With This Ring

She shook her head and I suddenly noticed my heart shaped necklace on her neck. “Oh my,” I gasped and lifted the delicate diamond heart. “It’s beautiful on you.”

“It’s beyond beautiful on its own,” she replied. “I can’t wait for you to launch officially. You’ll do amazing.”

“I have one of yours on too,” Aldie said, holding her hand up.

I turned to see my Notte, half-moon bracelet around her wrist.

My eyes misted with gratitude. They could have worn something from the top designer brands and yet they had both chosen to wear my stuff. “Thank you both so much.”

“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” Bianca said. “I’ve been getting compliments all evening from everyone about my piece so it’s not like I did you a favor.”

I bit my lip. “The people here are pretty high profile. I hope the jewelry doesn’t seem too cheap to them. I didn’t exactly make it with this kind of crowd in mind. Everyone here seems to be able to have jewelry costly enough to buy a house.”

“It’s affordable, beautiful, and just my style,” Bianca said firmly. “If they are too rich to appreciate it then that’s their loss. I’m wearing your diamond earrings with my wedding dress tomorrow and its mention will be in the magazine interview I’ll be doing after our honeymoon along with your name as the designer.”

“Thank you so much, Bianca,” I said and hugged her again.

Then it was time for her to mingle again. While she was saying something to Aldie, I took the opportunity to look around the room for Maxim, but he was nowhere to be seen.

I went with Aldie to the bar where we caught one of the waiters who continually passed by with endless trays of canapés. I popped the tiniest mushroom pizza in the world into my mouth. It was delicate and delicious.

“Bianca seated you beside me at the table,” Aldie said, looking at her watch. “Good, it’s almost 7:30. I can’t wait to eat.”

“What about Levan and Bianca?”

“They’re opposite us.”

My heart began to pound again. “Their whole family?”

She gave me a reassuring look. “You’re worried because of Maxim, right?”

I smiled nervously and she looked amused. “You’ll be fine. He doesn’t seem to hold a grudge, although I still can’t believe you shot him.”

“I still can’t believe it myself,” I replied as I sipped champagne from the flute I snagged from a passing waiter. “And I’m sure he must be silently furious. My saving grace is he’s really good at keeping himself in check. Hopefully, I won’t be seeping out blood at the dinner table.”

She shuddered at the statement. “You mafia peeps are too gruesome for me, and by the way, I’m officially impressed.”

“Impressed?”

“What a hell of a way to refuse a marriage proposal,” she teased. “Bianca says Levan told her that Maxim’s never been shot before, and he’s been in more than enough situations to attract bullets. So they’ve always seen him as almost indestructible. Well, you ruined that for them.”

I buried my head in my hands in mortification and she laughed and patted my shoulder in consolation.

Suddenly, a reduction in the volume of the music and the sound of metal tinkled to get everyone’s attention.

A graying man in a tuxedo stood up to speak. “Please take your designated seats at the tables. The dinner will be starting now.”

People began to head towards the candlelit tables, and I felt myself begin to tremble.

Lifting my glass to my lips I drained my glass.

“Hey, you don’t have to finish it all now. You can take it with you to the table.”

I placed the emptied glass on the counter. “At the table,” I said to her. “I’ll need more.”

Chapter Forty-Eight

Freya

I was right.

Three glasses of champagne later and I was still wired and unable to relax.

All jittery and anxious and all because of the man seated a few seats across and down from me. I didn’t even dare sneak a peek at him, too afraid of being caught, but at the same time, I couldn’t get him off my mind.

I felt hot, as though just being in the same room with him was charring my skin, and it all made it too difficult to breathe. The dinner went on and on. Course after course that I pushed into my mouth and swallowed. Duck breast and Yellow Wax beans mixed with truffle pasta parcels, washed down with lime and blueberry sorbets. And I tasted nothing. There were well wishes and toasts given to the couple. I smiled when everyone else did, and clapped when others raised their hands. For more than an hour I ignored Maxim. Then, in a moment of weakness when I truly couldn’t take it anymore I picked up my champagne flute, raised it to my lips as a cover, and let my gaze dart over to him.

And crashed right into his!