Holly froze when she realised what he was talking about. ‘My charm bracelet?’
‘Yeah, come on, it doesn’t go with the dress. This does. I figured you needed something fancier than that thing.’
Thatthingwas the bracelet that Holly had worn every single day since her father’s funeral when she was sixteen years old. She’d barely taken it off since and couldn’t comprehend doing so now.
She paused, a worried expression on her face.
‘Holly, really, this bracelet was made for that dress. It’s in a totally different league to that one.’
She swallowed hard, feeling as if her heart might break; even though she knew that she would only have to remove her charm bracelet for a couple of hours while she wore the Cartier substitute. She paused, deciding she was being silly.
‘Well … ’ Reluctantly, she undid the clasp and placed her beloved charm bracelet in her evening bag, double-checking to make sure the clasp was securely closed, and it wouldn’t open and the bracelet couldn’t fall out.
The moment her hands were free, Nick put on the new one and, as he did, Holly felt a sudden surge of irrational panic.
‘There, look at that, it’s beautiful,’ he said in admiration, as he took his seat across from her again. ‘What do you think?’
Holly glanced down at the bracelet. She had to admit it was truly a stunning piece of jewellery. She had never owned anything like this, yet the sheer heft of the piece made her arm feel heavy and weighed down. The complete opposite to the reassuring jingle of her charm bracelet.
‘It’s really lovely, Nick,’ she managed, absently. ‘Thank you.’
Nick studied her face. ‘You don’t look very happy, babe. I hope you’re not disappointed.’
Holly’s head sprang up and she looked at Nick, confused. ‘Disappointed? Why would I be disappointed?’
He shrugged and placed his napkin back in his lap. ‘Well, you know, guy brings out a jewellery box … Some women get upset if it’s not aringbox.’
‘Oh no, that’s not it at all.’ Truthfully, Holly wasn’t feeling upset at all about that; she was just feeling all out of kilter because she wasn’t wearing her bracelet, her talisman.
‘Anyway, I just thought that maybe you might like something to remember this trip by,’ Nick said, shrugging, evidently put out at her reaction to his extravagance.
Holly smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes, and Nick seemed to take this as another sign that she was truly disappointed that he hadn’t given her a ring.
‘Babe, you know I love you, but there is just so much happening right now. And, well, don’t you think that we have other stuff to do before deciding to get married? Really, we are watching this company take off, all this stuff happening, and that needs pretty much all of my focus and attention. Besides,’ he added, his expression lightening, ‘don’t you think that maybe … ’ He cleared his throat. ‘Maybe we should live together first?’
Holly’s eyes widened. They had never before talked about anything like this.
‘Are you serious?’
Nick threw his arms wide. ‘Would I have mentioned it if I wasn’t? Yeah, I think that maybe the time is right; we should take the chance. We could get a bigger place – my lease is up soon, and I know you just signed a new one on the walk-up, but maybe we could sublet yours. How does that sound?’ The smile that was already on Nick’s face got turned up a notch and Holly got an idea of how he wooed his clients.
She couldn’t help but laugh.
‘You’re really serious, aren’t you?’
‘Of course, honey, when have I ever played with you? It’s you and me, OK? You and me. So let’s do it. Let’s move in together.’
She took a deep breath, her head spinning at this sudden shift in the direction of their relationship. ‘It’s a big move, Nick. I’ve never lived with anyone, I mean, a guy, before.’
‘And I’ve never lived with a girl either. Come on, Holly, take a chance. As they say in Vegas, roll the dice.’
Holly took a deep breath and then vigorously nodded her head. His enthusiasm (and possibly the fact that they were in a city known the world over for gambling) was infectious. ‘OK then yes, let’s do it,’ she grinned.
‘That’s my girl. This calls for champagne. Come on, let’s go celebrate!’
Minutes later, Holly and Nick were rushing hand-in-hand through the expanse of the casino, laughing like children. Holly wasn’t sure if her giddiness was due to the wine, the recent development in their relationship, or if it was a combination of both.
As they passed a gift shop, she came to a stop. ‘Hey Nick, hold on just for a second OK? I’m just going to run in here.’
