pulled out a blue dress, then put it back. Tried a gray suit, hated it. Reached for a white blouse.
My hands wouldn't stop shaking.
The green dress caught my eye—tucked in the back of my closet. The one I'd worn to his father's funeral six years ago. The last time I'd seen Dominic.
He'd barely looked at me that day. Just a quick nod before he disappeared with Lauren.
Did he even remember?
I grabbed the blue dress again. Professional. Safe. Put it on, looked in the mirror.
Took it off.
Tried the gray suit. Too severe.
The white blouse and black skirt. Too boring.
I checked my phone. 1:30 PM. Thirty minutes.
Back to the green dress. I held it up, remembering how Dominic used to say green was my color. When I was ten and wore a green swimsuit, he'd smiled and said, "That's your color, Catalina. Like your eyes when the sun hits them."
I'd never forgotten.
But that was before. Before Yale. Before Lauren. Before he became someone else.
I pulled on the green dress anyway. Fixed my hair. Added simple jewelry.
Looked in the mirror.
The girl staring back looked terrified.
"What are you doing?" I whispered to my reflection.
I had no answer.
Just grabbed my portfolio, my keys, and headed out the door.
The drive to the Castellano estate felt like driving to my own execution. Every turn brought back memories. The corner where Dominic taught me to ride a bike. The ice cream shop where he bought me cones when Sofia got bored. The beach path where we'd hunt for sea glass.
Twelve years of memories I'd tried to bury.
All flooding back.
I pulled up to the estate at 1:58 PM. Mom's car was already there. So was Elena's Mercedes.
And a sleek black sports car I didn't recognize.
Dominic's car.
My heart hammered.
Through the mansion windows, I could see people moving inside. Hear voices. Laughter.
His voice.
Deep. Confident. Nothing like the boy I remembered.
I sat in my car, hands gripping the steering wheel.
I could do this. I was twenty-four years old, not a lovesick child. I had a business degree, pastry training, years of experience. Dominic was just another colleague.
Just Sofia's brother.
Just the CEO I'd work with daily.
Just the man I'd never stopped loving.
My phone buzzed.
Sofia: You're here! Saw your car pull up! Come inside! Dom's asking where you are!
He was asking about me?
My stomach flipped.
Sofia: Hurry! Don't be nervous! It's just family!
Just family.
Right.
I took a deep breath. Grabbed my portfolio. Opened the car door.
The ocean breeze hit me, carrying the smell of salt and memories. I walked up the stone steps I'd run up a thousand times as a child.
The front door opened before I could knock.
Elena Castellano stood there, elegant as always. But her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Catalina! There you are. Come in, come in."
She kissed both my cheeks, her perfume expensive and overwhelming.
Inside, everything looked the same. Same paintings. Same furniture. Same ocean view through every window.
But it felt different.
Wrong.
"Everyone's in the conference room," Elena said, her hand tight on my arm. "Your mother and I have such exciting plans!"
We walked through the house. My heart pounded with every step.
Down the hall. Past the library where Dominic helped me with homework. Past the kitchen where Rosa used to make us cookies.
To the conference room with the ocean view.
Elena pushed open the double doors.
"Look who finally arrived!"
The room went quiet.
Mom sat at the long table, smiling. Mr. Castellano nodded politely. Sofia bounced in her seat, waving excitedly.
And at the head of the table, standing with his back to us, looking out at the ocean—
Dominic.
He turned around.
Everything stopped.
He was taller than I remembered. Broader. His dark hair shorter, perfectly styled. He wore an expensive suit that screamed power and money. And his green eyes—those eyes that used to look at me with such warmth—
Were completely cold.
"Miss Harper." His voice was flat. Professional. Like I was a stranger. "Please, sit. We've been waiting."
Miss Harper.
Not Catalina. Not Cat. Not even a smile of recognition.
Like twelve years of friendship meant nothing.
Like I meant nothing.
I forced my legs to move. Sat in the empty chair across from him.
And prepared for the longest three hours of my life.