Lareina turns redder than a tomato. “I’m not.”
“Of course you are.”
Now she turns so crimson that I’m afraid she’s about to burst with embarrassment or anger. “Hey, I can look at him any way I want. He’s my husband.”
Aunt Jeremiah’s eyes narrow. Nothing good follows when she gazes at you like that.
“Did you want something to drink other than the wine, Aunt Jeremiah?” I ask, getting up and heading to the fridge.
“You know, maybe I’ll go upstairs and let you two talk,” Lareina says. “Maybe being able to climb a flight of stairs without spilling any water will convince your aunt that I’m not a dog.” She picks up my plate and bottle and leaves before I can say anything.
“Look what you’ve done,” I say to Aunt Jeremiah.
“She stole your plate!”
“She’s worried I’m not eating enough, so she left me the untouched plate.” I pull Lareina’s plate toward me and start biting into the bagel like there’s nothing wrong with this. I don’t understand Lareina’s weird obsession with swapping plates either, and don’t want to get into it with my aunt. I make a mental note to talk to Lareina about it later.
Aunt Jeremiah glances toward the now-empty staircase, then turns to me. Her gaze is intensely focused. “Where did you find her?”
“Vegas, the City of Fast and Furious Marriages. Where else?”
“Be serious.”
“Oh, I am. As you, Dad and Grandmother wanted, I’mrespectably married.” I spread my arms dramatically.
“Why did she marry you, then? You didn’t have time to draft and sign a prenup, did you?”
“No. She married me out of necessity. The foundation of our marriage is solid.”
Aunt Jeremiah snorts. “What happened to Soledad?”
“We broke up. I caught her fucking a gigolo.”
“Why on earth would she do that?”
“Something about it being the best way to get me back.”
“Good God.”What a dumbass,her tone says. “But Lareina? It isn’t like you to rebound. You didn’t really care for Soledad, did you?”
“Not really. And no, Lareina isn’t a rebound.” I tell her what happened, leaving out all the details of Lareina that would prevent me from presenting her as a nice, respectable wife to The Fogeys.
“So you traded a moron for an eccentric.” Although my aunt used a more politic term, it’s clear what she really wants to call Lareina is “weird” or “crazy.”
“She saved me from Harvey. How could I not fall for a woman who kept me safe?” I lay it on thick.
“That doesn’t meanshe’ssafe.” She frowns. “Besides, you said she’s from Nesovia, which is a nasty country for women. Her aunt probably won’t give up so easily. I had a client from there, in a similar situation. A jewelry heiress. She got out of it by arranging for a marriage with her cheating fiancé’s brother. It was quite the drama.”
“Are you talking about Lucienne Peery?” I ask.
My aunt nods.
“Did she get what she wanted?” I ask, somewhat curious.
“Of course. I’m very good at giving my clients what they desire. Besides, her husband hired John Highsmith.” She chortles, clearly reliving destroying the client’s husband, then grows serious. “I should’ve warned you that Zoe might try to approach you again when Josh and Bryce turned thirty. Keeping Zoe away from you for life wasn’t something we could pull off. Prescott wanted to walk, but we needed other guarantees from Vincent,” she says, referring to my maternal grandfather.
“Mom won’t get to me like before.”
“She’s more motivated. So is Harvey.”
