“Did she call you?” Ari suddenly turned to Sebastian, who spluttered on his wine. “Did she want you to plan her wedding?”
Sebastian gave a shrug, though non-committal. “A couple of weeks ago I chose to decline her call. She left a message — quitea snotty one, in fact. She and her new man,Harold, he’s called, of all the names... Well, they were hoping I could be persuaded to plan their wedding.”
“With me?” Ari asked icily.
Sebastian laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous, darling, of course not. She can’t bear you. Hates your guts, in fact.” Sebastian gave Tom a look, before turning back to Ari. “Don’t take it personally. Look at you. Tonight, you’re blowing Rhode Island right out of the water. I mean, call the BBC and get the meteorologist on the phone, London ishottonight because of you, Ari.”
Ari blushed, an adorable pink from her neck to her cheeks, and something inside of Tom ached.
“I turned her down,” Stella cut in, and Tom hid a grimace as he watched his brother fold an arm over her shoulders in affection. “Sasha. She’s all sharp edges. Doesn’t photograph well. In that respect, at least, you were perfectly matched, Jawline.”
“Stella,” Corentin said, his voice a playful warning, and Stella shrugged.
“I turned her down too,” Luis added, reaching over to rub Ari’s arm. “I’m too busy with this one’s constant demands anyway.” He gestured to Stella.
“Oh, that reminds me. Small’s flower girl dress. You need to add to it again.”
Luis stiffened, one hand wrapped around a fine bone china cup of coffee.
“Add to it... again?” he asked, utterly indignant. “Why? It’s finally perfect.”
“We decided the gold silk in Iceland might be a little, well,cool,” Stella explained airily.
“And given that Stella and I will be wearing matching robes, we thought it was a good idea if Reine had one too.”
“You want me to make a robe for Reine?Te pasas, we fly tomorrow, Stella!”
“So, plenty of time then,” Stella returned easily. “I don’t understand why you’re looking at me like that.”
“Well, for starters I don’t have a design ready, or any fabric—”
“Actually, we were hoping you could use the rest of the Koigu Kersti cashmere our robes are made from,” Corentin interrupted.
Tom watched as Luis’s face changed, going from consternation to thoughtfulness in under a second. Across the table from him, Ari caught his eye and shook her head.
“Wait for it,” she mouthed to him.
“Koigu Kersti cashmere, hey?” Luis sipped his coffee. “It’s a beautiful fabric. Rare, too. Well, I suppose if I make it a basic shape with some sophisticated French darts and maybe some channel stitching on the pockets, it will work. I could line it with the same silk from her dress, too.”
“You’re going to be up all night sewing now,” Sebastian complained. “Don’t let them play you like this.”
“For Koigu Kersti cashmere they can play me anytime they like,” Luis replied. “Hell, for Koigu Kersti cashmere they can play you too, just like a violin.” Luis turned to Stella and Corentin. “All right. I’ll make the robe, but I’m sleeping the moment we hit the hotel in Reykjavík. No more alterations after this.”
“Speaking of alterations,” Marnie broke in, clearing her voice, “won’t you need Reine tonight then too? So you can make this cashmere robe thing?”
“I have her measurements,” Luis replied, before a worried look crossed his face. “Actually, it would be nice to have her close by, just so I can get the fit perfect before we leave tomorrow.”
He turned towards Ari, who at once shook her head.
“Don’t look at me,” she told him. “It’s Tom’s weekend, not mine.”
Luis turned to Tom with puppy-like eyes, and Tom sighed.
He’d developed a kind of grudging relationship with Luis and Sebastian over the past year, one born out of necessity and shared love for a small child. It wasn’t strong enough to be called friendship, but nor was it merely an acquaintanceship either.
Luis and Sebastian, dedicated to Ari and Reine, and fiercely defensive of both, had watched Tom warily as he tried to build a relationship with his daughter. They’d been in the background, respectfully giving Tom the space he needed with Reine, while ready to jump in at a moment’s notice to offer help and advice. This support had surprised Tom, who’d expected nothing more than criticism and hard words from them. Instead, they’d been kindness and understanding personified, particularly Luis, and it hadn’t taken long for Tom to acknowledge that Sebastian and Luis were good people with good intentions.
“I know it’s your weekend,” Luis was saying now, “and I’m aware you’ve travelled a long way for it. But if Sebastian and I could just take Reine for tonight...”
