Rocco’s eyes popped open. “Is this going to have a happy ending?”
Nico hesitated. “I don’t know.”
He sat up. “Well it’s a fairy tale, isn’t it?”
“I hadn’t really thought about it.”
“You began withOnce upon a time. That means it’s a fairy tale. So, it has to have a happy ending.”
“Is that some kind of law?”
“I think it is. In fact, I’m sure it is. I think I read it somewhere. I just can’t remember where.”
Nico sputtered as a laugh escaped her lips. But she quickly stopped when she saw the look on his face.
He looked almost serious.
“Not all fairy tales have happy endings,” she said.
“Name one that doesn’t.”
Nico thought a moment. “Snow White.”
“What do you mean? The prince revives Snow White with a kiss, and he takes her to the castle where they live happily ever after. The end.”
“But that isn’t the end. The queen is punished. They put shoes made of iron in the fire, and she’s forced to wear them and dance until she drops dead. So, it’s not a happy ending for the queen.”
Just then the bells from the cathedral began to ring.
“It’s midnight,” he said.
“Time for you to go to sleep,” she said, taking an intentionally light tone.
“What about the story? You didn’t finish.”
“I guess you’ll just have to be left in suspense.” She turned toward the door. “If you even remember it,” she muttered, not intending for him to hear.
“I’ll remember,” he said. “By the way, I lied tonight when we were playing that drinking game.”
“Good night,” she said, hurrying out of the bedroom.
She’d lied too, but she wasn’t about to admit it. Especially not to him.
Whatever he’d lied about, it wasn’t what she’d lied about.
And then she recalled what Carolyn Wickham had said as she sat down.
Bottoms up, darling.
She’d said it with such confidence. Like she knew. The same way Celeste had known about Dario. But Rocco didn’t drink.
She realized then that they had lied about the same thing—having a sexual dream about someone sitting at that table.
For Rocco, that someone was Carolyn Wickham. But for Nico, that someone had been him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
ROCCO AND NICO
