We don’t leave right away so we don’t draw suspicion, even though I have the tennis bracelet in one pocket and the ring in another. “I’ll call you as soon as possible, sir.”
We spend a little more time by the watches and examine a few luxury pieces.
“Manny,” the woman says with a frown. “Have you seen the ruby ring I took out? I swear it was right there.”
“Oh, you brought it to the back,” Nicolette says brightly. “On the velvet pillow. I saw you.”
“Did I?” The woman leaves and goes looking for it.
I lean in and whisper in Nicolette’s ear, “We’re going to walk toward the wall. When we do, I want you to pretend to swoon.”
“Not hard with a husband as hot as you.”
“Flirt later. Work now.” I lean in and kiss her cheek.
“Do you have your belongings?” I ask Nicolette as the man is still looking for the necklace and pearls.
“I do. Henrique, I… I feel faint,” Nicolette says to me.
“Let’s get you back to the hotel, love.” I turn to face the older man. “Thank you so much for the job offer. I will be in touch at the first opportunity.”
“Henrique—”
Nicolette places her hand on her forehead. She actually looks pale. “I can’t?—”
She falls backward expertly. I catch her and in so doing, hit the fire alarm behind her back so it looks as if it were an accident. A siren blares.
“Oh my goodness! Are you okay?”
“I’ll have to take her home right away,” I say as lights flash and the siren wails. We open the door and head out straight into the street. Thunder crackles as rain pours from the sky.
Fuck.
As soon as we round the corner, we ditch the disguises and I call a ride. We duck into a shop doorway to take cover from the rain, but it’s a hopeless cause.
I reach for her hand and place the tennis bracelet and ring into her palm.
“Job offer. Tennis bracelet. Ring.” She goes up on her toes to kiss my cheek, which right then and there makes it all worth it. “Mission accomplished.”
“Mymission was accomplished, too,” she says triumphantly, holding the bag of jewelry up.
“Good girl. You did very well.”
“Why thank you.”
As our ride comes around the corner, sirens cut through the sound of pouring rain. I glance at her to see if she’ll panic, but she stays calm and collected. They pull up to the store and come to a stop as the driver opens our door.
I let Nicolette in first, then follow suit behind her.
No one pursues us.
“We’ve pulled off our first practice.”
Nicolette holds up one of the necklaces she bought and places it around the bare skin at her neck.
“Gorgeous.” I kiss her again. “And the jewelry isn’t half bad, either. But we’ve got to get ready for the wedding. It’s in an hour, and we look like a pair of drowned rats.”
“Dammit. Can you turn the car heater up?”
