Page 94 of Roman

“I’m getting married. My fiancée wants pretty, and there isn’t a prettier room in the city than the Cascade room.”

She exchanged a glance with the chef I had brought in for the meeting. I kept talking.

“Chef Renaldi, she loves your pasta. I want the menu simple, elegant, but it needs pasta. And she nibbles. Charcuterie. Antipasto. Lots of seafood. Whatever else is on the books that night gets relegated to your other chefs. You are on this.”

I swung my gaze back to Judith. “We’ll be married by the windows. I need flowers. Round tables and chairs. The best linen. A dance floor. Everything. No expense spared.”

“How many?”

“It will be small. Less than a hundred, maybe even fifty.” I met her distressed gaze. “Can you handle this?”

She glanced down at her tablet she carried everywhere with her. “I’ll call the Embassy. I know Fredric was moaning about a cancellation. The convention using the Cascade room might be open to moving their event with some, ah, incentives.”

“Give it to them. Tell them the room is suddenly unavailable. It’s beyond your control. Offer them all free nights here another time. Pad the event coordinator’s budget. Whatever you have to do. But I am using that room. I don’t care if I lose business. There is plenty to be had.”

We had a wait list for all our event spaces.

I stood. “Make the arrangements, and we will meet again tomorrow. I need plans, menus, everything by then.”

A smile tugged at my lips as I recalled their shocked faces and silence. I planned to surprise Effie—she asked for pretty, and pretty I would give her.

Effie looked dazed. Almost as stunned as Judith. I smiled at her, teasing.

“I get what I want, Effie.”

“Obviously,” she said dryly, glancing down at her hand.

Chuckling, I lifted her hand to my mouth again, nuzzling the skin. I was strangely relaxed about the whole wedding thing. Almost…happy. I wanted it to be a nice day for her—I wanted to do lots of nice things for her.

We pulled up to the driveway of the estate, and Effie looked nervous again as the guards opened the gates and we headed to the house.

She had no reason to be nervous. Nonna would be beside herself with happiness. How Luca would react later was the mystery, but we would handle this one family member at a time.

Nonna looked surprised and pleased to see us. She cupped my face, kissing my cheeks as always, then did the same to Effie. “To what do I owe such an unexpected pleasure?”

“We have news,” I said, making sure to inject a lightness to my tone.

“Do share.”

Silently I held up Effie’s hand so the ring caught the light. For a moment, Nonna was transfixed, staring at the ring, then a wide smile broke out on her face.

“Roman, my boy! I knew it!”

She threw her arms around me in a rare display of emotion. Then she hugged Effie, standing back and gazing at us. I was shocked to see tears glistening in her eyes. I had never once seen Nonna cry. She shook her head. “You have made me so happy. I knew you were the one for him,” she said to Effie. “I could see it.”

She wiped at her eyes quickly. “Pardon this silly old woman. I will get champagne. Excuse me.”

She turned and hurried away, and I stared after her. Effie glanced up at me. “What is it?”

“She cried. I have never seen her cry.”

“She thinks you’re happy.”

I heard the trace of sadness in Effie’s voice. I looped my arm around her waist, pressing a kiss to her head. “I am, Little Tiger.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Now let’s go join Nonna.”