Gen and Rox reacted like Dree had flipped an eight-foot-long live shark out of her purse and thrown it on the table.
Gen rabbit-kicked her husband while trying to stand up.
Roxanne pointed at her and screamed,“Napkin girl!”
Gen gabbled, “Oh my God,oh my God,you’rethe girl with the napkin.I thoughtwe’d ruined your life!”
The three men were practically crawling over the backs of their chairs to get away from the three insane women screaming and pointing at each other around the table.
Maxence asked, “You threeknow each other?”
“No way!”Dree screamed at the two of them.“No freaking way!But you guys look different. I could’ve sworn I would have recognized you guys if I saw you again!”
Gen had her hands up, and her head ducked. “I was seven months pregnant, and the women of my family become absolute blimps in our third trimester. I was retaining so much water that I was surprised any was left in the Atlantic Ocean. I wouldhopeyou don’t recognize me now. I’ll just take it as a compliment.”
Rox was bobbling her head back and forth. “Yeah, maybe if I have a shot glass in my hand and drool hanging off my chin, you’ll recognize me.” She fluffed her chin-length hair. “Also, new haircut. I had longer, darker hair in Paris. And I wasso wastedthat night.” She gestured at Gen. “This wench was shoving booze into me because she was knocked up and couldn’t drink, so she was vicariously partying through me. And I’m a lightweight these days. Having a kid lets your liver get lazy. The next day, I was woozy about the details of that night.”
Gen nodded. “And I had pregnancy brain. The next day, I could barely remember where we went or what we did. Icrashedon the plane home. The next day, I was like, ‘Why aren’t we still in Paris? Why did we come home?’ Seriously, pregnancy brain is real.”
Dree stuttered out, “That morning, I’d hacked off my long braids with surgical scissors, so my haircut was pretty ragged. The hairstylist put this fake bun in using handfuls of gel. I don’t know how I’m ever going to wash it all out.” She punched herself in her stomach and hurt her knuckles. “And I’m wearing cast-iron underwear under this dress.”
Rox’s sage nod was affirming. “One usually does look different on one’s wedding day than when one is having a major life crisis and just flew halfway around the world.”
Dree laughed. “Well, I would hope so.”
Gen reached her arm across the table. “Let’s see the napkin.”
Oh, jeez.Dree had crossedbutt stuffoff the napkin list. “I’m not sure—”
Rox’s hand darted across the table and snagged the napkin before Dree could finish her sentence.
“Hey!”
Rox and Gen peered at the list and the things Dree had drawn lines through while Dree began to slink slowly under the table.
Gen asked,“Nepal?You went to Nepal? Oh, yeah. I guess the priest mentioned that during the wedding.”
Rox laughed. “And Monaco. She sure got to cross Monaco off of her list.”
Gen said, “Aw, look, Rox. She crossed offFind someone to love who loves you and is worthy of your love, and hold onto them your whole life. That’s so sweet!”
Arthur glanced over his wife’s shoulder at the napkin, raised his eyebrows, and then nodded to no one in particular.
Rox sailed the napkin across the table back to Dree, who tucked it back into her purse.
They talked far into that night, and then the three couples met for lunch the next day, and then they were best friends the rest of their lives.
Three years later, Arthur, Gen, Casimir, and Roxanne were present for the baptism of Prince Nicostrato “Nico” Grimaldi as official witnesses because they weren’t Catholic. Lady Valentina Martini was listed as a godparent on the official record, as were Duc Alexandre and Duchess Georgianna Grimaldi, but everyone knew who Nico’srealgodparents were.
And three years after that, they did the same at the baptism of Princess Grace.
Chapter Forty-Five
To Catch A Thief
Tristan “Twist” King
Twist walked back to his yacht after collecting his mail from the concierge of the Monaco Yacht Club.
