“Right. I’m almost done. I’ll have it ready for you tomorrow.” I force a smile, but I’m already dreading how long I’ll have to keep up the facade.
“Hey, there’s no rush. You can wait until Sofia and I get back from our honeymoon. We’ll be back in New Jersey in about three weeks. I know it’s a long trip, but since I’ll be busy with my new investment, I wanted to make sure we had a nice break before the craziness begins.”
Three weeks. I can’t wait three weeks. I’ll receive an eviction notice before they even get back from Greece or Italy or wherever the hell they decided to vacation to.
“I’ll have it for you tomorrow. I’d like a definitive answer about the investment before you leave, if that’s all right.”
I immediately feel guilty. Who am I to tell him what to do at his own wedding? He should be focusing on being in love, not work. But if I don’t find out soon, I won’t know what to tell Gabriel.
“That’s fine with me. Just send it whenever it’s ready, and I’ll take a look.”
“Thanks, Luc. Seriously. For taking a chance on someone like me. I’m sure you could invest in literally anyone.”
“Probably.” He laughs. “But I wouldn’t want to. This just feels right.”
I should be feeling ecstatic right now. I practically have the investment locked in. But it’s based on a lie. Does that mean the investment isn’t mine? Did I actually earn it? Would he still invest if he knew the restaurant was currently months behind on rent and slowly failing, and in no position to expand?
“I’m back!” Valentina announces. “Did you burn any more marshmallows?”
“Yes, at least three,” I say with a laugh.
Valentina sits back down next to me. Shortly after, Silvana joins in and sits down across from me. She has a discernable smile on her face. It’s slightly unsettling. Chills creep down my spine, and my throat feels dry. Did she follow Valentina into our cabin? Did they—no. She wouldn’t.
“How was your trip? You were gone for a while, it seemed,” I say.
“Was I? It didn’t feel that way. It was fine. I just used the restroom and double-checked tomorrow’s rehearsal dinner menu with my staff. It’s the second-to-last big day for us, so I want to make sure everything goes right.”
“That makes sense,” I say blandly.
“Is everything okay?”
I want so badly to ask her if she was with Silvana. Did she kiss her? Are they back together? But I can’t. It’s what Silvana wants. She wants me to doubt Val. And I refuse.
“Everything is great.” I sigh happily.
“Well, good,” Valentina says, smiling.
She cups my jaw with her soft, slender fingers and slowly brings my face to hers. Our lips meet for a tender kiss. One that I know will get Silvana riled up and other people talking. I’m surprised she did something so public, but it must be a good sign.
When she pulls away from me, I see her slightly bite her bottom lip before smiling. I turn away, suddenly feeling shy. I look up and see Maria staring at her with wide eyes. I shoo her away, hoping she’d just mind her own business, but she comes right over and sits between us.
“Oh, Jesus, Mar,” I groan.
“Hey, you two.” She looks at each of us and smiles. “How’s it going?”
Valentina grins. “It’s going great.”
“It was until you came along, pendeja.”
“Listen, I didn’t want to be the one to bring it up, but I’m sure you two will forget. But remember that I was the matchmaker here between you two. If it wasn’t for me, this wouldn’t have even happened. So I’ll take my thanks at your wedding as a heartfelt speech.”
She’s not technically wrong. If she hadn’t convinced me to come here to the wedding, I probably wouldn’t have ever seen Valentina again in my life. Or if I had, it would have been too late. So, I really do have to thank her for it. I just refuse to give her the satisfaction.
“You’re giving yourself way too much credit. It’s not like you put us in the same cabin or forced us to spend every day together. I could have ignored her and kept my grudge about my dress from our quince.”
“One day, you’ll admit it. And I’ll be here. Waiting to say, ‘I told you so.’” She laughs, reaching over my shoulder to hug me.
“All right, all right. We’ll see. I’m going to go get more marshmallows.”
