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“Flew them in from Paris.”
I laugh, but there’s no joke on her face. “Wait, really?”
“I tried for years, but I gave up. Whatever it is French people do to dessert, I cannot replicate it. They are magic, pure and simple.”
So, I follow his lead, lifting the ribbons and diving into the crème brule. It is light and ethereal with just a hint of sweetness. I want to eat this every day. “Oh my god, that is incredible.”
Anderson tells her, “Thank you for this, Mom.”
“I wanted to have something special for you for the first time you brought a girl home, and considering the ring on her finger, I’m glad I did it.”
It’s funny—I keep forgetting the ring is there. It fits on my finger like it actually belongs there, and I am way too comfortable wearing it. But who knows? Maybe one day it’ll be there for an actual reason.
Anderson clears his throat and catches his father’s eye. “Dad, thank you for finding us for dessert.”
His father’s cheeks go rosy, and it’s all I can do not to join him. He gives a quick nod, then returns to his conversation.
I return to my dessert, focusing on the divine instead of the uncomfortable. His cousin—Evelyn, I think—asks about the ring, and I quickly recall the story we made up about our engagement. She oohs and ahhs as I embellish things a little more, and as it turns out, she’s engaged, too. She insists, “We must decide on a date soon, so our dates don’t conflict. Being that convention dictates our wedding dates must be at least six months apart, when were you thinking?”
“Oh, um, we haven’t set a date yet. Have you?”
“We were looking at, well, next June. But I doubt a woman named June wants to be a June bride?—“
I laugh. “Eh, no. Maybe the December after yours. Or later. Right now, I’m so swamped with work, the idea of planning a wedding is too much.”
“But you’ll stop working to plan the wedding, right?”
I almost laugh, but then I catch the look on her face. Oh my hell, she’s serious? “I wasn’t planning on it.”
“Right, right. You’re a lawyer. Hard to peel any of you away from that profession,” she says with a little shrug. “My Daniel wouldn’t dream of ending his career. I swear, they will have to bury him in his office.”
“We are a dedicated lot.”
She goes on about wedding planning, and Anderson gives my leg a squeeze under the table. But before long, we’re saying our goodbyes and leaving it all behind. When we get outside, the brisk breeze nearly takes my breath from me. “So, how did I?—
He wraps his arms around me and kisses me, long and deep. “You were amazing. The whole time, but especially when Jessalyn started going on about wedding stuff.”
“Jessalyn? I thought that was Evelyn.”
“Her mom is Evelyn.”
I smack my forehead. “Pretty sure I called her Evelyn. She didn’t even correct me.”
He chuckles and kisses me again. “And she was either too in the bag to notice, or she was being nice about it. They know you were inundated by a bunch of strangers. We usually give people a year to know everyone by name. It’s fine.”
“Your family is such a weird mix of snooty and nice. I don’t get it.”
“That’s Mom’s side of the family. Dad’s is all snooty, all the time.” He waves to the valet, and they run to fetch his car. “You did really well tonight, June.”
“Thanks. Still feel like an idiot with Jessalyn, but what’s done is done.”
“I’ll text you her number, so you have it—she’s easy going about most things, but she was serious about that wedding planner for you.” He pats his pockets. “Oh hell. I think it fell out … probably in the library.”
“Go on up. I’ll wait out here and warm up in the car.”
He smiles. “I’ll be quick.” He kisses me again. “I could just buy another phone. That way, I don’t have to leave you.”
I giggle. “Okay, there’s extravagant and there’s frivolous, and that is definitely the latter. Go.”
